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j1d1

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  1. You can order it gluten free, but the usual version is NOT gluten free. The GF version is not quite the same although close. As GF desserts go though, it is a very good option.
  2. As others have said, your best experience is likely to be at the MDR. On embarkation day you'll see a time in the afternoon for Dining Requests (or something like that). It is usually in one of the dining rooms. They will have that night's menu available and you can put in your order. Then at each meal, tell your server you want to put in a GF order for the next meal. This system seems to work pretty well. In our experience, allergies/intolerances are taken very seriously, and staff, especially officers and chefs, will bend over backwards to accommodate you if they can. However, you are unlikely to get quite the same level of service from quick service servers such as at Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana. They are very busy, and it is very challenging for them to change up the workflow to produce something that is truly GF. Guy's fries have a dedicated fryer, but they serve using gloved hands which makes cross contamination very likely. With that said, if you are willing to wait, they will do their best. It may just take a good long while. I've asked at Blue Iguana before and was told they don't offer anything that they consider GF. Others may have had a different experience. Our experience at the pizza place has been good, but again expect to have to wait. I'll try to go to some of these places when they aren't as busy and acknowledge to staff up front that I'm willing to wait. Our experience at the Specialty Dining has been hit or miss. You would expect a higher level of service given the extra cost, but we've found the MDR to be better. We haven't found the person who is supposed to help with special food requests at the buffet to be very helpful. There will be things listed as GF on the buffet but not all that much. You can always ask staff to check if something isn't listed as GF and you think it likely is. They will go ask a chef. One trick at the buffet is to find and officer (white shirt) and ask for something. For example, we will ask for GF french toast in the morning. Again, expect to have to wait. While the wait is sometimes annoying, it signals to me that they are doing the things that really are necessary to produce something GF. Let the officer know where you are sitting, and they will bring it out to you. Another example would be asking for a burger and fries w/ GF bun. They will get it made and brought out to you. Bottom line is that the MDR for breakfast and dinner is going to be your best bet with the most variety and highest likelihood of them doing it right. Unfortunately Carnival doesn't offer lunch in the MDR but does offer the Sea Day brunch until noon on sea days. I personally think that cruise lines handle GF better than any other tourist/vacation industry. With that said, there are never any guarantees as I'm sure you know. Search the board for Gluten Free and you'll find other advice. Good luck.
  3. Never thought I'd see the Clermont Lounge on Cruise Critic. I remember seeing Blondie when I was there a few times back in the late 90s.
  4. Thanks for this @mac_tlc We leave a week from tomorrow and have the UDP. Would you happen to also have the pages with restaurant open times? Since the 5/1 sailing didn't have Aqua80, does anyone know what days and times it usually runs?
  5. Hello fellow Gator Dad. We have both Celiac and DM1 in the family as well although not in the same child. First I would recommend checking in with either her Endocrinologist or Diabetic Nurse for any advice. My advice will be general and not specific to RC as most of our cruises have been on other lines, but thus far I haven't found much in the way of differences between the lines in this regard. Also please remember that any advice I give is not specific to your daughter as I can only give our experience. In other words this is NOT specific medical advice. Any advice is somewhat dependent on what technology you are using to manage her DM (i.e. shots vs pump, finger sticks vs CGM) and the age/independence of the child. A cruise is definitely a situation where a pump and CGM come in very handy. If she is not using a CGM, I would recommend that you contact her Endocrine and insist on starting one. They are a complete game changer. One downside is that you need to purchase the internet package for at least two devices if you want to monitor the CGM while separated. You'll also need a way to communicate which can be something like iMessage or WhatsApp if using the internet package on two phones or the cruise line specific texting. Note that I have found the cruise line texting apps to be very hit or miss in how well they function and don't trust them. We use iMessage which works fine as long as all phones are Apple and you have the internet package on both. I like iMessage because I can see if message was delivered and read. My understanding is the WhatsApp is a good alternative if not all phones are Apple, but I have never used it. Also consider different types of pumps. We use Omnipod which is nice because they can be kept on even in pools, waterslides, and the ocean. One thing to consider though is the adhesive for pumps/pods and GGMs. They tend to not work as well after exposure to sweat, chlorine water, salt water, and being more active. Backup adhesive/overlays can be very helpful. My primary advice is that you have to adjust expectations for the time on the cruise. It will be VERY challenging to start. Especially with a recent diagnosis. Our first goal is to avoid low blood sugar. This can be very challenging as a child may be much more active than usual on a cruise. Reducing your basal shot or pump basal rate can be helpful, but that is going to be very specific to the child. Secondary goal is to prevent highs, but my tolerance of highs is adjusted up a good bit during the time on the cruise. You will not be perfect. There is no way around this. Do the best you can. Prevent lows and major highs. Do your best not to let DM ruin her (and your) vacation. Having set reasonable expectations for both her and you can make this more manageable. Remember that it will get easier. CGM goes a long way here as the alternative is a lot of finger sticks. It is very important that she stay hydrated. Have hydration plans for ports and shore excursions. Our diabetic child tends to eat the same things repeatedly. I have been doing this long enough that I don't necessarily need to carb count because they don't stray far from the usual. Adjustments using a pump are also helpful if I miss on estimated insulin needs. The cruise lines don't generally have carb counts available unfortunately. You are welcome to ask, but don't be surprised if you don't get an answer. Use apps to estimate. Consider goals above regarding lows and highs when dosing. This will require trial and error unfortunately. It is hard to give specifics here. Our child never really took to Kids Clubs. I think that was partially due to diabetes. The staff want to be helpful but are very limited in what they can do. If you are lucky, one of the staff members has experience with DM1. This is an area where the independence and age of your child make a big difference. The ability to monitor blood sugar and communicate can also make a big difference. I don't have much else to add as our child hasn't spent much time in the Kids Clubs. When packing, have backups for your backups. That's for everything. Insulin, pump supplies, CGM supplies, glucose monitor, test strips, preferred sugar/glucose source for lows, etc. Whatever it is, assume that you can not easily replace if lost or broken. Try to keep insulin cold without freezing if at all possible. You will leave insulin in a hotel or stateroom refrigerator at least once. You will end up with a good sized bag just for DM supplies. Give yourself extra time to get through security at both airports and ports. Technically DM technology should not go through x-ray machines although some will tell you that no damage is caused. We still avoid the x-ray machine and request that child not go through the scanner when wearing DM tech. TL;DR. Try not to get overwhelmed. It does get better although it will remain a challenge. Avoid lows. Learn from mistakes. Triple pack everything. Give yourself extra time for everything. If not using a CGM, insist on starting one. Remember you are on vacation.
  6. Looking forward to following as we are on Oasis at the end of May. Really hope Aqua80 is up and running by then. On the flip side, we are very excited that Lazer Tag is on the schedule. I don't think it's been running. Only seems to be a few hours on two nights, but my sons and I will take what we can get.
  7. Not sure I can agree with the "any ship" part, but the mushroom soup was the most memorable thing I consumed at Chops on Mariner a few years ago. Initially tried the Lobster Bisque and it was just ok. Tried the mushroom soup towards the end of the cruise and wished I had tried earlier. Looking forward to having it again on Oasis in a few weeks. Everything else we had was very good, but the mushroom soup was amazing.
  8. Update: I finally received back email communication from Carnival about 2 weeks after my first email to them. Their records showed that the Refund was emailed. I've searched my Junk and Trash but cannot find the email. They have told me that it will be re-issued via email. So as @labscientiststated above, they are sending out gift card refunds via email.
  9. I've used gift cards for OBC multiple times and have received any amount owed back very quickly. This is the first time it is a problem. Getting everything back in your pocket using the casino is a good idea. Having never had a problem before, it wasn't something I considered. The real frustration for me is that there seems to be no way to talk to someone at Carnival about it.
  10. Carnival uses non-refundable OBC first. Once that is used up I think the order goes Refundable OBC, Gift Card OBC, and finally credit card/cash. Our final Folio clearly states that they owe use money.
  11. Despite the fact that Carnival crew/employees tell you to hold onto the card, they don't have any way to "reload" the balance. I have confirmed that previously with Carnival. Also I have confirmed that the balance on the card is 0.
  12. We've been back about a month from the Carnival Sunshine. Really fun cruise although it's a challenge getting used to normal capacity again. We had a good bit of OBC from prior cancellations. A small amount of that OBC was refundable although I'm not entirely sure why. I also put down a gift card of a little over $300 (around $306 I think) to back up the OBC. Our folio at the end of the cruise says we were owed back $323. A few days after the cruise I received a check for a little over $12. I have not yet received anything for the gift card refund. In the past, I have received the gift card refund via FedEx just a few days after the cruise. I have called, but Carnival doesn't have anyone taking phone calls for after cruise issues. I have emailed guestcare at carnival but have not received any response other than an automated email that in no way addressed the issue. I have DM'd Carnival on Twitter. They responded but said there was nothing they could do. Does anyone know of an alternate contact? I'd really like to either get the money back or get an update as to why it has not been returned. Thanks for any help.
  13. Interesting that a lot of people are saying that they get Baileys on Carnival. I regularly drink coffee with Irish cream for breakfast and at the end of dinner. Carnival got rid of Baileys in 2019 (I think). They offer a different brand of Irish cream. It is similar but not quite the same. I can't recall the name. Baileys was available on my NYE cruise 2018-19. Then later in 2019 I was told they no longer had Bailey's on Valor. No Bailey's on recent Horizon and Sunshine cruises. Right after they got rid of it, if you asked for Baileys they would let you know that they had Irish cream but not specifically Baileys. Now if you ask for Baileys they just serve you the alternative brand.
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