Room Service - Gluten Free

[VonChap]

No, haven't gotten anything. I'm not sure since I didn't get anything. But maybe I'll get something soon or my TA has and she didn't tell me yet. Do we have to order food for our cruise? I'm on a 21 day one. Maybe I can just eat waffles everyday. lol

 

NCL stocks GF sliced bread and pasta on all of its ships. If you want any of the specialty items, you do need to order in advance from the GF list. (Although, we are hearing that ships will start to stock other items without special requests)

 

We usually book directly with the cruise lines so that I can call and speak to them directly. I would ask your TA to call Customer Service and ask for the call to be forwarded to the Special Needs Department. That way, your TA can speak directly to a Special Needs person. Usually, the Special Needs Department only deals with emails, but you can get forwarded to them through Customer Service.

 

Have you tried to email the Special Needs Department on your own?

 

For European based cruises, you need to order your food 2-3 months in advance because it needs to be shipped to Europe from Miami.

 

-Kim

[ge0rgette2]

No, haven't gotten anything. I'm not sure since I didn't get anything. But maybe I'll get something soon or my TA has and she didn't tell me yet. Do we have to order food for our cruise? I'm on a 21 day one. Maybe I can just eat waffles everyday. lol

 

LMAO~~ I wouldn't mind eating waffles everyday for every meal! :p

 

It's a standard menu it seems, rolls, breads, waffles, choc chip or hazelnut cookies, spices, pasta...

[ge0rgette2]

How long is your cruise?

 

The bread is a standard size loaf. If you eat a lot of toast, I would order two loaves.

 

Hamburger buns/hot dog buns come in a set of 6

 

Pasta is in the same size box as we see at the grocery stores.

 

Pizza shells are in single servings. So, you you want more than one pizza on the cruise, you should order more servings.

 

Cookings, waffles, etc all come in the same size box that we see in grocery stores.

 

The products that they use are known GF brands and come packaged as we buy them in grocery stores. (such as Pam's cookies)

 

Fax back the list with the quantity number that you desire by each product. Or, I make a list that includes my reservation number and fax that back to the Special Need Department.

 

We book directly with NCL and I have my Personal Cruise Consultant check on the order with the Special Needs Department. This is one of the reasons that we now book directly with NCL.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Kim

 

THANKS!! Kim.

 

I wil fax, email says to email, either one is fine.

 

We are going on a 7 day cruise - I'll just see how many pizza's I can eat in a week LOL that's not a hard job for me.

 

When they prepare that or even the toast, do they provide it to me in the buffet and I ask for gf items...

 

Wonder how they keep check on who's who - or they just have a huge supply for guests and they just use the stock they have.. I would hate to eat someone elses waffles, or visa versa if they didn't order enough and they use mine...

I'm sure it's all worked out in the past...

 

Thanks - enjoy the day!

Georgette

[cruiznagainandagain]

Georgette,

 

Would you please email a copy of the order sheet you received from NCL? (If it's not too much of an annoyance) I'd like to send it to my TA if possible. My email is suzierue at yahoo. Thanks so much.:cool:

[VonChap]

THANKS!! Kim.

 

I wil fax, email says to email, either one is fine.

 

We are going on a 7 day cruise - I'll just see how many pizza's I can eat in a week LOL that's not a hard job for me.

 

When they prepare that or even the toast, do they provide it to me in the buffet and I ask for gf items...

 

Wonder how they keep check on who's who - or they just have a huge supply for guests and they just use the stock they have.. I would hate to eat someone elses waffles, or visa versa if they didn't order enough and they use mine...

I'm sure it's all worked out in the past...

 

Thanks - enjoy the day!

Georgette

 

Each night, you should be working with the Mairtre 'D on the food that you want to eat the next day and which restaurant you want to dine. They will help you decide what you want to eat and they will track you and your orders through your cabin number. They will always ask your cabin number. This is how they track your food.

 

You can dine in the specialty restaurants but it is best to let the Maitre D of the MDR know the day before where you want to dine and they will help you pre-select your menu. If you just show up at a specialty restaurant without giving some pre-warning, you will have a limited selection of food available. For example, if you want to dine in the Italian restaurant and eat a GF pizza, let them know the night before.

 

You can go to the buffet. If you want GF bread at the buffet, expect a long wait--unless you have given them some pre-notice. They have to leave the buffet area, find the supplies and then bring them back to the buffet.

 

If you give everyone some pre-warning of where you will be eating, things run smooth and your food will be served at the same pace as those dining with you. We dine a lot with our Cruise Critic friends in all the different restaurants. If you give some pre-notice and your cabin number, it isnt even noticable that you are dining on special food. When you arrive at the restaurant give the server your cabin number and tell them that you have pre-ordered a GF meal.

 

Have a great GF cruise!

 

Kim

[SuiteCruisin14]

Has anyone brought GF food with them? I pre-ordered my supplies and know the drill about pre-selecting the night before. But the brands of bread & rolls offered are not exactly my favorites, some I won't buy at all. The other food they prepare has always been delicious but the sandwich bread they offer does not like my tummy.

 

I would like to bring my brand of bread, Udi's, and bring it as needed to the dining room with me.

 

Lynda

[ks&ks]

Lynda,

We sailed on Sept. 4 on Epic. I can't say for certain that the sandwich bread that was listed on the pre-order form was the same brand that they served in the dining room. We have tried the brand that was on the pre-order form before but the taste & texture seemed a little different. I'll be interested to see what you discover on your upcoming trip. It may be that we've eaten Udi's so long that we can't remember what the other brand tastes like! We had so much food to eat that we didn't always request sandwich bread with our meals, if it wasn't automatically offered. I can tell you that the English Muffins we're definitely the brand listed on the order form. I'm not sure about the hamburger bun (looked like the closest thing I've ever seen to gluten buns and I just double checked to be on the safe side.) and I'm not sure about the bagel brand. I guess it's possible that brands could change as suppliers and vendors change as well.

 

Having said all that...:p. I took qt. size zip lock bags that I folded inside a gallon bag and packed it with our gf food bag. They ran out of bagels towards the end of the week. I opened my prepackage Udi's bagels and I took a couple of Udi's bagels with me to the dining room. I put the bagels in a zip lock bag and it worked great...bagels and lox!

 

Have a great gf cruise!!:)

[SuiteCruisin14]

Lynda,

We sailed on Sept. 4 on Epic. I can't say for certain that the sandwich bread that was listed on the pre-order form was the same brand that they served in the dining room. We have tried the brand that was on the pre-order form before but the taste & texture seemed a little different. I'll be interested to see what you discover on your upcoming trip. It may be that we've eaten Udi's so long that we can't remember what the other brand tastes like! We had so much food to eat that we didn't always request sandwich bread with our meals, if it wasn't automatically offered. I can tell you that the English Muffins we're definitely the brand listed on the order form. I'm not sure about the hamburger bun (looked like the closest thing I've ever seen to gluten buns and I just double checked to be on the safe side.) and I'm not sure about the bagel brand. I guess it's possible that brands could change as suppliers and vendors change as well.

 

Having said all that...:p. I took qt. size zip lock bags that I folded inside a gallon bag and packed it with our gf food bag. They ran out of bagels towards the end of the week. I opened my prepackage Udi's bagels and I took a couple of Udi's bagels with me to the dining room. I put the bagels in a zip lock bag and it worked great...bagels and lox!

 

Have a great gf cruise!!:)

 

Thanks for the reply, I will be bringing some snacks, cereal and bread as we have some pre cruise days in Barcelona. My research tells me that there are 3 or 4 places in Barcelona to buy GF food. I love "Schar's" brand and it is from Europe so I am hoping to find it while there.

I will definately post about the cruise and eating GL when I return. This board has been so helpful in finding info.

 

Lynda

[cruiznagainandagain]

 

I am doing the 12 night Dawn repo cruise in October and plan on writing a GF review to post when I return.

 

-Kim

 

Oh Kim I will be so eager to read that review. I'm on a 21 day Jade in November. Did you order beforehand?

 

A BIG THANK YOU TO GEORGETTE FOR THE LIST! YOU ROCK!

[CruiserDee]

This past month I received info from NCL about my cruise on theEPIC. When I called to find out where my order sheet was I was told that they no longer do the pre-order. What they do now is just stock the ship with the GF supplies. After reading these posts I am getting nervous that the person on the other end of the phone didn't know what they were talking about. Did everyone get the same info from NCL?

[ks&ks]

This past month I received info from NCL about my cruise on theEPIC. When I called to find out where my order sheet was I was told that they no longer do the pre-order. What they do now is just stock the ship with the GF supplies. After reading these posts I am getting nervous that the person on the other end of the phone didn't know what they were talking about. Did everyone get the same info from NCL?

Hi CruiserDee,

I sailed on Epic this month and I received the same information you did when I inquired about pre-ordering. I got nervous after reading the boards as well. I was able to get an order form from another PCC that I sent in. It seems that Epic is carrying lots of gf items now. When we boarded they had a record of our gf request but we didn't discuss the actual items pre-ordered items etc. Do you have a PCC? She was able to give me the email address for the Epic Access Desk contact, in case I had any questions or problems.

 

You're going to have an incredible time on the Epic!!

[CruiserDee]

Hi CruiserDee,

I sailed on Epic this month and I received the same information you did when I inquired about pre-ordering. I got nervous after reading the boards as well. I was able to get an order form from another PCC that I sent in. It seems that Epic is carrying lots of gf items now. When we boarded they had a record of our gf request but we didn't discuss the actual items pre-ordered items etc. Do you have a PCC? She was able to give me the email address for the Epic Access Desk contact, in case I had any questions or problems.

 

You're going to have an incredible time on the Epic!!

 

I don't have a PCC but have contacted one a couple days ago (this person is affiliated with the CC coordinator for my sailing). He called me right away and forwarded me an email he sent the access desk asking them to clear this up. We waited a few days and he called me again tonight to ask if anyone has gotten back to me. Not yet. He is now taking this to the supervisory level and has assured me that we will clear this up. I am very impressed by his customer service and am confident that I will have a good time (whether or not NCL gets back to me).

 

I can't wait to go - so glad you enjoyed yourself. Any suggestions or recommendation? We are on our way in a week....

 

Darlene

[ks&ks]

I wouldn't worry as long as your reservations are tagged as gluten free. We got an automated response when we sent in our gf pre-order but we never received a message specifically from anyone before we left. After we were on board we went and introduced our selves etc.

 

We at mainly at Taste for breakfast and lunch and at the Manhattan Room for dinner. We didn't eat at the buffet mainly because we weren't hungry! Several times the staff apologized for how long we had to wait for food but we didn't think we had to wait any longer than those persons who weren't gluten free.

 

If bread is important to you to have at each meal, you may want to ask your server for it. Sometimes they automatically brought bread and sometimes they didn't. One server told us that it is frozen and they have to go downstairs to get it. If we were offered bread, we enjoyed it but we didn't find we needed it at every meal. Typically we ordered soup, salad and/or an appetizers, entree (sometimes 2) and dessert (sometimes 2)!

 

The first evening they offered us a flourless chocolate cake, which I think is frozen and available most of the time. One evening we got a different flourless chocolate cake that was served with berries, which I think must have been on the regular menu that night. Some nights for dessert we asked for anything gf and we were pleasantly surprised!

 

If you like sushi you can talk to them at Wasabi and they will mark your order as gluten free. As with most sushi restaurants the crab was immitation and the tempura and soy sauce weren't gf. I did eat the wasabi served with the sushi, but I was afraid to try the pickled ginger. Also, I did not eat the soup there. They were very helpful and let me customize my own rolls with ingredients I knew were safe.

 

One server that worked in Le Bistro said to make sure to tell them you are gf when you make reservations at the specialty restaurants so they can make things gluten free for you.

 

If I can think of any thing else before you leave, I'll let you know.

 

I hope you have a wonderful trip! Let us know how things go when you get home. :)

[CruiserDee]

My Dh and I are going to let everyone know that I am gluten free. We are doing the Circ Dinner and Murder Mystery lunch so I am curious to see how that will come out. I will post here to let you know how it comes out. Only 5 and 1/2 days now!!!! So very excited. We are going to do the Ice Bar. Hubby loves the cold. It was a compromise for going to the Caribbean. I think I can stick the cold out for 45 mins of my warm weather week.

 

Ok. --- I will talk to you later.....

 

YAY!!!:D:D:D

[ks&ks]

My Dh and I are going to let everyone know that I am gluten free. We are doing the Circ Dinner and Murder Mystery lunch so I am curious to see how that will come out. I will post here to let you know how it comes out. Only 5 and 1/2 days now!!!! So very excited. We are going to do the Ice Bar. Hubby loves the cold. It was a compromise for going to the Caribbean. I think I can stick the cold out for 45 mins of my warm weather week.

 

Ok. --- I will talk to you later.....

 

YAY!!!:D:D:D

The ice bar is a lot of fun. There is a menu on the boards of the drinks they serve. I checked the menu and ingredients out before we went. I contacted the company that sponsors the ice bar, but they couldn't give me any information on the gluten status of their products. I decided not to take a risk with the citron flavored drinks, since I wasn't sure about them. I contacted the other manufactures of the ingredients for the Nordic Apple Juice and those were gf. I did fine with the Nordic Apple Juice and we had lots of fun! Be sure and bring your camera. We were the last people to leave and had the opportunity to take tons of pics.

 

I know you must be super excited. Have a great time!:D

[CruiserDee]

Sorry it has taken so long to post--- I am trying to work out my review as well but you take priority! The easiest and best meals I had aboard were in the Garden Cafe... There was a Maitre D there (Deepak Gonsalves) he did anything and every thing to accomodate my issues... We met a couple other GF people but only at the buffet and we did not get a chance to compare notes. I did not have any issues with the Ice Bar and in fact it was the best time!!! About 20 of us crazy cruise critics got a group reservation and we dominated the bar... hilarity ensued...

 

Beware of the Speigel Tent!!!! I got glutened there twice! I called a couple people about my reservations and finally got a return call (after I called the food and beverage manager's number that was provided at the CC meet and greet)... we went over what the meal was and what substitutions I would receive... filet without gravy, a baked potato instead of the au gratin and creme brule instead of the cupcakes also I booked the murder mystery and that was simple -- grilled chicken veg and potato no gravy. I got the au gratin and then I got a fruit plate instead of the creme brule... how dissappointed was I!!!! I did let them know and was told to bring it up at the CC meet and greet so they knew what would be posted (which gives them a chance to correct it) but the Mgr got upset with me. (She was the manager of the Speigel Tent, not the F&B but still....)

 

Later that night after martini-ing at Fat Cats I discovered Creme Brule in my cabin and a message of appology from the woman...

 

Now for the Murder Mystery... I went in and the woman came right over to me and asked me if I received the creme brule and inquired that I did not call her back -- I didn't know I was supposed to ... She bought me a drink and then the show started... Salad... the waiter brought mine over stating that I could not have the dressing (which was not stated when I went over the menu) and gave me oil and vinegar - yuk!) Looking down at the salad the olives looked like they were taken off another salad and rinsed with dressing residue still on them so I gave them to my husband... When I tipped my dish I also discovered a milky liquid in the bottom of the bowl.... so I left my contamination un-eaten and enjoyed the show... I did not bring it up as I did not want any further altercations on my lovely vacation and went back to eating at the Garden Cafe - where I received Flourless chocolate cake and cookies and Pizza and Bagels!!!!

 

We had a great time... I enjoyed the Circ show and the Murder Mystery...Blue Man was AWESOME!!!! Howl at the Moon is the BEST!!!! I try not to let a bad meal ruin my vacation...

 

Have to go --- more life to get back to..

[VonChap]

Just got back from a WONDERFUL Gluten Free cruise on the Dawn. Out of all the NCL ships we have sailed, the Dawn crew did the best for GF. I just posted a regular review for the Dawn Repo and will post a GF review soon. I made lots of notes and lists of food that I ate.

 

The only negative is that now that I am home, I am in great food withdrawal.

[cruiznagainandagain]

Just got back from a WONDERFUL Gluten Free cruise on the Dawn. Out of all the NCL ships we have sailed, the Dawn crew did the best for GF. I just posted a regular review for the Dawn Repo and will post a GF review soon. I made lots of notes and lists of food that I ate.

 

The only negative is that now that I am home, I am in great food withdrawal.

 

Looking forward to your review. Will you be posting here?

[VonChap]

Looking forward to your review. Will you be posting here?

 

Yes, I will post my GF review of the Dawn on this board. I just posted a full review, that includes some GF info, on this board. It is named, "Wonderful Dawn Repo". My GF review will be all about the food. :D

[cruiznagainandagain]

Yes, I will post my GF review of the Dawn on this board. I just posted a full review, that includes some GF info, on this board. It is named, "Wonderful Dawn Repo". My GF review will be all about the food. :D

 

Have you posted your GF review yet? I read your "Wonderful Dawn Repo" and was still 'hungering' for more!!

 

Suzie