BEWARE IF YOU HAVE ANY FOOD ALLERGIES!!! Carnival was not accommodating at ALL when i

[RelaxNCruz]

All the proper steps were taken in advance. As mentioned in my original post, even after speaking with the proper people onboard the ship, Carnival indicated they could not accommodate my sister's needs, and even suggested that if my sister's food needs were so critical that she should have brought her own food onboard. What?? Bring your own food on a cruise??? Come on...

 

Compensation was requested because:

- website indicated facts that were not true

- assurances were made by Carnival in advance that food needs would be satisfactorily addressed

- even after needs were not being met and brought to the attention of the Maitre D, they were essentialy told -- 'too bad'

- they paid a fair amount of money for the 4 of them to travel on this cruise and two of them were unable to eat

[Sh1035]

Sorry but suffer from the same thing. However, I refuse to be one of those picky people. I know what I can't eat and what I can't. I don't count on anyone to cater to me and never will.

 

Im sorry to sound harsh but not that hard to do.

[fishtaco]

If you have ever done a full galley tour of a cruise ship you would also understand how these special needs are very hard to fulfil without "constant" prior arrangement during the cruise which also limits the dinning arrangement times and venues of the person requiring the special food.

 

Even though your sister notified Carnival via a TA she also cannot expect a breakfast server in the buffet to ask for special food to be prepared on demand although some would try their best to fulfil this request.

 

The head chef and his assistants cannot overlook or supervise every cook in the galley who have many many people to feed all at once thus ingredients are made/cooked in bulk to satisfy the majority.

 

Yes better arrangements should have been made by carnival but am sure your sister didnt go at all hungry during the cruise because she was not accommodated with some gluten free choices, perhaps just not enough?

 

When you take into consideration how many prepared products contain gluten unless the ship went totally gluten free your sister would have needed a kitchen full of staff to prepare her meals individually to be able to eat without prior arrangement everyday because each cook usually only cooks at his/her station the food they are trained to cook.

 

A strict vegetarian may also get a bit of shock if been on a galley tour as cross mixing of food is sometime unavoidable given the galleys tight schedule.

 

This does not excuse carnival for advertising availability of special dietary requirements but personally I cant see how they can fulfil it every time.

 

 

Den

[lukydog]

Apparently on this cruise the buffet was the only location open for breakfast. She did, in fact, contact Carnival about her bad experience and requested compensation as she and her son had very few food options available during their cruise. Here is their response:

 

Thank you for contacting us following your recent cruise on the Carnival Sensation. We were concerned with the poor impression you were left regarding your special dietary requirements. Carnival values its guests with special needs and makes every effort to accommodate their requests. As stated on our website, we do offer a variety of foods at any given time, and it is our hope that by working closely with our maitre d? or hostess on the first night of sailing, our guests are able to choose from a variety of options onboard. Nevertheless, we regret your disappointment in this regard. We appreciate your having taken the time to send us your comments. As part of our ongoing process to improve our product, your feedback has been shared with the relevant department managers for their disposition. While I wish I had better news, we cannot honor your request for compensation. Please don't let what happened this time around tarnish your entire opinion of us.

Sincerely,

Andrea Reyes

Guest Care Specialist

Carnival Cruise Lines | 3655 NW 87th Avenue | Miami, FL 33178 |

800-929-6400

 

So basically, thanks for spending tons of money with us, sorry you weren't able to eat, come back soon! Really??? Dream on!

 

 

As far as I know there has always been breakfast available in the main dining room. My husband also has Celiac Disease and Carnival bent over backwards in our opinion to meet his needs. He did have to eat in the main dining room to order from a gluten free menu (as someone previously stated the hostess would come to our table every evening to have him order the next night's supper from a gluten free menu. He could also order breakfast for the next morning to be eaten in the main dining room). At the buffet, we just had to use commen sense, knowing what kind of foods he should avoid. If you've been on a gluten free diet long enough you should know what should be safe and what would be questionable. There was always something at the buffet he could eat. They even made a gluten free pizza at the pizzaria upon request. Back to the breakfast at the buffet.... they could have eaten fruit, eggs, hash brown potatoes, bacon, sausage.....so sorry just sounds like alot of complaining to me. A gluten free diet away from home is not the easiest but it can be done.

[RelaxNCruz]

Sorry but suffer from the same thing. However, I refuse to be one of those picky people. I know what I can't eat and what I can't. I don't count on anyone to cater to me and never will.

 

Im sorry to sound harsh but not that hard to do.

 

If you were to become ill merely as the result of a piece of bread touching you meat, you would realize that you are very much dependent upon the competency and accommodations of the chefs. Apparently your condition is not as serious as my sister and nephew's. You are fortunate.

[combatboots2jimmychoos]

Requested compensation?? LOL good luck with that

 

I am sure...it is "the other way around">> dining room open every day for breakfast. Open on sea days for lunch....so what ship was this??

 

Anyhow...with gluten free....there is NO reason they could not eat in dining room...they could have eggs, bacon, sausage, fruits and more

 

 

as for travel agent..yes they can/will call special needs...cruiser can call special needs...but gluten free is not some "rare" condition or anything, they have people with this condition on every sailing....they can easily accomodate them on board IN THE DINING ROOM

IF you walked on the ship without notifiying special needs they will still accomodate gluten free...I saw it done for a lady who didn't let them know in advance.

 

People who need this sort of diet also are able to eat out on a regular basis, they just pretty much eat "low carb"/Atkins....they "know" enough to avoid obvious :gluten: items and also avoid things that may have flour etc in them (gravy, sauces, breading etc)

 

No they don't have gluten free breads on room service but they can and will have them in dining room

 

Requested compensation?? For what??

 

Completely agree. Anyone who lives a gluten free lifestyle knows how to order, even at McDonalds. There is plenty of gluten free foods available at each meal. Even if the special gluten free pancakes weren't available, she certainly had many other options.

[RelaxNCruz]

Completely agree. Anyone who lives a gluten free lifestyle knows how to order, even at McDonalds. There is plenty of gluten free foods available at each meal. Even if the special gluten free pancakes weren't available, she certainly had many other options.

 

McDonalds is not a place that individuals with serious Celiac can eat. The oil they use to fry foods with is contaminated with Gluten. But thanks for your input. The issue was not about the pancakes, it was about the way that Carnival addressed their needs.

[fishtaco]

Requested compensation?? LOL good luck with that

 

I am sure...it is "the other way around">> dining room open every day for breakfast. Open on sea days for lunch....so what ship was this??

 

Anyhow...with gluten free....there is NO reason they could not eat in dining room...they could have eggs, bacon, sausage, fruits and more

 

 

as for travel agent..yes they can/will call special needs...cruiser can call special needs...but gluten free is not some "rare" condition or anything, they have people with this condition on every sailing....they can easily accomodate them on board IN THE DINING ROOM

IF you walked on the ship without notifiying special needs they will still accomodate gluten free...I saw it done for a lady who didn't let them know in advance.

 

People who need this sort of diet also are able to eat out on a regular basis, they just pretty much eat "low carb"/Atkins....they "know" enough to avoid obvious :gluten: items and also avoid things that may have flour etc in them (gravy, sauces, breading etc)

 

No they don't have gluten free breads on room service but they can and will have them in dining room

 

Requested compensation?? For what??

 

I agree with you!

I have a stomach reaction to some gluten but it is unavoidable.

I eat what I know I can eat,if I dont I suffer for it.I would not expect gluten free meals to be ready available so ask for it or have something else.

 

Beer also make me ill but I still drink it a lot,I cant expect there to be a yeast free carbohydrate free beer available everywhere I drink.

 

Den

[room010]

Im sorry but I dont believe Carnival said they were unable to accommodate your sisters needs. Celiac disease and/gluten intolerance isn't uncommon and cruise chefs are used to preparing gluten free food but they need advance warning. If they weren't notified by you sisters TA then her/your anger is being directed to the wrong place but in any event Im sure there were other celiac passengers to cater for. Were they treated in a similar way? I'm also dubious about your assertion that meat is "contaminated" merely by being touched by a piece of bread. There's more to this story than you/we are being told.

[Silverman]

I knew the "cheerleaders" would be all over this!!! The best thing to do is never post anything negative about Carnival on this board or you will get ripped apart!! BTW Im sorry this happened to your sis and nephew. Next time they go on a cruise tell them the best thing they can do is take their money elsewhere. Nothing works better than showing Carnival what your feet and wallet can do!!

[lukydog]

Im sorry but I dont believe Carnival said they were unable to accommodate your sisters needs. Celiac disease and/gluten intolerance isn't uncommon and cruise chefs are used to preparing gluten free food but they need advance warning. If they weren't notified by you sisters TA then her/your anger is being directed to the wrong place but in any event Im sure there were other celiac passengers to cater for. Were they treated in a similar way? I'm also dubious about your assertion that meat is "contaminated" merely by being touched by a piece of bread. There's more to this story than you/we are being told.

 

She is correct that if someone is highly sensitive to gluten meat coming in contact with bread it can make them sick. Hubby has Celiac and he took a hamburger out of the bun and just ate the meat and got a reaction from it. He now knows he can't do that again. I also know someone with Celiac who kissed her husband after he ate a regular cookie and she got a reaction. Hard to believe but it happens!

[fishtaco]

If you were to become ill merely as the result of a piece of bread touching you meat, you would realize that you are very much dependent upon the competency and accommodations of the chefs. Apparently your condition is not as serious as my sister and nephew's. You are fortunate.

 

Even when cooking gluten free bread the bakers assistants would have used normal flour Somewhere along the line if not for just dusting.

 

Same for non exclusive/specific products mass produced anywhere stating gluten free and your sister would be aware of this because its written on the package of products?

 

If your sister is that bad then she would need to eat exclusive food types/preperations and would have known to avoid a vacation that caters for the majority with mass produced food! surly?

 

Not arguing with you just trying to understand the huge upset.

 

Den

[hermitstyle]

OP sorry to hear about your experience. We experienced the same thing on the Glory re: a shellfish allergy and eating at the Chef's Table after we were assured numerous times that Carnival would take care of the allergy. We ate in the MDR every day for breakfast and dinner, and lunch when it was open. Traveling companion got sick at the Chef's Table from her shellfish allergy, posted my disappointment on the board about Carnival's response, and basically the posts in this thread were roughly the same as the posts in our thread - it was our fault, even though a company assured that allergies would be satisfied.

 

Don't let this stop you from cruising though. It's not stopping us from cruising Carnival again, as we think this was a one off and are looking forward to a better - maybe even a more competent staff who will deal with food allergies correctly on our upcoming Dream cruise. We did everything as we were told as well, but Carnival dropped the ball in our situation as well as your sister and nephew's situation.

[lax mom]

We went on a cruise last year with my sister and her family. My brother in law is celiac and had no trouble at all. The first night the waiter checked and told him what on the menu he could eat. Every other night they would bring the following evening's menu and go through it with him. He could basically choose anything he wanted and they would prepare it gluten free - even the warm chocolate melting cake! For breakfast the buffet always had glutten free bread and of course eggs are easy. Sometimes you have to watch out for bacon & sausage as it may have additives that contain gluten but if I know he was able to eat most of it. Lunch he would just have to watch what he chose. We were on the Freedom so he frequently ate at the Mongolian Grill. I was very impressed with how accomodating Carnival was. I know my brother-in-law enjoyed cruising because he was able to have so many food choices.

[room010]

I'm absolutely not a Carnival cheerleader. Quite the opposite :eek: I'm more than happy to flame Carnival or any other cruise line - I'm an ecumenical flamer - but only if it's warranted and based on what we've been told I still say some key facts have been omitted.

 

I guess my point is that despite our best efforts things can go wrong so maybe it's better to just accept responsibility for ourselves instead of looking for someone, anyone to blame (plus a refund, natch).

 

If I had such a severe and potentially life threatening food intolerance then I'd probably think twice about a mass market cruise in the first place.

[Sh1035]

If you were to become ill merely as the result of a piece of bread touching you meat, you would realize that you are very much dependent upon the competency and accommodations of the chefs. Apparently your condition is not as serious as my sister and nephew's. You are fortunate.

 

Wow never heard of it being that extreme. When I fail an extra trip or two to the bathroom. Really bread touching? it's not like a peanut allergy? Off to google.....I realize not that easy. But from day one promised everyone I would not need anything special. I can do it on my own. Been 5 years and 10 countries later. Have good days and some really bad ones. But doesn't set me back any. Except shore excursions. That's mostly paranoia.

[Illinoisgal]

My sister and I both have it. Not a big fan of McD's but yes there are a few items you can eat there. Some places have rocking GF menus.

 

Sorry she is that sensitive. When my sister cruised with us she brough boxes of GF pasta etc just in case and they cooked it for her and made special sauces etc. It wasnt a big deal. Kinda like having to bring baby food for a baby. It stinks but what can you do.

 

I also agree that if they are that sensitive she should definatly be aware of what she can eat etc. I for one would stay away from the maybes like sausage like the pp said as some has fillers etc but some stuff is pretty easy to choose.

 

Royal is coming out with a fleetwide GF menu soon, so maybe that would be a good option ?

[Ranyw]

Sorry to hear about your sisters bad experience.

 

My son has multiple food allergies and we have to carry an Epi pen with us. The first day of the cruise I met with the metre'd. And explained my sons allergies and they were very accommodating. We were on a 9 day cruise aboard the spirit. We packed food for him in case, but we never used it.

[fishtaco]

OP sorry to hear about your experience. We experienced the same thing on the Glory re: a shellfish allergy and eating at the Chef's Table after we were assured numerous times that Carnival would take care of the allergy. We ate in the MDR every day for breakfast and dinner, and lunch when it was open. Traveling companion got sick at the Chef's Table from her shellfish allergy, posted my disappointment on the board about Carnival's response, and basically the posts in this thread were roughly the same as the posts in our thread - it was our fault, even though a company assured that allergies would be satisfied.

 

Don't let this stop you from cruising though. It's not stopping us from cruising Carnival again, as we think this was a one off and are looking forward to a better - maybe even a more competent staff who will deal with food allergies correctly on our upcoming Dream cruise. We did everything as we were told as well, but Carnival dropped the ball in our situation as well as your sister and nephew's situation.

 

I read your original thread:)

 

It looks like you have done enough cruises to maybe tour the galley?

 

If so you would understand that although the head chef and his assistance know fully about food allergies the cooks who speak little or no English in some cases are not even aware such allergies exist.

 

Certain food stuffs coming into contact with certain others is inevitable in such a small work area with so many different food stations with food preparations all going on at once and in bulk.

 

The head chef has an uphill battle to keep his kitchen in the fantastic state it is in so even people without food allergies dont get sick.

 

I do feel sorry for those who get sick from the food though.

 

If you have never done a galley tour try to do one.

Every piece of waste food and material has to be weighed,incinerated into bails and re weighed/tested at port for correct disposal approval,once wrong its a fine twice wrong the ship is held.

 

Its very hard for me to fault any kitchen staff on a cruise even though I have moaned about the eggs more than once:D

 

Den

[Trytorelax]

Nothing that my sister said is dubious or wrong that is exactly what happened. They wer stole ahead of time, We chose not to eat int the dining room, which I'm learning may have been a mistake. However whe. We some to the chef at the lido deck he said if he had known ahead of time, he would have been able to accommodate us, as far as meet touching bread......have you ever had a restaurant prepare a hamburger only to take the bun ogpff...calling it gf? Do you have celiac?

[golfadj]

DW has many food allergies where eating vegetables will trigger migraines.

 

They are very accomodating in the DR with the social hostess reviewing her needs the first night and than coming over each night to work out a menu for the next night.

[Herfnerd]

Sorry to hear that the OP's sister and nephew had a less than stellar time

 

But it would have been better to hear from them rather than the OP - hearing things second hand always loses details.

[quickrate]

You are correct, and by the way there is no 's' -- it is celiac disease. Doesn't change the lousy way Carnival handled the situation. Totally inexcusable.

I'm very surprised at your sister's experience. My husband has a gluten allergy and has always-17 times-had a great experience with the service. Discussed his menu with him every day. As said before, when in the buffet it is pretty much up to the cruiser to determine what they can and can't have. Room service pretty much the same thing. If you have an allergy, responsibility is the key.

Pat

[breenw]

RelaxnCruz- you have had many posts here that say their needs were accommodated for their food allergies and that your sister should have taken some "personal responsibility" in selecting her children's foods as she would if she were eating in a land-based restaurant. You have basically disagreed with everyone's opinions here because you obviously expected to come on this board and get a bunch of people to tell you your complaint was justified. They aren't agreeing with you so stop the rhetoric and move on. Any cruise ship, no matter what the line, serves thousands of meals everyday to thousands of passengers. The mere fact that they, or at least Carnival, do their best to accommodate special diets is in my opinion good enough. The rest is up to the person with the allergies. Figure out what you can and can't eat and make your choices accordingly.

[cawagner]

I agree with this statement. The TA is only in charge for the booking and for customer service. Any specially needs should be directly communicate with the cruise line

 

edit: if i remember correctly, breakfast in the MDR is only open on port days and not sea days. it could be the other way around, not sure

 

We have always eaten breakfast in the MDR and it was always open ;) The only time we found the MDR closed was embarkation day for lunch.

 

To the OP, sorry your family had a bad experience :( But, if she has that severe of an allergy she really should have taken a more proactive approach, not eating at the buffet, ect. and taking great precautions as to what she decides to eat and if in doubt about any food item to just not eat it. Seems from the other posts there are a lot of gluten-free items to choose. I am sure the cruiselines do their absolute best to try and accommodate, but as anyone else, they are not perfect.