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

[kpgibbs]

The OP originally started FIVE different threads all over this board. I think the rest have been deleted.

 

She stated in one of the other thread that CCI told her sister "If your diet was such a big deal, then you should have brought your own food"

 

I can promise you that CCI did NOT tell her that.

 

I don't think that she posted that in this thread. Unless I missed it. Therefore, I think she is making this up as she goes along.

[sfo2008]

The OP originally started FIVE different threads all over this board. I think the rest have been deleted.

 

She stated in one of the other thread that CCI told her sister "If your diet was such a big deal, then you should have brought your own food"

 

I can promise you that CCI did NOT tell her that.

 

I don't think that she posted that in this thread. Unless I missed it. Therefore, I think she is making this up as she goes along.

 

:eek:

 

Yeah Carnival may not be perfect, but they really do work hard on this. All of the cruiselines do.

[crewsweeper]

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!!

 

I don't see the cheerleaders ripping the OP apart here. I see them saying that in the MDR they will take care of you, but not the buffet! somehting the sister cruising did not understand or was made aware of in advance by her TA. I see them asking which ship was the sister on as most who have posted here and who also have allergies or celiac disease have always been able to eat in the MDR for breakfast. The OP hasn't repsonded to that ? through page 2.

 

Also, I do note that the sister relied solely on her TA until actual boarding. Some TAs can be notorious on missing or following up on all the details and just saying "Yes, everything is taken care of" to please a client. That may or may not have been the case here.

 

It's too bad the sister had a bad cruise due in part ot inattention by her TA and her unfamiliarity with the special needs process used on Carnival, which has worked well in the past for most cruisers using it. That doesn't mean the process is always spot on and it can break down at times for a variety of reasons.

[keishashadow]

Yes, though to be clear, I think we all are (I certainly am) sympathetic to the OP's sister not having the vacation she had hoped for. We all want our vacations to be "picture perfect" and it is always deeply disappointing when it feels like they have gone horribly wrong.

 

Sounds as though you have a soft heart, me - i'm more of a pragmatist. I've yet to have a picture perfect vacation, but most have come darn near close due to researching said trips (lots of info here!) to avoid known pitfalls:).The party in question was provided with the tools they needed to enjoy dining on the ship in advance by special services. imo since they didn't utilize the MDR's counseling, they have no leg to stand on saying it was CCL's fault or to expect receiving much in the way of condolences here.

 

OT - I have a friend whose daughter has a severe peanut allergy. She knew that Southwest Airlines is not peanut free and serves packets on many flights. She disregarded stated policy and my strong caution, felt if she asked 'nicely' she could go aboard early and wipe down the surrounding seats and ask nearby seat mates to refrain from eating peanuts. I thought she was crazy to consider exposing her daughter. Yes, she did wind up in confrontation once aboard with a fellow passenger whose kid wanted to eat his peanut butter sandwich.

 

Who did I feel sorry for? her daughter and the other people on the plane who had to sit thru the drama, but nothing but irritation for she who is still my 'clueless' friend and planning yet another flght on Southwest.:rolleyes:

[sfo2008]

Sounds as though you have a soft heart, me - i'm more of a pragmatist. I've yet to have a picture perfect vacation, but most have come darn near close due to researching said trips (lots of info here!) to avoid known pitfalls:).The party in question was provided with the tools they needed to enjoy dining on the ship in advance by special services. imo since they didn't utilize the MDR's counseling, they have no leg to stand on saying it was CCL's fault or to expect receiving much in the way of condolences here.

 

Yeah, what can I say, tough exterior but mushy soft center... I also agree with you. Your southwest story is also instructional.

[sunny4jj]

Sounds as though you have a soft heart, me - i'm more of a pragmatist. I've yet to have a picture perfect vacation, but most have come darn near close due to researching said trips (lots of info here!) to avoid known pitfalls:).The party in question was provided with the tools they needed to enjoy dining on the ship in advance by special services. imo since they didn't utilize the MDR's counseling, they have no leg to stand on saying it was CCL's fault or to expect receiving much in the way of condolences here.

 

OT - I have a friend whose daughter has a severe peanut allergy. She knew that Southwest Airlines is not peanut free and serves packets on many flights. She disregarded stated policy and my strong caution, felt if she asked 'nicely' she could go aboard early and wipe down the surrounding seats and ask nearby seat mates to refrain from eating peanuts. I thought she was crazy to consider exposing her daughter. Yes, she did wind up in confrontation once aboard with a fellow passenger whose kid wanted to eat his peanut butter sandwich.

 

Who did I feel sorry for? her daughter and the other people on the plane who had to sit thru the drama, but nothing but irritation for she who is still my 'clueless' friend and planning yet another flght on Southwest.:rolleyes:

 

I have been on several Southwest flights where a peanut allergy on board was announced and pretzels were served instead of peanuts. I assume you need to call ahead. I don't know about wipeing down the seats but there weren't any emergencies so I guess everything was fine.

[chasinraynbowz]

I am glad this thread came up. I have recently developed a nut allergy. This is ALL new and strange to me. Luckily, all I do is wheeze and break out in hives. It's not life threatening for me, but it is uncomfortable. I will be telling my PVP and I will be speaking to the maitre d on our cruise in December.

[sfo2008]

I am glad this thread came up. I have recently developed a nut allergy. This is ALL new and strange to me. Luckily, all I do is wheeze and break out in hives. It's not life threatening for me, but it is uncomfortable. I will be telling my PVP and I will be speaking to the maitre d on our cruise in December.

 

Chasin' good for you! If you talk to the Maitre D' when you get on board you will have a great experience. I would definitely focus on the MDR for eating that is where they can exercise the greatest control over cross-contamination and customizing things to your needs. Though they will work to accomodate you elsewhere throughout the ship, cross-contamination becomes a greater concern.

[jburk]

I have yet to sail with my gluten and dairy free ds, however I have done my research and I am well aware that he will be accomidated in the mdr. Anywhere else, we are on our own. And I will also say, being gluten free, the LAST place you should be is at a buffet, on sea or land. Cross contaimination all over the place. JMO.

[tamirpr]

I am glad this thread came up. I have recently developed a nut allergy. This is ALL new and strange to me. Luckily, all I do is wheeze and break out in hives. It's not life threatening for me, but it is uncomfortable. I will be telling my PVP and I will be speaking to the maitre d on our cruise in December.

 

OT - Just some advice. It may or may not pertain to you. My shellfish allergy developed later in life, after I had a CT scan with contrast. They say no connection, but it happened two weeks after having the scan. What do I know?:rolleyes:

 

Anyway, the first reaction after eating shrimp was just some hives. The second time some months later it was wheezing and hives. The third time I was rushed to the ER with my throat closing up. I was told by the allergist that when you develop an allergy later in life that that is a pretty typical series of events. It gets worse and worse until it's full-blown. I now carry an Epi-Pen. I don't want to scare you, but I wanted you to be aware that what may just be hives now could be more serious the second time around. Just be prepared. Best wishes!:)

[SarahQ]

We are not crazy people expecting to be treated differently, but we do expect accommodation when the claim is that such accommodation is not only available, but readily available.

 

She did everything she should have done to obtain the "readily available" food options that were not readily available, and rightly so, feels as if Carnival did a bait and switch.

 

Here's the pointy end of the stick - your sister, rather than seek out the readily available options, chose to assume Carnival would hand-hold and spoon-feed her, and therefore she DID expect them to treat her differently.

 

Carnival "accommodates" people with allergies etc., it doesn't "cater" to them. She is a grown woman (I'm assuming) who needs to take responsibility for the food choices she makes for herself and her child - that means doing research, asking questions, finding out where she can obtain gluten-free food etc.

 

I in no way am denying that Carnival may have dropped the ball here (or at least, a specific employee), but all she needed to do was move up the "food chain" - if I were in a situation where I "had nothing to eat", I'd demand to see the Food and Beverage Manager if that's what it took.

 

Also agree that if someone has a food allergy that is that severe (ie. bread touching meat will cause a reaction), cruising a mass market line may not be the best travel option.

 

This seems like the case of someone who didn't do their research thoroughly, didn't take ownership of the situation when on board and now expects compensation based on something that did not have to be an issue.

 

Gluten-free food was available in the main dining room, even if it wasn't elsewhere - you chose not to eat there, for whatever reason. The key word is "chose". Carnival is not responsible for your choices. You learned a valuable lesson, and now it's time to move on.

[donaldsc]

 

OT - I have a friend whose daughter has a severe peanut allergy. She knew that Southwest Airlines is not peanut free and serves packets on many flights. She disregarded stated policy and my strong caution, felt if she asked 'nicely' she could go aboard early and wipe down the surrounding seats and ask nearby seat mates to refrain from eating peanuts. I thought she was crazy to consider exposing her daughter. Yes, she did wind up in confrontation once aboard with a fellow passenger whose kid wanted to eat his peanut butter sandwich.

 

 

Was she planning to provide an alternative lunch for the child who was expecting to eat his peanut butter sandwich for lunch or was she just going to let him go hungry? I do feel sorry for people who have severe allergies but they can not expect the entire world to change their ways to accommodate their eating problems. There is almost certainly someone in the world who is allergic to almost anything.

 

With regard to the OP's sister, I assume that she also expected that everyone else at her table or at tables close to her should go wheat free so that there was no chance that she would be exposed.

 

If she is that allergic, perhaps a cruise is not for her and she should rent a condo someplace where she can have better control of her environment.

 

DON

[scgamecock]

BEWARE IF YOU HAVE ANY FOOD ALLERGIES!!! Carnival was not accommodating at ALL when it came to serving my sister and nephew both with Celiac Disease (and who become quite ill when they ingest any foods containing gluten). This was despite previous notice made to Carnival about their needs, and repeated notification of their needs during their recent cruise. Beware beware beware!!

 

Nonsense. Carnival is very accommodating from what I have seen. On Liberty 2 weeks ago, there was a woman at our table who required a gluten-free diet. The hostess came by our table each night with a special gluten-free choices menu and took her order for the next night.

[chasinraynbowz]

OT - Just some advice. It may or may not pertain to you. My shellfish allergy developed later in life, after I had a CT scan with contrast. They say no connection, but it happened two weeks after having the scan. What do I know?:rolleyes:

 

Anyway, the first reaction after eating shrimp was just some hives. The second time some months later it was wheezing and hives. The third time I was rushed to the ER with my throat closing up. I was told by the allergist that when you develop an allergy later in life that that is a pretty typical series of events. It gets worse and worse until it's full-blown. I now carry an Epi-Pen. I don't want to scare you, but I wanted you to be aware that what may just be hives now could be more serious the second time around. Just be prepared. Best wishes!:)

 

Thanks for the warning. I was breaking out in hives for a couple of months until we figured out what was going on. I will keep an eye on the severity of it though.

[Trytorelax]

did you meet with the Maitre de when you first got onboard?

 

did you have any discussions with the waiters that served your meals?

 

what effort did you put into making sure you did not get served meals that you were not supposed to receive?

 

How many times do these same questions need to be answered?

[Trytorelax]

Nonsense. Carnival is very accommodating from what I have seen. On Liberty 2 weeks ago, there was a woman at our table who required a gluten-free diet. The hostess came by our table each night with a special gluten-free choices menu and took her order for the next night.

 

Well they werentbaccomodating for us. We static we weren't planning on eating in the MDR...ok so we were naive there. The chef on the lido deck said he could have accommodated us easiltn had he been notified, yet he knew there were two celiacscon board. When we talked to guest services they directed us bwcj to dining services. I don't want to make enemies in dining, I just want assistance.

[sfo2008]

How many times do these same questions need to be answered?

 

Um, you pretty much have never really answered them particularly clearly which is why you keep getting asked...

[Trytorelax]

Was she planning to provide an alternative lunch for the child who was expecting to eat his peanut butter sandwich for lunch or was she just going to let him go hungry? I do feel sorry for people who have severe allergies but they can not expect the entire world to change their ways to accommodate their eating problems. There is almost certainly someone in the world who is allergic to almost anything.

 

With regard to the OP's sister, I assume that she also expected that everyone else at her table or at tables close to her should go wheat free so that there was no chance that she would be exposed.

 

If she is that allergic, perhaps a cruise is not for her and she should rent a condo someplace where she can have better control of her environment.

 

DON

 

Don't be ridiculous. Amazing how some people post just to be obnoxious. I realize exactly the limitations I

Of my disease. I just wanted assistance in accessing food, if anyome had actually SAID to us, " you know......it is much easier to get fliputen free food in the MDR" then maybe we would have eaten in the MDR. BUT NO ONE EVEN SAID that little to us in efforts to assist us. How difficult would that have been? Again, we were dirt time cruisers and quite naive to how rethinks worked. As far as notifying everyone in advance ...THAT was done. I'm not anal about controlling my environment, but that doesn't mean that when there are limited foods for my 12 year old to pick from to the extent that he won't eat, I get a bit perturbed. No one directed us to the MDR at that time. All we heard was sorry, if we had only known. No matter how much we had asserted ourselves. We were naive and feeling helpless and didn't follow through. I take only part of the blame since no one pulled aside to say look....here is thr problem and here is what you need to do. It was OUR luxury vacation. Someone should have tried to help instead of just apologizing

[Trytorelax]

Um, you pretty much have never really answered them particularly clearly which is why you keep getting asked...

 

What hasn't been answered clearly? My sister said exactly what happened I didn't think it needed to be repeated ad nauseum

[Trytorelax]

The OP originally started FIVE different threads all over this board. I think the rest have been deleted.

 

She stated in one of the other thread that CCI told her sister "If your diet was such a big deal, then you should have brought your own food"

 

I can promise you that CCI did NOT tell her that.

 

I don't think that she posted that in this thread. Unless I missed it. Therefore, I think she is making this up as she goes along.

 

Excuse me but that is exactly what CCi said to me. How dare you make assumptions that you know nothing about. Were you on the phone? Have you never reached a bad customer service rep anywhere! Apparently not

[Trytorelax]

I don't see the cheerleaders ripping the OP apart here. I see them saying that in the MDR they will take care of you, but not the buffet! somehting the sister cruising did not understand or was made aware of in advance by her TA. I see them asking which ship was the sister on as most who have posted here and who also have allergies or celiac disease have always been able to eat in the MDR for breakfast. The OP hasn't repsonded to that ? through page 2.

 

Also, I do note that the sister relied solely on her TA until actual boarding. Some TAs can be notorious on missing or following up on all the details and just saying "Yes, everything is taken care of" to please a client. That may or may not have been the case here.

 

It's too bad the sister had a bad cruise due in part ot inattention by her TA and her unfamiliarity with the special needs process used on Carnival, which

has worked well in the past for most cruisers using it. That doesn't mean the process is always spot on and it can break down at times for a variety of reasons.

 

 

 

This is exactly what happened. Of course, live and learn, now I know better. As I have said, I just don't see hoepw hard it would have been for someone that we had tried to het help,from to say neat in the MDR.

[ump107]

OT - Just some advice. It may or may not pertain to you. My shellfish allergy developed later in life, after I had a CT scan with contrast. They say no connection, but it happened two weeks after having the scan. What do I know?:rolleyes:

 

Anyway, the first reaction after eating shrimp was just some hives. The second time some months later it was wheezing and hives. The third time I was rushed to the ER with my throat closing up. I was told by the allergist that when you develop an allergy later in life that that is a pretty typical series of events. It gets worse and worse until it's full-blown. I now carry an Epi-Pen. I don't want to scare you, but I wanted you to be aware that what may just be hives now could be more serious the second time around. Just be prepared. Best wishes!:)

 

I think that’s why most allergists will often prescribe an Epi-Pen as soon as they detect the allergy. I know mine and some of my co-allergy sufferers Dr’s did.

[iamsteph]

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease Oct. 2010, and my first cruise afterwards, I was a little worried, especially since on the first day when I asked someone on the buffet if something was gluten free they seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.

 

We went down to the MD to confirm gluten free dining, and mentioned what had happened. I had never seen someone so angry at what had happened, and the next time I mentioned gluten free to anyone working the buffet, they knew what I was talking about.

 

Each night I would pick out from the next night's menu what I wanted (including all the gluten free chocolate melting cake that I wanted). I could get gluten free french toast for breakfast. I could order gluten free sandwiches from room service. I could go to the pizza place and get an entire gluten free pizza all for myself (I did share with hubby!).

 

I've never seen anyone bend over so far backwards to help me eat gluten free. If Carnival didn't already have my loyalty then, they would have afterwards. I am cruising again in three weeks, and I am looking forward to all the GF yummy things I can eat!! :cool:

[ump107]

This is exactly what happened. Of course, live and learn, now I know better. As I have said, I just don't see hoepw hard it would have been for someone that we had tried to het help,from to say neat in the MDR.

 

Sorry to have to say this but, why bother talking to the matradee if you aren’t even going to eat in the area of his charge, the main dining room. That’s like talking to the ship’s doctor about the proper weight oil to run in the main engines, or reporting a bank robbery to a Firefighter. Why would the matradee not expect you were asking or talking about his area, if you ate in the MDR and had a problem then yes that would be a major issue, but you cannot reasonably expect he can control the buffets on the lido deck, his responsibility is the sit down MDR and if you specifically ask he helps relay info for the steakhouse.

 

Although the above poster had a better result maybe they more sufficiently relayed the message to the matradee , resulting in a better response

[Cindy]

There is no way this is passenger error! If they knew that theMDR was the best option than someone should have told us that!! We were first time cruisers...what did we know? All we got was apologies all around. I want compensation because their brochure falsely advertised the availability of gf food. Why didn't it say available in the MDR if that was the case? Simple enough to do! THAT is what is called serving the customer...I'm not taing about a little faerie I'm talking about informayption that is available. What about a flyer for specialty diets? What about when I spoke to the hostess, if she had actually explained the entire situation? I'm asking for compensation because we weren't afforded the same luxuries on a luxury cruise that everyone else was. Why should we be treated sub normally?

 

Sorry, but you're not entitled to compensation. I can understand your disappointment, but taking personal responsibility in advance could have alleviated most if not all of the problems you experienced. If I had Celiac or any other food restriction/allergy, you better believe I would do a lot of research and legwork in advance of the trip! I just don't understand how you would just assume your special needs would be met without finding out in advance exactly HOW and WHERE your dietary restrictions could be accommodated.

I am not a Carnival cheerleader...I cruise on many different lines, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. They are, however, all MASS MARKET cruiselines...not luxury lines. They cater to the masses, and make special arrangements, but the vast majority of the food is not cooked to order...it's pre-plated. Taking responsibility to find out ahead of time what Carnival could/couldn't do to accommodate your special needs could have eliminated your disappointment and the need for this thread!