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

[bluesky8130]

Here are the CARNIVAL links which were read by my sister and which came into play in her decision to even try a cruise.

 

http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/cruise_control/emb_guest_specials_requirements.aspx

 

Dietary Needs

Carnival Cruise Lines can provide our guests with the following special dietary needs: Vegetarian, Low-Cholesterol, Low-Fat, Low-Carbohydrates, Low-Sugar, Gluten Free, Indian Vegetarian, and Kosher. If you have food allergies, please advise your dining staff once onboard.

 

 

http://www.carnival.com/core/faq.aspx?icid=CC_Header_466#q-668900

 

Q: Do you offer gluten free food?

A: We do offer gluten free bread, pasta, cake and pancake mix. They are readily available onboard.

 

My hubbie has Celiac disease and we have been on 4 cruises where he had been able to eat both on the Lido deck as well as MDR. Most recently as this March, he had a great GF sandwich at the deli and he is always very careful when it comes to eating. He asked the person making his sandwich to change their gloves and to wash the utensils to avoid any cross-contamination of his sandwich.

 

There is always a risk of cross-contamination when eating out anywhere even if there is a gluten free menu. Even at home, unless the whole household is GF, the risk of cross-contamination is present. When you travel, you have to ask questions and make sure that you speak to the right people, but it is possible to cruise on Carnival and other lines and still maintain a GF lifestyle, as long as you ask questions and take some responsibility to make the right choices.

[spleenstomper]

BTW, for those with food allergies, I found a protein powder that is soy, gluten and dairy free from herbalife. I just ordered one, so I don't know much about it... Obviously it doesn't have the 50g of protein like the whey powders do.

 

I will mix mine with almond milk. I haven't figured out the macro ratios of it yet (protein, fat, carbs). I don't sell herbalife and i have no experience with the brand... Just so you know. Passing along info...

 

Almond milk also comes in the shelf stable carton as well as the refrigerated cartons, although the shelf stable will have to be iced down or something after it is opened.

[Geldhart]

I have never felt the effects of alcohol in any dish except one that the alcohol was introduced after any cooking. If a chef uses alcohol it's more for the flavor it will impart as all (OK 99%) will evaporate above boiling temps. I did not realize that RCCL had such a heavy hand with booze... I'm not disagreeing with you, glad to see how much they went out of the way, just have not seen MDR menus with so many booze influenced dishes.

 

I thought the same about evaporation and it is true if it is applied for example as a glaze on a chicken breast that is grilled. When it is in a sauce the alcohol on the top will evaporate, but in the middle and sides of the pot it will be trapped. Its all about surface area. With the mushrooms, well they are very absorbant.

 

I've heard of Friends of Bill W. occasionally having similar issues and requesting their food be prepared alcohol free as well.

 

Sorry to hijack. Will end now

[bobsfamily]

I thought the same about evaporation and it is true if it is applied for example as a glaze on a chicken breast that is grilled. When it is in a sauce the alcohol on the top will evaporate, but in the middle and sides of the pot it will be trapped. Its all about surface area. With the mushrooms, well they are very absorbant.

 

I've heard of Friends of Bill W. occasionally having similar issues and requesting their food be prepared alcohol free as well.

 

Sorry to hijack. Will end now

Ah, well I've cooked before with booze and never had a problem, but as I stated I do not have the intolerance you have. I am also really surprised that so much food (enough to make it a problem) on RCCL had booze as an ingredient. The W people may have a problem with the taste more than the booze itself... Taste is such a strong thing.

Once again I am not doubting you, just have not experience it. Thanks for the info and for others to see who may have this problem, once again a cruise line helping out with food problems!

[Herfnerd]

BTW, for those with food allergies, I found a protein powder that is soy, gluten and dairy free from herbalife. I just ordered one, so I don't know much about it... Obviously it doesn't have the 50g of protein like the whey powders do.

 

I will mix mine with almond milk. I haven't figured out the macro ratios of it yet (protein, fat, carbs). I don't sell herbalife and i have no experience with the brand... Just so you know. Passing along info...

 

Almond milk also comes in the shelf stable carton as well as the refrigerated cartons, although the shelf stable will have to be iced down or something after it is opened.

 

I'm not lactose intolerant, but whey protein concentrate gives me gastro-intestinal delights the likes you have never experienced. And I pity those around me when I DO drink it!

[AUNTIE24]

We are sailing on Valor in June my nice is celliac, did the deli have the bread or did he bring it with him. Glad to know they are so helpful. Diane

[lizjoemom]

 

 

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

 

I was thinking the same thing. Obviously, cruise lines cannot accommadate every single persons dietary restrictions for all meals served on the cruise, especially on the buffet table. It sounds like the OP's sister would be better off is she doesnt cruise anymore, the only way to know for sure anything is gluten free, etc...is to make it yourself, unless it is a whole protein. Better safe than sorry if you are that sensitive to it. There are beautiful summer/spring rentals all over the country and even on some islands. Sounds kinda nice actually.....

[mamaskittles]

Well, again, being new to cruising, I took as many proactive steps as I thought I need to. Perhaps this is why I got so angry. We did talk to people on board, and if you have read the thread, which no one is forcing you to do btw.....then it boggles my mind how the head chef at the buffet could say he could have handled it if he had had advance warning....he knew we were there BEFORE we spoke to him, just didn't have the food to do anything special. He did us know what we could eat which was basically the eggs.

 

Like my sister said. She originally posted for informational purposes, not to be attacked. If you tske it personally, that is your problem, not mine. I have admitted several times I am new to cruising and pretty much didn't know what I was doing so why the need to be so critical? Nothing better to do with your time?

 

Take a long walk off a short ship...

Hi, I have no intention of flaming you but I do have a few questions/observations. You did speak to the maitre'd who told you your and your son's dietary issues would be addressed however he did not tell you that he meant in the MDR, not the other venues correct? You didn't ask?

The buffet chef when you did approach him told you that he would have been able to accomodate you but only if he had been told in advance, correct? When did you speak to him the last day?

You complained to guest services who told you they could not assist you in any way, correct? Did you see them the first time you found a problem or much later in the cruise when they in actuality could do nothing?

Now my real question... I wonder if the buffet chef had known in advance and had trays of gluten free food available on the buffet why on earth would you or your child even consider eating from them. I mean with as severe a condition as you describe I would never run the risk of cross contamination from another cruiser re-using a utensile or :eek: a child with icky fingers touching my pancakes or the possibility one of the servers or soux chefs was ignorant of my condition. A buffet is open to the public, they never keep special foods on the side for individual cruisers/customers.

I mean think of Golden Corral do they have hidden gluten free buffet items? I understand naive and trusting but no one trusts strangers wth their childs health.

Additionally your son is 12 correct? Believe me most 12 year olds are picky. They will eat pounds of pizza but heaven forbid you try to force feed one a green bean. It is the nature of 12 year olds. In your sons case it is a more difficult situation but you are MOM and could have/should have ensured he have enough of the right things to eat. Sorry I wanted to stick up for you but you dropped the ball and being a first time cruiser is not a good enough excuse IMHO.

[Twibbs]

We are sailing on Valor in June my nice is celliac, did the deli have the bread or did he bring it with him. Glad to know they are so helpful. Diane

 

I was on the Valor in December, and never heard of being able to get GF bread in the deli.

 

The GF pizza was good, though.

[Hulabetty]

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!!

 

Sorry RelaxNCruz :(

Well just my two cents........ I have numerous food restrictions, and I have found over the 17 or so years cruising that even with the best agent informing the ships there are problems. You really have to speak with the Matre'd as well as your wait staff. I make sure I head down there first thing and have a quick talk with them, and then the first night usually the Asst. Matre'd comes over and goes over the choices with me of what the kitchen can, and cannot do. I have not had any issues, but as with everything just don't expect it - make sure you control what needs to happen. I'm sorry you had a bad experience though.

[bluekrush]

People have varying levels of reaction to gluten. Intolerances are different from Celiac. I don't think the OP's family was unreasonable in expecting Carnival to carry through with their special needs especially when they said it would not be a problem. People with Celiac can have severe reactions just from cross contamination. The fact that there are other cruisers with Celiac that had good experiences shows the MDR is capable of carrying out their requests. The cruiser expected a level of service Carnival does offer and it's their job to provide consistent service to all cruisers. I understand all restaurants have bad days, but they should accept responsbility and at least give her a discount. If you were going to get your hair colored blonde with your regular lady and one day it comes out orangish... the stylist will correct their work or adjust pricing. Providing good customer service is important to all businesses and actually benefits their profits in the end.

 

At the same time, I would take the recommendations of experienced cruisers here on how to assure a better experience for next time.

[Muumuu]

Just off the Victory and we were seated in a booth next to a women who had some issues with her diet/menu items.

 

EVERY NIGHT the assistant maitre'd ? would come to her table and explain what she could order. Took several minutes and she NEVER RUSHED and LISTENED/ EXPLAINED what the lady could/would order.

 

So yes Carnival does pay attention in the dining room if a problem is brought to their attention.

 

Our adult daughter has multiple food and spice allergies and the hostess has always assisted with her orders. She has over 20 cruises and she is well aware of what she can and cannot eat on their menu. However they still insist on aiding her in case of changes.

Thank you Carnival!

[LHP]

Folks who I know that have food issues have always praised Carnival....

 

however, they know the restrictions.

 

They have to eat in the Main Dining Room.

 

Sorry your sister did not like that restriction....but that is no way means that Carnival was not accommodating at all.

 

People with issues must have reasonable expectations.

 

We have a son with Autism and Carnival has made many accommodations...but these were always reasonable on our part.

 

Sounds like more unreasonable expectations than Carnival not doing their part.

[freeholdfriends]

We have had a completely different experience with Carnival. My two nephews have life threatening peanut allergies. My sister always notified Carnival and then met with the Maitre"D the first day on the ship. Each night in the MDR the asst. Maitre'D would bring the menu for the next day and my nephews would choose their meals, they also took my sister into the kitchen so she could check on certain ingredients. They went above and beyond to accomodate the boys. They have both been on multiple cruises (one got married on a cruise last year) and they always cruise Carnival because they feel safe with the food choices.

[happy cruzer]

So it sounds like there could be some helpful pointers to avoid the OP's sister's disappointment.

 

Talk to special needs yourself, do not rely on a TA to cover it.

Sounds like there are forms to submit in writing.

Determine where to eat on your cruise and your ship to know if they can accomodate your diet.

Talk to the Matre D when boarding. If you are going to the buffet make sure you understand what will be available.

And yes, you may need to carry on food if you want to eat in your room at a particular time.

 

I think the OP's sister say and heard alot of marketing before booking, and that the reality and implementation turned out to take more effort.

[arpie05]

Celiacs isnt an allergy but an autoimmune disease fyi :)

 

I have a wheat allergy and it is so different than Celiac. Not sure what the issue was. If you didn't contact before, why would they do something? I contacted before and I will say I had two complete different experiences. (It was a B2B but did switch dining room which was amazing the difference!)

On first leg I went to matre'd before hand and then first night I asked and told to avoid desserts (I am also alergic to eggs - this one is very serious level 4) I ended up having a serious issue on night 4 from the potatoes.

 

Second leg, I did not go to the Matre'd but the dining room hostess was amazing. Every dish I ate was personally made and they made even the stuffed mushrooms for me. They were ok. She even went all the way to the freezer to check the ingredients on something because the cook was too busy. I tipped her $20 for the 4 days. She almost cried because she never received tips she said. We chatted a lot.

[NewKansasKruiser]

I haven't read the replies, so mine may be unpopular and this is just my opinion. It sounds like they accommodated them in the main dining room very well and honestly, I think that is all they should have to do. The main dining room is set up to take orders, go make the food especially for you and serve it. The rest of the food places are set up to feed the masses quickly. They aren't set up to do very special orders. In a quick kitchen making pancakes, there is NO way they could clear off the gridle and make one gluten free one easily/quickly. I am a diabetic, have high cholesterol, have high blood pressure and really have to watch my carbs. There is no way I would have expected the food outlets to specialize my diet for me (meaning no salt, use olive oil, no breadings, etc). My daughter also has celiac disease. She knows what to pick off the buffets and what to order at the side outlets for food (pure meats, no breadings, pure steamed veggies, no cream/cheese sauces, no desserts with thickeners, no desserts with crusts). It was very easy for her on her cruise in January to eat everywhere and make smart choices so she didn't get sick. She ate at the MDR once a day and the rest was up to her to keep herself healthy. Again, just my opinion, but in a small space feeding 4,000 people we can't expect miracles. :)

 

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!!

[lady_cruiser]

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 sorry but this is your concern - how someone spells or misspells a word?

[maruba]

Exhausting reading this whole thread so sorry if I am repeating what was already stated. If I remember correctly the OP stated Carnival "lied" or "bait and switched" when they said they catered for special diets.

This was because their sister could find no, or limited room service or lido food available on demand that not only met their requirments but their desires. Did they think "cater for special needs" meant each and every food item would be geared to them, too bad about the other couple of thousand passengers!

[lillian marie]

My child has severe food allergies-epi pen required. She is 5 and has cruised on many CCL cruises and will be taking one in Jan. On one cruise I didnot call cust. service before we cruised because I thought all of her allergies would be in her customer profile and I discovered on board CCL does not share this info ship to ship. We had problems on that cruise, but it was my error in not calling 1st. Simply call before you cruise and share your medically required needs. On this one cruise I didnot think that our food needs were taken seriously yet it seems like many people have decided that they have food problems without medical diagnosis. As I was waiting on the 1st day to talk to the dining room staff about my childs food needs I visited with other folks in line and 2 different people thought they had celiac disease but had never been medically tested for it. There was just a newspaper article on this self diagnosis of celiac disease too. If you think you have it go to your doctor and get tested. I'm not questioning the op or anyone else who has posted. If you have a diagnosed medical condition simply call CCL before your cruise and discuss your food needs. My child has to see a pediatric allergist MD and I wish so much that she didnot have these allergies because hers are life threatening. I repeat CCL truly will try to help you with your food needs if you call before you cruise.

[WiCruiseDreamer]

On Carnival's website they boast about having gluten free pancakes and other goodies at the buffet. When the buffet chefs were questioned about this they replied that they could not accommodate the request because they had not been told of the request in advance. Mind you, my sister's family's needs were made known to the travel agent and to the cruise line well in advance, which Carnival admitted, but they still refused to take action to correct the situation during the cruise. Their advertisements were part of the reason my sister's family chose Carnival! They spoke with the Maitre D' on the first night and believed that their needs would be addressed satisfactorily. They were sorely disappointed.

 

I would have taken a screenshot of the website where it boasts of having gluten free pancakes and other goodies at the buffet as soon as you had heard from your sister otherwise. Then you would have something to show the misinformation.

 

I am sorry that they were disappointed with their cruise, I am sure it must have been frustrating for them. I do believe though that Carnival had food at the buffet that would have met the gluten free requirements, if they had not gone with a preconceived idea.

[MacBrokefoot]

Not to beat a dead horse (but hey it's CC, that's what we do - :) ) but again, sailed 4 times with Carnival (twice on the Sensation) and because of food allergies of one of our travelling companions, we ate most meals in the MDR. Again, the staff very accomodating and considerate. However, the burden was on us as the guests to notify Carnival ahead of time and then coordinate ASAP with the shipboard staff once on the ship. Additionally, the first day or so of cruising we made a point of confirming as we entered the MDR the special needs as well as speaking with the waiter and assistant waiter.

 

Others mentioned this as well, but I seem to recall seeing gluten free and sugar free options on some of the buffet locations...but I am not 100% sure.

 

As far as peanut allergies are concerned, I know that is a tricky thing because of accidental contamination. If that was a concern, i would probably steer clear of the lido buffets.

[Holders3]

Since most of this was discussed back in April, I think the OP isn't reading this anymore.

[spbflseas]

This post is a little older, but I just saw it. I cannot believe this, because I thought they were overly accommodating. We had a hostess at our table each night taking the order for the next night's dinner for our son who has milk and egg allergies.