Special Dietary needs on Princess? How well do they accomodate?

[hardingk]

DH & I are thinking of booking our first Princess cruise for 2007. DH is severally lactose intolerant and we have had problems in the past with other cruise lines meeting his diestary needs. Does anyone or has anyone have any experience with this on a Princess Cruise? Any advice is appricated.

 

Thanks!

[Coral]

Very well!

 

Just speak to the head waiter the first night and he will take care of you.

 

There is also a place on Cruise Personalizer when you log in with your booking number where you can check "lactose intolerant".

 

IMO - Princess seems to handle food special requests a lot better than RCCL and Celebrity.

[hardingk]

Thanks for the info. I was looking at the Cruise personalizer but I didn't see Lactose Intolerant as an option. :(

[Nitemare]

You will probably be better off with Traditional Dining as well, where your waiter will know your needs, than you would be with Anytime Dining.

[Coral]

I just looked and it is on mine. You need to click "Special Requests" and then look under "dietary and special requirements".

 

I agree - I would go with Traditional dining.

[Cruising_K]

This was taken directly from www.princess.com - Cruise Answer Book:

 

SPECIAL DIETS

Princess is happy to meet your request for low-sodium, low-fat, low-sugar, and vegetarian diets. In addition, kosher meals (frozen entrées only) and baby food are available upon advance written request. Any other special diet requests must be authorized in advance by the Princess corporate office.

 

Please ask your travel agent to advise Princess in writing at least four weeks before you sail of any special diet, allergies or medical needs. For exotic cruises, please advise us of any special dietary requirements at least two months prior to sailing. For your convenience, you can also supply this information online using our Cruise Personalizer at princess.com. Once onboard, please check with the Maître d 'Hotel to confirm your request.

[seattlekckckc]

In preparing to cruise with a lactose intolerant and gluten allegic friend, I inquired on another cruise about how to deal with those issues. I was told to check in with the head maitre'D the first night, and she would be presented with a special menu from then on. We were encouraged to select a traditional seating to facilitate these requests the best and most efficiently.

 

Have a great cruise!!

 

Casey

[spaceguy]

Let my add my comment. What they say and what they do may vary.

 

I was on the Golden Princess last Oct. I cannot eat meat, eggs or any dairy products. I had great service from the head waiter and waiter. I had good meals prepared and service was not a problem. I wrote and called Princess before the cruise and they knew of my situation. I asked for traditional but we ended up with Personal Choice. Princess makes it sound as if you have a choice, but traditional dining always seems to have a waitlist.

 

We booked the Sun Princess for this past April. I again wrote and called Princess. Again we got stuck in Personal Choice... They knew of my situation and I talked to the headwaiter and maitre'd the first day. Things were not so good. I talked to the maitre'd and the Captain's Circle rep a few times. She also talked to the maitre'd and Chef. It was not a good situation on meal prep, service, and selection. I got cheese added a few times to my meals (which I sent back) and suspect I had soup make with meat stock as it made me sick afterwards. Only happens when I get something to eat that I cannot digest. I wrote Princess a letter following the cruise, acknowledged by a generic response.

 

You can do everything possible ahead of time they require but if the ship doesn't execute it very well, it can be a terrible experience.

[Pam in CA]

I agree that the way to go is Traditional dining. Have your TA select that for you as soon as possible.

 

I've had tablemates on several cruises and the Maitre D' has always accommodated them. One time, there was a couple at our table. He was diabetic and ate Kosher. The Maitre D was at our table every night, handing him the menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day. They prepared the food exactly the way he requested it.

 

If I was lactose intolerant and the Maitre D was not helpful, I'd try the Pursar's Desk first. If that didn't work, I'd go to the Medical Center and talk to them. I bet they could make arrangements for you as it's a health issue.

[hardingk]

Let my add my comment. What they say and what they do may vary.

 

I was on the Golden Princess last Oct. I cannot eat meat, eggs or any dairy products. I had great service from the head waiter and waiter. I had good meals prepared and service was not a problem. I wrote and called Princess before the cruise and they knew of my situation. I asked for traditional but we ended up with Personal Choice. Princess makes it sound as if you have a choice, but traditional dining always seems to have a waitlist.

 

We booked the Sun Princess for this past April. I again wrote and called Princess. Again we got stuck in Personal Choice... They knew of my situation and I talked to the headwaiter and maitre'd the first day. Things were not so good. I talked to the maitre'd and the Captain's Circle rep a few times. She also talked to the maitre'd and Chef. It was not a good situation on meal prep, service, and selection. I got cheese added a few times to my meals (which I sent back) and suspect I had soup make with meat stock as it made me sick afterwards. Only happens when I get something to eat that I cannot digest. I wrote Princess a letter following the cruise, acknowledged by a generic response.

 

You can do everything possible ahead of time they require but if the ship doesn't execute it very well, it can be a terrible experience.

WOW - Doesn't sound to promising. We might stick with RCL & Celebrity or try Carnival.

[justbs]

When we were on the Grand I indicated that I had vegetarians with me on the personalizer. When I asked at dinner they told me there were always vegetarian options on the menu, alredo and pasta usually. When I asked the maitre'd about special meals being prepared I was again referred to the daily menu. Needless to say my girls got tired of alfredo and the vege of the day.

I specifically called Princess for our upcoming cruise and they told me to mark it on the persoalizer then go to my choice of dining room at embarktion and tell the Maitre'd that I would need two specially prepared vegetarian meals for dinner each day, then let the waiter know at dinner. The girls can have those or select from their menu. I hope the girls have a more varied menu this time. At 17 and 22 they can get mouthy about it! Good Luck!

[ALB0711]

 

My 9 year old son can't have any dairy, wheat, eggs or nuts. We've taken him on 5 Princess cruises and they have bent over backwards to insure his dietary needs are met. IN addition to the notes our TA makes on our booking, we always write Princess Cruises about 3 months before our cruise and every time we've boarded the head waiter as well as our main waiter are well aware of my son's allergies. They custom cook every meal for him and he preorders each nights dinner the night before. We are loyal Princess customers because of the concern Princess shows for our son.

 

I would agree with the previous poster who recommended a fixed seating. When we did dine in one of the specialty restaurants or in the buffet for lunch/breakfast our regular waiter/head waiter would arrange to have food available for my son in the specialty restaurant/buffet.

 

We've also cruised Holland with my son and they also did a fine job accommodating him.

[vilwil]

My son is allegric to dairy, cheese and nuts. He can only drink rice milk, which I carry with me at all times. I called Princess directly and was advised to write a letter to onboard member services. I did receive a reply from them stating the following:

 

"Thank you for advising us, that your son has severe multiple food allergies. I have noted his records. However; please be aware that the staff who serve stateroom snacks, meals, drinks, hor d’ oeuvres, 24 hour dining and the like, cannot identify the foods’ contents. This is especially true of sauces, seasonings and spices that may be used. Additionally, some of the meals prepared onboard may use frozen, canned or prepackaged goods, which could contain some of the elements they may not want. Therefore, we cannot guarantee they will not come in contact with these items in some form or, another. It will be at your discretion to order meals allowable to their allowable diets. However, the Maitre d’ Hotel will be happy to assist you with making selections from our standard menu that would be suitable to their dietary needs. You may advise him of any special meal preparations, they may have. The Matire d’ Hotel and ship staff will do their best, to accommodate their needs. In addition, the Matire d’ Hotel can allow you to read any food labels we may have. Please be advise that I can’t guarantee we will have food labels for all products. I would strongly advise you to use caution if, they plan on servicing our buffet area. Due to the buffet being an open area, we cannot guarantee that cross contamination will not occur. In addition, we cannot, guarantee the food offered in the buffet will not contain items they may be allergic to. I strongly suggest that they dine only in the main dining room. This way, we can monitor their meals, more closely. "

 

We sailed with Carnival last year, sent a similar letter and we had no problems at all. So enjoy your cruise!

[hardingk]

Thanks vilwil & albfamily. Your feedback is making me reconsider!

[roohound]

When I was on the Coral I found the vegetarian entrees to be really good and ordered several. I commented to the Maitre'D (the fantastic Generoso!) how good they were and how nice it was to see such a good variety, he got a little panicky..he was like, you're vegetarian? I did not know, we can prepare whatever your heart desires

 

I thanked him but said I ate them because I wanted to, not because I had to :)

[Cruisin' Chick]

I had noted "low cholestoral" in the personalizer for my hubby (he's really just borderline but he's being careful) and the maitre'd came by every night in the dining room (we had traditional) and had hubby select his choice from the following night's menu.

[kruisey]

I had noted "low cholestoral" in the personalizer for my hubby (he's really just borderline but he's being careful) and the maitre'd came by every night in the dining room (we had traditional) and had hubby select his choice from the following night's menu.

 

Unfortunately for me I found out only a few months ago that I have to have no salt (lowFat) diet also I am not allowed late dining.Although I booked over a year in advance there were no traditional dining spots.

Cruisin'Chick you were lucky to get trad. dining. :)

When I get on board will have to stand in a line up ,last time for nearly an hour :eek: to see a maitre'd green back in hand...as I have had to in the past,to get a traditional space fixed in an untraditional dining room :rolleyes: :D with the same wait staff each nite.

[gambit57]

What kind of choices do you get if you're lactose intolerant? I'm severely lactose intolerant, but I eat dairy anyways. :) I just bring a bottle of Lactaid pills with me. But, if there's a way to avoid cream or mayonnaise (does that have dairy?) items, I'd like to do it in advance instead of scraping it off. Cream (and I think mayonnaise) really kills me, no matter how many pills I take.

[spaceguy]

If you can't eat dairy then you can have pizzas without cheese. You do without some of the sauces or soups. they can fix non dairy salad dressing. there are lots of things but you will have to ask!

[Cindy2]

Thanks to all of you for providing allergy info. We will be cruising the Golden in Nov. with my peanut/tree nut allergic 9yr old. At the moment we have traditional but, the other 8 people cruising with us don't want to eat at a set time everyday. Is there a separate Maitre'd for PC?

She's a very fussy eater, so she won't be trying anything new (only chicken nuggets, fries, filet mignon, plain pasta). Can they accomadate her in PC?

I've been reading these boards for months and have gotten so many great ideas and info, but I'm new to posting. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

[Coral]

Is there a separate Maitre'd for PC?

She's a very fussy eater, so she won't be trying anything new (only chicken nuggets, fries, filet mignon, plain pasta). Can they accomadate her in PC?

I've been reading these boards for months and have gotten so many great ideas and info, but I'm new to posting. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

 

Yes - there is a Maitre'd for PC. People say Traditional is better because the waiter gets to know you and the head waiter knows where you are each night.

 

If your daugher will only eat the items listed above, she won't have any problems in the dining room. We recently ate with a young girl who ordered plain pasta for each meal.

 

Chicken nuggets/tenders are on the kids menus, filet mignon (tornados of beef) is on the anytime menu in the evening, one can get pasta and french fries whenever.

[Cindy2]

Thanks, Coral. I appreciate the info.