Experiences with food allergies?

[docd]

Docd, I'm sorry to hear that was your experience! I'm wondering if you spoke to someone directly either before or upon boarding. Did they just kind of blow you off? Or did you ask while sitting in the MDR or Windjammer? I'm hoping that by going to dining services as soon as we get on the ship, we'll hopefully be given the attention we need.

 

 

 

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I spoke with special needs via email which basically told me to talk to the staff on board. Once on the ship I talked to the Maitre 'd, who was great. Nobody really blew me off, although I would say that special needs wasn't very helpful at all. So, one could perhaps say they passed the buck if anything. Almost all the staff on the ship were great. My issue was that I just wasn't overly confident that the staff knew how to handle food allergies properly. It wasn't just about the ingredients in the food, that is an easy thing to deal with and they are supposedly trained for it, but cross contamination from shared baking trays or other contaminated surfaces/objects. It's an issue I deal with all the time.

 

I never tried to get anything special order from the Windjammer because we were told not to eat there. Not really that big of a deal as we typically stick to the dining room. It would have been nice to have that option for a breakfast or lunch though. However, why some passengers are treated one way and others differently boggles my mind. Maybe it's the specific ship, I have no idea.

 

Also, I noticed you asked about MTD. We were on MTD and I had reservations for the same time each night. The staff worked very hard to get us the same table each night. I admit, they were really amazing and I was impressed at the level of service we received. We had the same servers every night, but were seated a two different tables. It definitely was helpful with respect to my DD's food allergy.

[mommyloves2cruise]

Docd,

I am also sorry that your experience was not as thorough. I must admit that the our last vacation before our most recent cruise was at Disney where my son had an anaphylactic reaction due to their carelessness. Needless to say, we were very nervous on this last cruise, but had decided to return to cruising since my son's allergies had been handled so well before.

Due to our nervousness, we were quite adamant, but polite, the first night in the MDR about the care we would need. At first,our waiter tried to handle the allergies on his own, but we insisted on only dealing with the Head Waiter. We just didn't get the feeling that the waiter understood. Our Head Waiter was the one who made everything smooth for us and really went above and beyond. The other Head Waiters that we worked with were also very thorough.

 

To the OP, I would keep asking to speak to someone else until you get the comfort level that you need to feel safe. There are staff members who understand and can meet your needs, it might just take a few tried to find the people that will work the best for you.

 

 

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[cindivan]

We got off the Oasis Saturday and I have to amend my previous opinion. (On a side note, our 18yo was recently diagnosed with tree nut allergies, so now we had 2 in our group with allergies. Our other son has peanut, tree nut and shellfish allergies).

 

On the previous cruises, it has never been a problem with the waiter to understand who has what allergy. Maybe the 2nd person confused them, but even on the last night both were offered bread from the general tray that had breads with tree nuts in them. Our main waiter never got it either. He frequently pointed at our sons and said "nut? Fish?" I know they have a lot of people they serve, but that is what note-taking is for. It really became embarrassing when they pointed at our kids almost every night and questioned their order. One night my son who is allergic to shellfish ordered sole and the waiter said "you can't have that. You are allergic to fish?" He could never grasp the fish vs shellfish part.

 

We kept our sense of humor, but it really did get old. Whatever training RC used to do, they seemed to have lost track.

 

 

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[counsdr]

What a shame! Did you not have them pre order each night?

The maitre d' should have stepped in. So many of this wonderful wait staff is very limited in their grasp of the English language.

[cindivan]

What a shame! Did you not have them pre order each night?

 

The maitre d' should have stepped in. So many of this wonderful wait staff is very limited in their grasp of the English language.

 

 

We were at the same table and the same time with MTD every night. The never understood the bread issue even though we told the every night we needed a separate bowl with only sourdough rolls. (They did bring it to the table eventually every night, but others cruises it was very soon after we sat. That is why do the same time every night to try to make it easier for the waiters).

 

We are not ones to make a scene, and after multiple requests to the head waiter and our waiters, we just dealt with it. My older son next time he is going to wear a hat that says "allergic to tree nuts."

 

We didn't have them pre-order because it has never been an issue before. Most dishes are pretty obvious about what contains nuts or shellfish and quite frankly the waiters should know or be able to find out if it does. Maybe next time we will. But part of dealing with teens that have food allergies is trying to help them feel normal while being careful. Being pointed at and questioned during dinner is not something many of us would like.

 

 

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[counsdr]

Yes, I know how hard it is with teens who don't want to be pointed out!

I know lots of people don't know all the foods that have fish products in them. If it lives in the water, Ii can't have it or it's by products, such as worcestshie sauce, green curry sauce, algae, etc! Very few people are that aware, but the wait staff should understand tree nuts!

Good luck next time!

This is one of the reasons I'm opposed to dynamic dining. I like the same wait staff every night!

Cheryl

[WarEagleLady]

We had someone in our party with severe food allergies, and I can honestly say, RCCL was WONDERFUL. They were very accommodating, and the person in our party ordered dinner for the next night. It was cool, because we got to get a preview of the menu! Hands down, the best service I've seen on any cruise line when handling all of my little brothers allergies. Many people don't take it seriously because he has so many! If I were you, I would call RCCL directly and let them know beforehand that you have allergies to some foods.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

 

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[stones902]

I also have severe allergies to all fish, seafood and related foods as well as the chance of cross contamination. I also must stay on an extremely low sodium diet. We've done early seating and MTD with same time same table dining every night. The head waiter for our area and Maitre 'd introduced themselves to me the first night and I ordered all my meals for the next day during dinner. I would be greeted by the head waiter at lunch and he would take us to our table and give my order to our waiter. When I went up to the salad bar, they would use a clean salad bowl and pass the word down the line about my allergy so they were very careful about cross contamination. They would not chopped my salad at the end as they said they couldn't guarantee the tool was U contaminated.

 

Advocate for yourself and know your staff!

 

Have fun!

 

Cheryl

 

 

I have a similar food allergy and always inform our wait staff off my issue. Fortunately I've never had an issue while on the ship. Many times, I'll preorder the next evenings dinner similar to you.

 

One thing I never understood was that there was a question on the pre-boarding forms about allergic issues. I always list my allergy to sesame products but the information never seems to cross reference with our reservation. I agree with your comment about advocating for yourself and knowing your staff wholeheartedly!

 

 

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[JenInMD]

Thanks, all! You've all helped me come up w/my plan of attack! As I wrote earlier, I've already contacted RCI via email, and they told me they have sent my information on to the ship. I do plan on bringing some of my own nonperishable food with me for snacking & for port days.

 

When we get onto the ship, we are going to head straight to dining services to discuss with Maitre'D and/or Head Waiter. We are also going to request to have the same waiter every night in MTD. And, I will definitely pre-order every night.

 

Thanks to all of your tips, I feel much safer & more confident about traveling.

 

 

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[counsdr]

Jen, enjoy your cruise and don't forget to report back when you return!

Bon Voyage and good luck!

Cheryl

[JenInMD]

Jen, enjoy your cruise and don't forget to report back when you return!

 

Bon Voyage and good luck!

 

Cheryl

 

 

I definitely will. Thanks! 😊

 

 

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[JenInMD]

So, I just got on the ship and am feeling so overwhelmed! But I spoke to the Maitre'D in dining room as well as one of the managers in Windjammer. So far, they are being incredibly accommodating and helpful. Even on the craziness of day 1, they are grilling a special meal for me for lunch bMy anxieties are quickly subsiding. I'll let you all know how the rest of the cruise went after we get back!

 

 

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[mommyloves2cruise]

The first afternoon/night are the most stressful. Make sure you talk to your head waiter at dinner tonight. From that point on, he/she should make the rest of the trip smooth for you. If you don't feel comfortable after talking to your head waiter, move up the chain. They can accommodate your needs well, and once you have a good rapport with someone -you won't have to worry anymore. Have a great time!

 

 

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[counsdr]

Relax, enjoy, Bon voyage!

Cheryl

[lovewine]

Our first two nights we are booked in the specialty dining rooms, who should we talk to when we get on the ship and where do we find them in the first day craziness?

 

We are on Oasis and there are a lot of dining venues what is the best way to find out the gluten free choices in all of the venues?

 

Thanks!

[counsdr]

Our first two nights we are booked in the specialty dining rooms, who should we talk to when we get on the ship and where do we find them in the first day craziness?

 

We are on Oasis and there are a lot of dining venues what is the best way to find out the gluten free choices in all of the venues?

 

Thanks!

 

Every menu should have a gluten free symbol next to it for the GF SELECTIONS. have you called RCCL to tell them of your allergies so they mark your folio? When you get onboard there should be one place where a Maitre D is available. Go there, speak to him and tell him where you'll be eating.

Cheryl

[lovewine]

Every menu should have a gluten free symbol next to it for the GF SELECTIONS. have you called RCCL to tell them of your allergies so they mark your folio? When you get onboard there should be one place where a Maitre D is available. Go there, speak to him and tell him where you'll be eating.

Cheryl

GF is marked on my folio! It sometimes gets tricky when there are a lot of dining venues and because we are not in the MDR the first or second night I was hoping that when we first board that it would be easy to find the Maitre D to find out GF safe items. Is the GF symbol on all menus - Vintages and specialty restaurants also? Does anyone know where the best place to find the Maitre D is after boarding? Thanks!

[GreatLakes]

I have a seafood allergy. The waiters were more than accommodating telling me what I could and couldn't eat. I ate in buffet only once. I was to afraid to eat there again, too may seafood dishes I was worried about cross contamination. We are cursing again in February I am not worrying about it, but will have my Epi Pen & Benadryl on hand in case...

 

 

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Like you, I'm allergic to seafood and just emailed Royal Caribbean to advise them. We have cruised a few times and I've notified the cruise line before-hand of my allergy. On Celebrity, each night the waiter would bring me the menu for the next evening's dinner, and if there was nothing I could eat, they always had available a steak or chicken breast to prepare for me. Interesting though, a few years ago we traveled to Italy (not on a cruise), and I prepared an index card with my allergies written in Italian. Each restaurant we went into I presented my card so the waiters knew what I should not order.

[gettingaway2]

RC was pretty good with my dairy allergy but I think if I'd had to go more than four days I would have gotten tired of eating the same foods --and ALL desserts were off limits. I really missed getting anything sweet to eat. Nothing was dairy free. I felt like offering them some dairy free recipes even if they were required to use their soy milk.

 

I wish they had almond milk or rice milk, not just soy--yuck. But at least I had emailed them and arranged to get a small "medical" fridge in my inside cabin. That's where I kept my own rice and almond milks that I brought on board in my carry on. That way I could have cereal in the room every morning and "milk" in my morning coffee.

 

They didn't have any dairy free desserts--everything was milk or cream based unless you wanted jello! That was kind of depressing.

 

I did fine eating in the WJ buffet--just made salads for myself and ate the cold cuts. I didn't know who to talk to there to find out what the ingredients in the other foods were but a lot of it was obviously cheese-based, like all the Italian foods and the Indian foods.

 

In the MDR the maitre 'd was very helpful and would bring the next night's menu to me and I would pick out what I wanted. Still, the choices were very limited since so many things were dairy based.

 

I would suggest going to the MDR and speaking to the maitre 'd first thing, first day. That first night was rough but by the second day they had me figured out. :) (And since I never got to have a dessert the entire time, I actually LOST weight on the cruise.)

[counsdr]

So sorry you couldn't eat any of the desserts, that really stinks! I guess we don't realize how many things have milk in them. I went thru that with my Grandson. When he was weaned off breast milk at one year, they found he was allergic to milk proteins and something else in it. He wouldn't have any product with whey, casein, etc. It was very hard.

I have a fish/seafood allergy that is so bad I can't even have Worcestershire sauce or Thai sauce because they have anchovy paste in them! Cross contamination is a real issue as well.

Perhaps send the chefs some dessert ideas for non milk based treats! Good luck!

Cheryl

[clawmachine]

DH is allergic to nuts and shellfish and we have found that if you do traditional dining it works really nicely as the waiter knows and they always bring him the menu for the next day. On a couple of occasions they have changed an accompaniment or a sauce on a dish he otherwise would not be able to eat.

 

He does tend to avoid most of the pastry on board as well as the hard ice creams because of the scoop but is happy enough getting his fill at the soft serve machine by the pool during the day!

 

For specialities we mention it right when we make the reservation and have never had a problem. Happy sailing!

 

Are the soft serve stations safe? They never have peanut butter or other nut flavors in the machines?

[reallyitsmema]

Are the soft serve stations safe? They never have peanut butter or other nut flavors in the machines?

 

I have only seen vanilla and chocolate in the soft serve machines. You could ask to see one the label of ingredients as they are filling one to make sure you feel safe with it.

[clawmachine]

I have only seen vanilla and chocolate in the soft serve machines. You could ask to see one the label of ingredients as they are filling one to make sure you feel safe with it.

 

 

thank you! My picky son with a peanut and tree nut allergy will be really grateful if he could have that..

[counsdr]

I've also seen strawberry in them. When they are filled, they pour a bag of liquid into the macine. I'd ask them to check the bag for ingredients.

[tidygirl]

I've only ever seen chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors.