How dietary allergy friendly is RCCL?

[stateparent]

Has anyone with dietary allergies had experience traveling with RCCL?

We will be on the Allure in June, traveling with a toddler who has an anaphylactic reaction to milk/dairy, and severe allergies to tree nuts and peanuts/chickpeas. We will be in a suite, and so Coastal Kitchen, where meals are prepared to order, may be a good option?? Buffets are out, due to cross-contamination possibilities. Her parents often take their own food for her, though that would be difficult for a full week.....and is that even permitted by the cruise line??

 

I will phone RCCL, but also wanted personal insights from anyone who's already had experience....thanks!

 

Stateparent

[Emdee]

I have an allergy to lactose as well as a severe allergy to tree nuts.

 

Special needs advised me to contact the maitre on arrival to discuss my diet.

[Mommy oooo]

My daughter has Celiac Disease. We have cruised on both NCL and RCCL with her, both have been great. But I think RCCL far exceeded NCL. Like you, we can't do the buffet with her due to cross contamination risks. The night before we would order all her food breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next day.

[Robinhill]

absolutely - i travel with my grandson who has a tree nut allergy all of the time on RCCL and they are excellent- they send the chef out on the first day to talk to me at the table about his allergies and provide a menu ahead of time in case i want to preorder but when i don't they are very compulsive about preparing his food separately and safely. Never had a problem. you can email them and someone will contact you. I have misplaced the email address but it was something like specialdietary@rccl.com or something like that.

[Paul65]

They are pretty good with accommodating food allergies, but I would talk with someone in the special needs department. I think the severe dairy allergy may be a problem. I'm sure they're quite used to having lactose intolerant passengers, but anaphylaxis is much different.

[mommyloves2cruise]

My five year old son is allergic to milk eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish. We have cruised on Explorer and Liberty with the allergies, and both experiences have been phenomenal. We choose to cruise because of how well the allergies are handled. Although we haven't been on Allure, I am happy to share our experiences with you.

 

We choose to eat in the MDR and gave an early seating so that we have the same Head Waiter and staff each night. Through our experiences, it is always our Head Waiter that arranges all of my son's meals. Each night, we would plan the next day's meals with the Head Waiter, then when we would arrive for breakfast or lunch, he would be called and would bring out my son's food.

 

Make sure you contact Special Needs weeks before you leave.

When you board, head to the MDR and make sure that the allergies are documented.

We have learned that the dairy allergy restricts the dessert options (Jell-o). I try to bring special desserts, a batch of homemade cookies and some favorite candies to have throughout the week.

I also bring some factory sealed snacks with us to take off of the ships when we are in ports. I am uncomfortable finding safe options in other countries. I'm

We also bring a few boxes of cereal from the MDR with us when we leave.

We bring lunch with us for embarkation day. The ship is so hectic and there aren't many options besides the buffet.

On the ships that we have sailed, we have needed to eat at the MDR for all of our meals. A few days that the MDR has been closed, we have had the pre-arranged meals brought to the buffet. Since eating in the MDR takes a long time and we have two young, active boys; this year we would pick up their safe lunch from the MDR and bring it back to our room to have a more relaxing lunch.

 

Cruising has been a wonderful way for us to travel with food allergies. I am happy to answer any other questions you may have.

[Ourusualbeach]

My wife has a daily allergy and we have been cruising twice a year for the past several years. During this time our experiences have varied greatly depending on the ship/head waiter and chef involved.

 

As others have stated contact special needs beforehand AND contact the maitre d and hopefully the head waiter once you board.

 

The one thing to remember is that in order for this to work you need to make sure to place your order the day before. The ship staff refer to there orders as an AVO.

 

Doing this will ensure that your allergy needs are met and the food will be safe to eat. Where our experience has varied greatly is how tasty is the food that they bring you. A dairy allergy is extremely challenging and the chef can either do the bare minimum or really go above and beyond and make it a great experience.

 

A lot of times they take the simple way out...a plain piece of protein, baked potato and steamed broccoli with jello or berries for dessert. Blah..tasteless. When you have a great head waiter and a chef that has the time they can create a number of dairy free sauces and provide tastier alternatives than a plain baked potato and dry veggies. Desserts are a challenge it one that can be done dairy free is the pavlova (baked merangue) with some fresh berries and a fruit sauce. My wife requests this the first day and they make enough so that she can have this every night.

 

We find that a lot of times the chefs are stumped when it comes to how to cook tasty meals for people with some allergies. We take a list of things that my wife likes and some simple recipes for dairy free sauces and give these to the chef.

 

Because of what we have found to be hit or miss MDR experiences we have statprted doing more and more specialty restaurants where they have been absolutely fantastic about creating exciting, tasty dishes for my wife.

 

Our worst experience was having my wife served a cheese omelette at the Diamond breakfast with an officer after telling the waiter that she was allergic to dairy. After taking a bite and realizing what had happened and bursting into tears the moron for a cruise directors only comment was "she's not going to keel over on us is she". She ended up spending the rest of the day in bed after taking a large amount of Benadryl and pain killers.

 

One of our best experiences was 3 weeks ago on the Oasis. The first day my wife went to Cafe promenade to get a specialty coffee and the staff recognized her from her picture that they had in the back room letting them know of all the guests that had allergies. Pretty impressive for a ship with over 6000 guests.

 

Make sure that you advocate for yourself and if something is not right bring it to their attention.

[mommyloves2cruise]

Ourusualbeach--

Do you have any experience with Quantum or Anthem? We have a cruise scheduled with them this summer, but the Dynamic Dining makes me a little nervous.

[UCF_Knight]

I don't have to deal with a dairy or nut allergy so I can't give you specifics on that, but my 7 year old daughter and I have to deal with Celiac Disease. We always eat breakfast and dinner in the MDR, which tends to go well except for the first night when they are usually very limited in what they can make. After that you order your next day's meals so they are ready.

 

I can't stress enough to ask to talk to the head waiter immediately upon sitting down in the MDR for dinner. The head waiter will take your order and make sure it gets to the correct people in the kitchen to safely prepare the foods. This goes for breakfast and lunch in the MDR as well. Ask to speak to the head waiter for the section where you are seated and they will take care of you.

 

As the MDR is closed for lunch on port days it makes things trickier. Other dining around the ship ranges from "iffy" to "downright scary".

 

On Independence at Sorrento's pizza they were able to make a gluten free pizza, for instance. They had gluten free crust, but they cooked it on a plate (guess they didn't have a safe pan) and they used Heinz ketchup for the pizza sauce (I was shocked when I saw the chef come out to grab ketchup packets to make the "sauce"). Needless to say it was horrible.

 

The Windjammer buffet is pretty much completely out of the question due to cross-contamination issues. We usually will limit ourselves to fresh whole fruits which we wash well before eating.

 

You said:

"Her parents often take their own food for her, though that would be difficult for a full week.....and is that even permitted by the cruise line?".

 

We always bring a large duffle bag of food onboard to make sure we have safe snacks and/or meal replacements. It also really comes in handy to have a stash of prepackaged safe food to take when getting off the ship in a foreign port.

Edited January 11, 2016 by UCF_Knight

[Ourusualbeach]

Ourusualbeach--

Do you have any experience with Quantum or Anthem? We have a cruise scheduled with them this summer, but the Dynamic Dining makes me a little nervous.

 

Nothing for Q or A. I would however make sure that you get classic dining so that you keep the same waiter with you for the entire cruise.

[stateparent]

My wife has a daily allergy and we have been cruising twice a year for the past several years. During this time our experiences have varied greatly depending on the ship/head waiter and chef involved.

 

As others have stated contact special needs beforehand AND contact the maitre d and hopefully the head waiter once you board.

 

The one thing to remember is that in order for this to work you need to make sure to place your order the day before. The ship staff refer to there orders as an AVO.

 

Doing this will ensure that your allergy needs are met and the food will be safe to eat. Where our experience has varied greatly is how tasty is the food that they bring you. A dairy allergy is extremely challenging and the chef can either do the bare minimum or really go above and beyond and make it a great experience.

 

A lot of times they take the simple way out...a plain piece of protein, baked potato and steamed broccoli with jello or berries for dessert. Blah..tasteless. When you have a great head waiter and a chef that has the time they can create a number of dairy free sauces and provide tastier alternatives than a plain baked potato and dry veggies. Desserts are a challenge it one that can be done dairy free is the pavlova (baked merangue) with some fresh berries and a fruit sauce. My wife requests this the first day and they make enough so that she can have this every night.

 

We find that a lot of times the chefs are stumped when it comes to how to cook tasty meals for people with some allergies. We take a list of things that my wife likes and some simple recipes for dairy free sauces and give these to the chef.

 

Because of what we have found to be hit or miss MDR experiences we have statprted doing more and more specialty restaurants where they have been absolutely fantastic about creating exciting, tasty dishes for my wife.

 

Our worst experience was having my wife served a cheese omelette at the Diamond breakfast with an officer after telling the waiter that she was allergic to dairy. After taking a bite and realizing what had happened and bursting into tears the moron for a cruise directors only comment was "she's not going to keel over on us is she". She ended up spending the rest of the day in bed after taking a large amount of Benadryl and pain killers.

 

One of our best experiences was 3 weeks ago on the Oasis. The first day my wife went to Cafe promenade to get a specialty coffee and the staff recognized her from her picture that they had in the back room letting them know of all the guests that had allergies. Pretty impressive for a ship with over 6000 guests.

 

Make sure that you advocate for yourself and if something is not right bring it to their attention.

 

You addressed what we've found other places -- the "plain protein", baked potato and salad routine...I hope we get a chef who will work with us. We usually find people genuinely want to be helpful, but some are more creative in their help than others.

 

I did call the C&A line, and they seemed cognizant of the seriousness. She included the allergies on our reservation, and as some have mentioned, indicated we need to go to Guest Services immediately after boarding.

 

They also are going to do an extensive environmental clean of our stateroom, at the C&A representative's suggestion, which was not something I might have thought of. Especially with a 2yo whose allergies are contact as well as dietary, this is a very, very good idea.

[stateparent]

My five year old son is allergic to milk eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish. We have cruised on Explorer and Liberty with the allergies, and both experiences have been phenomenal. We choose to cruise because of how well the allergies are handled. Although we haven't been on Allure, I am happy to share our experiences with you.

 

We choose to eat in the MDR and gave an early seating so that we have the same Head Waiter and staff each night. Through our experiences, it is always our Head Waiter that arranges all of my son's meals. Each night, we would plan the next day's meals with the Head Waiter, then when we would arrive for breakfast or lunch, he would be called and would bring out my son's food.

 

Make sure you contact Special Needs weeks before you leave.

When you board, head to the MDR and make sure that the allergies are documented.

We have learned that the dairy allergy restricts the dessert options (Jell-o). I try to bring special desserts, a batch of homemade cookies and some favorite candies to have throughout the week.

I also bring some factory sealed snacks with us to take off of the ships when we are in ports. I am uncomfortable finding safe options in other countries. I'm

We also bring a few boxes of cereal from the MDR with us when we leave.

We bring lunch with us for embarkation day. The ship is so hectic and there aren't many options besides the buffet.

On the ships that we have sailed, we have needed to eat at the MDR for all of our meals. A few days that the MDR has been closed, we have had the pre-arranged meals brought to the buffet. Since eating in the MDR takes a long time and we have two young, active boys; this year we would pick up their safe lunch from the MDR and bring it back to our room to have a more relaxing lunch.

 

Cruising has been a wonderful way for us to travel with food allergies. I am happy to answer any other questions you may have.

 

Your son's allergies encompass all those of my granddaughter, and then some! I'm glad to hear you have had mostly good experiences. I'm curious what kind of choices your son had -- were there options other than the "plain protein", baked potato, vegetable? Did they try to create sauces, etc. for the protein on the current day's menu?

 

We've found many meats are pre-marinated, usually with some dairy ingredient, and wondering if that was an issue? How about bread?? Did they have a milk substitute, such as rice or coconut?

 

Thank you for your help!!

[mommyloves2cruise]

Honestly, my son is only five and is not an adventurous eater. The plain protein, potato and vegetable are a perfect meal for him.

For breakfast, they had dairy free pancakes and waffles but he did not like them because they were different from what he is used to. He had grits, oatmeal, bacon and fruit for most breakfasts, but that is what he usually eats. Lunch and dinner consisted of meatballs, chicken, steak, baked potatoes and French fries. They were constantly trying to make the food more adventurous and interesting for him, but he chose not to have the fancier foods. They even gave him meatballs on skewer sticks to "jazz"it up for him. They felt bad that he wouldn't eat fancier food, but I can't blame him since trying new things is scary for him so we didn't push him when we aren't at home.

They did have dairy free margarine that they can use for sauces. They had soy milk. One year, we brought juice box style cartons of coconut milk.

My son had an anaphylactic reaction at a popular vacation spot (not on a cruise) when they gave him gluten free bread instead of egg free. Because of this, we stay away from bread items.

 

From what I could tell, they will go above and beyond to give you creative meals. You need to have a good Head Waiter, if you feel like the one you have is not meeting your needs, do not hesitate to ask to speak with someone else.

On our cruise last year, our Head Waiter had another allergy at the table next to us. At the later seating, he had six allergy needs. It is something they face every day and as long as you have a diligent head waiter, you will be in good shape.

Having the room cleaned is a great idea. When my son was two, we found a peanut on the floor of our cabin (not a Royal ship) when we were doing our usual sweep.

[stateparent]

Honestly, my son is only five and is not an adventurous eater. The plain protein, potato and vegetable are a perfect meal for him.

For breakfast, they had dairy free pancakes and waffles but he did not like them because they were different from what he is used to. He had grits, oatmeal, bacon and fruit for most breakfasts, but that is what he usually eats. Lunch and dinner consisted of meatballs, chicken, steak, baked potatoes and French fries. They were constantly trying to make the food more adventurous and interesting for him, but he chose not to have the fancier foods. They even gave him meatballs on skewer sticks to "jazz"it up for him. They felt bad that he wouldn't eat fancier food, but I can't blame him since trying new things is scary for him so we didn't push him when we aren't at home.

They did have dairy free margarine that they can use for sauces. They had soy milk. One year, we brought juice box style cartons of coconut milk.

My son had an anaphylactic reaction at a popular vacation spot (not on a cruise) when they gave him gluten free bread instead of egg free. Because of this, we stay away from bread items.

 

 

 

From what I could tell, they will go above and beyond to give you creative meals. You need to have a good Head Waiter, if you feel like the one you have is not meeting your needs, do not hesitate to ask to speak with someone else.

On our cruise last year, our Head Waiter had another allergy at the table next to us. At the later seating, he had six allergy needs. It is something they face every day and as long as you have a diligent head waiter, you will be in good shape.

Having the room cleaned is a great idea. When my son was two, we found a peanut on the floor of our cabin (not a Royal ship) when we were doing our usual sweep.

 

Thank you -- very helpful info. It sounds as though we will be fine with the number of choices. She is very observant, and it can be challenging when she thinks everyone else is getting something she is not -- typical 2 year old. Plus, she just plain loves to eat!

[ekatiel]

My son has severe allergies to egg, peanuts, and tree nuts. He has cruised with Royal several times, most recently on Allure over Thanksgiving 2014 (so just over a year ago). We will be sailing on Liberty over Valentine's Day/President's Day. As others have mentioned, you will place your daughter's order every evening for the following day. We have always stuck to the MDR for breakfast and dinner, and then have usually found a few safe options for him at lunch (like a hamburger without a bun and fries from the grill). They do advise that you take all your meals in the MDR, but it does take a long time. If you ever venture to the grill or the buffet, make sure you ask to speak to the chef. He or she will walk you through the buffet and point out safe items-- remember to be constantly aware of cross contamination, also. Also, don't be afraid to ask to read the labels yourself. Sometimes, we have found chefs to be over cautious, telling us things like the soft serve had eggs in it (it did not).

 

We also bring on safe desserts and bread items for my son. In the past, we have even brought on a safe pancake mix, directing the staff to mix it with milk only to make pancakes.

 

My son has recently completed OIT (oral immunotherapy) for egg, so we will be in uncharted territory this time, only having peanuts and tree nuts to worry about. We also are going to have to make sure they prepare him a fresh scrambled egg each day for his maintenance dose, as this is his "medicine" to keep the egg allergy at bay. Have a great time on your cruise!

[TigerLady]

Has anyone with dietary allergies had experience traveling with RCCL?

We will be on the Allure in June, traveling with a toddler who has an anaphylactic reaction to milk/dairy, and severe allergies to tree nuts and peanuts/chickpeas. We will be in a suite, and so Coastal Kitchen, where meals are prepared to order, may be a good option?? Buffets are out, due to cross-contamination possibilities. Her parents often take their own food for her, though that would be difficult for a full week.....and is that even permitted by the cruise line??

 

I will phone RCCL, but also wanted personal insights from anyone who's already had experience....thanks!

 

Stateparent

 

You are right in calling. You can also go online and fills out a "special needs" form. They have you list allergies, Etc.. I myself have a Tree Nut allergy. They take it very seriously.. Hope y'all have a great trip..

[geauxgirlgeaux]

My son is now 18 and we have travelled and cruised many times with his peanut/tree nut/cottonseed oil allergy. I will say that Royal Caribbean did a great job with his allergies. We always meet with the head waiter and even a few chefs who were very attentive. When he was younger we stayed in the MDR, but the last few cruises he ventured out to the buffet on his own but avoided the asian areas and spoke with the line chefs to be sure what was safe. I will say that we seldom see nuts on the food lines anymore. The worst experience we had was on Southwest when after boarding early with him and wiping everything down - seat tray, armrest, etc. I stuck my had in the seat back and pulled out a handful of loose peanuts. The flight attendant graciously let us change seats. Now we never put anything in the seat back where the magazines are! We always take store bought snacks with us especially when on excursions, and lots of hand wipes. And epi pens and benadryl.

[pamssanity]

I have dairy and ground pepper allergies. I notified RcCL ahead of time and they asked me what I needed ( almond milk and parve margarine) and they provided me with what I needed. We had anytime dining and were given the same wait staff each night so that I didn't have to worry. I was given the menu the night before and was able to pick what I wanted and so it was prepared the way I could eat it. They had a head chef walk me through the buffet so I knew what to avoid.

[khm1]

I have dairy and ground pepper allergies. I notified RcCL ahead of time and they asked me what I needed ( almond milk and parve margarine) and they provided me with what I needed. We had anytime dining and were given the same wait staff each night so that I didn't have to worry. I was given the menu the night before and was able to pick what I wanted and so it was prepared the way I could eat it. They had a head chef walk me through the buffet so I knew what to avoid.

 

 

I was on a cruise in 2012 when a lady who had an allergy to pepper had a bad reaction in the dining room. Turns out, she ate off her friend's plate! Not too smart. Anyway, the doctor and staff were at her side with an epi pen, wheelchair, and oxygen in about 2 minutes flat. The next night she was happily eating at her regular table. I think she was lucky that her reaction occurred on the ship rather than on land. She didn't have her epi pen with her. Had she been at a land restaurant, there is no way she would have had such quick medical attention.

[countess5]

My daughter has Celiac Disease. We have cruised on both NCL and RCCL with her, both have been great. But I think RCCL far exceeded NCL. Like you, we can't do the buffet with her due to cross contamination risks. The night before we would order all her food breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next day.

 

DW and I sail RCCL and X the most and once sailed NCL Getaway. My DW is very allergic to any seafood or fish. The OP said they are in a suite and when we sailed NCL we were in a suite in The Haven. Although RCCL is very good with handling allergy concerns I have to say NCL was better.

We have to alert the team when we board RCCL, we do all specialty dinning. On NCL we had a form sent to us prior to the cruise to outline the details of the allergy. Went to the fiirst dinning and the waiter said to DW I understand you have allergies to all seafood and fish. Every time we would dine it was ways acknowledge in a very good and low key way.

 

Not to say RCCL does not do a good job, but NCL I believe is more proactive.

 

Just saying....... :)

[stateparent]

I have dairy and ground pepper allergies. I notified RcCL ahead of time and they asked me what I needed ( almond milk and parve margarine) and they provided me with what I needed. We had anytime dining and were given the same wait staff each night so that I didn't have to worry. I was given the menu the night before and was able to pick what I wanted and so it was prepared the way I could eat it. They had a head chef walk me through the buffet so I knew what to avoid.

 

I notified RCCL last week, and though they were concerned and helpful, I wasn't asked about what we needed; however, our cruise is not until June, so it may be too far out yet. So did they actually have almond milk available for you? I mentioned milk alternatives, and she indicated soy was the prevailing option....

 

I will be phoning them again in a month or so and see if we can make a request for coconut milk.

 

Thanks to everyone who has posted information -- I appreciate all the comments and advice.

[moopetguy]

My experience with allergies on board RCI ships has not been that positive. Fortunately, I do not suffer from anaphylaxis. Prior to each sailing I have informed RCI of my "special needs" (peanut/tree nut allergy) and it has been recorded on the booking confirmation.

 

I'm 5-for-5 cruises so far with the MDR staff being completely unaware of my allergy and I have had to inform them myself (I've always had traditional dining, so same table and staff each night - with the expectation that they should get this information as a result). This has resulted in several frustrating, infuriating, or potentially disastrous situations.

 

A few (but not all) examples of what I've encountered:

 

1) Café Promenade/Park Café staff having no clue about cross-contamination when using the same tongs for the peanut butter cookies as they use for the oatmeal raisin and/or chocolate chip cookies, even though the oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies are peanut-free when they come out from the galley.

 

2) A comedy of errors with room service. When we still suspected a pineapple allergy for our young daughter (fortunately since found to be negative), we asked room service for a plate of grapes -- nothing else. They brought grapes with pineapple and melon chunks. We called room service again to complain because first of all we asked for grapes only, and secondly the pineapple allergy was listed on special needs for my daughter on our booking confirmation. They sent a new plate of "just" grapes...and almonds!! :eek: (Again, I had tree nuts listed for myself as an allergy.) Called room service to complain a second time...their excuse was, "well, it's not her allergy", except she's my daughter, we're in the same room, and obviously she could end up touching me or stuff in our room. They had ONE job...

 

3) Sailed with DW to celebrate our anniversary and they brought out a special dessert plate for us one night. I took a bite...and then wondered, hey, what dessert is this? It turned out to be the Chocolate Sensation -- listed on the menu as containing almond oil. The waiter freaked out a bit...she literally RAN to the galley to check with the chef. Fortunately it turns out they didn't use almond oil, apparently due to the increasing prevalence of nut allergies -- they just hadn't updated the menu cards to remove it as an ingredient. But that could have been pretty bad news otherwise. Our waiter did not have my allergy information so she didn't know ahead of time.

 

These are just some of the pretty epic fails by RCI in the allergy awareness department. Anyway...I hope my experiences haven't completely scared you off. :eek:

 

My suggestion is to take charge and responsibility for any dietary restrictions and look out for yourself, because the crew may not even have the information to know and look out for you. The galley will take allergies seriously (speaking to the chefs directly and also doing multiple galley tours on different RCI ships lead me to say this), but I think that timely information and sufficient training with the front-line crew are lacking.

[pseudoswede]

We sailed with RCCL in 2009. Our daughter (Miss Swede) has allergies to dairy, egg, peanuts, and tree nuts. It took them three days for them to confirm that their dry pasta did not contain egg. That certainly did not instill confidence that they accommodate food allergies very well. When we looked for our next cruise in 2011, it still seemed like RCCL still didn't have their act together. Instead, we took a Carnival cruise, and we were pleasantly surprised at how well they were able to accommodate her food allergies.

 

This thread (and Facebook posts in some FA groups) shows that RCCL may be improving now, which makes me think we'll have to choose between RCCL and NCL for our next cruise. I also read on an (older) official RCCL blog that they do have a separate cooking area for special dietary needs; is that still the case?

 

I'm looking for anyone who can compare and contrast between RCCL and Disney regarding food allergies. (My DCL review here)

 

My questions are:

 

• Do they stock vegan cooking products? (Such as the items listed in my DCL review.)
  
• How about vegan desserts? (Cookies, ice cream, etc.)
  
• Can you request rice milk be stocked on the ship?
  
• Were you able to give them recipes for them to use? (There are some very easy vegan pancake/waffle recipes that don't require anything out-of-ordinary.)
  
• Can you not arrange for food items at the buffet to be plated from untouched trays in the kitchen?
  

 

With all that said, we don't mind bringing aboard a lot of allergy-friendly food items (like snacks, cookies, rice milk, etc.); although we would love it if Miss Swede could have ice cream for dessert.

Edited January 18, 2016 by pseudoswede

[pseudoswede]

Sorry to bump this thread, but I was hoping someone could provide me with answers to my questions. Thanks in advance.

[PNW Traveler]

We sailed with RCCL in 2009. Our daughter (Miss Swede) has allergies to dairy, egg, peanuts, and tree nuts. It took them three days for them to confirm that their dry pasta did not contain egg. That certainly did not instill confidence that they accommodate food allergies very well. When we looked for our next cruise in 2011, it still seemed like RCCL still didn't have their act together. Instead, we took a Carnival cruise, and we were pleasantly surprised at how well they were able to accommodate her food allergies.

 

This thread (and Facebook posts in some FA groups) shows that RCCL may be improving now, which makes me think we'll have to choose between RCCL and NCL for our next cruise. I also read on an (older) official RCCL blog that they do have a separate cooking area for special dietary needs; is that still the case?

 

I'm looking for anyone who can compare and contrast between RCCL and Disney regarding food allergies. (My DCL review here)

 

My questions are:

 

• Do they stock vegan cooking products? (Such as the items listed in my DCL review.)
  
• How about vegan desserts? (Cookies, ice cream, etc.)
  
• Can you request rice milk be stocked on the ship?
  
• Were you able to give them recipes for them to use? (There are some very easy vegan pancake/waffle recipes that don't require anything out-of-ordinary.)
  
• Can you not arrange for food items at the buffet to be plated from untouched trays in the kitchen?
  

 

With all that said, we don't mind bringing aboard a lot of allergy-friendly food items (like snacks, cookies, rice milk, etc.); although we would love it if Miss Swede could have ice cream for dessert.

 

I am celiac and must also avoid dairy, so will try to answer your questions. My most recent Royal cruise was a 2015 transatlantic on the Serenade.

1.I do not know if they stock vegan cooking products. They are a lot more geared to vegetarian than vegan. The head chef in Windjammer will be able to answer your questions about vegan offerings, but is probably a stretch to obtain a list of available vegan cooking ingredients.

2. I had trouble finding gluten-free dairy-free desserts. Most of the time the only offerings were fresh fruit or jello. Jello is not vegan. All ice cream products had dairy.

3. I doubt you can request that rice milk be stocked. The ship had soy milk and lactose free milk as regular milk alternatives. You may want to bring your own rice milk.

4. I doubt you can provide your own recipes. The staff is really busy doing their assigned tasks. They will try to accommodate special requests, but the requests must be reasonable. The kitchen is set up to feed thousands and is unlike a restaurant kitchen where a special preparation is possible. When I ordered gluten-free toast in the morning or a broiled fish for lunch (the regular broiled fish has an invisible dusting of flour) it often took up to 20 minutes to get my food. It was OK. Patience is good.

5. I do not know if you can request that your food be plated from trays in the kitchen. Again, it would likely take some time. My gluten-free toast was prepared by a gloved staff member who used a dedicated gluten-free toaster. Kitchen staff has been educated re cross-contamination.

 

Flexibility and patience are required when cruising with special dietary requirements.......that, and a smile and thank you to the staff who are making extra effort to provide your special requests. For me, cruising is easier than land-based travel with restaurants.