Gluten Free Dining on Board

[travelnteach64]

Hello All!

 

My fiancee and I are avid cruisers and we are helping my parents plan their first ever cruise! They are looking at an Alaskan Cruise. They are very nervous about cruising because my dad has severe celiacs disease, and is reactive to even slight cross contamination.

 

Can anyone share their experience of dining gluten free with HAL? We've never cruised with them. How was the selection? Was the gluten free bread any good? Did you ever eat at the buffet? Did you pre-order the night before? Was the food good or repetitive?

 

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

If you do a search you will find dozens of threads. Here are a couple:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2293135&highlight=gluten+free

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2240196&highlight=gluten+free

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2304552&highlight=gluten+free

[dakrewser]

Both my gluten intolerant wife and gluten sensitive daughter had no problems on our recent NA cruise. Each evening our MDR steward would present the next night's menu for them to choose their meals. The standard menu, not some cut-down menu. The staff would then prepare the items GF for them.

 

There's also a GF station in the Lido with breads, pastas, etc.

 

Do be sure to let HAL know (via your TA) before you go so that they can be sure to have enough prepared foods (breads, etc.) on hand.

[planitohio]

On the zuiderdam the breads were awful. They don't toast them. The lido is hit or miss and a lot of "I think". Pre-order in the dining room works very well. The portobello burgers on a gf bun at the dive in bar are amazing.

[dakrewser]

On the zuiderdam the breads were awful. They don't toast them. The lido is hit or miss and a lot of "I think". Pre-order in the dining room works very well. The portobello burgers on a gf bun at the dive in bar are amazing.

 

They'll toast anything you ask them to toast.

[OlsSalt]

OP wrote: dad has severe celiacs disease, and is reactive to even slight cross contamination.

 

This health challenge goes well beyond mere "gluten-intolerance". This would require a separate food preparation area. Does HAL provide this level of care to restrict even slight cross-contamination?

[dakrewser]

OP wrote: dad has severe celiacs disease, and is reactive to even slight cross contamination.

 

This health challenge goes well beyond mere "gluten-intolerance". This would require a separate food preparation area. Does HAL provide this level of care to restrict even slight cross-contamination?

 

Cross-contamination is binary, either there is or there isn't, there's no sliding scale. HAL does not provide seperate prep facilities, but does go out of there way to minimize the opportunities for cross-contamination.

[OlsSalt]

Is the OP asking for a HAL guarantee or just hopes for best efforts?

 

Good article from UCLA about the differences between the specific auto-immune celiac disorder and generalized "gluten-intolerance": One can be tested and confirmed; one cannot. http://gastro.ucla.edu/site.cfm?id=281

Edited April 2, 2016 by OlsSalt

[pschweig]

I am gluten intolerant. I've had no difficulty with any of the food which was prepared for me.

 

As previous posters have described, you are presented with the next night's menu and preorder. The waiters are very knowledgeable and can advise you which dishes can be prepared gluten-free. If there is any question, they either consult someone in the kitchen or send over one of the dining room managers. Also, many of the selections in the MDR are already prepared gluten-free and need no modifications (most of the vegetables and the fish entree). I can eat almost any salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing (according to the waiter, my only safe dressing choice). I can successfully eat the flourless chocolate cake, but my usual desert is the cheese plate selection. The gluten free bread is quite good.

 

I always speak to the manager in the Lido who tells me what I can and cannot eat in the restaurant. Gluten-free pasta is available, so I can always have pasta and meat sauce.

 

There is also a form which I send to HAL when we make our cruise reservations. It is called "Special Requirements Information (SRI) Form." It has a section lableled "For Guests with Severe Allergies." There is a box which you check for food-related allergies. Additional comments can be made at the end of the form which I use to state that I require a gluten-free diet. I also file an additional form to which HAL refers as a "Gluten Free Request Form." This must be filed no later than 90 days before departure. You can pre-order gluten-free products (a maximum of 3 from each list per day) to ensure that these products are on board. For example, for a 7-day cruise, you can select a total of 21 items.

 

Again, I stress that I feel totally safe when eating on board and have never had any difficulties.

[OlsSalt]

Steps HAL needs to take to avoid gluten cross-contamination:

 

Today’s Dietitian spoke with three celiac disease experts who have provided the following strategies you can share with clients to help them prevent cross-contamination and therefore the symptoms associated with gluten ingestion.

 

Simpson makes the following recommendations:

 

• Don’t use wooden spoons or cutting boards that also are used to prepare gluten-containing foods because the spoons and boards can harbor residual gluten and bacteria. Metal or plastic are better options.

 

• Cover shared grilling surfaces when barbequing because unless the grill reaches 500˚F or higher for 30 minutes or longer, grilling won’t eliminate any residual gluten.

 

• Buy a separate waffle maker or bread maker if the one the family uses doesn’t have parts that can be disassembled and placed in the dishwasher.

 

• If using a separate toaster isn’t possible, use toaster-safe toaster bags such as Celinal Toast-It or Vat19 ToastIt, available online.

 

Pam Cureton, RD, LDN, a dietitian at the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland, adds these tips:

 

• When planning parties at home, prepare a buffet of foods that are 100% gluten free to prevent accidental cross-contamination among family members and guests.

 

• Buy squeezable condiment containers for ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise to prevent double dipping. If you don’t purchase squeezable containers, mark condiment jars as safe depending on whether they’ve been exposed to gluten-containing foods.

 

• Store gluten-free products on the top shelf of the pantry or refrigerator so other foods don’t accidentally cross-contaminate them.

 

Shelley Case, BSc, RD, president of Case Nutrition Consulting and author of Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide, offers the following ideas:

 

• In supermarkets, don’t buy unpackaged foods stored in bins. The scoops used to place the foods in bags or containers may have been previously used on nearby gluten-containing foods and may not have been sufficiently cleaned.

 

• Use different colored stickers to distinguish between gluten-containing and gluten-free products in the pantry and fridge.

 

• Purchase a colander in a different color for gluten-free foods so it doesn’t get mixed up with the colander used for gluten-containing foods.

 

• Buy gluten-free grains that are certified gluten free to ensure cross-contamination didn’t take place during processing.

 

• Buy gluten-free flours marked as gluten free from reputable companies that are more likely to test for gluten.

 

• Avoid purchasing imported foods. Other countries may not abide by the same gluten-free standards as the United States.

[OlsSalt]

They'll toast anything you ask them to toast.

 

Using the same toaster can cause gluten cross-contamination. There needs to be a separate gluten-free bread toaster, according to dietary experts.

[dakrewser]

Using the same toaster can cause gluten cross-contamination. There needs to be a separate gluten-free bread toaster, according to dietary experts.

 

That's correct. You know, this isn't their first rodeo. They do know what having a gluten-free station implies, and requires.

[WARANEEB]

I am also a celiac and have cruised with HAL at least 7 times since my diagnosis. My nephew has a peanut aclergy and has sailed with us twice. Phone guest services when or after you book and they will send you a form so that you can order various types of GF food - bread, cereal, pasta, muffins, etc. I have only ever had the GF bread in in dining room. I'm not super sensitive so if you are, and are worried about the same toaster, don't eat it. I have never asked and never had a problem. When you arrive on the ship, go down to the dining room office and speak to them. Make sure they know you are super sensitive. Each night you are given the menu for the next day to circle what you want . I was able to order anything I wanted...other than, of course, something covered in pastry. The dining room stewards are very knowledgable and will tell you if its impossible to make something GF for you. In the Lido, the chefs are always available if you have questions. There can be slip up with the tongs and I have made a point of asking for fresh ones or that I get a fresh piece of roast chicken if I think there has been contamination. (That's my go to for lunch, roast chicken). For breakfast there are hard boiled eggs, and fruit and yogurt. Don't eat the lido bacon...its resting on bread to soak up the grease. You can also eat in the dining room which you might prefer to avoid the buffet.

 

I would also recommend fixed seating for dinner so you have the same wait staff every night.

 

If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them. I'm not sure if there is a way to send a private message on this board.