Concierge questions/food allergies

[bobbylutens]

We are sailing on the pearl next month. I have the concierge email about coffee, tea, pillows etc. We have the unlimited beverage plan. Are we able to request beer/wine, water and chocolate milk for the fridge?

 

Our sons have severe peanut/tree nut allergies. Who do we talk to about their meals? We sailed Disney before and they were very accommodating. Is NCL good about this?

[BirdTravels]

We are sailing on the pearl next month. I have the concierge email about coffee, tea, pillows etc. We have the unlimited beverage plan. Are we able to request beer/wine, water and chocolate milk for the fridge?

No. Everything in the mini-bar is for sale. You can request to have it emptied by your room steward and fill it yourself (by picking up beer and buying bottles of wine). You can get chocolate milk from the buffet and bring it back down. If you are in an owner's suite, you get free soda, water, and mixers (along with 3 bottles of booze for your stateroom).

 

Our sons have severe peanut/tree nut allergies. Who do we talk to about their meals? We sailed Disney before and they were very accommodating. Is NCL good about this? They are very careful about food allergies (and actually have a separate galley area for the preparation of foods for people with allergies. BUT,,, you need to talk to your server every time you go to a restaurant.

 

Some servers are very diligent about asking about food allergies. But,,,, regardless, make sure they know about your sons' nut allergy every time you go into a restaurant.

Edited December 12, 2016 by BirdTravels

[mking8288]

Memo to OP, NCL is generally pretty good with this - you aren't sailing till next month, with time to contact NCL Special Needs and alert them about the food allergies - as it will be noted/updated in the reservations (plus, alerting Food Services onboard). Advanced notice of 30 days being requested or preferred but sooner the better.

 

Contact the designated person onboard the ship once embarked (as well as refreshing your concierge about the food allergies & requirements, etc.) so that it will be prepared accordingly & available for the duration of the cruise. As one of our dietitiary specialist would say, when in doubt and unsure - do a pass and skip it.

[Valen9]

Contact NCL at 1-866-584-9756 and let them know about the peanut/tree nut allergies. I have tree nut allergies (but peanuts are fine) and they're quite diligent about your food if you talk to them.

 

They are capable of preparing food in a nut-free environment but it's not their standard operating procedure. If you need this, you'll need to plan your meals a little more carefully. Your concierge can help with this.

[NHL Philly Fan]

https://www.ncl.com/faq#dietary-needs

[Chi_town_cruisers]

NCL is very good about this if you contact them >=30 days in advance AND let your server know at every restaurant and buffet. They have a person dedicated to working with you and the chefs to ensure you will not be exposed to your allergens.

 

I have Crohn's disease (for years) so certain foods aggravate my condition, and on our last cruise DH had a moderately severe allergic reaction to an unknown allergen (never happened before & had no idea he even had any food allergies). NCL (on the Sprit in Sept.) was awesome in helping us. The person dedicated to accommodating special dietary needs (Nelson) had severe food allergies himself so he was totally understanding (gave him a generous tip at the end he was so great).

 

How it worked was, we let our waiter at restaurant know as soon as we sat down, or let a crew member at the buffet know as soon as we arrived at buffet, and then Nelson was called and would come to talk to us about what DH could/couldn't eat and would bring us special food like gluten free toast, blueberry muffins (the best!), & waffles (since we couldn't figure out exactly what food caused the reaction poor DH had to avoid almost all 8 of the most common allergens for the entire cruise). Nelson would also bring us the menu for the next day at the end of our dinner each night & ask us what we might like- then he would confirm w/ chefs if it was ok &/or if recipe could be modified (some menu items are brought on the ship already prepared so can't be changed).

 

So, basically we pre-ordered all of our meals for the next day. We ate in the MDR for most meals (b/c that's our favorite), but as I said even in the buffet they were accommodating. For ex. most days I asked for a glass of non-dairy milk at the buffet and they would bring us a glass to our table in the buffet area. Also we ate at 1 of the specialty restaurants and Nelson took our order for that the day before that reservation as well.

 

In addition, when DH had the reaction it was right before we boarded the ship so as soon as we embarked we went to the ship's doctor (when they opened at 4 or 5 b/c at first we didn't think it was that bad & I had some Benadryl which DH took). The doctor & nurse were great, gave us more medicine right away to help. The next day his reaction got worse & they rushed him right back & gave him some shots which calmed him down & gave him steroids to take which finally calmed it down the rest of the way. The allergist he saw after returning home thinks it wasn't even food that caused the reaction especially as the ship was so good in making sure he wasn't exposed to common food allergens. My point is the doctors & nurses are also well prepared to deal with allergies including emergencies.

 

I'm a loyal NCL cruiser at the silver level (soon to reach gold) & have never had any issues w/ them accommodating my dietary needs, or putting my medication along w/ a glass of non-dairy milk in the fridge in the cabin, as long as I contact NCL in advance & let crew members know as I said. In fact, b/c my needs are not due to allergies but rather an aggravation of symptoms when I eat more than a few bites of certain foods, i.e. I can tolerate a couple bites... I wanted to "cheat" a few times w/ a coupe bites, but it was virtually imposible for me to "cheat" b/c they are so vigilant! :)

 

So, just let them know & don't worry, enjoy your cruise!

 

 

 

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[Eleteace]

I can't eat dairy and have never had any problems with NCL. They've always been really helpful! I've never let them know in advance though, I just show up and tell my waiter. (Dairy is quite easy to avoid though).

 

 

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[JeepJeep4]

I just got off the Pearl. I have a gluten allergy and was glutened the second night sailing. I felt horrible the entire cruise. I will say I was on this cruise a year and half ago and never had an issue. They have signs all over the dinning areas about food allergies and who to talk to. The chefs will walk you around the buffets letting you know what you can and can't have.

 

 

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