Peanut Allergy Experiences

[beckatron]

I will be cruising on the Dream in June with my husband who has a peanut allergy. We previously cruised on Disney and while I appreciated their level of concern after we told them he had a peanut allergy they barely would serve my husband anything for fear of a reaction - including packaged items like the Mickey ice cream bars that he had eaten for years in the parks without issue. Thankfully his reactions are not anaphylactic so we are very fortunate. He does have to be careful but cross contamination is not really a huge issue with him. If a dish has peanuts or is cooked in peanut oil he needs to avoid it but he has managed his allergy for 40+ years and if his dessert dish is plated in the same kitchen with a peanut butter dish he is not going to have an issue. After that first cruise and the issues he had he just didn't tell the cruise line about his allergies on future cruises and just tried to avoid anything that might potentially have peanuts and/or he would ask a few questions without trying to tip them off that it was for allergy reasons.

 

I am wondering if he will get the same reaction from Carnival? Should he avoid mentioning the word "allergy" or will he be able to ask questions about what is in the food without triggering some kind of special allergy protocol? Any experiences you can share would be appreciated.

[Sitzmark]

Maybe if you just indicate he has a food intolerance rather than an allergy you can avoid the fearful reaction.

[chasinraynbowz]

I also have a peanut allergy and have NO problems with Carnival. I inform the maitre'd when we board and they inform my wait staff. After dinner each evening, our waiter brings me the menu for the following evening and I pick what I want for dinner. If I plan on having brunch, I can order the evening before also. If I eat at the buffet, I just pretty much stay away from any baked goods. It's really as simple as that!

[beckatron]

I also have a peanut allergy and have NO problems with Carnival. I inform the maitre'd when we board and they inform my wait staff. After dinner each evening, our waiter brings me the menu for the following evening and I pick what I want for dinner. If I plan on having brunch, I can order the evening before also. If I eat at the buffet, I just pretty much stay away from any baked goods. It's really as simple as that!

 

He does not want to have to order from the menu the night before. That drove him crazy. Plus we are on YTD and we really do not even know which nights we will be in the dining room vs. other nights when we might want to try something else. He just really wants to be able to be at dinner - for example ask if the fish dish has any peanuts or cooked in peanut oil - and then go from there. Just like he does here at home. No need to special order early or to have them argue about what they will serve him once he knows what the ingredients are. He does this all the time at home but cruising has been the only time it seemed to be a huge issue.

 

Yes and the buffet desserts are always a land mine. He knows to not even attempt to try to eat desserts there. Too risky.

[sturderick]

I will be cruising on the Dream in June with my husband who has a peanut allergy. We previously cruised on Disney and while I appreciated their level of concern after we told them he had a peanut allergy they barely would serve my husband anything for fear of a reaction - including packaged items like the Mickey ice cream bars that he had eaten for years in the parks without issue. Thankfully his reactions are not anaphylactic so we are very fortunate. He does have to be careful but cross contamination is not really a huge issue with him. If a dish has peanuts or is cooked in peanut oil he needs to avoid it but he has managed his allergy for 40+ years and if his dessert dish is plated in the same kitchen with a peanut butter dish he is not going to have an issue. After that first cruise and the issues he had he just didn't tell the cruise line about his allergies on future cruises and just tried to avoid anything that might potentially have peanuts and/or he would ask a few questions without trying to tip them off that it was for allergy reasons.

 

I am wondering if he will get the same reaction from Carnival? Should he avoid mentioning the word "allergy" or will he be able to ask questions about what is in the food without triggering some kind of special allergy protocol? Any experiences you can share would be appreciated.

 

We have this same issue with my sons girlfriend. I finally decided not to say anything so she won't have to jump through hoops. She does not have a life threatening reaction so I think she will be able to manage what she is able to eat. She seems to be able to go out to eat all of the time with no issues so obviously she is able to manage it.

 

I'm glad to see someone else with this same issue so I can see what they did. As long as there's a doctor on board, I'm comfortable.

[MalleyCat]

At the school I work in we have several children with similar issues. They are referred to as "peanut sensitive" and they are treated a lot differently than children with serious allergies. He could try explaining his condition that way.

[MomofTheBoy]

My son has a peanut allergy and our last cruise i let them know. I also had anytime dining. Wasnt an issue. They didnt fry his food with peanut oil. Found out that cruise he was allergic to kiwi. Gave him some benedry and from that point on they made sure no kiwi touched his plate. We do good with restaurants here so cruise should be no problem. I just keep benedryl and his epi with me at all times just in case.

 

Sent from my SM-T377P using Tapatalk

[springs741]

May concern with not having it noted anywhere is the wait staff is painfully unaware of how things are prepared. This is not intended as a criticism. How would they know? It isn't like they are hanging out in the galley during preparation.

 

Then we enter the problem with language. On our last cruise our wait staff spoke near perfect English but confused Lemon Pie (with meringue which I do not care for) with Key Lime Pie (which I love). In some languages lemon and lime are the same word or very similar. In order to know if something was exposed to peanuts the waiter would have to ask the line server which would have to ask the chef so information would have to be translated several times. Going through that many people, even if they all spoke the same language there could be misunderstandings.

 

I have a dear friend whose daughter is peanut sensitive. She didn't order the night before but rather discussed with one of the hostesses what she should avoid and if there was something she wanted on the list of things to avoid then they did prepare it special for her. She just mentioned it to the wait staff as soon as she was seated. They too had YTD.

 

Have a wonderful memory making cruise

[SadieN]

DD has issues with peanuts and tree nuts.

 

For years we also didn't advise Carnival about her allergies because we knew the recipes. With the advent of The American Table we have started to preorder her meals as the recipes keep changing. Last weekend I had the fourth different recipe variation (not a chef issue, an ingredient issue) of one entree since the AT has been implemented.

 

Not all ingredients are marked in the menu. Did you know the room service chocolate cake has a decor of peanuts?

 

Don't worry about ordering and not eating the food. They'd rather have the food ready than have a passenger in distress.

From experience, a small reaction one time has no bearing on the next reaction.

The time it takes to get to the Med center gets longer in an emergency, especially if you're having trouble breathing. Longer yet if it's not open. Bring Benedryl and your epipens (or equivalent).

 

Get travel insurance within the pre-existing conditions phase.

 

Know how to say 'peanut' in the language in the country(ies) you're visiting. Know local word differences also. Voice of Experience. DD uses allergy cards when visiting countries with other languages. Has saved her several times.

 

Yeah, some of the above is Doom and Gloom but learn from the experience of others.

 

Safe Travels

 

***

This is my standard allergy post.

 

DD has issues with peanuts ant tree nuts. Only had issues with 'user' error, no issues with Carnival. If you have a nut allergy, know that Carnival classifies seeds as nuts.

 

No need to contact Special Needs before your cruise. Carnival is set up for nut allergies.

 

https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/dietary-needs.aspx

 

See the Hostess at embarkation when the Maitre 'd has hours. Hours will be in the FunTmes, usually starting around 1pm. The hostess will take that night's order. Each night the hostess or your waiter will bring you the next day's MDR menu-breakfast, brunch/lunch and dinner. If deciding between two entrees, order both. For brunch don't hesitate to order a breakfast and lunch if you want to eat both meals in the MDR.

 

For room service, they cannot make special for you but they can tell you the ingredients. No special area so there is always the possibility of contamination

 

Buffet is a minefield. Ask the Hostess or the Head Lido Chef or the Food and Beverage crew in the officer whites. DO NOT ask the line cooks or those serving desserts. They mean well but do not know the full recipes. Cross contamination is always a possibility.

 

Onshore--- we bring allergy cards. I made our own but you can buy some at selectwisely.com.

You can only bring off commercially prepared food. We bring cereal bars, boxes of cereal, bottled water, hard candy etc.

Many ports will check. Some will do a physical search, others use dogs. You do not want the cute Labrador to sit next to you. I've had them alert on my Lemonheads.

 

Kids clubs have a form to fill out. There are some snacks served at times. The younger kids meet up at the dinner buffet certain nights. Ask the counselors what's on the menu.

[chasinraynbowz]

He does not want to have to order from the menu the night before. That drove him crazy. Plus we are on YTD and we really do not even know which nights we will be in the dining room vs. other nights when we might want to try something else. He just really wants to be able to be at dinner - for example ask if the fish dish has any peanuts or cooked in peanut oil - and then go from there. Just like he does here at home. No need to special order early or to have them argue about what they will serve him once he knows what the ingredients are. He does this all the time at home but cruising has been the only time it seemed to be a huge issue.

 

Yes and the buffet desserts are always a land mine. He knows to not even attempt to try to eat desserts there. Too risky.

 

A ships galley is not just like a restaurant at home. They don't make each plate as you order, they are made ahead of time. I have preordered the night before and ended up not going. We got a burger or pizza instead. Its no biggie. The staff just wants you safe, happy and healthy.

 

 

Your husband needs to decide the amount of risk he wants to take.

[Budget Queen]

Good grief, so the priority is to not be restricted? What is totally being overlooked is some of these allergies are tolerance allergies. Meaning- you start with a little rash, and that rides for a time, can be years. Sometimes adding self medication etc. Then wham, full blown anaphylaxis.

 

I'd suggest, if no disclosure of any health information, anything suspect be verified of it's preparation and contents. All that needs to be mentioned is a dislike, dietary choice.

[Sitzmark]

Good grief, so the priority is to not be restricted? What is totally being overlooked is some of these allergies are tolerance allergies. Meaning- you start with a little rash, and that rides for a time, can be years. Sometimes adding self medication etc. Then wham, full blown anaphylaxis.

 

Well, according to the OP he has managed this allergy for 40+ years so I'll defer to his judgement on how severe it is. While allergies can and do change I would be willing to wager that this person has at some point discussed this with a doctor or allergist and has a better understanding of his situation than you do.

[SadieN]

Well, according to the OP he has managed this allergy for 40+ years so I'll defer to his judgement on how severe it is. While allergies can and do change I would be willing to wager that this person has at some point discussed this with a doctor or allergist and has a better understanding of his situation than you do.

 

 

True but

Being forewarned is being forearmed.

[beckatron]

Yes we are aware of the risk and understand that reactions can change over time. As I mentioned he has managed to survive all of these years, has worked with his doctors and allergists and knows what to do in case of an issue. He is prepared and does not take crazy risks but he does get frustrated when the choice is removed from him. As least on DCL they would barely let him eat anything on the regular menu. It was a bit crazy just how restricted - even the regular plain vanilla ice cream was off limits to him because there might be cross contamination from somewhere. I know that peanut allergies are no joke and we are so very thankful that his reactions have not been life threatening and we do appreciate the concern but as an adult he is capable of making decisions regarding his own health provided he gets the information he needs regarding ingredients and preparation.

 

I appreciate the info. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.

[sanger727]

My stepmother has an allergy to fish. It's mild and never caused issues breathing, just a rash and feeling sick. She is fine with cross contamination and has never had a reaction to things made with very small amounts if fish (broth, Caesar dressing, etc). She doesn't notify special needs or anyone ahead of time. She simply tells the waiter when she orders that she can't have seafood to let her know if anything she orders has it has seafood in it. They've told her not to order certain soups and the Caesar dressing and she doesn't on cruises to be on the safe side. She realizes that the waiters may not know every ingredient and she could end up with food made with fish that she's unaware of and is ok with that. I don't know if your allergy is mild enough that this would be an option.

 

But agree with the sentiment to be careful of language barriers. We traveled in Africa and told our tour operator ahead of time of her allergy. When we arrived at one of the camps we told the camp manager about it. We overhead him later talking to another group arriving and they said they had a shell fish allergy. He asked if they could have tilapia and they said yes. We told him again about her allergy and that it included tilapia; we also asked our guide to communicate it to him.... And she then was served tilapia for dinner.

[SadieN]

Yes we are aware of the risk and understand that reactions can change over time. As I mentioned he has managed to survive all of these years, has worked with his doctors and allergists and knows what to do in case of an issue. He is prepared and does not take crazy risks but he does get frustrated when the choice is removed from him. As least on DCL they would barely let him eat anything on the regular menu. It was a bit crazy just how restricted - even the regular plain vanilla ice cream was off limits to him because there might be cross contamination from somewhere. I know that peanut allergies are no joke and we are so very thankful that his reactions have not been life threatening and we do appreciate the concern but as an adult he is capable of making decisions regarding his own health provided he gets the information he needs regarding ingredients and preparation.

 

I appreciate the info. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.

 

 

Forewarned is forearmed.

 

 

The chefs were able to make DD (peanuts/treenuts) almost everything on the menu safe for her. IIRC there might only have been a dessert or two that she couldn't have made.

 

She can have seeds but was only given a basket of plain rolls. She ate the seeded rolls out of my basket. (Table of two, two bread baskets lol)

 

Steakhouse has some nuts on its desserts. Do not remember if they were peanuts or treenuts. They simply left off the cookie on the chocolate sampler dessert. No nuts on the appetizers or entrees.

 

No idea about the Chef's Table but we were asked about allergies.

Edited March 22, 2017 by SadieN

[easyboy]

My grandsons have peanut allergy and my daughter has never had a problem coordinating with the Maitre D' on the dietary restrictions. Never used their Epipen on the cruise.

[sararebekahquinn]

I have nut and shellfish allergies. I preordered meals, and my husband was jealous of me a number of times bc my food was fresh and hot. My warm chocolate melting cake was always better than anyone else at the table. My husband said next time he was telling them he had an allergy😉

[Glinda39]

DD has issues with peanuts and tree nuts.

 

For years we also didn't advise Carnival about her allergies because we knew the recipes. With the advent of The American Table we have started to preorder her meals as the recipes keep changing. Last weekend I had the fourth different recipe variation (not a chef issue, an ingredient issue) of one entree since the AT has been implemented.

 

Not all ingredients are marked in the menu. Did you know the room service chocolate cake has a decor of peanuts?

 

Don't worry about ordering and not eating the food. They'd rather have the food ready than have a passenger in distress.

From experience, a small reaction one time has no bearing on the next reaction.

The time it takes to get to the Med center gets longer in an emergency, especially if you're having trouble breathing. Longer yet if it's not open. Bring Benedryl and your epipens (or equivalent).

 

Get travel insurance within the pre-existing conditions phase.

 

Know how to say 'peanut' in the language in the country(ies) you're visiting. Know local word differences also. Voice of Experience. DD uses allergy cards when visiting countries with other languages. Has saved her several times.

 

Yeah, some of the above is Doom and Gloom but learn from the experience of others.

 

Safe Travels

 

***

This is my standard allergy post.

 

DD has issues with peanuts ant tree nuts. Only had issues with 'user' error, no issues with Carnival. If you have a nut allergy, know that Carnival classifies seeds as nuts.

 

No need to contact Special Needs before your cruise. Carnival is set up for nut allergies.

 

https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/dietary-needs.aspx

 

See the Hostess at embarkation when the Maitre 'd has hours. Hours will be in the FunTmes, usually starting around 1pm. The hostess will take that night's order. Each night the hostess or your waiter will bring you the next day's MDR menu-breakfast, brunch/lunch and dinner. If deciding between two entrees, order both. For brunch don't hesitate to order a breakfast and lunch if you want to eat both meals in the MDR.

 

For room service, they cannot make special for you but they can tell you the ingredients. No special area so there is always the possibility of contamination

 

Buffet is a minefield. Ask the Hostess or the Head Lido Chef or the Food and Beverage crew in the officer whites. DO NOT ask the line cooks or those serving desserts. They mean well but do not know the full recipes. Cross contamination is always a possibility.

 

Onshore--- we bring allergy cards. I made our own but you can buy some at selectwisely.com.

You can only bring off commercially prepared food. We bring cereal bars, boxes of cereal, bottled water, hard candy etc.

Many ports will check. Some will do a physical search, others use dogs. You do not want the cute Labrador to sit next to you. I've had them alert on my Lemonheads.

 

Kids clubs have a form to fill out. There are some snacks served at times. The younger kids meet up at the dinner buffet certain nights. Ask the counselors what's on the menu.

 

 

Could you tell me what American Table is?

[SadieN]

Could you tell me what American Table is?

 

 

American Table is simply the name of the new Main Dining Room menu. Think most, if not all, ships use this menu now.

 

We find Carnival'a allergy protocols very good. On occasion we've sailed Princess and I've never felt at ease at the beginning of a cruise.