Dine Aware - Be Aware

[VitaminSea53]

Currently cruising on The Solstice in New Zealand....... This is my first time on Celebrity. My most recent cruises have been on Viking.  I chose Celebrity because of the Dine Aware program since I am medically required to follow a gluten free diet and because I choose to follow a Vegan diet. I was led to believe that the items in the buffet would be marked if they were gluten free, vegetarian, milk free, etc. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. Maybe 10% of the items have signage. The others were not marked even though they were gluten free, dairy free, etc. If you ask about a particular food, the servers are good at checking with their superior and reporting back to you but that is time consuming.  Why not just mark the sign so the staff does not need to be bothered?  

I inquired to the person in charge of the buffet and his answer is that the recipes have changed recently and the signs have not been updated. REALLY?  You changed the recipe for rice and potato salad and 90% of everything else??  

So, I inquired at the Guest Relations Desk. That person said Celebrity does not have Dine Aware, I must be thinking of another cruise line. 

So, I spoke with the head of food service and he gave a reasonable answer but still not satisfying. His answer was that they cannot put signage on the buffet items because they cannot guarantee that they are not cross contaminated by other passengers. FAIR ENOUGH - anyone with a severe allergy would not eat at a buffet for that reason. But if your avoidance of gluten is because of an intolerance and not an allergy and a tiny bit won’t hurt you, then it would be nice to have the signage.  AND if what he says is true, then why is there signage on some items and not others??

I don’t like to be a pain when I travel so I don’t want to be bothering the staff constantly but I do want to eat foods that will keep me out of pain and “digestive issues”.  I guess Celebrity is not the answer for me. Too bad.... we are having a great time in New Zealand. 

[sippican]

I agree completely. After a dismal experience in Luminae due to their total lack of education regarding a gluten-free diet, I spoke with Customer Service and the Galápagos Desk prior to our current cruise on the Xpedition. Not only have many food items not been labeled, but some is mislabeled, such as breaded eggplant, being gluten-free (the label was left up after they agreed it was not gluten-free). I knew this was a small ship with very limited resources. I am very capable of making good choices when I have the resources. 

I have had the same two baked rolls every single day, not a single slice of GF bread,  one gf protein offering at lunch, jello, sorbet or fruit as the gf dessert choice most days. I am sick of fruit and craving even one morsel of pasta or baked good. Even the snacks that are put out daily all contain gluten. I need some chocolate, lol!

I know that most report very positive experiences with dietary requirements, unfortunately, I have been very disappointed. You need to be your own advocate, and not rely on others.

Edited November 23, 2018 by sippican

[tallnthensome]

I would imagine that the serving staff is so busy and so overworked that they probably do find all the various requests and inquiries for food allergies, intolerances, vegan,  etc an inconvenience to their fast paced routines. They probably can't accommodate having to make all kinds of extra foods for the large number of food allergies seen today. My guess is that this stuff drives the food staff nuts..... or is that without nuts..... sorry to say. 

[gold1953]

Try garlic free.. dreadful experience in the diningroom. I did not want dry meat and plain carrots and broccoli nightly.  For the buffet the chef walked me around each time and pointed out all the foods I could eat. He was awesome. 

[SoberJulie]

Hmmmm....

We sail on Jan 2 for the first time. 

I was/am really hoping they are cognizant of type 1 diabetics (sugar/carbohydrates) as my husband has to calculate insulin doses based on whatever info is available 🤷🏼‍♀️

[phoenix_dream]

34 minutes ago, SoberJulie said:

Hmmmm....

We sail on Jan 2 for the first time. 

I was/am really hoping they are cognizant of type 1 diabetics (sugar/carbohydrates) as my husband has to calculate insulin doses based on whatever info is available 🤷🏼‍♀️

I am not trying to be argumentative - honest - just curious.  Wondering what type of labeling would you be expecting in order to calculate the doses correctly?  Without handing out recipes they couldn't give you exact amounts of ingredients.  

 

I sympathize with those with dietary restrictions.  I am lactose intolerant.  Luckily that is not life threatening, although it can create all kinds of very unpleasant digestive issues.  I am constantly asking the staff if this soup, or this sauce, etc.., etc., has diary in it.  Until you have it, you don't realize just how many dishes have some kind of dairy included (most breads, many soups not labeled as 'cream', salads, many sauces, and of course lots and lots of dishes come with cheese ).  They offer very few alternative dishes for dairy.  Luckily they usually have almond milk, but would love a larger variety of dairy free options as well.

[SoberJulie]

36 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I am not trying to be argumentative - honest - just curious.  Wondering what type of labeling would you be expecting in order to calculate the doses correctly?  Without handing out recipes they couldn't give you exact amounts of ingredients.  

 

I sympathize with those with dietary restrictions.  I am lactose intolerant.  Luckily that is not life threatening, although it can create all kinds of very unpleasant digestive issues.  I am constantly asking the staff if this soup, or this sauce, etc.., etc., has diary in it.  Until you have it, you don't realize just how many dishes have some kind of dairy included (most breads, many soups not labeled as 'cream', salads, many sauces, and of course lots and lots of dishes come with cheese ).  They offer very few alternative dishes for dairy.  Luckily they usually have almond milk, but would love a larger variety of dairy free options as well.

Oh no, not labelling. I would just hope that if we were to ask if something is sugar free/low sugar....or if something could be made/substituted with a lower carb version, they would have accurate answers and info. 

It can be a huge deal to be served regular soda instead of diet soda.....or to dose for a regular dessert that turns out to be sugar free. 

It’s only basic info that we need, but it absolutely needs to be accurate. 

[gold1953]

20 minutes ago, SoberJulie said:

Oh no, not labelling. I would just hope that if we were to ask if something is sugar free/low sugar....or if something could be made/substituted with a lower carb version, they would have accurate answers and info. 

It can be a huge deal to be served regular soda instead of diet soda.....or to dose for a regular dessert that turns out to be sugar free. 

It’s only basic info that we need, but it absolutely needs to be accurate. 

Sugar free desserts are well labeled.

[PROCRUISE]

Interesting. I cruised on the Viking Sea last January for 11 days. I saw no foods marked as gluten free. I'm sure if I was in the situation that this was necessary for my food consumption safety, I could've inquired. I think the head of food services on Celebrity has given you a very truthful response to your complaint.

Edited November 24, 2018 by PROCRUISE

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, SoberJulie said:

Oh no, not labelling. I would just hope that if we were to ask if something is sugar free/low sugar....or if something could be made/substituted with a lower carb version, they would have accurate answers and info. 

It can be a huge deal to be served regular soda instead of diet soda.....or to dose for a regular dessert that turns out to be sugar free. 

It’s only basic info that we need, but it absolutely needs to be accurate. 

 

You will fare far better in the MDR for sure. Yet, in OVC you can ask for assistance in determining what is what there... In the MDR it is recommended that you sit with the same staff throughout the sailing as they will know and help keep the kitchen on top of your needs, IME. In fact I have had to request changes to what they would serve too frequently.. like fruit for dessert.. LOL

 

For myself being a low fat vegan, I never really dwell on the low fat for the most part in the OVC, yet after a few days when the staff knows you are arriving and have a 'special' request, they will do their best to accommodate.

 

They do try to get it right, yet as @tallnthensome has pointed out about the number of varying dietary requests, it can be difficult to keep up behind the scenes other than the MDR where notes will be made and usually those dishes are prepared in a separate area of the kitchen.

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

[CEOofVacation]

You will far more likely to get food prepared to meet your dietary restrictions in MDR, Blu and Luminae.  The servers and assistant servers stay on top of it and get the kitchen to provide meals accordingly.

 

I am gluten intolerant and my husband is diabetic type 2.  We have zero issues cruising on Celebrity.  We hate buffets and avoid it like the plague so issues with Oceanview lack of labelling is not our concern.  Moreover you are more likely to get cross contamination in a buffet with ignorance of other cruisers - picking up a serving tong and going to a different tray to get food.   We eat at MDR (first cruise) and at Luminae and Blu for subsequent cruises.  On our last cruise on Reflection, we were told that all sauces were made gluten-free by intention so that most items on the menu could be modified to be made gluten-free without sacrificing the taste.   

 

For those who want to limit carbohydrates, it is also very easy.  Also, ask for no sauce on anything or on the side because most sauces have significant amount of carbs - red wine reduction etc.  Of course, limit your carbs - bread, potatoes, rice, desserts...

Edited November 24, 2018 by CEOofVacation

[VitaminSea53]

I do avoid the OVC if possible and eat in Blu for breakfast and dinner but what do you do about lunch?

[CEOofVacation]

52 minutes ago, VitaminSea53 said:

I do avoid the OVC if possible and eat in Blu for breakfast and dinner but what do you do about lunch?

Sea days, go to MDR.  Port days, you can order room service.  I don't like Mast Grill, reminds me of hockey puck.  

[sippican]

On 11/23/2018 at 1:06 PM, tallnthensome said:

I would imagine that the serving staff is so busy and so overworked that they probably do find all the various requests and inquiries for food allergies, intolerances, vegan,  etc an inconvenience to their fast paced routines. They probably can't accommodate having to make all kinds of extra foods for the large number of food allergies seen today. My guess is that this stuff drives the food staff nuts..... or is that without nuts..... sorry to say. 

Agreed! I am sure that the servers themselves are completely overwhelmed with the demands of their usual duties! 

 FWIW, I do not expect anything to be made special. If X promotes a Dine Aware program (which they do), they need to take steps to ensure that they are  consistent and accurate across the fleet - in menus and buffet labeling, which is not happening. I took numerous steps prior to the Xpedition cruise to ensure that they would be able to accommodate a gluten-free diet. They asssured me they could. 

To be fair, I should add that the Spa Cafe and MDR on the Reflection were superb and excelled at meeting gf needs in a variety of ways - with interesting offerings.

On the Xpedition the staff cannot even tell me (or find out) if the sauces, condiments, dressings, etc., contain gluten. Keep in mind, this is an all-inclusive package. I requested gf meals for the included flights (the flight attendants dug up veggies and fruit, explaining that X never nofied them). We’ll see what happens on the 2 flights tomorrow! I’m going to try to grab some safe foods at the terminal in Quito.