Food Allergies - Haven vs. Non-Haven

[hmbc1977]

My children both have extensive non-anaphalactic food allergies.  We have always sailed in the Haven or in a 2-BR family suite with concierge and butler service.  They have always handled our food requests and special dietary needs phenomenally.  

 

For those of you with food allergies who have sailed in both the Haven and non-Haven rooms, was there a noticeable difference in how easily your food allergies were handled?  We're contemplating a Mediterranean cruise this summer and it would be much cheaper to get 2 adjoining balcony rooms instead of a 2-BR Haven suite, but I'm afraid we might struggle with the ease of pre-ordering and otherwise handling our special food requests without the benefit of a concierge.

 

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

Contact the special needs department of NCL. They will have you fill out a form for each of those that have food allergies. This will then alert staff of the allergy. I have an anaphylactic reaction to only certain nuts, one being macadamia. When we went to Hawaii on the POA, I contacted this department since Hawaiians use a lot of macadamias in their foods. Not only was my info somehow connected to my card for dining purposes on the ship, but it was also sent to my NCL shore excursions and my pre/post cruise hotel that I also booked through NCL. 

[elwood_98034]

29 minutes ago, Weluv2cruise2gether said:

Contact the special needs department of NCL. They will have you fill out a form for each of those that have food allergies. This will then alert staff of the allergy. I have an anaphylactic reaction to only certain nuts, one being macadamia. When we went to Hawaii on the POA, I contacted this department since Hawaiians use a lot of macadamias in their foods. Not only was my info somehow connected to my card for dining purposes on the ship, but it was also sent to my NCL shore excursions and my pre/post cruise hotel that I also booked through NCL. 

We did the same thing. At most meals in both the Haven and outside the Haven we were asked if anyone had any food allergies. Not always 100%, but mostly. Ours were pretty simple, shellfish, but if it was a funny one like soy or tree nuts I would be a lot more cautious, and wouldn't take any risks that something had snuck into a cookie or cake, etc. The crew are pretty switched on though. They don't want any problems.

 

We go to our Allergist a couple of weeks before we go to get new medications. We travel with Benadryl, Eip-pens, strong oral steroids, and a couple of other things. Plus my financial advisor is a pediatric ICU nurse, and to be honest, we are hyper vigilant when travelling. If something did happen we would probably be able to deal with it ourselves. God forbid.

 

Be prepared and keep your eyes open and you should be OK. I don't think there is any difference between Haven and non-Haven.

Edited February 20, 2020 by elwood_98034

[darla250]

I can safely say it doesn’t matter if you’re in the Haven or not. Smh.. they take food allergies seriously regardless of where you book your room.  Use common sense and speak with the  head chef at each restaurant. They are prepared to help. 

[raitch]

We were non-Haven in our last trip and NCL had advance notice of my son’s peanut allergy.  Every single time we sat down for a served meal someone would come to the table, confirm at the table who had the peanut allergy, and then would go over the menu pointing out any foods that may be a problem.  
 

The only time this didn’t happen was (obviously) the buffet since nobody is serving you.  But I would have no worries about food allergies onboard.  They were impeccable and very careful every time we ate.

[justafirefly]

Our first cruise was on the Dawn in 2016. NCL exceeded our expectations and went above and beyond to accommodate my 3 year old's multiple food allergies (including an anaphylactic peanut allergy and 6 other non-anaphylactic food allergens). We were not Haven guests... just booked in a regular ol' mini-suite. I went into the situation very nervous, but it only took a day or two for me to feel quite relaxed and confident in their ability to navigate allergy safety. This exceptional service is the main reason we have stayed brand loyal to the NCL cruise line.