Gluten Free on Allure

[smogfarmgirl]

Excited for our VERY first cruise in September, on the Allure (had a cruise schedule for March 2020, you can probably guess how that turned out😝). I have a gluten sensitivity (not Celiac, cross-contamination is OK but eating gluten ends my body for a week without steroids). I have already emailed special-needs, and they have noted it on our sailing, and I have read a little online about eating GF on Royal, but was hoping for some of everyone’s favorite meals/tips/locations/hints, etc!

[bjlbbk]

I just got off the Allure a couple weeks ago and also have a gluten sensitivity so hopefully I can help! We didn't do any specialty dining on this cruise outside of Johnny Rockets for breakfast, so unfortunately I don't have much to add for those venues but the main dining room was great. They brought me two different types of GF bread at dinner each night (the same two all week) and each night the head waiter would take my order for the following night so they had extra time to prepare it if it needed to be adapted. I requested a few things outside of the usual GF finds a few nights and was glad I did. The coconut shrimp was very good and they used actual breading (each ship varies it seems so my experience on this trip was a little different from Symphony back in December when they just gave it to me grilled). I also requested the fish and chips (also breaded) and the French onion soup which I had never tried before. I more than once requested a GF cake for dessert but they kept bringing me crust less cheesecake (I should have been more specific as cheesecake is not my favorite...but I was appreciative of their efforts none the less). Outside of the dining room I requested a GF three cheese panini at Park Café (they had GF bread for sandwiches and toast but did not have the GF bagels which I had gotten on Symphony). At Johnny Rockets they made me a GF breakfast sandwich which was great. A different morning I asked for GF French toast but they said they needed the request submitted the day prior (which you can ask your head waiter to do for you if you know where you plan to eat each day...I had done that several times on Symphony but hadn't planned ahead this time). I didn't ask for it on this cruise, but I know you can also put in a request for GF pancakes, eggs benedict and pastas. In Windjammer there were always a few International dishes (curries and such) and random items that were marked GF but I never found an actual GF section...it was kind of hit or miss and all over the place. We only ate in WJ a couple times so I can't speak to what else they might have offered had I asked. I can also get away with cross contamination so I just ate around the things I knew would be okay for me. GF pizza at Sorrento's is great...just give yourself an extra 15 min for the wait. Café Promenade never had anything in their case marked GF (at the times I stopped by anyway), but they did offer me a pre-packaged Udi cookie when I asked. On our Symphony cruise there had been more GF options at Café Promenade (dessert cups and an occasional sandwich) but the staff on Allure said they don't usually receive many GF items from the kitchen. At Wipeout Cafe skip the cone and grab yourself a cup and spoon and enjoy the soft serve ice cream. My biggest advise would be don't be shy or afraid to ask. I always thought I was stuck with the items already marked GF but I have had much better experiences once I started being more vocal. Just wish I had learned that lesson earlier!

[smogfarmgirl]

@bjlbbkThank you soooo much for the details! All of that sounds amazing! I’ll be sure to request GF French toast at least one day, I miss it sooo much!

[bjlbbk]

10 hours ago, smogfarmgirl said:

@bjlbbkThank you soooo much for the details! All of that sounds amazing! I’ll be sure to request GF French toast at least one day, I miss it sooo much!

I can relate...Enjoy!! You can request to have it at the Windjammer and/or Main Dining Room too. The hardest part for me is planning ahead as we tend to fly by the seat of our pants and never know where we might land for breakfast and lunch. It's nice to have options though!

[Cap'nFlapjack]

Our last couple of cruises we also learned that you can look at tomorrow's menu when you

are finished dining in the main dining room and can choose what you desire for the next night's

meal. We were on a fixed time not sure how it would work for my time dining. Almost everything

was able to be made gluten free...we also mixed and matched if we liked something from one entree

and something else from another. They were very accommodating and the chef came out and said they enjoyed playing around and trying different ways of making a dish. Sometimes the sauce or fish was

pre-prepped with gluten or crust so couldn't be gluten free, but that was not often. Also the nook restaurant  by the whirlpools had gluten free pizza on request. Let your T.A. know and they can inform

RCCL your dietary needs before you board.

[smokeybandit]

Gluten free on a ship is quite easy, especially if your issue is just a sensitivity. You'll be fine in the MDR and Windjammer.

[smogfarmgirl]

@cap’nflapjack appreciate the advice, thanks!

Edited July 30, 2022 by smogfarmgirl