Gluten free

[medtech71]

Hi all,

 

I have a family cruise booked for next winter and my youngest son has just been diagnosed with Celiac disease.  I am wondering what anyone with Celiac has had for their experience on Celebrity?  Are they good about trying to accommodate?  Is it best to inform them about his dietary restrictions?

 

cheers

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, medtech71 said:

Hi all,

 

I have a family cruise booked for next winter and my youngest son has just been diagnosed with Celiac disease.  I am wondering what anyone with Celiac has had for their experience on Celebrity?  Are they good about trying to accommodate?  Is it best to inform them about his dietary restrictions?

 

cheers

They can and will accommodate this, call before you cruise and let them know after you board as well.  They are great with assisting their guests.

[WestLakeGirl]

There are many many threads on this. Here is one and a search will come up with several others

 

[medtech71]

23 minutes ago, WestLakeGirl said:

There are many many threads on this. Here is one and a search will come up with several others

 

Fair enough….I am not on here often and wasn’t thinking about a search for some reason, but the link helps.

[mugwood]

Just off reflection last month.

My wife is gluten intolerant and we informed Celeb.

experience wasn’t great to be honest; you will have to wing it in the OV.

3-4 bread products during the day and 3 or 4 desserts later in the day: nothing else labelled as GF.

Main restaurant dining starts with bread at the table and is presented with a variety of popular breads but no GF. Wait time for service excluded the option to request GF bread. Desserts were very limited too.

in specialty restaurant, when pointed out the GF requirement, she was offered ice cream- not even specialty ice cream.

our experience wasn’t what we would expect these days.

[Scottishclover]

My husband has coeliac disease and we sailed on Apex in July. He was really happy with the experience. We were given the same server in each of the MDRs we went to who always brought gluten free bread to the table. The servers were really knowledgeable and the head servers always came along to check everything was ok. We also have 2 vegans at the table so we weren’t the easiest group to deal with. We pre- ordered for the next night.

 

With regards to comments from the previous poster, I understand the frustration with the limited gf choices

( after all you have paid the same fare) but I think pragmatism comes into play here. There will be a very small percentage of coeliacs on board so I don’t think you can expect anymore than 3/4 breakfast items or desserts. Think of the food waste if there was more offered.  There are very few restaurants/cafes on land where you would have a big choice, unless they are dedicated gluten free and those are few and far between.

If you cruise with realistic expectations you will be fine with Celebrity. Food and service is always going to be subjective.  My husband is not a big foodie anyway and the main aim for him when we travel is to stay healthy and not get glutened. I’m just pleased it’s not me doing the cooking. 

[Suzi66]

I'm both gluten and lactose intolerant.  While I haven't been formally diagnosed with Coeliac, both my son and niece have been and I can tell very quickly if I have been glutened.

We were on the Eclipse in September and I thought it was excellent.  The food in the OV was all labelled so I knew what I could and couldn't eat and in the MDR I ordered the night before and was able to have almost anything on the menu made to suit me.  Gluten free bread was supplied when I sat down and I got margarine as I couldn't have butter, or somedays I got hummus instead.  Every night a special dessert was made for me.

In contrast we were on the Norwegian Spirit 2 weeks later and nothing in the buffet was labelled.  The only dessert I could often get was lemon sorbet, and I did get glutened one night towards the end of the cruise.  They also ended up toasting my bread as it got stale and it was the only way they could serve it.

I have no qualms about going on Celebrity again regarding food, although I would think twice about Norwegian, although perhaps it was just the ship.

[Retired888]

9 hours ago, mugwood said:

Just off reflection last month.

My wife is gluten intolerant and we informed Celeb.

experience wasn’t great to be honest; you will have to wing it in the OV.

3-4 bread products during the day and 3 or 4 desserts later in the day: nothing else labelled as GF.

Main restaurant dining starts with bread at the table and is presented with a variety of popular breads but no GF. Wait time for service excluded the option to request GF bread. Desserts were very limited too.

in specialty restaurant, when pointed out the GF requirement, she was offered ice cream- not even specialty ice cream.

our experience wasn’t what we would expect these days.

Your experience is the complete opposite of mine.  I have been on many Celebrity cruises and gluten-free muffins and bread would appear at breakfast, gluten-free toast with lunch and dinner without asking.  Make sure you let the maitre'd know and have the same server and assistant servers each day.  My servers were always knowledgeable as to which items on the menu were not gluten-free, which were very few.  I had never bothered to order the night before.

Edited December 16, 2022 by Retired888

[TravelingCircusof5]

20 hours ago, medtech71 said:

I have a family cruise booked for next winter and my youngest son has just been diagnosed with Celiac disease.  I am wondering what anyone with Celiac has had for their experience on Celebrity?  Are they good about trying to accommodate?  Is it best to inform them about his dietary restrictions?

 

I don’t know yet, but I am celiac and am sailing in March. Hopefully I can report back after that. I wanted to say “Good Luck to  your son!” I am hoping he heals well physically and copes well emotionally. A celiac diagnosis is a rough road to walk, but it does eventually get easier.

[lost in thought]

I am gluten intolerant and not Celiac. I didn't get glutened during the trip, and am sensitive enough to know in 15 minutes. I was on the Equinox in April.  No problems finding someone to let me know in the buffet what was gluten free, the staff was always happy to help.  Dined in Blu for all but one night of the cruise (Murano for that one night) and had plenty of choices that were either gluten free or adapted to be.  Desserts were tougher ( I am picky about desserts, my issue not Celebrity's)  The gf muffins in Cafe Al Bacio were incredible, but I hadn't had any muffins in about 6 years.  I wasn't fond of the gf bread with dinner, but it was raisin bread and I don't like raisins.  I have to say though it wasn't dry like most gf bread

 

So far Celebrity has been the best with accommodating gluten free diet for me (that's just comparing Carnival and NCL with them)

 

I called customer service and also filled out the accommodation form 60 days out.  Always a good idea to let them know in advance that way they can order the ingredients if necessary.  The info about being gluten free was attached to my file, and the waiters knew from the outset.  Although if they don't ask to verify it, inform them yourself.  Always be proactive about it, it's not worth the pain to not be.  Being proactive doesn't mean being difficult.  That was hard for me to get used to, after having been raised to not make waves.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[lost in thought]

One more thing, go see the maitre d' when you get on the ship.  Your son will be able to order dinner for that night then, also will be able to pre-order for the next night at dinner each night.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

2 hours ago, lost in thought said:

Always a good idea to let them know in advance that way they can order the ingredients if necessary. 

 

ABSOLUTELY!

I was on a 12-night cruise r/t from Barcelona all around Italy (RCCL) about a month after being diagnosed with a wheat allergy and ergo eating gluten-free. The night before we got into Venice, my server and the head server for the area apologized that there was only raisin gluten-free bread (I declined because to me raisin bread is breakfast, not dinner)but that more would be there the following day as they were getting more supplies and provisions (since Venice was an embarkation point for them also). He explained that they always order at least 10% more gluten-free bread, etc. than would be indicated for people reporting needing to be gluten-free, but on this cruise there were significantly more people requesting it.

So yes, definitely report it!!

[Travrat]

I am just off a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Reflection. I am gluten sensitive but not celiac. I found the GF offerings were very weak. They had one type of sandwich bread available at every meal along with small, extremely dense rolls sometimes available in OV. The rolls were awful. They have GF pasta in OV and I requested it be available to me the day before I dined at Tuscan Grill. They have GF pizza that I did not try in OV- it takes 15 minutes to make so order in advance. There are no GF hamburger or hot dog rolls, English muffins or bagels. All of these are readily available on Holland America at the buffet(in a GF dedicated area of buffet) and hamburger rolls available at their out door grill. The GF desserts were so unappealing, other than pot de creme that they sometimes had at lunch in OV. Creme brûlée, ice cream and fruit are pretty much your GF options for dessert.

My suggestion to you is to bring your own bread and crackers. Trader Joe’s has great GF bagels, English muffins and hamburger rolls. They did lose my GF bread in the kitchen one day in Blu when I asked for them to toast it. The GF pasta was OK but you have to ask a Maitre D’ for it the day ahead if you want it in any of the dining rooms. 

A few times I saw a GF muffin available and a GF cookie in Spa Cafe. All in all I was quite disappointed with their GF offerings.

 

[goofysmom99]

I was diagnosed with celiac 20 years ago and, happily, traveling, especially cruising, is so much easier now than it used to be.  An easy I GF hack in OV is a taco salad.  Get the lettuce elsewhere and doctor it up at the Mexican food station.  Crumble a taco shell onto it if they're out of the chips.  I've been cruising on S-class ships since Solstice inaugural and only last month did I discover the limoncello cheesecake in Tuscan is GF (as long as they hold the graham cracker crust sprinkles).  When one of my tablemates ordered it and I finally, after all these years, saw the presentation, I had the maitre d' ask the chef if the bare limoncello cheesecake was actually GF.  Yup.  That, along with a shot of limoncello, was the food highlight of a 24-night cruise!  🥰  I order my cheeseburgers from room service without the bun; also order two slices of GF toast "not raisin."  Much better than anywhere else I've found aboard.  BTW, I don't order until around 2:00 so that it always arrives promptly and hot.  Another room service option is ordering two house salads, extra dressing, and two club sandwiches "no bread."  Makes a very respectable chef's salad to enjoy on my balcony.  The GF muffins from the Spa Cafe are somewhat moist and taste better than the unbelievably dry ones from Cafe al Bacio.  The Spa Cafe cookies are so-so.  Best tasting GF cookies are the coconut macaroons, all flavors, at al Bacio (their sugar content isn't for the faint-hearted, however).  Before dinner, I stop at the Martini or Passport Bar and grab a straight-up shot of a liqueur (Chambord, creme de menthe, Kahlua, etc.) every evening to carry into the MDR to pour over vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Very tasty sundae.  On the outside chance there's something worth ordering for dessert, I'll pour it over ice and drink it.  They can also make sundaes with the various cheesecake toppings.  I never feel deprived on Celebrity but occasionally need to be creative.

 

p.s.  The GF pizza is made from 100% rice flour which is hard and awful.  Pure rice flour is the problem with most of their GF offerings.  Anyway, if you order a GF pizza, just peel off the toppings and enjoy that part.  😉

[Travrat]

I did not eat at OV every day but never saw any Mexican or taco station

[Retired888]

1 hour ago, Travrat said:

I am just off a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Reflection. I am gluten sensitive but not celiac. I found the GF offerings were very weak. They had one type of sandwich bread available at every meal along with small, extremely dense rolls sometimes available in OV. The rolls were awful. They have GF pasta in OV and I requested it be available to me the day before I dined at Tuscan Grill. They have GF pizza that I did not try in OV- it takes 15 minutes to make so order in advance. There are no GF hamburger or hot dog rolls, English muffins or bagels. All of these are readily available on Holland America at the buffet(in a GF dedicated area of buffet) and hamburger rolls available at their out door grill. The GF desserts were so unappealing, other than pot de creme that they sometimes had at lunch in OV. Creme brûlée, ice cream and fruit are pretty much your GF options for dessert.

My suggestion to you is to bring your own bread and crackers. Trader Joe’s has great GF bagels, English muffins and hamburger rolls. They did lose my GF bread in the kitchen one day in Blu when I asked for them to toast it. The GF pasta was OK but you have to ask a Maitre D’ for it the day ahead if you want it in any of the dining rooms. 

A few times I saw a GF muffin available and a GF cookie in Spa Cafe. All in all I was quite disappointed with their GF offerings.

 

OV offerings are not to our taste and I agree that their gluten free options are not great.  We don't eat at OV.  At Cafe Al Baio, you would have found gluten-free muffins and cookies.  They also have delicious gluten-free cakes. If you don't see any gluten-free cakes, just let the counter person which gluten-free cake you enjoy and they had been very good about making sure that they had the cakes for me the following day and after.  

 

Our servers in Luminare and Blu had also been most excellent with gluten-free options.  In fact, most items on the menu are made gluten-free. 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Retired888

[Travrat]

Just having GF muffins and cookies doesn’t make them taste good. I prefer savory breads rather than sweets. I ate in Blu as we were in Aqua Class and many appetizers and entrees were NOT GF.

I had plenty to eat but having GF hamburger rolls or English Muffins are much more appealing than eating a burger on sandwich bread or eggs Benedict on sandwich bread or smoked salmon on sandwich bread

[bjahil47]

I bring my own gf bagels and crackers.  Sometimes they alter the meal for me.  I love the pasta in OVC and the meatballs are gf.  I’ll also do a salad or a baked potato.  The gf cakes in OVC are horrible.  They are like wet sponge cakes that you can squeeze the liquid out!  Spa Cafe has several gf salads(tuna, chicken, salmon) and very good cookies.  Muffins in Cafe Al Bacio get boring after a few days.  Last few cruises has not had my favorite gf coconut macaroons.  I ask for them, they deliver several to my room and they last through the entire cruise.  I have always had the gelato but was told that it is not gluten free.  It has never bothered me.  I don’t go hungry but I definitely get sad seeing all the great food my husband eats as he can eat anything.  

[Travrat]

14 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

I bring my own gf bagels and crackers.  Sometimes they alter the meal for me.  I love the pasta in OVC and the meatballs are gf.  I’ll also do a salad or a baked potato.  The gf cakes in OVC are horrible.  They are like wet sponge cakes that you can squeeze the liquid out!  Spa Cafe has several gf salads(tuna, chicken, salmon) and very good cookies.  Muffins in Cafe Al Bacio get boring after a few days.  Last few cruises has not had my favorite gf coconut macaroons.  I ask for them, they deliver several to my room and they last through the entire cruise.  I have always had the gelato but was told that it is not gluten free.  It has never bothered me.  I don’t go hungry but I definitely get sad seeing all the great food my husband eats as he can eat anything.  

I also bring my own GF bagels to have with breakfast and good GF bread to have at dinner when everyone else is indulging in the lovely bread basket. I will have ice cream, creme brûlée or cheese plate for dessert as their GF desserts are not edible

[Nashna]

I totally agree with all the posters who have not been overwhelmed by the GF offerings on Celebrity.  I do understand that with only 10 percent of the population requiring a GF option, that the cruise line can't provide the same offerings as they do to regular diners.  However, there is no reason today to not have decent frozen options available to serve.   

[Retired888]

I have been on many Celebrity cruises and a bit of foodie myself.  I am gluten-intolerant and have been very pleased with the food offerings.  I have always been very well taken care of by my servers. In my opinion, the weakest link is in Oceanview and we avoid it altogether.  My server even got me curry chicken one night when it was not on any menu on the ship.

[Travrat]

8 minutes ago, Retired888 said:

I have been on many Celebrity cruises and a bit of foodie myself.  I am gluten-intolerant and have been very pleased with the food offerings.  I have always been very well taken care of by my servers. In my opinion, the weakest link is in Oceanview and we avoid it altogether.  My server even got me curry chicken one night when it was not on any menu on the ship.

There are definitely many naturally GF items-meats,salads, cheese, eggs, rice, etc. However, it would be nice if they had GF hamburger and hotdog rolls at Mast Grill, something other than GF sandwich bread ie. Bagels, English Muffins, dinner rolls in other venues. You must ask in advance for GF pasta to be made available to you at Tuscan Grill or Blu(not sure about main dining room)as it is only at the pasta station in OV

[Retired888]

3 minutes ago, Travrat said:

There are definitely many naturally GF items-meats,salads, cheese, eggs, rice, etc. However, it would be nice if they had GF hamburger and hotdog rolls at Mast Grill, something other than GF sandwich bread ie. Bagels, English Muffins, dinner rolls in other venues. You must ask in advance for GF pasta to be made available to you at Tuscan Grill or Blu(not sure about main dining room)as it is only at the pasta station in OV

Generally I don't eat burgers and hotdogs and even if I were to have a burger, I would ask for protein style.  I reserve my carb intake to desserts. Occasionally, I would ask for a small side of pasta with my meal and my server had always gotten a side of gluten-free pasta for me. No issue for me for sure.

[NightOne]

On 12/15/2022 at 3:28 PM, medtech71 said:

Hi all,

 

I have a family cruise booked for next winter and my youngest son has just been diagnosed with Celiac disease.  I am wondering what anyone with Celiac has had for their experience on Celebrity?  Are they good about trying to accommodate?  Is it best to inform them about his dietary restrictions?

 

cheers

 

I have celiac disease and have been on Celebrity Edge. They do a great job and you can even eat a lot of things in the buffet. 

 

You can let them know ahead of time via the special needs form or just by talking to the maitre'd on boarding day.

[Mimiya11]

My husband has a wheat allergy so is also gf.  As others have posted, we think Celebrity can do a better job with gf variety.  Toasted raisin bread at dinner?   No thanks.  
Gf burger and hot dog buns would be nice.  
On our next cruise, we will be taking GF crackers (to go with the cheese and fruit plate we like daily ) 

I suggest you take some GF snacks/cookies if your son likes to snack.