Carnival Radiance Gluten Free Input Requested

[CL1978]

I am thinking of sailing in November on the Radiance.  Yes, I will inform them of my allergy at time of booking, will meet with the restaurant staff as soon as I am on the ship and know I have to pre-order the day before for my meals.  What I am looking for is how other celiacs actually fared on the ship.  I have had good luck with NCL and Princess, but had an absolutely horrible time on Holland's Koningsdam in December and was sick for the entire trip.  An experience I do not want to repeat.  This will be my first time on Carnival in over 30 years. 

 

Specifically, I am wondering about Guys, Blue Iguana. and the Lido Buffet.  Guys advertises GF, but the pictures make it look like there is a lot of shared condiments and potential for cross contamination.  Someone mentioned the Blue Iguana has corn tortillas available, but again they were worried about the cross contamination.  The Lido is my last choice, but I prefer a light breakfast and don't need to do a formal sit down for cereal or scrambled eggs.  Lunchtime is normally a salad. Again I've been ok on NCL and Princess, but the Koningsdam used the same utensils to fill the lettuce bowls as they used to grab a roll for the plates.  These are the types of experiences I'm looking for - good and bad.  The specialty dining rooms and MDR should be fine, however if you've had either good or bad luck with these I'd appreciate the feedback. 

 

Thank you

 

[Beer knurd]

On 5/8/2023 at 5:31 PM, CL1978 said:

I am thinking of sailing in November on the Radiance.  Yes, I will inform them of my allergy at time of booking, will meet with the restaurant staff as soon as I am on the ship and know I have to pre-order the day before for my meals.  What I am looking for is how other celiacs actually fared on the ship.  I have had good luck with NCL and Princess, but had an absolutely horrible time on Holland's Koningsdam in December and was sick for the entire trip.  An experience I do not want to repeat.  This will be my first time on Carnival in over 30 years. 

 

Specifically, I am wondering about Guys, Blue Iguana. and the Lido Buffet.  Guys advertises GF, but the pictures make it look like there is a lot of shared condiments and potential for cross contamination.  Someone mentioned the Blue Iguana has corn tortillas available, but again they were worried about the cross contamination.  The Lido is my last choice, but I prefer a light breakfast and don't need to do a formal sit down for cereal or scrambled eggs.  Lunchtime is normally a salad. Again I've been ok on NCL and Princess, but the Koningsdam used the same utensils to fill the lettuce bowls as they used to grab a roll for the plates.  These are the types of experiences I'm looking for - good and bad.  The specialty dining rooms and MDR should be fine, however if you've had either good or bad luck with these I'd appreciate the feedback. 

 

Thank you

 

If you really have celiac, you are taking a pretty big risk sailing on a cruise. Even though they may offer food that is traditionally gluten free, like corn tortillas for instance, there is no way for you to know if the equipment used to make them was also used to make items containing gluten. I have a close friend who has it and he would be very sick if exposed to even trace amounts of gluten. Of course, if someone is avoiding gluten for “health benefits” (lol) then they’ll be fine.

[janice2348]

Contact special needs department before sailing to let them know you are celiac. I would advise eating in the MDR where they will bring you a menu the night before so you can choose meals that are safe to eat. I would constantly reiterate that you are celiac, especially the first night when things can be a bit chaotic.  Question everything! I would avoid the buffet and other venues like Guys burgers and Blue Iguana.  Too much risk of cross contamination. 
I am gluten intolerant.  I have not sailed Carnival, but have sailed NCL and they were wonderful.  
I think there might be more information on the cruising with special needs board. Or do a search for celiac. I hope this helps.  

[mjkacmom]

17 hours ago, Beer knurd said:

If you really have celiac, you are taking a pretty big risk sailing on a cruise. Even though they may offer food that is traditionally gluten free, like corn tortillas for instance, there is no way for you to know if the equipment used to make them was also used to make items containing gluten. I have a close friend who has it and he would be very sick if exposed to even trace amounts of gluten. Of course, if someone is avoiding gluten for “health benefits” (lol) then they’ll be fine.

Actually cruises are better with avoiding cross contamination than land based restaurants. All food is prepared in a separate allergy free kitchen. On NCL my daughter ordered her breakfast the night before and it would be brought to our table in the buffet (and she really loved the pancakes, waffles, eggs Benny on gf English muffins).

[mkcurran]

There is a lovely lady in the Lido buffet who's only job is to help you enjoy all the food you can on your vacation. Look for the podium by the buffet.

[j1d1]

As others have said, your best experience is likely to be at the MDR.  On embarkation day you'll see a time in the afternoon for Dining Requests (or something like that).  It is usually in one of the dining rooms.  They will have that night's menu available and you can put in your order.  Then at each meal, tell your server you want to put in a GF order for the next meal.  This system seems to work pretty well. 

 

In our experience, allergies/intolerances are taken very seriously, and staff, especially officers and chefs, will bend over backwards to accommodate you if they can.  However, you are unlikely to get quite the same level of service from quick service servers such as at Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana.  They are very busy, and it is very challenging for them to change up the workflow to produce something that is truly GF.  Guy's fries have a dedicated fryer, but they serve using gloved hands which makes cross contamination very likely.  With that said, if you are willing to wait, they will do their best.  It may just take a good long while.  I've asked at Blue Iguana before and was told they don't offer anything that they consider GF.  Others may have had a different experience.  Our experience at the pizza place has been good, but again expect to have to wait.  I'll try to go to some of these places when they aren't as busy and acknowledge to staff up front that I'm willing to wait.  Our experience at the Specialty Dining has been hit or miss.  You would expect a higher level of service given the extra cost, but we've found the MDR to be better.

 

We haven't found the person who is supposed to help with special food requests at the buffet to be very helpful.  There will be things listed as GF on the buffet but not all that much.  You can always ask staff to check if something isn't listed as GF and you think it likely is.  They will go ask a chef.

 

One trick at the buffet is to find and officer (white shirt) and ask for something.  For example, we will ask for GF french toast in the morning.  Again, expect to have to wait.  While the wait is sometimes annoying, it signals to me that they are doing the things that really are necessary to produce something GF.  Let the officer know where you are sitting, and they will bring it out to you.  Another example would be asking for a burger and fries w/ GF bun.  They will get it made and brought out to you.

 

Bottom line is that the MDR for breakfast and dinner is going to be your best bet with the most variety and highest likelihood of them doing it right.  Unfortunately Carnival doesn't offer lunch in the MDR but does offer the Sea Day brunch until noon on sea days.  I personally think that cruise lines handle GF better than any other tourist/vacation industry.  With that said, there are never any guarantees as I'm sure you know.  Search the board for Gluten Free and you'll find other advice.  Good luck.