Gluten Free on Prima

[Trixie21]

Has anyone who follows a gluten free (Celiac) diet been on the Prima ?

How was your experience?

We are considering booking a cruise on  Prima for next year. Havent been on NCL since my wife was diagnosed as celiac , so not sure how its handled. Specifically can you go to the buffet or other casual venues and find something basic such as fries or pizza which is gluten free. I'm guessing the MDR is preorder the night before and they will modify dishes to make them gluten free?

[KKB]

9 minutes ago, Trixie21 said:

Has anyone who follows a gluten free (Celiac) diet been on the Prima ?

How was your experience?

We are considering booking a cruise on  Prima for next year. Havent been on NCL since my wife was diagnosed as celiac , so not sure how its handled. Specifically can you go to the buffet or other casual venues and find something basic such as fries or pizza which is gluten free. I'm guessing the MDR is preorder the night before and they will modify dishes to make them gluten free?

You can put in a request to prior to the cruise.

https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising#

They are NEUROTIC about it, too. 

They wouldn't even let me have sauce at Teppenyaki when I said I could (I'm not celiac, but gluten sensitive)

That should help you feel at ease, though.

They had signs up in some places at the buffet, but I would ask when you come in to be sure.

But they were very accommodating everywhere if you just let them know. 

(at sit down restaurants they take your card, & the info is attached to your card so they always know there; you just have to be more of an advocate for yourself at the buffet)

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by KKB

[mjkacmom]

This is asked frequently, we’ve found NCL to be great with celiac. I don’t know how well the search function is on CC, but if you do a google search with Celiac NCL a lot of threads sold open.

[ggTexasGal]

@Trixie21 Here is the phone number 1.866.234.7350

and link for the form to complete

 https://ncl.secure.force.com/AccessDeskForm/

[janice2348]

My experience  with gluten intolerance on NCL was great. But you have to be vigilant, especially with unknowledgeable staff. Especially if your wife has celiac.  Be careful of cross contamination at the buffet.  I just avoided it.  You should contact special services in advance.  Your wife will be assigned a dietary advocate onboard who will help her to eat safely. They are worth their weight in gold! I thoroughly enjoyed my meals. I at at Teppanyaki and they made my meal first, with gluten free soy sauce.  I also ate in Moderno, ale Bistro and Cagneys .  Your wife can have really great meals with a little advance planning.  

[Trixie21]

11 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

@Trixie21 Here is the phone number 1.866.234.7350

and link for the form to complete

 https://ncl.secure.force.com/AccessDeskForm/

Thank you - much appreciated.

[Trixie21]

10 hours ago, janice2348 said:

My experience  with gluten intolerance on NCL was great. But you have to be vigilant, especially with unknowledgeable staff. Especially if your wife has celiac.  Be careful of cross contamination at the buffet.  I just avoided it.  You should contact special services in advance.  Your wife will be assigned a dietary advocate onboard who will help her to eat safely. They are worth their weight in gold! I thoroughly enjoyed my meals. I at at Teppanyaki and they made my meal first, with gluten free soy sauce.  I also ate in Moderno, ale Bistro and Cagneys .  Your wife can have really great meals with a little advance planning.  

Thanks for your information - much appreciated. 

My wife also has crohns disease and due to multiple operations she now can only eat basically snacks throughout the day - her digestive system is unable to cope with even moderate quantities of food. This is why I am asking about more casual food venues as she basically grazes throughout the day and quite often is not hungry at all . In the MDR (if she even goes ) a starter or a dessert will probably be all she takes.

She hooks up an IV line at night to administer liquid feed intravenously and that is where she gets most of her nutrients.  The eating is more about comfort and the act of eating than anything else. We are in contact with NCL currently to confirm they can accommodate storing her liquid feed in a refrigerator somewhere - hopefully they can or its all academic ! A small medical fridge for medications would not be big enough.

[Ladyshopper23]

Not been on Prima, but did do Star in November and had a brilliant gluten-free experience. If you want to read about it, have a look at my signature!

We're going on Dawn in August, and Getaway in October, so hoping these are equally as good.

You've already been advised about filling out the access form, so that's good.

The other thing that is important, and will make a really big difference to your GF dining experience is connecting with the special diets co-ordinator as soon as you can when onboard. Go anywhere that serves food and ask someone there to call them for you. They will then come and speak to you, and go through everything, plus answer any questions you might have.

We did eat in the buffet with no problem on Star. Nothing is allergen marked, which is a little disappointing. However, ask one of the chefs, and they will go through everything you can have, and you can ask for fresh from the kitchen to avoid cross contamination. We were also able to easily get GF pizza and pasta from the buffet - again, just ask someone, they'll go and make it in the kitchen. Fries weren't so easy as they're often cooked in the same oil as other gluten containing food, so you need to double check that.

[janice2348]

On 7/17/2023 at 5:44 AM, Ladyshopper23 said:

Not been on Prima, but did do Star in November and had a brilliant gluten-free experience. If you want to read about it, have a look at my signature!

We're going on Dawn in August, and Getaway in October, so hoping these are equally as good.

You've already been advised about filling out the access form, so that's good.

The other thing that is important, and will make a really big difference to your GF dining experience is connecting with the special diets co-ordinator as soon as you can when onboard. Go anywhere that serves food and ask someone there to call them for you. They will then come and speak to you, and go through everything, plus answer any questions you might have.

We did eat in the buffet with no problem on Star. Nothing is allergen marked, which is a little disappointing. However, ask one of the chefs, and they will go through everything you can have, and you can ask for fresh from the kitchen to avoid cross contamination. We were also able to easily get GF pizza and pasta from the buffet - again, just ask someone, they'll go and make it in the kitchen. Fries weren't so easy as they're often cooked in the same oil as other gluten containing food, so you need to double check that.

They did have a dedicated fryer for fries but you should make sure before ordering. 

[janice2348]

On 7/17/2023 at 2:53 AM, Trixie21 said:

Thanks for your information - much appreciated. 

My wife also has crohns disease and due to multiple operations she now can only eat basically snacks throughout the day - her digestive system is unable to cope with even moderate quantities of food. This is why I am asking about more casual food venues as she basically grazes throughout the day and quite often is not hungry at all . In the MDR (if she even goes ) a starter or a dessert will probably be all she takes.

She hooks up an IV line at night to administer liquid feed intravenously and that is where she gets most of her nutrients.  The eating is more about comfort and the act of eating than anything else. We are in contact with NCL currently to confirm they can accommodate storing her liquid feed in a refrigerator somewhere - hopefully they can or its all academic ! A small medical fridge for medications would not be big enough.

Glad to be of help.