Food allergies

[Polar Bear]

I have been looking and have not found anything yet on food allergies.

When we sailed on Carnival our TA just informed them about my allergies and had not problems....sailed on NCL this past October and just told the head maitre'd and had one problems.....but Princess...boy o boy....I have sent email's, made phone calls and I keep getting "not my department". Last year on the Sea we had a big problem ..we where told by Princess thru our TA that we should just let the head maitre'd know ...which we did....what ended up happening was my DH comfronting the head maitre'd in the atruim on the 4th day of our cruise....waiters kept bring me things that I could not eat...the whole table kept asking them also, to please be careful......this was a 14 day cruise ...dinner was very streesful to say the lest....when we got home DH wrote a letter to Princess...and we have bben following what they said to do.....but have ran into brick walls...."not my department"...I guess my question is has anyone else had any problems with their allergies on cruiseships and how did you get results? We only had small problems on the Golden, and after 2 days things where fair.

Could use some help here, don't get me wrong we love Princess ..but they to improve in this area.Thaks for the help.

[dforeigner]

I know that on the cruise personalized at www.princess.com, there is a section that you can specified special needs such as in your case, food

allergies. I also read that more times that none, what the passengers input into the cruise personalizer, does not make it to the ship's personnel.

 

Have you posted your question on the Princess thread?

[Polar Bear]

I know that on the cruise personalized at www.princess.com, there is a section that you can specified special needs such as in your case, food

allergies.

 

 

 

I also read that more times that none, what the passengers input into the cruise personalizer, does not make it to the ship's personnel.

 

 

Have you posted your question on the Princess thread?

 

Yes I have done all this.

This is so true...I do not think that Princess even looks at the "cruise personalizer"...just if you do all you booking for shore tours and passport info.

 

I have not posted on the Princess thread.....maybe I should .

[LHT28]

On our Oceania cruise a friend mentioned to the head waiter that he had allergies ...they sent menus the night before for him to check off what he wanted for lunch & dinner then he returned them to the head waiter before 10am

At meal time he would just give his cabin number & like magic his meals appeared with the rest of us.

 

Maybe you need to ask to speak with the head chef.

[spaceguy]

I have the same issues with some foods. I do write and call the cruise line ahead of time and then speak to the headwaiter/maitre'd when they are open the first day before dinner to make sure they know. They may know, but the waiter doesn't always know, or can't communicate well, or is too busy/lazy to find out what is in foods.

 

We have had three Princess cruises. The first was good, the second so-so and the third great, only because the Headwaiter fully understood my issues, and we also had another guy at the table with food allery issues.

 

I think the main problem is the food staff all seem to think anything you state is more like a preference.. and not the medical issue that it is. Until the ADA requires the cruise lines to treat food allergies, as a full disability and not a like or dislike preference, it will be hit or miss.

[Polar Bear]

I have the same issues with some foods. I do write and call the cruise line ahead of time and then speak to the headwaiter/maitre'd when they are open the first day before dinner to make sure they know. They may know, but the waiter doesn't always know, or can't communicate well, or is too busy/lazy to find out what is in foods.

 

We have had three Princess cruises. The first was good, the second so-so and the third great, only because the Headwaiter fully understood my issues, and we also had another guy at the table with food allery issues.

 

I think the main problem is the food staff all seem to think anything you state is more like a preference.. and not the medical issue that it is. Until the ADA requires the cruise lines to treat food allergies, as a full disability and not a like or dislike preference, it will be hit or miss.

 

That is so true...until both governments do, we are just going to have to keep telling the waiters and maitre'd. On the Golden the problem was not so bad, the maitre'd would bring me the menu for the follwing day and I would pick what I would like and they would make sure that it was there...but it was getting the waiter at the table to bring the right food. Like you sid they are rushed/lazy some times....the one on the Sea was lazy and I think after the cruise he had a very long talk with the maitre'd(Wayne saw they in what looked like a one way conversation on the last day of the cruise).

I must say one thing about NCL...they where great, when it can to my allergies..to the point I did not want to go into the dinning room anymore...they would huver(sp) over me to make sure everything was ok.

 

Maybe if they ..meaning the Cruise lines read this thread ..that is if more people post on....something may change in the way that they treat people with allergies...but that is the dreamer in me.