Travelling On "Carnival Victory"

[Deb350]

I recently returned from a cruise on Carnival Victory. Carnival has on their website that they accommodate gluten-free diets. I did my research, as best you can, and saw 3 travelers blogs that said they had bread, pancakes, and french toast. After traveling all day and having to be careful of what I eat I looked forward to getting on the ship and having a late lunch. I went to the Main Dining Room only to be greeted by the waiter when asking for a gluten-free Menu that they didn't have one. He said I could have fruit and that they Maitre De would be coming to take my meal request for the "NEXT Day". I told him that this was unacceptable and that I would need to see her now. He then said you can have fish and steamed vegetables. I had a fruit dish to start, fish and steamed vegetables. When I asked what I could have for dessert, I was told fruit. I went to the front desk. Told them my dilemma. They sent me back to talk to Maitre De. She told me to come the next day for breakfast. They made me gluten-free pancakes which were nothing more than corn tortillas. I could not eat them. Absolutely gross! I went to lunch that day. Asked what I could have that didn't have soy sauce on it. I was told everything has soy sauce. Had to get the Assistant Maitre De and she told me that I could have soy sauce. Very scary! Needless to say I lost 3 pounds. Was absolutely starving. When we got off in St. Martin I headed for a restaurant where they understood everything about gluten-free and it was the first meal I had that was delicious in 6 days. This was my 40th anniversary gift and I this was my 14 cruise. The food was absolutely disgusting and they DO NOT have a clue about Gluten Free. Do yourself a favor and find a different cruise line.

[Deb350]

I wrote to the CEO of Carnival regarding my experience and below is their response:

Good morning Mrs. Bruno:

Mr. Arison has forwarded your letter to my attention for handling as concerns of this nature fall under my purview. It's my pleasure to respond on his behalf.

I'm sorry you feel that our call center agents and supervisory staff did not give your issues the attention they deserve. I can assure you that the concerns you've raised have been addressed by the appropriate management team and reviewed thoroughly. Nonetheless, we

[notme]

well. coincidentally, we were looking at cruises the other day. for a very large group of us! i will not be cruising 'carnival' !!! you poor thing to have to starve the whole trip. thanx for sharing - obviously they don't give a crap about their customers...

[Tim-n-VA]

I just finished a seven day cruise with Carnival (Glory). My experience was completely opposite from what Deb experienced.

I did talk to some of the staff and they generally have a contract for several months and then they rotate out. Just like any land based restaurant personnel turnover introduces risk.

[txgal748]

We have been on two Carnival cruises this year. The second after my diagnosis. We do not eat in the dining room we eat at the buffet. I talked to the chef and he told me the main meat dishes in the carvery are gluten free and of course they always have salads and veggies. This ship also had an Indian restaurant for lunch in which most of the fod was gluten-free. For dessert I took my own chocolate.The chef said he could fix me gluten-free foods if I asked for him. Overall I was pleased with the service.