4 replies to this topic

[Kelleybean]

Hi -

We are going on a cruise with Holland America later this year. We've been on several cruises and they have been amazing with my 4 year old's gluten free diet, Disney in particular. Had us pre-order our meals the night before and tell them where we'd be, and had a huge selection. It was so nice not to be stressed about finding something he can eat (he's autistic and sensitive to texture, so won't do veggies that aren't pureed or meat like chicken). He winds up having way more PB&J, grilled cheese, and mac and cheese on the cruises than we do at home but I'm ok with that while we are on vacation and figure he can go back to eating healthier when we get home.

Anyway we get this form from Holland America and they say that I have to pre-order now (which is fine) but if I'm reading the form right they are limiting the breads, muffins, etc. to 3 per day. And each slice of bread counts as a serving, so a sandwich would use up 2 servings. I know gluten-free food is more expensive, but still seriously annoyed since other cruise lines don't do this. I want to bring as much of his food as possible - on principle I do not want to pay them $2 for each slice of bread!

Anyway - can anyone suggest anything that I can bring to feed him? Has to be pre-packaged so can't bring my homemade stuff. No access to a microwave, so his mac and cheese in a cup is out. Going to bring a loaf of Udi's and some crackers (I'm sure I can get peanut butter on board), and some gluten-free cereal. Am I missing anything obvious?

[GottaSki]

Does he like dried fruit - dried pears, apricots and blueberries are my families favorites for travel.

[KDD]

I am new to this forum but I was searching for information on cruising gluten free when I saw your post. I cruised with Holland America on a 7 day Alaskan cruise in May 2012. I got that same very strange form that I filled out wondering when I was going to eat the 21 pastas I had selected. However, when I got on board the ship, that form seemed to have nothing to do with what happened. We opted for going with one of the seating options where we had the same waiter every day for dinner. The first night's dinner was a bit rocky, they were aware of my need, but I was still really limited in my choices. Night two was great. I had more gluten free food than I could imagine. I got the menu the night before and selected my choices. They were even able to adapt one of the desserts to be gluten free after the first night. For breakfast, I was able to order gluten free muffins and toast. When it was delivered one of the mornings they were not able to accommodate my request for a particular gluten free option and they were extremely apologetic. The next morning, it showed up with my other selections. We had exactly one problem when I tried ordering gluten free cereal. I was brought regular Rice Krispies, not the gluten free kind. It was in its box so I knew not to eat it. When I brought this to the attention of the dining staff they went above and beyond to fix the problem. Even when on the last night our dining time was switched because of a port of call, they were able to get my gluten free order brought to me at a different table, with a different wait staff at a different time.

As for travel foods, I like Cliff Bar's new Kit's Organic and glutenfreeda granola packs. Also, there are a number of GoPicnic's that are gluten free that offer a full meal in a small, book sized box. I brought a lot of food with me on the trip that I did not need. Granola bars and snacks were all that was needed for those moments away from the ship.

Hope this helps and your trip is a success.

[kareng]

I like these.

http://www.gopicnic.com/

I get them at TaRGET FOR $4. Becareful. They make a few that are not gluten-free.

[Kelleybean]

KD - Thank you so much for posting that! It made me feel so much better. What you are describing has been my experience on other cruise lines (Royal Caribbean and Disney). I really struggle with how to feed my son on vacation as at home I'm able to cook around his quirks . That form completely freaked me out! I'm still going to bring most of his food as I don't want to be stuck but knowing that they probably aren't as inflexible as that form helps. And thanks to everyone for their replies - I'm going to check some of these out. I've been eyeing the Go Picnic stuff for a while - this might give me the push to try them!