Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Cruise Was Great!

jnifred

By jnifred
in Traveling with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

jnifred Explorer
jnifred
Posted

Got back late late late Sunday from our cruise. I was eating like a queen for a week. Our Maitre'd has a son who has celiac so he was very understanding and personally checked all of my meals. He had a couple special desserts made for me, fruit tarts, baked Alaska, etc. I had bread at dinner every night, he made sure all my meats were grilled separately, I had spaghetti and meatballs, risotto and a few other pasta dishes. He had gluten free spaghetti, penne, and several other pasta's. It was wonderful!!!!!

For breakfast I had salmon, :D cheese and fresh fruit every day. I was in heaven, I miss that sooooo much, back to frozen cinnamon rolls or nuts. The cheeses they had were so incredible.

I did not eat much while on the islands. We weren't in Key West long enough to eat so it wasn't a problem there, in Cozumel I did have some tortilla chips and salsa at the beach, Ocho Rios I was too afraid to eat any of the jerk seasoned stuff, so I had a snickers and some dried fruit I brought along. In Cayman we had a fabulous!! lunch on Rhum Point Beach, grilled catch of the day and a salad.

I nibbled on nuts and dried fruit if I got hungry while out snorkeling swimming etc. and then ate my meals on the boat where I had more control. There was so much fresh fruit, veggies, salad, cheeses, etc to choose from that I never had any problems. The only thing I missed was not being able to eat the pizza they were serving at the buffet, I'm sure if I had asked they would have tried to work something out for me, but I didn't worry about that.

The only slip up I had was one night when Sean (hubby) and I were on our balcony watchign the sunset with a few drinks, I took a sip of his beer :blink: . I was a little rumbly that night and we didn't even think about the beer until later, neither of us even thought about it when I took the sip.

So, if you go on a cruise on the Costa Mediterranea ask for Leonardo to be your Maitre'd. He will take excellent care of you!!!! I'm not quite ready to be back in this dreary cold weather, although there is sunshine today, but with a 9 degree wind chill. :( ..yuck!! I want salmon for breakfast!!!!!!!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


dlp252 Apprentice
dlp252
Posted

How wonderful!!!! I love cruising. Did you call ahead of time to arrange some of the pastas and things, or do they just have them on board?

jnifred Explorer
jnifred
Posted
  • Author

My travel agent told them I needed a gluten free diet beforehand, but I think they had a lot of gluten-free pastas on hand already.

This was our first cruise and we loved it!!!! DH said he wants to go every year with me if my mom will continue to watch the boys!!!

Turtle Enthusiast
Turtle
Posted

This is so exciting! We've talked about crusing but I've been concerned about the food situation. Thank you for sharing your experience!!!

dlp252 Apprentice
dlp252
Posted
My travel agent told them I needed a gluten free diet beforehand, but I think they had a lot of gluten-free pastas on hand already.

This was our first cruise and we loved it!!!! DH said he wants to go every year with me if my mom will continue to watch the boys!!!

I've been on two cruises so far, the last being in August of 2005...I didn't know I was Celiac at the time and in fact that cruise is what lead me to the discovery of Celiac...just love cruising and knowing I can eat well makes it so much better, lol.

jkmunchkin Rising Star
jkmunchkin
Posted

Wow this is awesome!! What crusie line was it?

jnifred Explorer
jnifred
Posted
  • Author
Wow this is awesome!! What crusie line was it?

It was Costa cruise line, they are an Italian cruise line, very European. There are 5 ships, I think. They sail the Mediterranian Ocean for a few months, then cross the Atlantic, sail throughout the Carribean for a while and then back to the Med. in March.

I don't think any of the employees spoke less than 2 languages, most knew at least 3, only a small handful had English as their primary language. Most of the wait staff was from the Phillipines, the rest of the crew was mostly from Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain. There were also some from Malta, Hungary, Norway and England. The cruise director was the only one I noticed from the US. It was amazing.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

WOW! That sounds awesome! Glad you had a great trip with awesome food! It's thinks like that that make me so very happy!

Generic Apprentice
Generic
Posted

I went on a royal caribean cruise, we requested gluten free accomodations for me. They never responded to the e-mail.(It was offered as an option, too). Luckily I brought a stock pile of gluten free crackers. I lived off the fruit and cheese platters the whole time. :angry:

VegasCeliacBuckeye Collaborator
VegasCeliacBuckeye
Posted

Open Original Shared Link

This website has gluten free vacations -- they are a bit pricey though...

Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

Wow, that cruise sounds awsome! My husband and I are going on a Caribbean cruise (four days) next week Thursday (Jan. 26th). I am intolerant to so many things, that my menu is quite small.

Our travel agent has been in contact with the cruise line (he works for them) and sent them the list of things I can and can't have (the can't have section much bigger than the ones I am able to have). He said that it should be no problem, and that they said I'd have to work closely together with the maitre'd and the waiters to make sure I am okay. I hope it will work out for me, so I can have a good time without having to worry about getting sick.

I hope they'll let me take my snacks through customs, as well as the lunch I am planning on eating either on the plane or after we get to Miami around noon (we don't board the ship until 4:00 PM). I won't dare go to any restaurant, it's too risky.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Ursula--Have a relaxing and safe trip! Let us know all about it when you get back :)

fisharefriendsnotfood Apprentice
fisharefriendsnotfood
Posted
I did not eat much while on the islands. We weren't in Key West long enough to eat so it wasn't a problem there, in Cozumel I did have some tortilla chips and salsa at the beach, Ocho Rios I was too afraid to eat any of the jerk seasoned stuff, so I had a snickers and some dried fruit I brought along. In Cayman we had a fabulous!! lunch on Rhum Point Beach, grilled catch of the day and a salad.

I

I also went on a cruise for the winter break, on Royal Carribean. It was AWESOME. We also went to Cozumel, Ocho Rios and Cayman Islands, along with Nassau, their private beach in Haiti and Belize. It was so much fun, I got amazing dinners and they even made me desserts a few times, like banana splits and even a creme brulee once.

Nobody be hesitant to go on a cruise because of the gluten-free thing, just tell them beforehand. It is so much fun, you will be so happy you did.

I went scuba diving and snorkeling, and swimming with the sting rays. It was so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Jackie :D

jams Explorer
jams
Posted
I also went on a cruise for the winter break, on Royal Carribean. It was AWESOME. We also went to Cozumel, Ocho Rios and Cayman Islands, along with Nassau, their private beach in Haiti and Belize. It was so much fun, I got amazing dinners and they even made me desserts a few times, like banana splits and even a creme brulee once.

Nobody be hesitant to go on a cruise because of the gluten-free thing, just tell them beforehand. It is so much fun, you will be so happy you did.

I went scuba diving and snorkeling, and swimming with the sting rays. It was so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Jackie :D

That sounds encouraging!! I am leaving today and sailing tomorrow on Royal Carribean. We are going to The private beach in Haiti, Ocho Riaos, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. I am SO excited!! I am bringing a few snacks to take with when we go to the islands. I'll let you know how it went when we get back!!

fisharefriendsnotfood Apprentice
fisharefriendsnotfood
Posted
That sounds encouraging!! I am leaving today and sailing tomorrow on Royal Carribean. We are going to The private beach in Haiti, Ocho Riaos, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. I am SO excited!! I am bringing a few snacks to take with when we go to the islands. I'll let you know how it went when we get back!!

Great! Have fun! :D

-Jackie :lol:

Guest BERNESES
Guest BERNESES
Posted

This is good to hear! Maybe we'll consider a cruise- I've been hesitant but Costa sounds great! Ursula- have a safe and fun trip.

Wait- did anyone hit Turks and Caicos on their cruises? My hubby and I are going there Feb 2-7. Frankly, I don't care if I all I can eat is sand (it's gluten-free, right?) I am just so psyched to swim, snorkel and sun!

pattic Rookie
pattic
Posted

just to let everyone know, a few years back we went on a disney cruise and the service on board was wonderful. I gained weight cuz my own basket of biscuits was put in front of me at each dinner! and of course, great breakfasts, desserts etc helped!

I'm booked for a Princess cruise for Sept 06. online they have a 'personal cruiser' section to complete that asks about your interests, medical needs (wheelchair, etc) and dietary needs. on their list, among vegetarian, kosher, diabetic etc - there was wheat/gluten free!!!! I was thrilled to see that.

Of course, I won't know for sure until after the cruise, but it appears that they accomodate us as well!!

~Patti in NJ~

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,951
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    SY8
    Newest Member
    SY8
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Jacki Espo
      Covid caused reoccurrence of DH without eating gluten

      By Jacki Espo · Posted

      This happened to me as well. What’s weirder is that within a couple hours of taking paxlovid it subsided. I thought maybe I got glutened but after reading your post not so sure. 
    • Mari
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Tiffany. Thank you for writing your dituation and  circumstancesin such detail and so well writte, too. I particularly noticed what you wrote about brain for and feeling like your brain is swelling and I know from my own experiences that's how it feel and your brain really does swell and you get migraines.    Way back when I was in my 20s I read a book by 2 MD allergist and they described their patient who came in complaining that her brain, inside her cranium, was swelling  and it happened when she smelled a certain chemical she used in her home. She kept coming back and insisting her brain actually swelled in her head. The Drs couldn't explain this problem so they, with her permission, performed an operation where they made a small opening through her cranium, exposed her to the chemical then watched as she brain did swell into the opening. The DRs were amazed but then were able to advise her to avoid chemicals that made her brain swell. I remember that because I occasionally had brain fog then but it was not a serious problem. I also realized that I was becoming more sensitive to chemicals I used in my work in medical laboratories. By my mid forties the brain fog and chemicals forced me to leave my  profession and move to a rural area with little pollution. I did not have migraines. I was told a little later that I had a more porous blood brain barrier than other people. Chemicals in the air would go up into my sinused and leak through the blood brain barrier into my brain. We have 2 arteries  in our neck that carry blood with the nutrients and oxygen into the brain. To remove the fluids and used blood from the brain there are only capillaries and no large veins to carry it away so all those fluids ooze out much more slowly than they came in and since the small capillaries can't take care of extra fluid it results in swelling in the face, especially around the eyes. My blood flow into my brain is different from most other people as I have an arterial ischema, adefectiveartery on one side.   I have to go forward about 20 or more years when I learned that I had glaucoma, an eye problem that causes blindness and more years until I learned I had celiac disease.  The eye Dr described my glaucoma as a very slow loss of vision that I wouldn't  notice until had noticeable loss of sight.  I could have my eye pressure checked regularly or it would be best to have the cataracts removed from both eyes. I kept putting off the surgery then just overnight lost most of the vision in my left eye. I thought at the I had been exposed to some chemical and found out a little later the person who livedbehind me was using some chemicals to build kayaks in a shed behind my house. I did not realize the signifance  of this until I started having appointments with a Dr. in a new building. New buildings give me brain fog, loss of balance and other problems I know about this time I experienced visual disturbances very similar to those experienced by people with migraines. I looked further online and read that people with glaucoma can suffer rapid loss of sight if they have silent migraines (no headache). The remedy for migraines is to identify and avoid the triggers. I already know most of my triggers - aromatic chemicals, some cleaning materials, gasoline and exhaust and mold toxins. I am very careful about using cleaning agents using mostly borax and baking powder. Anything that has any fragrance or smell I avoid. There is one brand of dishwashing detergent that I can use and several brands of  scouring powder. I hope you find some of this helpful and useful. I have not seen any evidence that Celiac Disease is involved with migraines or glaucoma. Please come back if you have questions or if what I wrote doesn't make senseto you. We sometimes haveto learn by experience and finding out why we have some problems. Take care.       The report did not mention migraines. 
    • Mari
      My only proof

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Jmartes71 That is so much like my story! You probably know where Laytonville is and that's where I was living just before my 60th birthday when the new Dr. suggested I could have Celiacs. I didn't go on a gluten challange diet before having the Celiac panel blood test drawn. The results came back as equivical as one antibody level was very high but another, tissue transaminasewas normal. Itdid show I was  allergic to cows milk and I think hot peppers. I immediately went gluten free but did not go in for an endoscopy. I found an online lab online that would do the test to show if I had a main celiac gene (enterolab.com). The report came back that I had inherited a main celiac gene, DQ8, from one parent and a D!6 from the other parent. That combination is knows to sym[tons of celiac worse than just inheriting one main celiac gene. With my version of celiac disease I was mostly constipated but after going gluten-free I would have diarrhea the few times I was glutened either by cross contamination or eating some food containing gluten. I have stayed gluten-free for almost 20 years now and knew within a few days that it was right for me although my recovery has been slow.   When I go to see a  medical provide and tell them I have celiacs they don't believe me. The same when I tell them that I carry a main celiac gene, the DQ8. It is only when I tell them that I get diarrhea after eating gluten that they realize that I might have celiac disease. Then they will order th Vitamin B12 and D3 that I need to monitor as my B12 levels can go down very fast if I'm not taking enough of it. Medical providers haven't been much help in my recovery. They are not well trained in this problem. I really hope this helps ypu. Take care.      
    • knitty kitty
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Fascinating.
    • DebJ14
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By DebJ14 · Posted

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.