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

Gluten Free Traveling On Royal Caribbean ? Help!

Marley25

By Marley25
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Marley25 Rookie
Marley25
Posted

I am going on a cruise on Royal Caribbean in a few months, and I am really scared about the food on board! I don

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Michelle1234 Contributor
Michelle1234
Posted

I suggest getting some gluten digestive enzymes and taking them before every meal. I take Digest Gold and Gluten Ease before every meal when traveling as they help with cross contamination. I also take along some probiotics as they are good for the gut and help repopulate good bacteria if you get some bad food or help your immune system out if it takes a hit from being glutened. I use the called Pearls as it doesn't need to be refrigerated.

If you go over to the travel board on this forum you can search on Royal Caribbean. Alot depends on your particular chef/head waiter. You could get a good one who knows what is going on or a clueless one. I suggest that if something isn't working don't keep banging your head against the wall. Your on vacation. Switch venues. If the main dining room doesn't work, try the chef in the buffet. If that doesn't work try the chef in the specialty restaurant. Chances are one will have a clue and be able to work with and help you get safe food. The newer ships often have dedicated allergy meal preparation areas. You don't mention what ship you are on but if you aren't locked in select a newer ship.

Take some snack bars (prepackaged and sealed) for shore excursions so you have something to eat. I like the Kind bars.

If your not locked in to Royal Caribbean then I think the gold standard for gluten free cruising is probably Disney. I've never read anyone say anything bad about them with gluten free meals. I think the newer Celebrity Ships are also very good. I spent 30 days on one and had great gluten free food. Princess did a nice job when I was on them also. I've read good things about NCL and Carnival. So those are also options. I've read some negative reviews of Holland America and Royal Caribbean. But that isn't to say you couldn't have a great experience on them.

Edit: I've spent over 130 days on cruise ships as a gluten free cruiser. You will probably have a great time if you manage what ever situation the cruise ship throws at you correctly. Remember trying to teach the cruise staff won't get you an enjoyable cruise. Lots of chefs from other countries are very well versed in gluten free. If the one you get isn't try another.

Michelle

Duhlina Apprentice
Duhlina
Posted

I recently spoke with my friend who is a travel agent that specializes in cruises. I asked if my cruising days were over and she ASSURED me that they are NOT. Make SURE you notify RC in writing of your Celiac BEFORE you go. The MOMENT you get on board, go see the head waiter and make sure they are clear that you cannot have any gluten. From what I've read they are VERY accommodating on the cruises.

ElseB Contributor
ElseB
Posted

From what I've read they are VERY accommodating on the cruises.

I've never been on a cruise, but I've heard the same thing. In fact, I've never heard anything BUT positive experiences on cruises.

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

I haven't gone on any of these cruises myself, however, from what people have talked about on this forum specifically, the experience seems to vary greatly depending on the ship you are going on. Seriously, I would see if you can talk to anyone involving your food ahead of time, to discuss what your needs actually are and make sure they know what to do for you to be safe.

An example of a bad experience, so you can know what to look out for:

I would bring enough emergency snack bars, etc... to make it through the trip, just in case, honestly.

tennisman Contributor
tennisman
Posted

I went on a cruise in 2008 with my family , my Mum also has celiac disease and we all had an amazing time . Royal Caribbean were very helpful I think we e-mailed them many times about needing gluten free diet . 1st night on the cruise at dinner we met a very friendly head waitress she told what we could and couldn't have . They even baked fresh gluten free bread for breakfast and dinner . Every night at the end of the meal the head waitress gave us the dinner menu for the next night which was cool . We choose what we wanted to make sure it would be gluten free . I even remember 1 night I really wanted mussels but they weren't gluten free , but our amazing waiter got the chefs to cook me some mussels without the gluten :D

Get too know your waiter well as they will be very helpful . A few times there was no gluten free starters and as our waiter knew I liked prawns he always bought me a few plates over . 1 night I ate 50 prawns for starter lol . Also if there is a dish you really like ask you waiter for 2 . 1 night as a joke I asked the waiter for 2 steaks and he bought me 2 steaks :P Also for a Joke my Dad asked for every dessert 1 night and he bought every dessert on the menu.

I hope you have a great time the cruise ships are amazing :D

tennisman Contributor
tennisman
Posted

Sorry for going a bit off topic but has anyone worked on a cruise ship before ? I really want to but apparently they are super strict on medical problems and I wonder if celiac disease would effect my chances of getting a job .

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


shellyinskiatook Newbie
shellyinskiatook
Posted

I'm a suuuuper sensitive celiac and I got married on a Celebrity cruise ship this past May and I didn't get sick one time! However...I did bring a suitcase full of food. I'm glad I did.

When I got on the ship I went straight to the dining room and found the head maitre d'. I told him about my celiac and other food allergies and he made sure I got the right food (no dairy or citrus). The assistant maitre d' came to my table each night with the menu for the next night. I picked out what I wanted to eat for dinner the next night and lunch (if we were at sea), and so on.

I was assured that the dining room staff would be able to accommodate my needs and they were. But, when we were in port the dining room was closed!!! So, I had to rely on my "Gourmet on the Go" meals that I brought with me. I also ordered some travel size condiments from www.minimus.biz. I ordered things like peanut butter, mayo and salad dressing. I used my salad dressing in the dining room because I got really tired of vinegar and oil. I used the peanut butter in the mornings for breakfast on an apple or banana I got from the breakfast buffet. I also took some gluten free crackers and smoked oysters that I had a few days for lunch. Oh, we also used Strongbow Cider during our toast at our reception. It was funny.

Was it perfect? No. But, it was a lot of fun and I didn't get sick. I worked with our waiter and maitre d' who made sure I got to eat as much good food as possible. By the second or third day I realized that...hey, I'm on a cruise and I can order whatever I want! So, I ate steak and shrimp like 3 or 4 nights in a row. Also, if I didn't feel like going to the dining room I would just call the maitre d' and he would send the food to my room.

We want to go on another cruise next year for our anniversary. It's the only way I want to travel now...

Have fun!!

Shelly

RacerX35 Rookie
RacerX35
Posted

My family and I went on the Disney Cruise line here in California. Now Disney is already good to Celiac or Gluten Sensitives. I informed the cruise line people when we made our final payment over the phone and also on the website itenerary. They were very helpfull and our waiter that stayed with us the whole trip insured that I got the gluten free breads and no gravies on my food. Even his assistant was aware of my requirements and made sure my meals were made correctly. I would get butter on my mashed potatoes, which I thought was great with some salt and pepper. We had so much fun,,,, we scheduled another cruise for this coming March. :D

Have fun,

Ray

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,962
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    AlissaW
    Newest Member
    AlissaW
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

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



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      If black seed oil is working for his Afib, stick to it, but if not, I can say that ablation therapy is no big deal--my mother was out of the procedure in about 1 hour and went home that evening, and had zero negative effects from the treatment. PS - I would recommend that your husband get an Apple watch to monitor his Afib--there is an app and it will take readings 24/7 and give reports on how much of the time he's in it. Actual data like this should be what should guide his treatment.
    • 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.
×
×
  • 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.