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Gluten Free On A Cruise Anyone?/

roxieb73

By roxieb73
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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roxieb73 Contributor
roxieb73
Posted

In 2 weeks I am going on a 7 day Cruise to the Caribbean (Jamacia,Grand Cayman, Cozumel). This will be my son's first vacation and he is almost 8 years old. I REALLY don't want to get any gluten and ruin my cruise. Any suggestions on how to make sure my trip stays gluten free? :D

I can't believe how much better I am doing. I have gone from barely being able to walk from the house to the car to a Cruise, I just went to see Jennifer Lopez in concert and had to walk 4 blocks to get there! OMG it was so hard but I did it! I honestly believe if we had not figured out that I have Celiac I would have been dead within a year. Instead I am getting better every day. I have lost 32lbs in 2 months! I have energy again... I forgot what it was like to feel decent. I am no where near well but I am a hell of a lot closer than I was. :D

Roxie

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Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

In 2 weeks I am going on a 7 day Cruise to the Caribbean (Jamacia,Grand Cayman, Cozumel). This will be my son's first vacation and he is almost 8 years old. I REALLY don't want to get any gluten and ruin my cruise. Any suggestions on how to make sure my trip stays gluten free? :D

I can't believe how much better I am doing. I have gone from barely being able to walk from the house to the car to a Cruise, I just went to see Jennifer Lopez in concert and had to walk 4 blocks to get there! OMG it was so hard but I did it! I honestly believe if we had not figured out that I have Celiac I would have been dead within a year. Instead I am getting better every day. I have lost 32lbs in 2 months! I have energy again... I forgot what it was like to feel decent. I am no where near well but I am a hell of a lot closer than I was. :D

Roxie

Roxie......don't sweat this! I had the same experience. I had booked a trip to England 6 months before I hit the wall with Celiac. I was a 97 pound weakling at time of diagnosis and was freaking out about losing all my money for this trip I had booked. I was so sick it looked like that was going to happen. However, in 3 weeks of being gluten free, I felt better enough that I threw caution to the wind and went on the trip. We stay in apartments so that made it easier. I ate plain food and even went out to eat in restaurants and never got sick on the trip. I was weak and tired and took it slow on that trip but getting away did wonders for my moral.

Call the cruise line and tell them you are Celiac. I have heard that many cruise lines accommodate well. Just eat as plain as possible...stick to potatoes, meats, fish....things like that and tell them to make sure there is no CC. It can be done. If you have a day where you feel tired, stay on the boat and relax. Stay positive and vigilant and I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

The calling ahead is great advice, at least you'll know what to expect. How exciting to be planning such a wonderful trip! You can celebrate feeling well again. I'm not an experienced traveler or anything so I can't really offer advice. I just wanted to say congrats on feeling better enough to enjoy the upcoming trip and to try not to stress to much. It is a vacation after all.

onthemend Newbie
onthemend
Posted

I have been on several cruises with wonderful results. On one cruise, the kitchen even made me a "gluten free" birthday cake.

Just make sure you talk to the head chief and they will take care of you. Have a blast.

tctwhite Apprentice
tctwhite
Posted

I did that same cruise last year for Memorial Day. You will have a blast! If you are traveling with Carnival, I was actually looking last night (we are thinking of booking another one) and they say that they have a gluten free dining option. It says you don't have to call and let them know ahead of time, but I would. When you are doing the check-in process online, I believe you can enter in any medical info necessary, I would put it in there. If you search it on their website, it tells you to contact the dining room staff when you board and let them know. It says you can discuss your dining options with them. I will be interested in hearing about your experience so I know how my next cruise will go food wise. We have the cruise bug BAD! I would stick plenty of safe snacks in your carry on for those cravings. And I say that out of ignorance, because I have no idea what all options they have. I do know they have tons of fresh fruit at all hours.

LauraB0927 Apprentice
LauraB0927
Posted

My sister went on a cruise last year (Celebrity Cruises) and the family at the dinner table had a father who had Celiac. Since the ship knew before hand and was reminded on the first night of dinner, they would bring out the menu the night before to see what alterations needed to be made to accommodate him. Since he was so pleased, my fiance and I just booked our honeymoon for a Mediterranean cruise on Celebrity. When I called them to discuss what could be made available to me, they also encouraged me to bring my own food mixes like muffins, cookies, cakes, and said the kitchen would be more than happy to cook them for me. They said that I could bring any non-perishable snacks onto the boat and when we docked I could take the snacks off-shore, but couldn't bring them back on (which is understandable). Hope this helps!! Have a great vacation!!!

AVR1962 Collaborator
AVR1962
Posted

No worries.....I have been on several crusies. The wait staff in the private dining rooms will go out of their way for you, just ask. The buffets are huge and have a wonderful selection. There will be more than enough to eat and you will not have to go without. Enjoy your trip!

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