Gluten Free Dining First Night

[mcgrawfan]

We have marked gluten free on DHs dining reservation. Last time we preordered his meals but we discovered we would do this at our first dinner. Do we need to stop somewhere upon boarding to order for him for that first night?

 

[geffric]

Maybe.. but what I do is order plain salmon with baked pot and salad
if you noted on the reservation GF , then they will have things he can eat the first night. On the buffet, the first day, tell the head server as you enter and a chef will walk you thru the buffet as to what can be eaten, some foods they will bring from the kitchen so no cross contamination.

 

[sambycat]

i’m vegan and noted this on the last cruise, but one thing i am going to do in addition that i’ve read about is go to wherever it is that they are doing the dining reservations/questions/confirmations upon boarding (the place is different on either the classic or newer ships i believe). anyways, i’m just going to go by there and reiterate my dietary concerns. i’ve never heard anyone talk about being asked to pre-order for dinner that night there, though. and i’m going to be sure to talk with a chef at dinner as previously described to make sure i understand the dining options available to me!

enjoy your cruise!

 

[DahliaRW]

I'd love to hear your experience when you cruise. I'm gf and have lots of questions about how they handle it and am hoping there is a good variety of food I can eat when we go...

 

[cgolf]

The first dinner is the only night that it is a bummer to be gluten free because you order at the table with everyone else, and it is a little bit difficult and may take the server once or twice with the chefs to ok some items (ones that they need to do substitutions for etc). After that you order the next nights meal before you leave the dining room for the evening. It is very easy, and not much of a hassle. I have been amazed at what they can make up for you. I have even had crab cakes made up for me.

If you have cruised dcl before, don't assume that an item on the buffet is gluten free because it was the last time you cruised. This past year the breakfast sausage were not gluten free, and in cruises past they had been. Luckily my only reaction to a little gluten is mild belly pain (the more gluten = more pain for me), so it wasn't too bad. Thankfully the character breakfast was on the third day, where they told me I couldn't order the sausage.

I definitely learned to have a chef go around with me just to be safe. The plus side with the chef taking you around, you will get to eat more than you would think.

Hope this helps
cgolf

 

[geffric]

On DCL cruises, I have a chef and a head server take care of the gf items ( even on the buffet). The chef makes sure that he prepares each item in the special allergy free kitchen and the head server asks the chef a lot of questions before he serves your food. I have had wonderful experiences with DCL and I have been on 10 cruises with them. At this point I know to ask for a certain head server, who in turn makes sure the chef is perfect for me. On the Dream last year, one morning I sat in another head server section, and "my head server" still oversaw everything for me. DCL difference!
PM me if you need recommendations.

BTW they always have GF rolls, Rice Dream ice cream, soy milk, and a wonderful flourless chocolate cake.

 

[Grandma4ever]

I'd love to hear your experience when you cruise. I'm gf and have lots of questions about how they handle it and am hoping there is a good variety of food I can eat when we go...

I found that the food was as good, if not better, than what I could have ordered off the menu. Just make sure the servers know that you need GF and remind them to have you order the night before. Our servers would get busy and forget from time to time.

 

[IngridRalph]

You can order GF for the first dinner in advance. Go to parrot cay upon boarding and ask to put in your order for dinner. They will find you the menu for the first night for the restaurant you are dining in and you can place your order in advance. We did this last summer for my daughter on the alaskan cruise.

 

[elmo2200]

Thanks for all the good info! Our last cruise in 2009 I ordered every night at the table with the rest of my family and each day someone walked me around the buffet. I see that GF food can now be ordered ahead. I will definitely read lots of posts to see what is most recommended. Luckily we are doing a 8 night this time so I can try lots of yummy dishes!

 

[cgolf]

Thanks for the tip on ordering at the lunch buffet for the first nights supper. I would guess my server will be relieved too. It always has been a slight pain that first night, and it seems that my options are more limited.

Hopefully this will open up some more options for the first night.

Thanks cgolf