anyone sailed that has required a GLUTEN FREE diet?

[dragonflydreaming]

Hi all,

We have just discovered that our DS (5) is gluten intollerant. Has anyone out there sailed that is on a gluten free diet?
My son lived on grilled cheese sandwiches and pizza last cruise. I don't know what we'll do this time.
I bake all his breads and pizza crusts at home now but I don't think I'm allowed to bring them onboard or ship them down to be used for his consumption.
Is there rice pasta or a suitable alternative available?

Any info would be so helpful.

Thanks.

 

[dragonflydreaming]

anyone?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I believe this would be treated as any other allergy. You probably want to contact DCL and let them know. I'm sure they have one on every cruise, so they should know what to do. My guess is that the chef will call you and talk to you about your needs and try to arrange meals accordingly.

My neighbor has to be on a low salt diet and they have contacted DCL for his needs.

Since WDW is so good about this , I'm sure that DCL will be too.

BTW, I'm on your cruise! See you in March.

 

[theostwalts]

Subscribing. My DW is also Gluten intolerant.

 

[dizney4us]

You need to call DCL and let them know, you will also want to have a medical form filled out by his Doctor for DCL. We are sailing in the spring and my brother may need a Gluten free diet too. I spoke to Carol @ DCL who said they have gluten free pasta, breads & waffles. She said to let the head waiter know at the begining of the trip. I've googled it and read many good things about DCL and Disney world for Gluten free eaters, I'm sure you'll be amazed at what they do for your child. Best wishes

 

[dzorn]

We are gluten free as well. DD is also autistic on top of that so we have food texture issues also. I'm hoping she is not going to have to survive on plain chicken breast and carrot sticks. Oh I hope we can get her a pizza.

We sail in Febubary and I'll certainly give a report then.

Denise in MI

 

[DisneyLvr5]

We sail on 10/14 and our DS(8) has a gluetin allergy. We have filled out the medical form I will soon be contacting them to check on our arrangements. Will let you know how it goes.

 

[101DalmFan]

Last year one of our tablemates had a severe gluten intolerance. She was treated very well!

The servers were excellent about letting her know which dishes she couldn't have, which she could have as long as they left the sauce off, which desserts were appropriate, etc. They brought her special gluten buns, and the chef made up special soup for her, made without a flour/water base. I honestly don't know if she had notified them in advance of her condition (I'm sure she didn't, actually) but I do know that I sat at that table and was very impressed with the care they took with her food.

 

[crisi]

As someone who is gluten intolerant, I tend to skip the gluten free breads and rice pastas - they are all HORRIBLE. (Gluten free pancakes aren't bad). I stick to the basics - yep, veggies, proteins, rice.

Disney is good, but don't expect miracles - they work with what they have. Sometimes that means they can't take the flour base out of the soup you want because its been cooking all day. Sometimes they can - and its more likely if you've mentioned the day before that you'd like to try the soup.

The rotational dining is good, buffets and the fast food windows not so much. It also depends on how gluten intolerant you are. I get gastrointestial distress and - with enough gluten - migraines. But I'm not ill for days like other people. So sometimes I'll risk a little gas and a few urgent bathroom visits for a few bites of something - and the amount of flour that thickens soup or sauce is almost always tolerable. And I can scrape the toppings off the pizza crust. But a whole piece of bread leaves me miserable for hours. Not everyone is like me.

 

[dragonflydreaming]

As someone who is gluten intolerant, I tend to skip the gluten free breads and rice pastas - they are all HORRIBLE. (Gluten free pancakes aren't bad). I stick to the basics - yep, veggies, proteins, rice.

Disney is good, but don't expect miracles - they work with what they have. Sometimes that means they can't take the flour base out of the soup you want because its been cooking all day. Sometimes they can - and its more likely if you've mentioned the day before that you'd like to try the soup.

The rotational dining is good, buffets and the fast food windows not so much. It also depends on how gluten intolerant you are. I get gastrointestial distress and - with enough gluten - migraines. But I'm not ill for days like other people. So sometimes I'll risk a little gas and a few urgent bathroom visits for a few bites of something - and the amount of flour that thickens soup or sauce is almost always tolerable. And I can scrape the toppings off the pizza crust. But a whole piece of bread leaves me miserable for hours. Not everyone is like me.

Yup. My little guy is like you. IF he has a glutenous product he develops a very distended abdomen, tummy cramps, oodles of gas and severe constipation (the opposite of most I know. The other thing with him is he goes squirely. His behaviour gets awful and he is totally unruly. I think it's how he conveys the discomfort he's in. Regardless, we avoid it whenever possible.
That's why I tend to refer to it as an intollerance and not an allergy. I wouldn't want anyone to think they had to call 911 if they accidentally gave him a wheat cracker. They'd just be required to babysit for the next 8 hours

Seriously though. Thank you everyone!

This is very hopeful news that things will go smoothly. It's so hard to be a kid with this.
We've had wonderful luck with rice pastas and I'm glad to see they have these. Pizza is another story and is a favorite.I think I'll make and bring some mini pizza crusts with me to keep in the fridge. They travel really well. We brought non dairy stuff (almond milk, soy puddings etc. with us last time and it wasn't a problem. If we can use them great. If not no worries. I carry around bread that I make for him in a baggie in my purse now (rice and corn bread is awful). When we go to a restaurant if he wants a grilled cheese and fries, I simply give them the bread I've brought and ask if the fries are coated with flour. We've never had a problem.

 

[kshabare]

My family sailed with a Celiac about 4-5 years ago and it was very smooth. Get the medical form signed by your physician and personally hand a copy to the head server. Alana is italien and loves pasta, loves bread, hates seafood and doesn't really like meat. Every night she had gluten free rolls on the table and a plate of gluten free pasta. She ate like a queen and the night she couldn't make it to dinner (time constraints), they delivered her dinner to her cabin. She had a severe allergy so she was very careful but was always able to make good choices.

Just talk to your server. If you treat them with respect, they will respect you. The dinner service was never rushed and after the first night everything else was a piece of cake. Fortunately, you will have the same servers throughout.

Do me a favor though - be patient with them. They really do work hard and I hate it when people cruise and just expect people to screw up. Reminders will not offend your servers. You're in a very delicate situation because it has a large effect on health - DCL doesn't want to make anyone sick. But, people are human.

Kim

 

[tecdavidt]

I am gluten free and I have never had a problem cruising with DCL. Some cruises our TA told DCL in advance and other cruises she forgot. It was not a problem if they didn't know and when they were suppose to know they still did not get the information.

The first night I tell our wait team about my gluten allergy and no problems. I always ordered the next nights dinner the day before. If I want pancakes or waffles they would take notes and I could have them the next day. They even went out of their way and made me special dishes if nothing on the menu was available. The breads are not bad and are served hot. It has been so long since I have had wheat bread that the gluten free breads tasts good. The pasta was also great.They even made sure I had gluten free desserts.

As far as snacks, such as pretzels, cookies, bring your own from home. I would also suggest to bring your own breakfast cereal. You must be careful with the buffets because cross contamination can happen when people drop gluten containing food bits in what should be a gluten free dish. When in doubt just ask what is in it and make sure you tell the person you are asking that their is a gluten allergy.

It is a serious condition because not only does the gluten cause intestional problems in the bathroom, it causes intestional damage which in time can cause cancer. We all know a human can't live without intestines so it is more than just discomfort. A gluten intolerant person damages the lining of the intestines every time they ingest gluten so it is vital not to get contaminated. I say this because when people ask me what happens if I eat gluten I always just tell them, bathroom issues, then they think -- so what is the big deal, so you have bathroom issues. Well as I wrote above it really is a huge problem to live with but I don't like spending several minutes explaining it to people. It has to be very hard for parents with gluten intolerant children and especially if the child is newly diagnosed. Gluten is in places one would never guess it should be, from beauty products, health products (vitamins) to food.

I have never traveled with a gluten intolerant child but I have read many
threads on the board of those who have. Hopefully they will also respond to your questions. A Disney vacation whether it is on land or sea is the best vacation for gluten intolerant people.

Kathy

 

[frdeb1999]

My daughter is extremely allergic to fish in any form. We were worried and called ahead of time. The Diningroom Manager met with us on the first night and told us that they had it all taken care of and she would be offered whatever she needed. They were fantastic and made sure it all worked out for us.

 

[crisi]

It is a serious condition because not only does the gluten cause intestional problems in the bathroom, it causes intestional damage which in time can cause cancer. We all know a human can't live without intestines so it is more than just discomfort. A gluten intolerant person damages the lining of the intestines every time they ingest gluten so it is vital not to get contaminated. I say this because when people ask me what happens if I eat gluten I always just tell them, bathroom issues, then they think -- so what is the big deal, so you have bathroom issues. Well as I wrote above it really is a huge problem to live with but I don't like spending several minutes explaining it to people. It has to be very hard for parents with gluten intolerant children and especially if the child is newly diagnosed. Gluten is in places one would never guess it should be, from beauty products, health products (vitamins) to food.

Not necessarily - it increases risk for cancer and CAN cause intestinal damage - that's why I don't say I have Celiac - which is when intestial damage has been caused. Some of us have no signs of intestinal damage. I don't have the antibodies or whatever that show up with Celiac either. My whole family gets gassy and needs to run to the bathroom from wheat, and most of us have chosen to live with it and die in our 90s with no sign of colon cancer and healthy intestines. I've decided not to live with the gas and uncomfort.

So it CAN be serious - but it can also be merely inconvienent.

There are also a lot of reasons people give up gluten. I have a friend who is gluten free to help with endometriosis - no digestive issues at all. Another one who has a child who avoids it because of austism.

I consider a continuum - wheat allergy (get out the epipen), Celiac Sprue, gluten intolerance. Those of us that are "just" gluten intolerant aren't about to drop dead from a little soy sauce.
.

 

[dzorn]

For anyone that has been before or anyone going before us (Jan 08) could you please find out if they have gluten free ice cream. DD could have it in the parks and it is her dessert of choice so if she cannot have it I want to let her know ahead of time.

Denise in MI

 

[Indea88]

We have a 4 year old DS with Celiac disease and will be cruising for the third time next Oct.

Tell the wait staff/Head waiter on the first night about the GF requirement and they will provide GF breads (rice bread) pancakes..we ordered blueberry GF pancakes each AM from room service for him, that way when we reached the dining room he wouldn't have to wait too long...If you order the night before this will be alot more convenient.

The frech fries from the dining room and room service can be GF, but not from Plutos. I believe the Mickey bars are GF, my son had them.

 

[dragonflydreaming]

We have a 4 year old DS with Celiac disease and will be cruising for the third time next Oct.

Tell the wait staff/Head waiter on the first night about the GF requirement and they will provide GF breads (rice bread) pancakes..we ordered blueberry GF pancakes each AM from room service for him, that way when we reached the dining room he wouldn't have to wait too long...If you order the night before this will be alot more convenient.

The frech fries from the dining room and room service can be GF, but not from Plutos. I believe the Mickey bars are GF, my son had them.

That's so good to know Thanks! My DS loves pancakes. That will take care of breakfast every day. He's a big fry guy as well so the fry info is much appreciated.

 

[dzorn]

DD will like the french fries also. She does not get them often because they are a pain to make at home.

Denise in MI