looking for head server who's good with food allergies on the fantasy

[jtba]

we had sarah vine on the wonder a couple years ago and she was divine!!!

looking for recommendations on the fantasy. thanks!

 

[RedM94]

Request Denis Sego from Croatia was awesome with our son's food allergies. He was our head server for two cruises.

 

[CamColt]

Luis from Portugal or Alberto (I believe from the Philippines) have been wonderful with our DS's peanut allergy. On our last cruise with Luis, DS also had to eat gluten free and he and our server, Sheree from the Philippines were amazing.

We have had Sheree 4 times now and while we adore her anyway, love her energy and humor, this last trip I really saw how much she knew her stuff too. She was spot on with GF recommendations for DS and even where to get GF food at other spots on the ship. Personally I would request Sheree as a server as opposed to requesting a head server.

 

[Shanti]

we had sarah vine on the wonder a couple years ago and she was divine!!!

looking for recommendations on the fantasy. thanks!

Head server Harry was great with my son's gluten allergy last month on the Fantasy.

 

[OffToDWD]

How do we request server/head servers? Both my kids have allergies and I was worried how that would be handled during meals. Thanks!!

 

[jtba]

How do we request server/head servers? Both my kids have allergies and I was worried how that would be handled during meals. Thanks!!

last time i emailed SpecialServices@disneycruise.com about a month before the cruise and requested sarah vine (whose name i got from the disboards from other food allergy families). they said they couldn't guarantee we'd get her because CMs move to different ships, go on vacation, or leave DCL altogether. but we were lucky she was still on board (she had been promoted from server to head server by then), and she took very good care of us each night.

on embarkation day, after we got settled in our room, i also went to one of the MDRs where they do dining changes, verified our food allergies were noted correctly in our reservation, and felt better about the whole thing. there were still a couple, relatively minor incidents though (see link below for our alaskan cruise trip report). just be vigilant and never assume, even if it is disney.

having said that, your mileage may vary, depending on the type and severity of your kids' allergies. good luck!

p.s. we had a FA issue at aulani as well, which is also... disney.

 

[CamColt]

As a side note, I think all dining CMs are very well trained in dealing with allergies. MY DS has been on 15 Disney cruises now and everyone we have dealt with, from the buffet up to Palo, has been extremely helpful and caring when dealing with his allergies. The last thing they want on the ship is any emergencies. They really go above and beyond!

 

[Suttonmama1]

Head server Harry was great with my son's gluten allergy last month on the Fantasy.

Harry is wonderful. One of our favs

 

[Reese'smom]

Joseph from India was our waiter last year and he was wonderful with our son's nut allergy.

 

[OffToDWD]

last time i emailed SpecialServices@disneycruise.com about a month before the cruise and requested sarah vine (whose name i got from the disboards from other food allergy families). they said they couldn't guarantee we'd get her because CMs move to different ships, go on vacation, or leave DCL altogether. but we were lucky she was still on board (she had been promoted from server to head server by then), and she took very good care of us each night.

on embarkation day, after we got settled in our room, i also went to one of the MDRs where they do dining changes, verified our food allergies were noted correctly in our reservation, and felt better about the whole thing. there were still a couple, relatively minor incidents though (see link below for our alaskan cruise trip report). just be vigilant and never assume, even if it is disney.

having said that, your mileage may vary, depending on the type and severity of your kids' allergies. good luck!

p.s. we had a FA issue at aulani as well, which is also... disney.

Thanks!

last time i emailed SpecialServices@disneycruise.com about a month before the cruise and requested sarah vine (whose name i got from the disboards from other food allergy families). they said they couldn't guarantee we'd get her because CMs move to different ships, go on vacation, or leave DCL altogether. but we were lucky she was still on board (she had been promoted from server to head server by then), and she took very good care of us each night.

on embarkation day, after we got settled in our room, i also went to one of the MDRs where they do dining changes, verified our food allergies were noted correctly in our reservation, and felt better about the whole thing. there were still a couple, relatively minor incidents though (see link below for our alaskan cruise trip report). just be vigilant and never assume, even if it is disney.

having said that, your mileage may vary, depending on the type and severity of your kids' allergies. good luck!

p.s. we had a FA issue at aulani as well, which is also... disney.

Thanks!!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Our experience was that they are well-trained to assist with your dietary needs, and are all very eager to do so. My wife was on Gluten and dairy restriction due to a sensitivity, not an allergy. So first they asked her how critical it was to her to avoid the items, and she told them it was not life-threatening, but nonetheless they worked hard to give her options, and respect her needs. They gave her the next night's menu each day so she could pick something, and then they would check to see if it could be made to suit her. If not, they would tell her so and she'd pick something else. The hardest part was dessert, but they ended up giving her a pick of fruits each night, and then they would bring out a HUGE bowl of whichever fruit(s) sounded good to her that day (way too much for just her) and then she shared it around our table. They always made her feel special and valuable, not a burden.

 

[remlap]

Our experience was the head sever came out every meal and reviewed the order given to the waiter to confirm there were no issues. I'm not sure requesting a server would help anything, but as Anchors Away said, I think they are all well trained for this. However, I believe the Head Server will handle the specifics of talking to the chefs about any issues.

 

[squirk]

on embarkation day, after we got settled in our room, i also went to one of the MDRs where they do dining changes, verified our food allergies were noted correctly in our reservation, and felt better about the whole thing. there were still a couple, relatively minor incidents though (see link below for our alaskan cruise trip report). just be vigilant and never assume, even if it is disney.

When you went to the MDR to confirm your request, were they able to tell you then and there whether you were getting Sarah? Or was that still TBD?

 

[dektolia]

I just got off the Fantasy yesterday. I've done 2 prior cruises (one Dream, one Fantasy) with a DD allergic to dairy, eggs and nuts. I've never requested a specific server and all have been well trained and handled the allergies well for meals, but this time we had Witt as the head server and he went so far beyond just accommodating the allergies to make sure our trip was fabulous. He suggested things that I never would have thought to ask for even though I've cruised twice before. He offered to deliver a snack to the room in the afternoon (usually fresh cut fruit) and sent a pre-order to Cabanas for safe ice cream after lunch so she could go get ice cream just like everyone else. This was the first time where I felt like food was always available for her and we didn't have to work to fill in snacks between meals.

While all the head servers we've had before have seemed trained for allergies, I felt like Witt went so far beyond just making sure she had safe meals and he checked in with us frequently to make sure everything was going well. It was kind of like the difference between eating a restaurant willing to exclude things that aren't safe (grilled chicken or a bunless hamburger patty with plain steamed green beans and applesauce sound familiar?) vs. eating at Disney where they have specialty ingredients and we can eat more traditional meals. I'm always happy when a restaurant can handle allergies, but more happy when it looks like a complete meal. Witt's assistance really improved our experience.

Whichever server you end up with, just know that it's possible to get safe food pre-ordered to the room at pre-arranged times (not room service).

 

[OffToDWD]

I just got off the Fantasy yesterday. I've done 2 prior cruises (one Dream, one Fantasy) with a DD allergic to dairy, eggs and nuts. I've never requested a specific server and all have been well trained and handled the allergies well for meals, but this time we had Witt as the head server and he went so far beyond just accommodating the allergies to make sure our trip was fabulous. He suggested things that I never would have thought to ask for even though I've cruised twice before. He offered to deliver a snack to the room in the afternoon (usually fresh cut fruit) and sent a pre-order to Cabanas for safe ice cream after lunch so she could go get ice cream just like everyone else. This was the first time where I felt like food was always available for her and we didn't have to work to fill in snacks between meals.

While all the head servers we've had before have seemed trained for allergies, I felt like Witt went so far beyond just making sure she had safe meals and he checked in with us frequently to make sure everything was going well. It was kind of like the difference between eating a restaurant willing to exclude things that aren't safe (grilled chicken or a bunless hamburger patty with plain steamed green beans and applesauce sound familiar?) vs. eating at Disney where they have specialty ingredients and we can eat more traditional meals. I'm always happy when a restaurant can handle allergies, but more happy when it looks like a complete meal. Witt's assistance really improved our experience.

Whichever server you end up with, just know that it's possible to get safe food pre-ordered to the room at pre-arranged times (not room service).

That's awesome!! Do you have Witt's last name or where he's from?

 

[WickedDreamer]

I think all the servers onboard the Cruise line are amazing, however we found Kendal to be AMAZING with my sisters allergies, she unfortunately has multiple allergies but he made sure she had something she would love each and every night of our 7 day cruise. Including offering to request items from the previous night with the chefs onboard.

 

[jtba]

When you went to the MDR to confirm your request, were they able to tell you then and there whether you were getting Sarah? Or was that still TBD?

oops sorry to the late reply! but yes, they were able to tell me Sarah would
be our HS by then.