1st Cruise (Dream) completed and food allergy update

[Delbs75]

WE just got back from our 4 day on the Dream. This was my husband and boys first cruise and our first Disney cruise. All I can say is WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was absolutely AMAZING!!!!!!!!! My biggest concern was how they would handle my sons's food allergies. I was a nervous wreck and sick to my stomach the first day (before talking to the servers). I was so so so so worried, but was quickly eased when I was told how they would handle everything!! He had soooo much food last week and it was soooo yummy! He has egg, dairy, peanut and shellfish allergies, so that is a huge chunk of stuff that he cannot have. Well, not to the chef's because he was able to eat so much and it not an inconvenience at all. His food always came first at dinner and we only had to wait, at the most, 10 minutes at Cabana's for them to bring his food out. I don't know what others are talking about, I've read where some had to wait 1 hour for their food...that's absolutely ridiculous...not true for us at all. Even when we went to Castaway Cay, they had his food right out, while my family waited on line for theirs. I have absolutely no complaints about anything!!! The staff was sure to please! Everyone from the store employees to the bathroom attendants! Everyone walked by with a smile and made sure we were happy. They handed out hand wipes at every restaurant before you walked in, that was impressive! Little details like that just amazed me and know I can't find stuff like that on other cruise ships. Our room attendant was soooo sweet and she did an amazing job keeping it tidy for us. It's unfortunate the water in the Bahamas was so chilly though. All around a 10 star vacation and can't wait to get back and do it all over again!!!!!!!

 

[MonaMN]

We are probably doing this same cruise next year during this same week - and we have a kid with a peanut/tree nut allergy.

Glad to hear it was so amazing!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

That is great to hear how wonderful and a chunk of stess removed from your vacation. They have always handled my diet requirements very well.

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

We have experienced the same great service. We do not have food allergies but we are always asked. I love DCL.

 

[Shanti]

Great to know! Thanks for the report!

 

[minniebeth]

Glad to hear that your DS' food allergies were well taken care of and that you had a great experience! It totally makes the vacation when your kids' needs are taken care of~ one of the reasons we love Disney, because overall, they do a great job.
I don't think though, that it's "absolutely ridiculous" for others to have waited a long time for their food allergies' needs to be met however. We've been on several Disney cruises, and while they have taken overall care of us, we have had some issues and a substantial wait at Cabanas (on a regular basis) has been one of them. We also had long waits *after dinner so that my kids could order their meals for the following nights.
While it's been frustrating at times, health and safety is a priority, so it's all good!

 

[mernin]

We had very similar experience on our 4 night Dream cruise in Feb. my DD has a peanut allergy and I was nervous going in. After talking with the chef on embarkation day and the serving team at dinner & in Cabanas, we never had an issue. I was surprised his many options she could have. They even sent over a plate of cookies to CC for her to eat. Our experience in Cabanas was great too. I think the longest we waited was about 10 minutes.

 

[hanscarlet]

Did you book a placeholder? Wonderful review! I see a lot of questions regarding food allergies and we don't have any so I am never sure how to to answer them, this is very reassuring for my friends who have allergies. So glad you had a nice time, great call out on the bathroom attendants, they deserve their own thread, the cleaners on that cruise are amazing!

 

[Shanti]

I don't think though, that it's "absolutely ridiculous" for others to have waited a long time for their food allergies' needs to be met however. We've been on several Disney cruises, and while they have taken overall care of us, we have had some issues and a substantial wait at Cabanas (on a regular basis) has been one of them. We also had long waits *after dinner so that my kids could order their meals for the following nights.
While it's been frustrating at times, health and safety is a priority, so it's all good!

Agreed. We had an almost hour-long wait for my son's (terrible) pre-ordered meal on CC during our Magic cruise. Everyone has different experiences & no one's experience should be discounted. The OP has been on one DCL cruise & her experience was great, but I've also read about not-so-great experiences from others, & had them myself. Our Fantasy experience was far superior to our Magic experience in relation to my son's gluten-free food choices, so I think the individual ship a person is on plays a role, as well. It may be that the Dream class ships handle allergies a bit better than the classic ships.

 

[dclpluto]

A lot of people have allergies now,so DCL and I'm assuming all cruise lines do a great job at making sure their guests are good

 

[schmass]

I'm glad you had a great experience! My DS is allergic to dairy, tree nut/peanut and shellfish, and DD is allergic to all of that plus sesame and flax. We have also had amazing experiences and look forward to future cruises on DCL, knowing that we'll be well-taken care of.