Celiac on the Fantasy (extreme sensitivity)

[Nutsmom]

OK cruisers, I know we hit on this topic every so often on these threads, but I need your help! Trying to convince my brother and his family to cruise with us on the Fantasy later this year. One of their kiddos has Celiac Disease and is extremely sensitive to any contamination. Add to it the natural self-consciousness of always having to eat something different than the rest of the group, and you can imagine their hesitation at jumping right on board.
For those of you that have sailed the Fantasy before, help me out:
1. Are there separate kitchens that are used to prepare food for those with food allergies/ Celiac (autoimmune)
2. Food selections for those with celiac- bland, or fun? Desserts? Pastries? Snacks?
3. Other tips that are helpful to share?

Obviously snacks will be brought on board as well, but just want to be sure the on-board food selections won't be "m'eh" in nature vs. what everyone else is eating. Otherwise, where's the fun?!?

 

[chaseg03]

Although I can't answer I'm willing to bet they will. Disney does just about anything to assist a guest.

 

[Nutsmom]

Although I can't answer I'm willing to bet they will. Disney does just about anything to assist a guest.

No doubt they'd take great care, but absolutely seeking out some examples that I can share from folks who can speak from experience. Thank you!

 

[squirk]

OK cruisers, I know we hit on this topic every so often on these threads, but I need your help! Trying to convince my brother and his family to cruise with us on the Fantasy later this year. One of their kiddos has Celiac Disease and is extremely sensitive to any contamination. Add to it the natural self-consciousness of always having to eat something different than the rest of the group, and you can imagine their hesitation at jumping right on board.
For those of you that have sailed the Fantasy before, help me out:
1. Are there separate kitchens that are used to prepare food for those with food allergies/ Celiac (autoimmune)
2. Food selections for those with celiac- bland, or fun? Desserts? Pastries? Snacks?
3. Other tips that are helpful to share?

Obviously snacks will be brought on board as well, but just want to be sure the on-board food selections won't be "m'eh" in nature vs. what everyone else is eating. Otherwise, where's the fun?!?

My wife does not have Celiac's, but she does have an autoimmune disorder that makes her extremely sensitive to gluten. Her various joints flare up quite painfully if she gets some in her system.

1.) I believe there are "clean" kitchens for handling food allergies, although I have never seen them first-hand. Suffice it to say that my wife has never had a reaction when served in the MDRs or Remy.

2.) Servers make it a point at the end of dinner to discuss your options for the following night so they know in advance how to prepare things properly. They almost always point out the "lighter fare" options (chicken, salmon) served plain with no sauces/glazes. However, they can also often "strip" some of the main entrees to make them GF. Note that I said "some", not "all". GF desserts are usually Mickey bars, sorbet, some of the ice creams, and usually some kind of berry medley tossed in.

3.) There is a lot of GF stuff in Cabanas, but you can ask the serving staff to prepare things clean to avoid any cross-contamination. They also have "non-advertised" stuff that you can request, like GF waffles, for example.

DCL goes far above and beyond anywhere I've ever eaten, on land or sea, to make eating GF not a big deal.

 

[CamColt]

While my DS is used to dealing with a peanut allergy, on our last cruise he was also eating gluten free. If I wasn't already impressed with how well they handle allergies, seeing the care they took with the gluten issue confirmed they really go above and beyond. I actually thought this issue was going to be a disaster and he wouldn't have anything to eat, but it turned out very well for him. Our dinner servers told him where to get special food at other places such as Cabanas (they had delicious chocolate muffins) and at Castaway Cay. No one batted an eye at the request and he never felt uncomfortable. They deal with this stuff quite often I'm sure.

 

[Starwind]

I am not GF< but I am anaphylactic allergic to milk, tree nuts, peanuts, and seafood (all fish and shellfish).

We cruise with Disney exclusively because of how good they are with food allergies. A with WDW, they have established and maintain a high standard. We have sailed on the Dream and the Fantasy and I recommend them both. We have our next cruise on the Fantasy booked already.

I do not know if they have a dedicated allergy kitchen (I have heard mixed things, that they do and they don't), however they certainly have the ability, for the main dining rooms, to make safe food. GF is something they are used to dealing with.

As someone who cannot have dairy, many of the baked goods that are safe for me are also GF. On board I have had Udi's pizza crusts, GF hamburger and dinner rolls, GF muffins and donuts [I believe Kinnikinnick Foods brand, the mini donuts in particular were VERY yummy], allergy-safe Mickey waffles [if you pre-order them at dinner for breakfast the next morning you can have them EVERY DAY if you wan t ]. One time they made me a chocolate cake dessert using Namaste brand chocolate cake mix [they brought the box to me to check that the ingredients were ok].

I usually eat from the lighter fare menu for my entree by choice but have had other entrees and they can adapt many things. I have also had safe soups -- french onion soup, butternut squash are my favourites and nrmally would not be an option, but they make them safe

On the pool deck I have had allergy friendly chicken tenders and fries [the fries were from a dedicated fryer] and hamburger. Also, pizza: udi's crust (which iss GF and DF), sauce, peperoni, and toffuti fake cheese

I eat my meals in the main dining rooms. Each night we pre-order dinner for the next night, whcih gives the chefs about 22 hours to come up with substitutions and modifications The last two cruises we also ordered breakfast and lunch at the same time, whcih I highly recommend as it made things SOOOO much easier. We choose which dining room for breakfast and lunch [do not have to be the same; our servers would tell us where they would be and we usually but not always choose the same place; sometimes we choose cabanas -- but by pre-ordering the meal came from the back not the buffet and they were prepared for us]. I got Mickey waffles every breakfast which I was only able to get if I pre-ordered

Elsewhere in these forums I have several LONG posts about our experience with allergies on DCL, from preplanning to the first day "dining changes" meeting to the MDRS, etc.

SW

 

[cmph]

Not the Fantasy, but on our recent 7 night Wonder, DH who has celiac ate very well. He is very sensitive, and he will be sick for 2-3 days from cross-contamination (longer if it's something egregious). He didn't suffer any symptoms of cross-contamination at all during our cruise. He is an adventurous eater, so he wasn't looking for pizza/nuggets fare, which may not be true of your relative if he/she is a child. They safely made burgers and fries (with gf buns) on deck, though. The MDR menus always had apps and entrees that were safe. I know you can ask for gf pastas, but he'd rather have something less carb-heavy. At least one standard menu dessert was marked gf almost every night. One night they didn't have a gf dessert listed, and our waiter got something off-menu for him. Another night he just didn't like the sound of the dessert and got fresh fruit instead. I think the Mickey ice cream bars are gf (it's nothing something he'd order)? and those are always available at dinner too. Cabanas was no problem for lunch or breakfast, but again, he's not a carb-lover - so he'd go for breakfast meats or eggs over things like pancakes/waffles/donuts. We did find it a little frustrating that there were no gf cereals for him to take back for a snack later, nor gf yogurt. Only that brand that has gluten in it was available (I'm spacing on the brand). He often grabbed milk cartons for himself for later. Snacks are harder; he defaulted to the burgers on deck. Although I guess nothing much is "snack-y" on-board aside from the room service cheese platter or soft serve ice cream. My "snacks" were things like shawarma and bowls from Daisy's D-lites... It's all just a meal that you turn into a snack!

You may get more helpful responses if you specify how the child (we're assuming?) typically eats - general food preferences. I can detail more of what DH ate, but if it's a little child who is picky - that wouldn't help much.

 

[EASchechter]

OK cruisers, I know we hit on this topic every so often on these threads, but I need your help! Trying to convince my brother and his family to cruise with us on the Fantasy later this year. One of their kiddos has Celiac Disease and is extremely sensitive to any contamination. Add to it the natural self-consciousness of always having to eat something different than the rest of the group, and you can imagine their hesitation at jumping right on board.
For those of you that have sailed the Fantasy before, help me out:
1. Are there separate kitchens that are used to prepare food for those with food allergies/ Celiac (autoimmune)
2. Food selections for those with celiac- bland, or fun? Desserts? Pastries? Snacks?
3. Other tips that are helpful to share?

Obviously snacks will be brought on board as well, but just want to be sure the on-board food selections won't be "m'eh" in nature vs. what everyone else is eating. Otherwise, where's the fun?!?

If your brother's family has ever eaten at a Disney restaurant, then you can let them know that the head of Special Diets (aka, the person who makes sure that you can eat safely) for the parks is now also the head of Special Diets for the cruise line. I've met him, and he's a VERY conscientious and knowledgeable chef.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

1.) I believe there are "clean" kitchens for handling food allergies, although I have never seen them first-hand.

I do not know if they have a dedicated allergy kitchen (I have heard mixed things, that they do and they don't),

It's my understanding that the Dream class ships do have a separate galley for preparing "clean" food.

The Magic class ships have a separate section (within the main kitchen), but not totally separate (unless this changed during the various re-imaginings).

 

[Nutsmom]

I am not GF< but I am anaphylactic allergic to milk, tree nuts, peanuts, and seafood (all fish and shellfish).

We cruise with Disney exclusively because of how good they are with food allergies. A with WDW, they have established and maintain a high standard. We have sailed on the Dream and the Fantasy and I recommend them both. We have our next cruise on the Fantasy booked already.

I do not know if they have a dedicated allergy kitchen (I have heard mixed things, that they do and they don't), however they certainly have the ability, for the main dining rooms, to make safe food. GF is something they are used to dealing with.

As someone who cannot have dairy, many of the baked goods that are safe for me are also GF. On board I have had Udi's pizza crusts, GF hamburger and dinner rolls, GF muffins and donuts [I believe Kinnikinnick Foods brand, the mini donuts in particular were VERY yummy], allergy-safe Mickey waffles [if you pre-order them at dinner for breakfast the next morning you can have them EVERY DAY if you wan t ]. One time they made me a chocolate cake dessert using Namaste brand chocolate cake mix [they brought the box to me to check that the ingredients were ok].

I usually eat from the lighter fare menu for my entree by choice but have had other entrees and they can adapt many things. I have also had safe soups -- french onion soup, butternut squash are my favourites and nrmally would not be an option, but they make them safe

On the pool deck I have had allergy friendly chicken tenders and fries [the fries were from a dedicated fryer] and hamburger. Also, pizza: udi's crust (which iss GF and DF), sauce, peperoni, and toffuti fake cheese

I eat my meals in the main dining rooms. Each night we pre-order dinner for the next night, whcih gives the chefs about 22 hours to come up with substitutions and modifications The last two cruises we also ordered breakfast and lunch at the same time, whcih I highly recommend as it made things SOOOO much easier. We choose which dining room for breakfast and lunch [do not have to be the same; our servers would tell us where they would be and we usually but not always choose the same place; sometimes we choose cabanas -- but by pre-ordering the meal came from the back not the buffet and they were prepared for us]. I got Mickey waffles every breakfast which I was only able to get if I pre-ordered

Elsewhere in these forums I have several LONG posts about our experience with allergies on DCL, from preplanning to the first day "dining changes" meeting to the MDRS, etc.

SW

Udi's is the BOMB when it comes to GF fare. Thanks so much for all the details. It would totally suck for a little one to watch her sisters and cousins chowing down on donuts, etc. and be stuck with something totally bland and unexciting. GF waffles and chocolate muffins sound great!