Cruising w/ Celiac Disease

[dixieslanding]

My nephew has Celiacs and will be cruising on 4 day this summer with us. (this is the allergy to glutton). He is also diabetic (tough life) but that is manageable w/ the pump.

Anyone have experience w/ how to handle this w/ Disney? The Matrede on our last cruise said 'no issue' but on a prior cruise we mentioned my daughters minimal allergy to coconuts (easily avoidable) and that really messed up dinner. She couldn't be served until our waiter had the Materde 'approve' her choice -- big nuisance and we kept quiet the next time.

So i'm concerned we'd have the same issue w/ my nephew... or do they have pre-pared or alternatives?

Also... anyone have recent menus -- thinking maybe brother-in-law just 'pre-plans' the meals for his son.

ANy help appreciated.

 

[Selket]

Well - I love your nephew already - my younger son (just turned 6) is a type diabetic 1 on an insulin pump and is severely allergic to peanuts. I can totally relate to the issue of dining on the ship.

However you cannot keep the celiac quiet - you'll definitely have to let them know up front. If he gets some gluten by accident he could spend awhile feeling terrible which isn't worth it - and gluten is harder to avoid.

I think it would be helpful to know what types of foods he likes and whether he can get them on the ship - like pizza, chicken nuggets, mickey waffles, breads, etc. Do they have gluten free alternatives? I wish I could answer but hopefully someone can.

We were fine with their handling of my son's allergy but they wanted to prepare everything from scratch - which also meant very plain meals (grilled chicken breast - no chicken nuggets, green beans, etc). When I questioned them about this (cause at WDW they say the nuggets are safe or the pizza is safe) the head waiter got a bit annoyed with me. There was a good thread on here a few weeks ago about DCL and allergies and how someone's child was offered really plain food and few dessert choices, etc. Here is that thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=22732726#post22732726

Anyway - just relating some of our experiences and hoping that you have better luck than we did.

 

[DisneyLvr5]

We recently cruised in October 2007 and out son 8 has celiacs. The wait staff was wonderful and very prepared for us. We had to have our doctor fill out the medical form then we faxed it to the cruise line. Whenever we had any questions about anything they were right there to help us.

My son got all the special treatment. It was great.

 

[ggreitz]

Hi, my DS(14) is also a type 1 Diabetic on the insulin pump and he has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease for several years now. We have already taken two Disney cruises and are going on our first 7 day in April.

To handle all the medical issues just make sure the Medical Forms are filled out and filed. The food servers were great with Joe's needs. On the first night, they were already aware of someone with Celiac and they had a good knowledge of what he could and could not eat.

I do not remember any long delays in him being served his meals. Matter of fact after the first night, our servers would bring him glutten-free rolls and butter before he even made his dinner selections.

More importantly for us was making sure we had enough pump supplies. Our first cruise was at the end of a longer trip to DisneyWorld. Luckily two days before the cruise we discovered that several items we needed (insulin reservoirs) had not been properly packed or were misplaced during the trip. Luckily our medical supplier was able to get some delivered to our hotel room the very next morning !! Although we always pack a few syringes for emergencies, I was freaking out about not being able to get a prescription for an adequate supply of insulin syringes at the last minute!

Just make sure you fill out and file the Medical Forms. Then talk to the servers on the first night. You should have no real problems depending on how picky an eater your nephew is.

Have a great trip, I know my whole family is looking forward to ours !!!

 

[crw]

DCL will provide a refrigerator for your insulin, if requested. The "beverage coolers" in the rooms are not ok for this task! Let DCL know everything possible they can do to help, and they will!

Chris

 

[dzorn]

I was very happy with DCL treatment of my daughters diet. She does not eat gluten, but is a very picky eater due to her autism. We did have limited choices because she self limits what she will try we stuck with chicken or pizza, or pasta most nights. I must say it was the first time I've ever gotten her to eat a dinner roll. The first night is difficult we did have to wait a little longer for her food. But after that they just asked us what she would like the second night and had it ready for her. Her dessert of choice is choc. ice cream which they had so I am not sure what other desserts were available.

Denise in MI