DCL with multiple food allergies.....any experiences?

[cathicool]

We are a family of 5 in 2 staterooms which have not been assigned as of yet. My kids are 6.5, 4.5 and 1.99 (she will turn 2 the last night of the cruise!). My 4.5 year old son has autism (high-functioning), a metabolic disorder and multiple food allergies.


Anyone done the cruise with food allergies?
How about having a (4 year old) child who may be in the kids club during lunch or dinner?
Anyone bring stuff on board.....
help!

We are going to WDW in 2 weeks and they have been great- chefs have been calling and working out meals for my son. BUT the cruise may be a different story.

Thanks!

 

[dclfun]

You definitely need to call DCL and request the medical information form to list the food allergies. This is the only way the special services coordinator has to know what the allergies are and what can be prepared for your child. If there is any question, she will contact you about it. The form does NOT need to be filled out by a physician even though there is a space for physician signature. You can list the allergies yourself. You are allowed to bring food onboard in unopened packages, however the ship cannot use any ingredients you bring with you to prepare meals. You also need the form so that children's programming is aware of the allergies in case your child goes to the buffet, etc. They will try and work with you but the ship is more limited than WDW in what is available. Good luck!---Kathy

 

[ducklite]

I've got multiple food allergies, and had a great time on DCL. Each night when I got to dinner my server would have the items I couldn't have highlighted on the menu. Some were obvious, others weren't so I'm glad that they took the time to check ingredients.

Anne

 

[cathicool]

hi! would you mind telling me what food allergies you have?
i'm glad you had such a positive experience! that makes me think we might really have a chance of doing this!!!!!!! ya-hoo!

cathicool

 

[ducklite]

hi! would you mind telling me what food allergies you have?
i'm glad you had such a positive experience! that makes me think we might really have a chance of doing this!!!!!!! ya-hoo!

cathicool

I am allergic to all tree nuts, peanuts, coconut, and scallops. (Not all seafood, only scallops)

Coconut is a scary allergy as it's milk and oil is a hidden ingredient in soooo many things. I once got hives after eating some rice--who would have thought that coconut milk was added suring the cooking process of rice???

For me, Pluto's was a Godsend, everything was safe.

The soft serve place was a bit scary, I opted for no toppings even though they offered to use a fresh spoon to scoop them on with--too many cross contamination possibilities.

One night nothing "safe" was on the menu that appealed to me, and they gladly brought me some grilled chicken, white rice and broccoli from the kitchen--my very favorite "comfort food" meal, so I was happy as a clam.

The scariest place was the buffet line at lunch. I had a chef at the pasta station tell me there were not nuts in the pesto. Right. And at the midnight dessert buffet I was told that something covered in pralines was safe. Right again.

Bottom line I used a lot of common sense and never felt guilty about hunting down a manager or head chef when in doubt, and none of them ever made me feel bad for doing so.

Anne

 

[cathicool]

hmmm...
my son is allergic to gluten, dairy (casein)-so no cheese, milk or butter, corn, soy, citrus, eggs, beef, lamb, lettuce, quinoa, pear, artifical colors, reservatives and dyes.

so he eats chicken, pork, turkey, veggies (no corn) and fruits (no citrus) and can have starches- potatoes or rice. he doesn't eat seafood as of yet, but has "tried it" and doesn't seem to like it. he drinks rice milk (not rice dream because there's gluten in it) and juice. he eats 99% organic food to avoid contamination.

so basically, he only eats what i give him- weather at school or at a restaurant, etc. we are going to WDW in 2 weeks and they have been helpful trying to make stuff fr him, but the cruise ship is a whole different ball game, I think.

we really want to do the cruise, but if it's not possible.....well, I can accept it.

cathicool

 

[PixieintheCity]

hmmm...
my son is allergic to gluten, dairy (casein)-so no cheese, milk or butter, corn, soy, citrus, eggs, beef, lamb, lettuce, quinoa, pear, artifical colors, reservatives and dyes.

so basically, he only eats what i give him- weather at school or at a restaurant, etc. we are going to WDW in 2 weeks and they have been helpful trying to make stuff fr him, but the cruise ship is a whole different ball game, I think. we really want to do the cruise, but if it's not possible.....well, I can accept it.
cathicool

My son is allergic to gluten, casein, soy, & eggs and we are going on the Western Caribbean Disney Cruise on August 26. We'll be at WDW the week prior to that for five days. I would suggest that you fill out the DCL medical form right away (as I think they like to receive about 2 weeks prior to the sail), and indicate the food allergies. I booked my cruise with a travel agent so that she could help me navigate all of this stuff. She has spoken to DCL on my behalf as well, and they have indicated that I will get a call in the next couple of days in order to talk about the accomodations that they can make for his food restrictions. I feel relatively safe with the sit down dinners, because we can talk to the chef directly if need be. My areas of concern are at the other eateries on the ship. Also, we'd like to do some excursion and when I speak to them I am going to ask them if they are willing to pack an approrirate lunch that we can take with us when we go ashore.

In addition to that, I will be sending a package of food items to the All-Star Sports resort before I travel, so that it will be there when we check in. I am including some of his safe items (like cookies and muffins that I have baked at home and then vaccum sealed with the food saver).

So, before giving up on the idea of the cruise, I really encourage you to talk to them. It seems to me that they could grill some protein, a carbohydrate (potato, rice), and some veggies with minimal seasoning for your child without too much trouble. Good luck!

 

[ducklite]

Carol,

It is illegal to bring food off the ship onto the islands. If you are caught you can be subject to severe fines. You are not operating under US law, ADA doesn't apply once you walk down that gangway. The ship WILL NOT prepare food for you to take ashore.

What you can bring are prepackaged (not homemade) foods--granola bars, cookies, etc. NO fruit (fruit in jello cups is OK, as is applesauce). NO meat. Not even tins of chicken or tuna.

Anne

 

[PixieintheCity]

Anne,

Thanks for the clarification & info. I spoke with a rep from DCL and they told me the same - prepackaged food only, no homemade stuff. I didn't however ask about canned chicken, which I was planning on taking with me, so I guess I have to scratch that one. The DCL rep also explained that I couldn't take any leftover food that I bring on with me once we disembark the ship on the last day.

We've decided to just return to the ship for meals when we go onshore. We'll have breakfast early in the AM, come back for lunch, and then back in for dinner. This is our first cruise, so I don't know how inconvenient that will be, but I guess we will find out soon.

Take care,

 

[ducklite]

What ports are you going to?

Anne

 

[DVCDawn]

My DD7 is allergic to peanuts and DD4 is allergic to tree nuts. We were on the Disney Wonder last year.

I wasn't unhappy with our dining experiences on DCL, but I can't say that I was thrilled either. I guess I was looking for as much special attention as you get in WDW -- preparing special desserts, etc. I didn't find this to be the case on DCL. For example, on the positive side, I felt that they were as cautious as I am about cross-contamination issues. On the negative side, they didn't provide other options. My poor kids had to have a fruit plate for appetizer and dessert at dinner on more than one night. Luckily, they like fruit, but on vacation they were hoping for a little more. On previous trips to WDW and Vero Beach, chefs have made them special "safe" desserts, etc. and they felt special as opposed to different.

I would strongly suggest that you bring plenty of your own (not homemade as previous posters have stated) prepackaged treats, comfort foods, etc. Also, if you find there is something served at lunch or breakfast that you think your child would like for dinner as well, I'd ask if they could have it available in the kitchen at dinner (or vice versa). It can't hurt to ask, right?

One mistake I made was not getting my kids ice cream during the day at Scoops (which was safe for them). If they had eaten an ice cream in the afternoon, they wouldn't have been so put out at dinner by the fruit plate. Also, if you are seated with another family who orders lots of items containing foods your kids are allergic to I would be sure to ask your servers to bring your child's plate out separately to avoid possible cross-contamination plate-to-plate.

I can't give you any advice about eating in the kids clubs. That would have been way out of my comfort zone!

All in all, my kids had a great time and keep asking to go again and, I imagine, we probably will go on another DCL cruise. This time, however, I will be better prepared.

DVCDawn