Gluten free dairy free

[mkh531]

We will be traveling on the Dream with my MIL who is gluten free, dairy free (no severe allergy just a preference). Since our reservations are linked I was able to sign her up for lactose free meal but they didn't show a gluten free option. I don't want every meal to be a long discussion about what she can and cannot eat like our last trip to WDW. Each meal took twice as long as it should have due to back and forth with kitchen. Does she order in advance? If so how does she do this? I'm being asked tons of questions so the more detailed answers I can get, the better! Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We will be traveling on the Dream with my MIL who is gluten free, dairy free (no severe allergy just a preference). Since our reservations are linked I was able to sign her up for lactose free meal but they didn't show a gluten free option. I don't want every meal to be a long discussion about what she can and cannot eat like our last trip to WDW. Each meal took twice as long as it should have due to back and forth with kitchen. Does she order in advance? If so how does she do this? I'm being asked tons of questions so the more detailed answers I can get, the better! Thanks!

Typically, you'll meet your head server and discuss this the first night. Then, nightly, she'll receive the menu for the next night and can make her choices (with the servers help) for those things that will accommodate her preferences.

 

[Dug720]

We will be traveling on the Dream with my MIL who is gluten free, dairy free (no severe allergy just a preference). Since our reservations are linked I was able to sign her up for lactose free meal but they didn't show a gluten free option. I don't want every meal to be a long discussion about what she can and cannot eat like our last trip to WDW. Each meal took twice as long as it should have due to back and forth with kitchen. Does she order in advance? If so how does she do this? I'm being asked tons of questions so the more detailed answers I can get, the better! Thanks!

Please call in advance and have gluten-free noted on the reservation so that they can ensure they stock enough for all who are gluten-free. I have been on a ship (not Disney) where they began to run out of GF bread and some other things because more people were on board who were GF than who had notified them (fortunately we had an overnight in a port where that line sometimes embarked ships so they were able to restock). Even on Disney in February they ran out of GF donuts on a 4-night.

Just like with lactose free, she will be given a menu for the next night around the time of desserts and order her meal with either your server or the section's head server. The only night things are pretty much as-is or might take longer is the first night. If you know you're going to be eating in the MDR for breakfast and/or lunch, you can pre-order that as well. Cabanas they can walk you through and show you what's safe and make up a plate in the back if she's more comfortable doing that - takes a little longer, but you know the food is fresh.

 

[mkh531]

Thank you so much! This is so helpful!

 

[Dug720]

Thank you so much! This is so helpful!

Sure thing. I've been gluten-free for just over a year and have done 4 cruises since removing it from my diet (I do have an intolerance that shows up in my lungs/air flow) - 2 on fathom which were mediocre in terms of handling it, 1 on RCCL which was great (other than not enough people notifying them about their GF status so they ran out of the good bread), and on on DCL which was a fantastic experience all around (FYI you CAN get GF chocolate soufflé (or amaretto soufflé) in Palo at dinner and they CAN do GF chicken parmigiana and GF flatbreads at brunch). I have ZERO qualms about cruising DCL with my gluten-free status. (Actually very few if any about cruising RCCL. Depending on what happens with fathom 2.0 I would consider them again, but I would ask very specific questions about how they're going to handle it depending on what ship they are using (it was the Adonia which was a P&O ship...I will NOT sail P&O as the food service crew was all P&O and still operating under their auspices)

The servers aim to please on DCL. The only time there would be any need for a discussion at the meal other than the first night or in Cabanas for breakfast and lunch would be if for some reason they had to make a change to the menu (not super common on DCL - it did happen a time or two on RCCL but options were pretty easily found).

 

[kathi]

My friend has Celiac and sailed with us on the Magic a few years ago. She gets severely sick when she has gluten and she had absolutely no problem with any of her meals. DCL did a great job of communicating with her.

 

[cmph]

We used to have to fax or scan a form in, but they have one on-line now on the dcl site!! https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/special-services-information-form/

If you scroll down, allergies are last. Definitely fill this out in advance if she's serious about avoiding gluten and dairy.

I'm not sure if they are rolling out gf and df notations on all the ships' menus or if the Wonder started the ball rolling after her dry dock and we got lucky? But both were labeled on all menus on the app and the actual printed ones. DH (has celiac) was happy with the gf-labeled items on the menus, didn't ask for anything special except in regards to dessert. There were 2 nights he had off-menu desserts - one night he just didn't like the sound of whatever the sole gf thing was and got fruit instead, and another night nothing was listed as gf so our server got him something special from elsewhere. With the labels right there on the menu, it was super easy - no need to ask if something that sounds like it's gf really is! He had good experiences on the pool deck with burgers too - a manager prepped his food, and they took down his name and stateroom number for tracking purposes, I guess. He made a quick buddy in Cabanas too, who helped him at breakfast and lunch.

I agree it's weird that they have the lactose part on there. I filled that out for myself and ended up regretting it, tbh. It's not an allergy, and I can just take a lactaid, but the servers sort of freaked out when I ordered dairy. I tried to explain that I only submitted that info so that someone would know to notify me if I had ordered a dairy-containing item (when it wasn't obvious) so I could take a pill... but the language barrier didn't help me get my point across to our assistant server. It was totally pointless since they had the df labels on the menus anyway, so I knew exactly when I had to take a pill. So if she really doesn't have a medical need but just a preference and cross-contamination is a non-issue... it's kind of overkill to submit the form when the menus are marked. The exception is obviously going to be if she wants gf buns or doesn't like the standard menu items, so it depends on what she typically eats. DH didn't eat/wouldn't want gf donuts or pastas - he had naturally gf proteins and fruits for breakfast and lunch. The burger buns were the only thing he had that wasn't something already being offered off the standard menu or buffet line. I know plenty of gf people want their carbs though!

 

[rcchello]

If someone is allergic to proteins in dairy a lactose-free diet is not safe.

Taken from the Lactaid website:

What is lactose-free vs. dairy-free?
If you’re overwhelmed by all the options in the milk aisle, you’re in good company. We’ll help you sort out what the terms mean and how to decide what to drink.

The main difference is that lactose-free products are made from real dairy, while dairy-free products contain no dairy at all. Dairy-free products are made from plants, such as nuts or grains. Neither lactose-free products nor dairy-free products contain lactose.

For example: Lactose-free products include LACTAID® milk and LACTAID® ice cream.

Dairy-free products include soy milk, almond milk, and coconut milk.

 

[SirDuff]

We will be traveling on the Dream with my MIL who is gluten free, dairy free (no severe allergy just a preference). Since our reservations are linked I was able to sign her up for lactose free meal but they didn't show a gluten free option. I don't want every meal to be a long discussion about what she can and cannot eat like our last trip to WDW. Each meal took twice as long as it should have due to back and forth with kitchen. Does she order in advance? If so how does she do this? I'm being asked tons of questions so the more detailed answers I can get, the better! Thanks!

Is she dairy free or lactose free? They are NOT the same thing. I'm allergic to dairy (specifically the proteins in cow's milk) and there are many lactose free products that I cannot eat. So, indicating "lactose free" doesn't cover it if she is actually avoiding all dairy.

ETA - Dairy-free products are lactose free, just doesn't work the other way around.

 

[mkh531]

Thanks, it's just lactose intolerance. She can take a lactaid, and eats lactaid items, but would rather just avoid lactose. Same with gluten...not a severe allergy, just feels better when she doesn't have it. Also she can't have black or white pepper which is the hardest thing to avoid, since that is on literally everything. Oh and she doesn't eat Red meat. Or much seafood.

 

[Dug720]

Thanks, it's just lactose intolerance. She can take a lactaid, and eats lactaid items, but would rather just avoid lactose. Same with gluten...not a severe allergy, just feels better when she doesn't have it. Also she can't have black or white pepper which is the hardest thing to avoid, since that is on literally everything. Oh and she doesn't eat Red meat. Or much seafood.

DEFINITELY let them know about the pepper if she absolutely cannot have it. Not letting them know that in advance will most definitely cause many delays or severely limit what she can have. By letting them know, she will definitely be given the menu in advance to order so that her meals can be prepared without it.

 

[lorenni]

We used to have to fax or scan a form in, but they have one on-line now on the dcl site!! https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/special-services-information-form/

If you scroll down, allergies are last. Definitely fill this out in advance if she's serious about avoiding gluten and dairy.

Thanks for posting this link. I had searched the DCL website and couldn't find it!

 

[mkh531]

We used to have to fax or scan a form in, but they have one on-line now on the dcl site!! https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/special-services-information-form/

If you scroll down, allergies are last. Definitely fill this out in advance if she's serious about avoiding gluten and dairy.

I just sent this to her, thank you so much! This should be enormously helpful, assuming it gets filled out!

 

[mkh531]

Thank you so much everyone for your responses!! Enormously helpful!! Have a magical day

 

[Dug720]

I just sent this to her, thank you so much! This should be enormously helpful, assuming it gets filled out!

Thank you so much everyone for your responses!! Enormously helpful!! Have a magical day

You're welcome!!

Definitely encourage her to fill it out ASAP - tell her that doing so will prevent a lot of the long, drawn-out meal frustration she had at the parks because if they know in advance they can be better prepared to make her meals a smooth and allergen-free experience.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Just want to add a couple things from my wife's own experience with dairy/gluten free on the Fantasy.

First thing the servers will ask you that first night if this is a personal preference or if it is a severe allergy. They will accommodate you either way, but if you say it is a severe Allergy, they will go the extra mile to make sure you don't make any unsafe choices. If you say it is just a preference or a sensitivity (as I think you say it is, and as it is for my wife) they will still help you avoid it, but if you want to make a choice that has a little chance of exposure, they will allow it if you ask for it.

Second thing is, they won't make you feel bad or like you are being a burden, quite the opposite, they will make you feel SPECIAL (in a good way). They made it clear that these sorts of requests are no problem and that they are pleased to do it.

Third thing, as said above, you will order the night before for that person. At some point during the meal they will bring you the next day's menu, but if you have the Nav Ap on your phone, you can look up the next days menu earlier in the meal and write down your choices. My wife started doing this about half way through our trip. She found it more convenient, and saved us time when we wanted to get going at the end of the meal.

Last thing, if your DW is going GF and DF as mine did, it will rule out ALMOST ALL desserts that they have. My wife likes fruit, and so the first night she had whatever fruit they had on hand as a dessert. After that they had her name any fruit (or combination) that they had on the ship (they could list them for her too). Each night she would pick one or two for the next night and that night, they would bring a big portion (cut up), enough for the whole table to enjoy. So this made her feel good too.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So if she really doesn't have a medical need but just a preference and cross-contamination is a non-issue... it's kind of overkill to submit the form when the menus are marked.

But, as noted, it's a good idea to let DCL know this information, so they will have enough supplies onboard to accommodate all the guests who want it.

 

[cmph]

Thanks for posting this link. I had searched the DCL website and couldn't find it!

I was actually trying to pull up the old form you had to fax in, but the link didn't work, and then I found that. OMG, SO much easier!! I couldn't for the life of me scan and email the old form in, no matter what I did; kept having CMs write back to tell me it was still too big. And fax machines are not as common as they used to be. DH had to hunt one down at work, and he works in a big company! Glad I'm not the only one thrilled to be able to submit online now!

 

[cmph]

Thanks, it's just lactose intolerance. She can take a lactaid, and eats lactaid items, but would rather just avoid lactose. Same with gluten...not a severe allergy, just feels better when she doesn't have it. Also she can't have black or white pepper which is the hardest thing to avoid, since that is on literally everything. Oh and she doesn't eat Red meat. Or much seafood.

It sounds like the pepper is the only true allergy, but you only need one for them to prep your food in a special area. So if she fills out the form for that anyway - which she definitely needs to do! do it for her if she doesn't! - I (personally) think she really should just add glutens and dairy to it even if they're not true allergies. I know the form might give her pause b/c of the way it words the severe allergy bit. But she's going to be avoiding them anyway, and it'll be super confusing to the servers if she has one true allergy noted but then arrives the first night and says she also can't have gluten or dairy. I wouldn't bother noting anything about the meat/seafood, though, b/c there will always be poultry and vegetarian options, so she can take care of those preferences simply by pre-ordering.

 

[mkh531]

Oh the pepper isn't a true allergy either, but given the other issues we treat it as one as well. I will definitely be Sending in the form for her if she doesn't do it herself! You all are the best thank you so much!