Gluten free treats......

[sunshineNJ]

It's great to hear about all the gluten free options!! I am concerned about our Atlantis excursion. Does anyone know if there are any glunten free options there? What about Castaway Cay? Thanks

 

[postalchick71]

I want to do that for my DD. She is turning 11 on our upcoming cruise. Now, I need to find out how to order it.

They talked to the head server the 1st night, and his birthday was 2 days later.

 

[jmarsh]

It's great to hear about all the gluten free options!! I am concerned about our Atlantis excursion. Does anyone know if there are any glunten free options there? What about Castaway Cay? Thanks

Castaway Cay yes they have gluten free not sure about Atlantis

 

[Wonder2008]

When we sailed on the Wonder in 2009, we pre-ordered our Castaway Cay lunch during dinner the night before. I was actually sort of disappointed we did this. Our meals were just fine, they came exactly as we ordered them, but we were too filled to enjoy what was on the Cookie's BBQ buffet. We sailed on the Dream in May 2011 and did not pre-order for Castaway Cay. All I did was ask a chef what was gluten-free. He pointed to this, this, this, and so on, definitely more options than I expected and it was all very good! If cross-contamination is a potential problem, I'm sure they can bring whatever from the back.

A few pages back it was suggested to order your first night dinner as soon as you board the ship. This is a fantastic idea and I wish I had thought to do that sooner! I know to stop by the place where you can change your dining rotation (D Lounge on Dream), but I never thought to ask about that night's dinner!

Has anyone had GF pizza from the quick-service areas at the pools on the Dream? What about all those GF breakfast items that were mentioned (donuts, muffins, etc)? I've always wanted pancakes and waffles in the ship's buffet breakfast (Cabanas), but never knew who to ask. Can I order these through the head server the night before? We had a sit-down breakfast at Royal Palace, but for whatever reason it was very slow.

How do you go about finding a manager or head server on the pool deck?

Any information would be enormously appreciated!

Robert

 

[Denine]

They talked to the head server the 1st night, and his birthday was 2 days later.

Thank you!

 

[Denine]

We were also wondering how you tell them at Topsiders that you need to eat GF. Do you just talk to the person handing out the trays?

 

[jmarsh]

We were also wondering how you tell them at Topsiders that you need to eat GF. Do you just talk to the person handing out the trays?

Tell someone your gluten free and you need to speak with the chef. The chef will walk you through telling you what you can and cannot have

 

[Denine]

Tell someone your gluten free and you need to speak with the chef. The chef will walk you through telling you what you can and cannot have

Thanks! Cruising GF is going to be a whole new experience.

 

[jmarsh]

Thanks! Cruising GF is going to be a whole new experience.

I was on the Dream May 2nd and it was such a stress free experience. I loved every aspect of it

 

[Candy Apple]

Tell someone your gluten free and you need to speak with the chef. The chef will walk you through telling you what you can and cannot have

And, if you are concerned about cross-contamination, the chef will bring you freshly prepared items from the kitchen. I have seen many instances of cross-contamination where people use the same pair of tongs to pick up different items.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Has anyone had GF pizza from the quick-service areas at the pools on the Dream? What about all those GF breakfast items that were mentioned (donuts, muffins, etc)? I've always wanted pancakes and waffles in the ship's buffet breakfast (Cabanas), but never knew who to ask. Can I order these through the head server the night before? We had a sit-down breakfast at Royal Palace, but for whatever reason it was very slow.

How do you go about finding a manager or head server on the pool deck?

Any information would be enormously appreciated!

Robert

I had the GF pizza on the Fantasy and I was disappointed - it was basically a frozen GF Pizza. Not that great, but not horrible. The only time I had something truly bad that was GF on DCl was on our last day on the Wonder - the pancakes at breakfast were inedible. I think they must have messed up the batter that day. Everything else has been really good (and I have had good GF pancakes before too).

I posted earlier and I will say it again - the GF rolls/bread with dinner, if cold, are not very good. But at Remy they sliced and toasted it for me and it was very good like that. I think that if I had asked my MDR servers to toast it they would have, but I didn't want to slow down the service for everyone else and there was so much other food to eat (and that was healthier than the bread) that I didn't ask.

How long does it take them to get you the pizza after you order it?

I definitely had to wait - IIRC it was 10-15 minutes. But this was during a very busy time. I got it at Flo's.

 

[DVCisME]

And, if you are concerned about cross-contamination, the chef will bring you freshly prepared items from the kitchen. I have seen many instances of cross-contamination where people use the same pair of tongs to pick up different items.

I always ask for stuff from the back because you just never know. I especially request the butter and syrup kind of stuff because most times those items are overlooked as possible contamination.

 

[Denine]

I always ask for stuff from the back because you just never know. I especially request the butter and syrup kind of stuff because most times those items are overlooked as possible contamination.

At buffets, if there is a universal bowl of butter, I ask for it from the back.

I always imagine people sticking spoon and tongs into everything unless there is nothing with gluten anywhere near the item DD wants.

 

[Futurist]

I had the GF pizza on the Fantasy and I was disappointed - it was basically a frozen GF Pizza. Not that great, but not horrible. The only time I had something truly bad that was GF on DCl was on our last day on the Wonder - the pancakes at breakfast were inedible. I think they must have messed up the batter that day. Everything else has been really good (and I have had good GF pancakes before too).

I posted earlier and I will say it again - the GF rolls/bread with dinner, if cold, are not very good. But at Remy they sliced and toasted it for me and it was very good like that. I think that if I had asked my MDR servers to toast it they would have, but I didn't want to slow down the service for everyone else and there was so much other food to eat (and that was healthier than the bread) that I didn't ask.



I definitely had to wait - IIRC it was 10-15 minutes. But this was during a very busy time. I got it at Flo's.

I'm a celiac, and I concur with all of your points. You can order GF pizza, but it's definitely standard frozen GF pizza, which typically means the crust is soggy and too thick. You can order it from room service as well as the deck restaurants, but you will have to wait while they cook it – typically 10-15 minutes. If you're not in a hurry, and ask them to make sure the crust is done, it's slightly better, but it is what it is.

If you go to any of the buffet restaurants, (Topsiders, Beach Blanket, Parrot Cayetc.) just ask any server. Tell them you have food allergies, and need to speak to a chef. One will come out from the back and walk you through the line. Make sure you listen carefully to what they say – they can make mistakes. Once I asked about a salad dressing, and found it was made with malt vinegar. He had told me it was fine, until I mentioned that, and then he
corrected himself. They do their best, and it's mostly really good, but you still need to pay attention.

As for the bread and rolls, it really depends on where they re-provision. When we did a Transatlantic on the Magic out of Barcelona, the bread was really good – until they ran out of it. Other places, it's distinctly so-so. If you're going on the cruise for the bread and rolls, you will probably be disappointed.

As for the pancakes, cakes, and other desserts, I don't eat much of these, so can't tell you much. Waffles are generally Van's frozen waffles.

So, my advice is: manage your expectations, don't hesitate to talk to the servers, ask for a chef as necessary, order ahead, and, most of all, have fun. You can get better GF bread on shore, most likely, but don't let it detract from your cruise!

Hope this helps,
Richard

 

[Chiasgirl]

I just wanted to post a friendly reminder to let DCL know in advance that you are GF. This way they have an idea of how much GF food to stock on a cruise. When we sailed Alaska on the May 27th cruise, they ran out of several GF options mid-cruise. My son was very disappointed when they no longer had waffles, pizza and chicken fingers. (The pancakes were not very good; I'm not surprised they had those still available on the last day!).
Fortunately, they did have lots of kinnikinnick donuts on board!