How Long Does Brunch Take?

[stulaurie]

My husband and I are planning to go to Brunch when we are on the 7 night Eastern. We will put our 2 childeren ages 5 and 6 into the club. My son has many life threatning food allergies, so I will have to pick him up before they head out for lunch. (I know that I could send him with the Club, but I just would not enjoy myself even though I know that he would probably be fine) Looking at the navigators, the first sea day I would have until 12:00., and the second until 11:00 and the third sea day I would have until 11:15 to pick him up. We really did not want to have Brunch on the first sea day. I have it in my head that if we do have rough seas, that would be the worst of the three days at sea. Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[Lynderella]

A group of 6 had brunch and we left Palo's just under the 2 hour mark. That included dessert and coffee. It is a buffett brunch, so you can do it about as quickly or slowly as you wish.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Just curious about what your plan is regarding feeding your son on the cruise with his food allergies. Will you pull him out of the club to eat in the dining room? My son also has life-threatening food allergies and I have been sent a medical clearance form for his doctor to fill out. I have also requested specific types of food (i.e., rice or soy milk, gluten-free pasta) for him. I will be bringing his snacks on the ship (as I always do wherever we go on vacation) and anything else that I think the ship will not be able to provide.

 

[jrabbit]

I would count on a minimum of 1 1/2 hours. On our first brunch, we had plans and couldn't take any more time and we felt rushed. Again for us two hours seems to just a little to long. I know it's only 30 minutes between 1.5 and 2 hours but we are done sometime in that time frame.

 

[stulaurie]

Hi DeeCeeSW,

Food Allergies, not fun is it. We have been trying to fax over the medical form, but my son keeps developing new allergies and has to be re-tested again. My son had no food allergies until he was 6 years old, and now he is up to 6 life threatning allergies in a five month period. I hear that disney is really great with dealing with this. We are going to eat mostly in the dining room. I'm not sure if we are going to take him to the buffets or not yet. All of this is still really new for us. We probably will bring on some safe snack for him.

 

[pclaire]

My daughter, now age 6, has tree nut allergies. she wasn't diagnosed until a few months ago. so scary. At least she's fine with peanuts, which are everywhere, and she's old enough to tell waiters, etc. what she's allergic to. What do you plan on doing with your epi-pen during the cruise? will the kids club counselors keep it in case there's some accidental food exposure? will you always have it with you? I'm sure this must be a hard ttime for you if new allergies keep popping up. hang in there

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Yes, food allergies are tough. I've been dealing with them ever since my DS had a severe reaction to Barley cereal at 6 months old and it all went downhill from there. We had him tested two years in a row and found he was allergic to barley, wheat, egg (yolks and whites) and peanuts.

He's now 4, and in the last two months has developed a MILK allergy. After all these years of milk-based products, I cannot believe this is happening. We have now switched to rice and soy. He drinks rice milk, eats soy yogurt, rice crackers, gluten-free waffles, etc.

He will be tested again next week, and I would not be surprised if they tell me to cut out the soy as well. He is not classified as having Celiac Disease as he is not allergic to oats, but I keep him on a strict, gluten free diet. Thank goodness for health food stores and the wide variety of products out there for children like ours. If you have questions about products, etc., please feel free to PM me!

I would stay away from the buffets, only having food brought to you from the back, so that you can avoid cross-contamination. Disney is EXCELLENT in terms of dealing with food allergies; when we go to the parks they are always accomodating, so I'm sure the cruise will be no different.

pclaire--we have to carry an EpiPen Jr., I always have one with me wherever I go and one for Ds's preschool. I guess I will be bringing an extra one on board for the counselors at the Oceaneer Club to have on hand as well. I have a feeling that the medical staff wil have them on board as well.