RCL and food allergies/etc.

[nancy drew]

I am really glad to see this Royal Caribbean forum here on Disboards!!! We are going on our first (and probably last, due to cost) Disney cruise in March/April, and if we like cruising I could see us doing this more often on other lines. I have been eyeing RCL as a backup for DCL, due to the price and the HUGE variety of ports and ship sizes. Seems like we can go anywhere and probably be happy. But we have some food needs that can be a bit tricky.

DD has food allergies to shellfish, tree nuts, and coconut.

I am vegan and gluten-free, and while I have not been tested for allergies, if I ingest dairy/egg/gluten, I feel ill. So I treat it as an allergy, though I have not been officially tested and confirmed. And I do not "relax" my dietary restrictions, they are firmly set.

So I know RCL has many ships, and each has its own dining room, chefs, servers, etc. But I would love to hear about others' experiences on RCL with dining restrictions.

How were the main dining rooms? How about the surcharge restaurants? Did they seem to understand food allergies/intolerances? I have been to so many restaurants, even at Disney where they supposedly are aware, where they don't know what "vegan" means and don't understand what gluten is, or they don't know what tree nuts are.

Share your experience!!!

 

[sunrise717]

Also have treenut allergies and would like to know other cruiser opinions on this ...our first cruise is in April on the magic but ^ is correct they are just so expensive not sure we can do them yearly or even every other.. Thanks

 

[CoP Luv]

DH has a lot of allergies and we find cruising to be the best way for us to travel! We have never sailed RCCL, but have done Celebrity and Carnival. Both lines were great with accommodating the food restrictions. We always went to the main dining room on embarkation day and spoke with the maitre'd. He noted our table assignment and had the assistant maitre d visit us when we arrived for dinner that night. The first nights' dinners were pretty standard for DH (usually steak and grilled veggies), but after that, he would get the menu for the next night and pre-order his food along with any special instructions on how it should be prepared. He never got sick from incorrect prep! Lunches and snacks were a little harder for him since he is allergic to so much, but he could always have salad, fruit, eggs, and burgers. We pack our bags with as many snacks as possible so that he will always have something to eat even if he cannot find something onboard. The wait staff of both lines were fabulous...I think they take food allergies pretty seriously, and want to make sure there are no problems. The menus were so diverse that DH felt like he was able to try everything he wanted (unlike land vacations where many restaurants all he would be able to eat is meat and veggies...gets old after awhile)

Eta: dh is allergic to lactose, sugar, gluten, starch, soy but I promise you he does not go hungry on cruises. You can usually google certain menus for cruises...we were able to plan a lot before the trip too!

 

[Donut23]

I suggest you call Royal to discuss your personal requirements. They can reassure you and make the appropriate notations to your reservation.

We had a delightful Mother and 3 grown daughters join our table years ago. Mom required a gluten free diet.

Each evening a special menu, including dessert menu was brought to her for the following night. She made her choices and was able to enjoy a varied menu selection. She assured us it was fabulous.

They were delightful to her.

Royal does have Spa selections each evening and their sugar free desserts are yummy (diabetic here).

At my request, they made a sugar-free cheesecake for our wedding cake when we were married on the Radiance. Only bad thing, I had to share it. ;-(

 

[woody73]

. . . I would love to hear about others' experiences on RCL with dining restrictions.

We have been very pleased with RCI's handling of dietary restrictions.

Have RCI or your TA note your dietary requirements on your reservation. Then, once onboard, speak with the maitre 'd.

I found they will do their best to accommodate you on the first night, then every night will give you the next's night menu to order in advance. Again, we were very pleased.

As for breakfast and lunch, because there are various places to eat and no set seating assignment, you have to inform your server. He or she will do their best to accommodate you -- just like on DCL.

Woody