Tell me I won't feel like a burden, food allergies

[RedmonFamily]

So we are sailing on the magic at the end of January. My parents, myself and my 10 month old daughter. I was already nervous with the baby and my food allergies at dinner( dairy, wheat and egg) but now extended family is coming on the cruise as well. I am very excited to see them, been over a year with covid stuff, but I am worried that my allergies are going to feel like a headache to everyone else. I am imagining that I will need to eat in the main dining most meals and I had read about preordering. Can I eat elsewhere if that is what the family is wanting to do, or am I kinda stuck? I also feel like because I will have the baby, it will be hard for me to break away and eat by myself in the dining room. I guess I am wanting reassurance that I wont feel like I am forcing everyone to eat where they may not want to because we want to hang out together or that I won't feel like I have to be scheduled to eat "here at this time" everyday. Feeling like I am burdening others will make my vacation not that enjoyable. Thanks!

 

[Dug720]

I'm gluten-free and allergic to peanuts and have never felt like a burden.

At Cabanas I've been walked through and shown what is safe with the offer for a clean plate made in the back. I've been able to special order things on the pool deck. I've had no issues in the MDRs. And I've been fine at Palo.

Disney is very used to dealing with allergies.

 

[RedmonFamily]

I'm gluten-free and allergic to peanuts and have never felt like a burden.

At Cabanas I've been walked through and shown what is safe with the offer for a clean plate made in the back. I've been able to special order things on the pool deck. I've had no issues in the MDRs. And I've been fine at Palo.

Disney is very used to dealing with allergies.

Thank you! I have done Disney world many times and felt very comfortable there. I knew less options obviously on a ship, but glad to hear they are flexible and handle it just as well!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

I'm allergic to eggs and citrus (oranges, lemons, etc) and have never felt like a burden to the CMs in the MDR or the lounges/bars. They really want to know your preferences and allergies in order to make your cruise truly magical (and not in the sick bay). Let them know right up front and they will work with you for all your food requirements. From the short-order hamburger cooks to the chefs in Palo and Remy, they will go the extra mile to make you happy. Just speak up, you are not the only one on the ship with allergies.

 

[Dug720]

I would add that I always have my TA note my allergy AND I go to wherever dining changes are happening and verify that it is noted.

It's never NOT been on Disney (it was on RCCL once when I used whatever agency was doing cruises for an airline to get extra miles), but I like taking that extra moment just to check.

 

[DisneyConvert]

Imo, one of the (many) things Disney does really well is handle food allergies.

DW is highly allergic to fish oil, moderately allergic to mushrooms and eggplant, and oh, also keeps kosher (so no pork, shellfish or milk+beef). Wheww.

On both Roy.Caribbean cruises we went on, and many of the smaller boutique-type restaurants we visit, DW ends up ill. Heck it even happened once on DCL . . . but rare. As long as I am careful, I can eat fish at the same table. The servers and dining staff are that good.


We plan her dining, talk to the Head Server the evening before, occasionally the chef. It's the best we can do . . . and a good reason why we are grateful to DCL and keep coming back.

 

[Starwind]

You won't be a burden.

If you do a search for posts by my you will see that I have posted many times about sailing on DCL with food allergies, including extensively about the (pre-covid times) processes involved - pre-ordering, etc.

Make sure you inform DCL ASAP about your allergies/special diet needs if you haven't already. It helps them ensure they have enough specialty foods on board.

I have anaphylaxis allergies to milk, tree nuts, peanut, and seafood (including all fish and shellfish (crustaceans, molluscs, cephalopods, etc)). I also have sensitivities to a number of other foods. We sail exclusively with DCL in part because of how well they handle food allergies, and have 8 cruises with them so far.

Pre-ordering all your meals the night before for the next day makes things easier for the staff and gives you more choices of food options (some things take time to prepare and would not be available if not pre-ordered). However, even if all you do is pre-order the next night's dinner and then "wing it" for your breakfast, lunch and snacks, it is doable.

IME your dining team will tell you where they will be working the next day for breakfast and lunch. This could be an MDE or it could be Cabanas. We often but not always will choose to go where they are - then our head server and/or serving team will take care of us and things will generally go smoother But sometimes we want to do Cabanas when they are in the MDR, and that is ok too ! My last cruises I have pre-ordered breakfast and lunch and I found it a lot easier, but YMMV.

If you decide to wing it and not pre-order a breakfast or lunch or snack and are going to cabanas : **look for a head server**. They wear white shirts. If you can't find one, ask a CM and they will get one for you. You will place your order through the Head Server. They can walk the line with you so you can see the options or you can just have a conversation.

I find it REALLY helpful for such a situation to have a printed "allergy chef card" with me. It can be noisy, and having the printed card helps clearly communicate what my allergies are. I bring enough so that I can give the card to the head server (or chef) and they do not need to bring it back to me. I print mine on the blank side of 4x6 index cards using my ink jet printer.

At the pool deck QS locations you will speak with the CM and tell them you need to place an allergy order; they will get you either a head server or a chef to help you place your order.

NOTE: when placing orders ad hoc this way it can mean you have to wait quite a while. Wait for the head server/chef to be available, then wait for them to safely prepare your order (which they may be able to do at that location, or they may have to go to another kitchen to do). Usually when my sister and I do this, she will have her food and be well done eating before I even get my food. So something to consider if you are dining with others. It is one of the reasons I prefer to pre-order and eat in the MDRs for most meals -- they will time it so our food comes out together. We get used to it and make it work when we do choose to do it, but it is just two of us.

Finally, there is nothing to stop you from getting your meal in the MDR (perhaps a family member or two will join you?) and then join the larger group at a different time for their meal in eg Cabanas and you just get something light and easy there (eg fruit, drink).

Feel free to ask questions !

SW

 

[RedmonFamily]

This is all so helpful thank you!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

This is all so helpful thank you!

Just enjoy your cruise. You will be taken care of by the best.

 

[supergirl04]

You won't be a burden.



Feel free to ask questions !

SW

I am not the OP but thank you for this informative response. This gives me hope to take my son, who has multiple food allergies.

 

[jrabbit]

Just a quick recap and another note:
For dinner's you and your group is assigned a dining rotation
you have a Time, Restaurant, Table and most importantly your Dinning Team for each night (the restaurants will change, your servers will not!).

Your first night at dinner your Server and the Head Server will go over your allergies and help you select your dinner. At the end of dinner, they might go over the next nights menu with you so that you can pre order or think about what you want.

AND they will tell you what restaurant they are working at the next day for Breakfast and/or lunch, so if you go to that location, they will already know your allergies and will help you out there.

BUT each dining room that is open, including Cabanas will be staffed with someone that will be able to go over your dining options.

I do not know how the "Fast Food" places on the pool deck are staffed to handle food allergies, nor the snacks in the Coffee shop

Bottom line: Don't worry (too much) about your allergies and when and where to eat

 

[Starwind]

The quick service/fast food places on the pool deck have will have a Head Server (ie one of the Head Servers that works in the MDRs at dinner) or a chef available,depending on the "station". There will be at least one Head Server working in the area of those places [I don't know if there is more than one, but there is always at least one].

e.g. on the Dream and Fantasy when I order my allergy friendly pizza at the pizza station, the CM working the counter gets me the chef who makes the pizzas fresh right behind them and I talk with that chef to place my order - and the chef is who actually makes the pizza, I can actually watch them preparing the space so it is allergy safe, making it, etc. The chef always brings me the package of the fake cheese they plan to use to have me check the ingredients and give the ok that it is safe for me.

On the Dream and Fantasy for the other stations it has always been a Head Server that the CM gets. The Head Server and I have a conversation about what I want (eg chicken fingers and fries) and my allergies [this is where having a printed "allergy chef card" is very very very very very helpful, because the pool deck is really really loud and it is hard to hear each other!!]. The Head Server is then the one who is in charge of preparing the food - sometimes directly themselves, though it is possible they get a chef to help them too depending on the food items and where they are being prepared. Depending on what you want though, they may not be able to prepare it at that location -- I have had times when they have had to go to the Cabanas kitchen to do my food, then bring it back out to me on the pool deck (think of all the walking.... I offered to just go to Cabanas with them so they did not have to walk so much, but they insisted I stay where I was, that they would bring it to me; needless to say I gave them a written compliment on the comment form). So, be prepared to take a seat and wait.

And since they are making it fresh instead of giving you something that is already made, it will take time. I have had instances where from walking up to the counter until I got my food in hand took nearly an hour. It isn't usually that long, but just as a warning -- it will NOT be "quick" unless you want something like the package of lays potato chips.

To be honest I have never tried any of the food snacks in the coffee shops as that just seemed like a recipe for disaster. They don't have a visible kitchen there, so I **assume** the food is brought to them from somewhere else.

A hint for snacks though: you have a fridge in your stateroom. What we will do is get some extra fruit from Cabanas or the MDR at breakfast and bring it back to the room to have as snacks later. Also, we'll grab some safe items from Cabanas at breakfast and lunch -- they have single serve cereal boxes, single serve yogurt, lays potato chip bags, small milk cartons. Some of those are safe for my allergies, others my sister likes. So we stock up on some things for snacks. And they come in handy if you accidently nap through lunch..... Also, at breakfast in the MDR they will give us / I will ask for allergy friendly donuts. When we have sailed, they have been the Kinnikinnick brand, which are AWESOME ! They also sometimes have little muffins. I bring extras back to my room I have heard of other people being given boxe(s) of Enjoy Life cookies - whcih they definitely have on hand because they are a goto for the desserts they make. I have also heard of people ordering the Enjoy Life cookie boxes from Room Service, though I have never tried that - we plan to on our next cruise.

SW

 

[BruinEd03]

So we are sailing on the magic at the end of January. My parents, myself and my 10 month old daughter. I was already nervous with the baby and my food allergies at dinner( dairy, wheat and egg) but now extended family is coming on the cruise as well. I am very excited to see them, been over a year with covid stuff, but I am worried that my allergies are going to feel like a headache to everyone else. I am imagining that I will need to eat in the main dining most meals and I had read about preordering. Can I eat elsewhere if that is what the family is wanting to do, or am I kinda stuck? I also feel like because I will have the baby, it will be hard for me to break away and eat by myself in the dining room. I guess I am wanting reassurance that I wont feel like I am forcing everyone to eat where they may not want to because we want to hang out together or that I won't feel like I have to be scheduled to eat "here at this time" everyday. Feeling like I am burdening others will make my vacation not that enjoyable. Thanks!

One of the reasons we go on a Disney cruise is because they are so good with allergies. Very accommodating. So much so that it may be difficult for us to try a different cruise line because we've had such positive experiences in this area. They can customize almost anything to make it work. Just make sure you call in ahead of time with your allergies so they can have sufficient provisions for the trip. Heck, they will even let you pre-order food for the next day, or even get an item from a different kitchen if that looks more appealing for you.

When you go off to Castaway Cay, you'll be able to pre order your food and you can get it at one of the Cookies place that they arrange with you ahead of time.

As for top of the deck and quick serve places, it may be more difficult as there are limited options. However, at least some ships have GF pizza.

I wouldn't worry about feeling like a burden.

 

[nancipants]

From a perspective of someone without allergies: I've been to Disney restaurants with several folks who have extensive food intolerances and allergies, and it has never been an issue. So don't worry about being a burden on your family and traveling party. The servers will take care of everything!

Also, one of the best things about cruises is being able to go your separate ways throughout the day but still eat dinner together every night. When we travel with family, we often split up for different activities because there's so much going on throughout the ship. So if you and your husband/baby have breakfast and lunch in the MDRs, the others might be off doing their own thing.

 

[cmph]

I had to chime in and reassure you that your family will likely think you are LESS of a burden than normal! As the wife of someone with celiac and mom of a child who has thankfully outgrown a host of food allergies (of course, none were wheat ha!), finding a restaurant that actually offers decent options to suit dietary restrictions AND is safe when traveling is SO.HARD. How many times have you had to reassure your family that you're ok eating your own food before/after everyone else eats out? Or spent hours trying to identify all the safe options in your vacation destination, then ordering/shopping for groceries b/c restaurants are limited? You have none of those issues on DCL! Honestly, it is so much easier than any other vacation and the least likely place for DH to ever feel like a burden. You will actually be able to eat with everyone, no matter what, if you want. And, it's the one trip where everyone does their own thing for breakfast and lunch, in my experience with extended family (or even just my immediate family), just like the PP above said. Other than lunch on embarkation day (which I recommend the MDR for, instead of the buffet) or debarkation breakfast, I'm not sure I've ever eaten lunch and breakfast with my whole traveling group. I have eaten MDR lunch by myself just b/c i wanted a particular menu item. The dining staff are great with little ones, so I would just have brought my baby with me if that had happened when mine were little. You'll be fine!

 

[Lilsia]

I honestly don't know how what you and the baby eat can possibly affect anybody else. You'll just talk to the waiters and the chefs if they come out, about your food allergies. Just like they would talk to the waiter about their food preferences. It doesn't affect anybody else. And who cares what anybody else thinks anyway.

 

[barbja99]

I want to add a more cautious, and less rosy opinion:

I have a serious gluten allergy that I report and several less serious food allergies (all high FODMAP foods and walnuts) that I self-manage. I've been on several Disney cruises and I do find that going on a Disney cruise is the least stressful way to travel since they do go the extra mile to take care of you. If you like being treated as a queen and being noticed at every culinary turn, then the way that Disney handles allergies is fantastic. However, if you are used to your allergy being accommodated on the DL, you will feel like giant red arrows from the sky are pointed at you and everyone is looking.

I think that Palo and Remy are more discrete about it. Palo brunch used to be very Queeny because a chef had to escort you, but its better now since its menu-based instead of a buffet. They know your allergy -- you pick an item on the (unmarked) menu and it appears to you in the correct form.

Your experience from cruise to cruise could be inconsistent. For instance on one cruise, they brought me creme brulee for every dessert because that's what I wanted (sometimes they brought two just in case). On my last cruise, the server insisted on letting the chef "come up with something great" (ie, giant and beautiful -- for a queen). Does she want ice cream today? I don't care, its beautiful. I ended up wishing I had just brought granola bars to Castaway Cay because of the way that went down: Lets deliver her meal to the cabana, then make everyone else walk down to Cookies 2, 2nd hand buffet it up, then walk back. I will have to listen to that story for the rest of my life.

One thing that is always great that everyone loves: we all get to see the menu for the next night. That is less of an advantage now since the menus for the whole trip are on your phone. However, my sister and niece still liked it because seeing a giant paper menu where you can see everything at once is always better.

As I said before, Disney cruises are my least stressful way to travel. I know that I won't get sick. That is not necessarily true any other way that I travel unless I bring my own food. Depending on where we are, we can spend hours hunting down appropriate GF restaurant food (my take to everyone in my group: if you'll eat salad, so will I -- next restaurant then!)

 

[RedmonFamily]

This is all amazing information!! Thank you everyone for taking the time to write all of this for me!!

 

[Dug720]

I'll just add, if you feel like the servers are over the top, TELL THEM. They want to please you - but they can't know you don't want all that if you don't speak up and say something. They are wonderful and magical, but they are NOT mind readers.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

On one of our cruises, we were (randomly) seated with someone that had a food allergy noted. We did notice that his meal was always brought out by the head server, who would review and confirm that it contained no allergens. His food also usually came out with a red cover, instead of the silver covers that everyone else's food had when stacked on the trays to be carried from the kitchens.