KashasMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2012
I read this on another forum and wanted to share in case anyone had any concerns:
We were on the Royal Caribbean (Mariner) sailing and I wanted to share our experience in hopes that it will help those first time cruisers that suffer from food allergies.
My daughter is anaphylactic to eggs, milk, and has Celiac Disease (no gluten, wheat, oats, barley, or rye). I was was SO nervous about her food options. I packed every possible prepackaged snack that I could think off (cereal, popcorn, cookies, chips, bread, peanut butter). We did NOT have to dig into our stash at all.
Although our reservation was noted 60 days prior, I could not get an answer about what her options would be. Those that sailed in the past kept telling me “Royal will accommodate”.
I am here to say that they did more than accommodate, they went above and beyond. My daughter also suffers from anxiety and is used to being able to read the labels and advocate for herself (she just turned 13 yesterday).
We met several head chefs 2-3 times a day who took the time to meet with us and plan her meals accordingly. It did not matter if we ate in MDR or the Windjammer. We missed lunch on day 2 due to an activity that ran over, they made her a meal and room service delivered it free of charge!
They brought her food packages so that she could feel confident and not worry about the possibility of a mistake. She was beyond spoiled. I thought she would have to eat cereal for breakfast 4 days in a row but they made her pancakes, French toast with caramelized banana, bacon from scratch (not taken off the buffet), sausage, fresh fruits, oven roasted breakfast potatoes.
I even packed peanut butter and her bread thinking there would be no options for lunch. Well, she ate like a queen. They prepared her chicken tacos on corn tortillas, gluten free fries, hamburger with a dairy/egg and gluten free bun, pasta with sauce, hot dogs.
Dinners were amazing as well. She had chicken parmigiana (cheese-less) with gluten free spaghetti/noodles, homemade sauce, roasted chicken, baked potatoes, garlic bread, NY strip, salad with balsamic vinaigrette and more.
Being that she is a kid, I did not want her to feel left out when it came to desserts. Our 11 year old son can eat anything and there were definitely a million sweets for him to try. The chefs came up with amazing dairy, egg, gluten free sweets for her, she was SO thrilled!
They prepared a chocolate pudding with bananas (made from sesame, peanuts and some sort of bean) she licked the bowl (picture below to prove it)! They made coconut gelato, strawberry mouse, lemon tart, blueberry cobbler.
On Coco Cay everyone was enjoying ice cream, cookies and brownies. It was super hot and I was hoping she could enjoy something refreshing besides water. One of the chefs had soy milk delivered from the ship and they added strawberry purée, so she could enjoy a refreshing milkshake!
I am beyond impressed with the accommodations. I have to give kudos to Savio (head waiter) in the main dining room, Tamil, Kay, Tameka and Arrazu (all chefs throughout the ship).
We were on the Royal Caribbean (Mariner) sailing and I wanted to share our experience in hopes that it will help those first time cruisers that suffer from food allergies.
My daughter is anaphylactic to eggs, milk, and has Celiac Disease (no gluten, wheat, oats, barley, or rye). I was was SO nervous about her food options. I packed every possible prepackaged snack that I could think off (cereal, popcorn, cookies, chips, bread, peanut butter). We did NOT have to dig into our stash at all.
Although our reservation was noted 60 days prior, I could not get an answer about what her options would be. Those that sailed in the past kept telling me “Royal will accommodate”.
I am here to say that they did more than accommodate, they went above and beyond. My daughter also suffers from anxiety and is used to being able to read the labels and advocate for herself (she just turned 13 yesterday).
We met several head chefs 2-3 times a day who took the time to meet with us and plan her meals accordingly. It did not matter if we ate in MDR or the Windjammer. We missed lunch on day 2 due to an activity that ran over, they made her a meal and room service delivered it free of charge!
They brought her food packages so that she could feel confident and not worry about the possibility of a mistake. She was beyond spoiled. I thought she would have to eat cereal for breakfast 4 days in a row but they made her pancakes, French toast with caramelized banana, bacon from scratch (not taken off the buffet), sausage, fresh fruits, oven roasted breakfast potatoes.
I even packed peanut butter and her bread thinking there would be no options for lunch. Well, she ate like a queen. They prepared her chicken tacos on corn tortillas, gluten free fries, hamburger with a dairy/egg and gluten free bun, pasta with sauce, hot dogs.
Dinners were amazing as well. She had chicken parmigiana (cheese-less) with gluten free spaghetti/noodles, homemade sauce, roasted chicken, baked potatoes, garlic bread, NY strip, salad with balsamic vinaigrette and more.
Being that she is a kid, I did not want her to feel left out when it came to desserts. Our 11 year old son can eat anything and there were definitely a million sweets for him to try. The chefs came up with amazing dairy, egg, gluten free sweets for her, she was SO thrilled!
They prepared a chocolate pudding with bananas (made from sesame, peanuts and some sort of bean) she licked the bowl (picture below to prove it)! They made coconut gelato, strawberry mouse, lemon tart, blueberry cobbler.
On Coco Cay everyone was enjoying ice cream, cookies and brownies. It was super hot and I was hoping she could enjoy something refreshing besides water. One of the chefs had soy milk delivered from the ship and they added strawberry purée, so she could enjoy a refreshing milkshake!
I am beyond impressed with the accommodations. I have to give kudos to Savio (head waiter) in the main dining room, Tamil, Kay, Tameka and Arrazu (all chefs throughout the ship).