Cruising with Food Allergies


Pictured: Bruschetta made with GF bread - delicious!

 When you are having to avoid certain foods, cruising can be your best travel option! For those with severe allergies, say to peanuts, where even having them in the air can be dangerous, I'm afraid this isn't the case. But for those who simply need to make sure that gluten or dairy or meat is not in their meal, then this is for you! When you travel regularly, flying somewhere and staying in a hotel, you're having to visit a new restaurant for each meal and try to assess whether their preparations are safe, what menu items are available to you, and how to communicate with the staff. If you are in a place that speaks a different language this can be really tricky!

Pictured: GF Flourless Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Compote (I was so excited to eat it that I took a bite before I remembered to take a picture!)

 On a cruise, you not only unpack once and get to visit lots of places, but you also only have to sort out the dietary situation once. Each cruise line has a different way of approaching dietary requirements. I've tried out three so far. On MSC, I was given a standard menu that had been marked to indicate which items were gluten free, usually one or two options per dinner. On Carnival, you could ask to have modifications made, and sometimes they could. At the chicken shack, I got a grilled chicken breast on a gluten free bun. Not quite the same, but hey, it was chicken! The trick was, the gluten free food came out at a different time than the regular food, so my husband either ate cold food or ate without me. 
 Helping with dietary needs is one of the areas in which Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) shines. As with all cruise lines, they want you to inform them of your dietary needs at least a month before the cruise so they can make sure to have enough substitutions on board for you. You'll want to visit the cruise line's website and learn about their accessible cruising options and the steps they need you to take to inform them of your needs(I'd put a link here but because I'm currently off the coast of Mexico, all of my NCL sites are in Spanish!). 

Pictured: Chef's salad from the Garden Cafe

 At one point in time, I was on a VERY restrictive diet. I couldn't have any sugar, seeds (think grains, rice or nuts), nightshades (think potatoes and peppers), dairy, or eggs. At that point, we were going on a cruise to celebrate our 20th anniversary, our first Panama Canal cruise, aboard the NCL Star. Going to restaurants was totally out for me at that point, but for those two weeks, I got to skip making everything I ate from scratch and truly take a vacation! Here's how: when I got on board, I spoke with the officer in charge of dietary needs. I let her know exactly what I had to avoid, and then she carefully went over the menus for each meal with me for the next day. I would order my food a day ahead so that the special diets kitchen was able to prepare them exactly as I needed. She could make just about any adjustments you could imagine! The only things they can't adjust are items that are brought on board pre-prepared. For example, the mozzarella sticks are frozen and pre-breaded, so they can't do a gluten free version of those. I ate like a queen that cruise! Yes, I missed the things I couldn't have that my husband could, but at least I didn't have to cook them and then not eat them. 

Pictured: My favorite cruise breakfast; a made-to-order omelet with mushrooms, tomato. onion and cheese along with breakfast potatoes and fruit salad

 Thankfully, today my dietary needs are much more straight forward. I am gluten free and I can't have brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts), ginger or beans. Oh yeah, and duck eggs. I'm SUPER allergic to duck eggs. Thankfully, that's not usually an issue. When I come on board though, I only need to tell them I'm gluten free and I can make the other adjustments myself. This means I no longer have to work with the dietary officer, I just talk with the supervisor in the dining room each night to order for the next day. If a menu item comes with a side of one of those things that I can't eat, I ask to have it substituted for something I can. For example, last night broccoli was the side for my meal and I asked to have mushrooms that I saw on another entree instead. If you're picking something they are already preparing for another entree, it's really easy. I also love the fact that they will prepare anything they can for me! The meal comes with pasta? They'll sub in gluten free pasta. The pork chop is breaded? They'll bread it with almond flour for me. The dessert comes with a puff pastry? They just leave that part off. There was a special chocolate mousse dessert that was being made with a cookie layer as part of it. Because I preordered the day before, they were able to make me one without a cookie! I really enjoy getting to have things like gluten free pancakes that I don't typically prepare at home as well.
Pictured: The BEST tableside guacamole @ Los Lobos (and this is coming from the reigning Guacamole Queen of Garden City)

 I'm very blessed that at this point I don't have to worry too much about cross contamination. My body is not that sensitive (I think). Because of that it is pretty easy for me to eat in the buffet as well. They have a gluten free station with different bread products like bagels, waffles, and of course bread. Sometimes they even have English muffins, cookies, or pizza crusts. They have a special toaster there as well that is designated gluten free. If I don't see what I want, I'll often ask and they'll check the back. I got a bunch of cookies a couple of days ago that way and I've been enjoying them in my cabin since. They also have non-dairy milks available. In the buffet, many (but not all) things are labeled as being gluten free, dairy free, nut free, or vegetarian. If you know your allergy well, you can usually navigate the offered items. I always avoid things with breading or gravy, as those typically contain gluten. Of course, I skip on the pasta too, but the buffet on the last several cruises I've taken has a wonderful pho station that serves rice noodles! Even with skipping things, I have dozens of options available to me. It's really a special treat!
Pictured: Chocolate covered strawberries (Yum!)

Here's the thing: Having dietary needs is hard. It makes travel tricky. But with cruising, you can be as safe as possible and still enjoy having someone else cook and clean up! It's one of the big bonuses to cruise travel for us.


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