newbies here!

[kristycarrillo]

hi all me an my fiancé just booked a cruise for this summer on the navigator of the seas. hes pretty normal  me on the other hand have reactive hypoglycemia so what i eat matters. any where i can find nutrition info?  i can never eat anything with any type of sugar and im so embarrassed and anxious to be asking people on the ship especially if they have more important things to tend to.  

im just so nervous about it already !!

 

also how does the dining on a cruise work? do we have to pay everytime we eat? lol are the lines usually super long? is the wait long too?

[arebee]

I don't know about finding info on nutrition, sometimes things will say stuff like sugar free or what ever.  Don't worry about asking, you aren't the first.  I promise.  The workers are usually very good at helping.  If they don't know they will find out.

There are several venues that are free to eat, biggest is the wind jammer.  Only the specialty dining cost like Chops.  Some will have lines like the Cafe promenade but the wind jammer is just crowded.  If you like to eat at traditional times you will be with hundreds of your closest friends.  We always try to go early or late just to avoid crowds.   

Don't worry about the cruise, it will become second nature by the second day.

[JennyB]

If you are doing the Main Dining Room or My Time Dining in the dining room, make sure you send an email to rcldining@rccl.com and let then know ahead of time what your diet needs are.  Other than that, don't be afraid to let crew members know what you need or ask for suggestions.  There are probably dozens and dozens of people on each cruise who have some sort of special dietary needs/restrictions.  You won't be the only one.  AND they will be more than happy to help you.

There are several dining venues on the Navigator that are "free" or actually, included in your cruise fare.  The Dining Room, El Loco Fresh, Cafe Promenade, The Windjammer. 

Personally, we will only do the "free" dining on our Navigator cruise in July.  The Windjammer can be busy at popular dining times.  You can go early or later to avoid lines, or opt for the Main Dining Room to be seated at a table and waited on.  It's totally up to you.

[JLMoran]

Hi there @kristycarrillo, welcome to the forums!

I'm also hypoglycemic and been dealing with it for over 20 years. I've learned all the signs of having made a mistake with something and getting an "attack" (or as I call it, descending into ANGRY STUPID OGRE mode). I see you said that you can't have anything at all with sugar in it; is that just based on typical desserts in restaurants or snacks in vending machines, or have you also tried items marked as "lower sugar" or "reduced sugar" and also had bad results? Is a single semi-sweet dessert OK as long as you had a full meal beforehand, or will truly any amount of sugar intake send you spinning down into trouble?

I personally have found after two cruises that most, if not all, of the desserts on board tend to be not particularly sweet / sugary, even things like the fleet-wide "Royal Chocolate Cake" or their ice cream (which is made fresh on board). In addition, the portions are all rather small, whether in the main dining room or the Windjammer buffet (to allow for easier sampling! ). But if you are truly extremely sugar-sensitive you can always get a fruit plate and/or artisanal cheese plate for dessert in the main dining room, as that's on the "Classics" part of each day's menu. There is also usually at least one other offering available each night that's marked with an icon as being no sugar added. There are also no-sugar-added items in the Windjammer every day, and those are clearly labeled.

As far as appetizers and entrees, I can't really say that I've had anything at all where I've felt there was added sugar, at least not in any measure that made a particular item taste sweet instead of savory. But as others here noted, you can always double-check with your waiter and send a heads-up to rcldining@rccl.com and/or specialneeds@rccl.com to make absolutely sure your menu is clear of any added sugar.