Amanda92 Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Hi Everyone, I have celiac disease. Celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disease. When people with celiac disease consume gluten it triggers an immune response in their body that damages their small intestine's lining which is painful, leads to malabsorption of nutrients, and if untreated can cause long term complications like cancer. Celiac disease is fairly common but severely undiagnosed. It effects about 1% of the world worldwide, but 90% of people with the disease are undiagnosed. The ONLY treatment for celiac disease is a 100% strict gluten free diet. I just got off my first cruise and it was aboard Harmony of the Seas! When I was researching my cruise I looked for detailed gluten free dinning reviews but didn't really find any so I figured I would write one once my cruise was over! Make sure to email the special needs email account for Royal Caribbean before your cruise. All the specialty restaurants knew about my allergy before I even said anything because I took this step. The Main Dinning Room The main dinning room was the best and easiest place to eat gluten free. I opted for a traditional dinning time so that I could have the same waitstaff each night and they could become familiar with my dietary restriction. There is a separate allergy kitchen in the main dinning room and all my meals were prepared there to prevent cross contamination. My waiter told me that I could basically order anything off the menu and he would ask the chef if it could be made gluten free. There are obviously some limitations to this. For example a pastry would not be able to be made gluten free. Additionally sometimes I got something slightly different things then what I ordered. For example I asked if the chef could make me a brownie one night and instead I got a flourless chocolate cake. I didn't mind this substitution at all and as someone with a dietary restriction I'm always just happy to be accommodated at all. I didn't find my waiter had a good understanding of gluten free food but he was always happy to ask the chef any questions I had. Overall the quality of the gluten free substitutions was quite good, but not always. For example the chef made me gluten free fish and chips and breaded it with some kind of tempura type batter and it was exceptional. Whereas on a different night the chef made me gluten free chicken cordon blue and breaded it with some kind of cornmeal which was dry and not very good. Regardless I always appreciated the chef's attempt. The gluten free substitutions are not tried and tested recipes so there will obviously be misses, but there will also be lots of hits! Just order multiple dishes and you are bound to like something! The other thing you should know about the main dinning room is that for the most part you need to order your allergy dishes the day before. The first night you will have to stumble through but after that the waiter will bring you tomorrow's menus and you can order what you want for the next day. I pre-ordered breakfast and dinner every day. The last thing I'll say about the main dinner room food is that I sometimes found the food had clearly been pre-cooked for me and then sat around waiting for me for too long. On the flip side sometimes my food would be running behind and take longer then expected. I actually liked these times though because then my food would come out extremely hot, fresh, and was tastier! Here are photos of my main dinning room food: Appetizers: Arugula & Radicchio Salad French Onion Soup. This was incredible! I had it like 4 times! Cheese Plate. There was also gluten free bread available each night that was just ok. I forgot to photograph it. Iceberg Wedge Braised Beef Short Rib. Super good! Fish and Chips. This was fantastic! Roasted Chicken Breast. This was super tasty, although a bit dry. Wild Mushroom Risotto. Fabulous. Greek Vegetarian Mousaka. This was very tasty but a bit too salty. Pesto Vegetarian Pasta. I found this sauce very bland. Lemon Butter Baked Cod. This was super tasty but the fish was definitely overcooked. Chicken Cordon Blue. I appreciated the chef's effort on this one but the cornmeal was too dense for a breading and the chicken was super dry. Stuffed Portobello Mushroom. Exceptional. One of my favourite dishes. Broiled Lobster Tail. Pan Seared Barramundi. This was my least favourite dish. The fish tasted really fishy like it was off, the sauce was bland, an the potatoes were not cooked. Desserts: The kitchen was much less able to provide gluten free desserts which makes sense. I mostly got puddings, custard, and ice cream. Creme Brulee. This was the best gluten free dessert available and it's on the menu every night! Flourless Chocolate Cake. This was made special for me and was super good! Chocolate mousse. Excellent! Bananas Forrester. Excellent! Breakfast in the Main Dinning Room I had breakfast in the main dinning room everyday and really enjoyed it! French Toast and Sausage. I generally didn't enjoy the gluten free bread on the ship but drenched in egg and sugar it was delicious. The breakfast sausage was to die for! Chocolate Chip Pancakes. These were just ok. Gluten Free Eggs Benedict. Amazing and it was so nice to be able to have a safe Eggs Benedict. The Windjammer I didn't love dinning in the Windjammer. None of the food was labeled for allergies so I would have to get a chef to walk me through the buffet to show me what was gluten free. The chefs where super friendly and helpful but you go to a buffet for convenience. The curries seemed to always be gluten free in the windjammer but make sure to double check. There was always some type of gluten free bread available. There was also a gluten free dessert section in the windjammer that was behind glass. I was super excited about this but I found all the desserts not sweet enough. I think Royal Caribbean is trying to capture the "healthy eating" crowd with their gluten free desserts and most of these tasted bland and not decadent enough to be a good dessert. Sorrentos I was OBESSED with the gluten free pizza at Sorrento's. You could only get gluten free pizza by the whole pizza not the slice (which was fine with me!) and it took about 10 minutes to make. They cook the pizza in the same oven as the regular pizza BUT the cook it on a separate tray and use dedicated gluten free utensils to handle and cut it. I found that the pizza was sometimes slightly undercook because it wasn't directly touching the oven so just ask them to cook it for a few extra minutes and it will be delicious! Jamie's Italian I didn't pre-order here but they knew about my allergy when I arrived. They had gluten free pasta and bread. I forgot to ask if they cook gluten free pasta in clean separate water but I felt fine after this meal so I assume they must. Meat Plank Truffle Pasta. It was incredible. Raspberry Gelato. Sabor Sabor was my favourite meal on the ship! I also didn't pre-order here. The chef was able to make me everything I asked for but he had to make it fresh and heat up clean deep fry oil so it took awhile. This didn't bother me at all as I had a few margaritas while I waited! It may be a good idea to try and pre-order here though! Queso with Chorizo. So so good. Beef Barbacoa Tacos. The best thing I ate on the ship! Chicken Flautas I didn't order this but this coconut flan magically arrived at the end of my meal and was delicious! Coco Cay I was pleasantly surprised with the gluten free options at the buffet at cococay. They said the could make me a fresh burger or sandwich in the back free of cross contamination. There was also a mexican station where everything was gluten free except the flour tortias. I wasn't sure if the corn tortias were cooked on the same grill as the flour ones so I just made myself a bowl. Pulled Pork, Chicken. Mexican Rice, Beans, Salsa, Sour Cream, Guac, and Cheese Final Tip The Promanade Cafe has gluten free cookies stashed behind the counter. Just ask for some! That ends my gluten free review of Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed eating all this delicious food! KDK, KristiZ, bazingau and 12 others 6 6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjpoe Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 The regular Chicken Cordon Blue is dry too. KDK and Neesa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanaC Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 Glad they were able to accommodate you and you had such a good experience! KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDK Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 As someone with a husband and daughter who are celiac, this was incredibly helpful. I am so happy they were able to accommodate your dietary needs. Wonderful photos and great descriptions. Thank you so much! WAAAYTOOO and KristiZ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 Thanks for posting! KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptyNestTravels Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 19 hours ago, Amanda92 said: Gluten Free (Celiac) Dinning Review - Royal Caribbean - Harmony of the Seas @Amanda92 This was a fabulous, comprehensive, (and illustrated!!) review of Gluten Free options onboard Royal. Might be a topic (including dining with dietary restrictions aboard RC ships) for @Matt to cover in a vlog one of these days? The more you know! Thanks for the excellent review. KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPS Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 Thank you for this post @Amanda92. My wife needs to eat gluten free and the amount of effort the staff puts into accommodating her dining needs is top-notch. Recently on Odyssey, the effort was ramped up even more than on previous cruises. They did a great job modifying just about everything. (Especially, the apple pie a la mode!) We agree about the pizza at Sorrento's. Unless you ask for it to be baked a little longer, it tends to be underdone. I can't tell you how much stressed is eased off of her mind by not having to worry about mistakenly being served glutenous items and by knowing she is going to be able to eat delicious, well prepared foods throughout our vacation. One note about Odyssey (and possibly other Quantum ships): The Café Two70 staff were terrific about gluten free options! We visited for breakfast on our first morning and a staff member assisted with preparing her breakfast sandwich with a gluten-free bagel (Udi's). This staff member (Rohman) and another (Emmanbien) obviously made mental notes of this because for the remainder of the cruise, whenever we would enter Two70, one of them would seemingly appear out of nowhere right next to her to personally ask her would she would like to have! Fantastic! lilyortega, WAAAYTOOO, EmptyNestTravels and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fa-li Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 Thank you for sharing this. We will be cruising with a friend who has severe dairy allergy next year. This gives me an idea of how to tell her to get started as she figures out accommodations. I’m glad you had a good experience! KristiZ, WAAAYTOOO and lilyortega 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 3 hours ago, fa-li said: We will be cruising with a friend who has severe dairy allergy next year. The vegan menu in MDR is good for that! Pair it with some of the meat options on the regular menu and your friend will have a lot of options! fa-li 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilyortega Posted March 16, 2022 Report Share Posted March 16, 2022 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFO!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPS Posted March 18, 2022 Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 To add to my previous posting about my wife's experience eating GF on Odyssey recently, a few photos my wife took of some of the gluten-free things she enjoyed! MDR - Crust-less Strawberry Cheesecake MDR - Apple Pie ala Mode made Gluten-Free just for her! She liked this so much she made a request to have it again the next night which they gladly did. Crown and Compass Pub - Pulled Pork Nachos. VERY Tasty and a great value at $4.00! Café Two70 - Turkey and Bacon Club on a Gluten Free Bun and a Gluten-Free Puff Pastry (I can't remember any additional details about it.) Wonderland - Liquid Lobster, Tomato Water (without the bread foam on hers), and Reconstructed Caprese. Wonderland - Sashimi of Red and White Tuna Wonderland - The Chicken and the Egg (Crispy skin chicken with potato puree "eggs") ChanaC, Neesa and lilyortega 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryCS62 Posted March 18, 2022 Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 DD is also celiac/gluten free, but we never thought to ask if some desserts could be made specially gf, and while she likes creme brulee, she didn't want it every night. I'm going to send her the link for this so she sees what she might be able to ask for, although we will be on Oasis and not Harmony KristiZ and SPS 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4needsvacation Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 Just want to say THANK YOU for this great information!! I am new to celiac (diagnosed last year) and have our first cruise on the Wonder of the Seas April 1 post-diagnosis. Have loved the food on our previous Oasis class trips before, so was a bit worried about this trip given my diagnosis. We have splurged on UDP for this trip as read elsewhere that the GF options may be a bit better. Happy to share how it goes when get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lljones123 Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 I will be sailing on Harmony of the Seas in June. What options did you use for breakfast and lunch? Were you able to find options to take off the ship on port days? Thank you so much for posting. This is so helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amanda92 Posted April 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 On 3/25/2022 at 12:41 PM, lljones123 said: I will be sailing on Harmony of the Seas in June. What options did you use for breakfast and lunch? Were you able to find options to take off the ship on port days? Thank you so much for posting. This is so helpful. I had breakfast in the Main Dinning Room every day. Other then Coco Cay I just ate a granola bar off ship and ate a later lunch when I returned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK25 Posted May 17, 2022 Report Share Posted May 17, 2022 We sailed on Oasis and as soon as they heard I had Celiac's they were very accommodating! I did not get sick once. I made a comment on how good my husband's cheesecake looked and the waiter overheard me. The next night I had my own mini cheesecakes. Only suggestion is they need to carry more than one brand of gluten-free beer. The one on board was nasty. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK25 Posted May 17, 2022 Report Share Posted May 17, 2022 Gluten-free dinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary A Posted August 28, 2022 Report Share Posted August 28, 2022 Hi Amanda, You are spot on about Celiac Disease! It was a precursor to my cancer. Oncologist said that my type of cancer usually comes back within 5 years after chemo. Mine did not, probably because I've been so good about being gluten free. The info which you shared is so very valuable to us fellow celiac people. Thank you so much!! We usually have the Johnny rockets shakes at least once per cruise. We were on a back to back last November on the Explorer of the seas. The first week we had our shakes they were very yummy! The second week the man behind the counter said No, the shakes are NOT gluten free!! I was very worried that I had been glutened the previous week. The manager said that they changed "suppliers" since last week, that last week the mix was gluten free, and this week it is not. He even brought out the box, and the label said "WHEAT" ! I told him he saved me a lot of grief & pain, and maybe even lengthened my life. Bottom line.... it never hurts to ask even if you've had it before. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDP Posted January 19, 2023 Report Share Posted January 19, 2023 Thank you for sharing your experience! When you ate at Coco Cay did you order what you wanted the night before? The reason I ask is on DCL I was supposed to order my Castaway Cay meal the night before, but no one told me that information. Wondering if it's the same for Royal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimM79 Posted February 7, 2023 Report Share Posted February 7, 2023 I was on Harmony and was told the sausage was not gluten free. Maybe they changed it since. I'm going on Wonder of the Seas this October, so I'll ask again. I've had great experiences with Royal Caribbean and gluten free accommodations. And thank you for the cookie info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDroge Posted February 13, 2023 Report Share Posted February 13, 2023 Great info! Do they have any ingredient list on board? My wife eats a flourless diet and I am wondering what is in the gluten free crust at Sorrento’s? We will be on the Harmony of the Seas this time next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPS Posted February 14, 2023 Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 17 hours ago, JDroge said: My wife eats a flourless diet and I am wondering what is in the gluten free crust at Sorrento’s? We will be on the Harmony of the Seas this time next year! They certainly made with some sort of wheat-free flour, possibly rice flour. Not made with almond meal or an egg/cheese mixture. So if you're are looking for a truly "flourless" pizza, Sorrento's does not have that. On our cruises so far, the gluten free pizzas are pre-made. I'm not certain, but I think they may have been Udi's brand pizzas. (I base that on the observation that RC regularly has Udi's brand products on board) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyathome9 Posted March 5, 2023 Report Share Posted March 5, 2023 Hi. Thank you for posting this information. I’m getting ready for my upcoming cruise soon and would like to know how to reach Royal Caribbean to let them know about my gluten intolerance (celiac). thanks Candy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissyD Posted March 5, 2023 Report Share Posted March 5, 2023 Thank you for your detailed and informative post. We sailed on FOTS in January and were very pleased with how my son's GF diet was accommodated, minus a few hiccups. The only two disappointments were - no GF pizza at Sorrentos the entire cruise, due to supply chain issues, and no designated gluten free station in the Windjammer. It wasn't a big deal - we would just ask a chef what he could have and they would bring something from the back kitchen if asked. Otherwise we were very pleased with how smoothly things were in the MDR and at Giovanni's. We are sailing again in 2024 on Symphony of the Seas - I'm hoping it will be just as wonderful. SPS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPS Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 23 hours ago, Candyathome9 said: Hi. Thank you for posting this information. I’m getting ready for my upcoming cruise soon and would like to know how to reach Royal Caribbean to let them know about my gluten intolerance (celiac). thanks Candy Hello, Candy. Welcome to the boards. As someone who's spouse has to eat gluten-free, I've made a few posts about how well Royal Caribbean accommodates her dietary needs. Here's a good link to one of my posts. Candyathome9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 Matt has an article on this today https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/03/06/royal-caribbean-gluten-free-dining?fbclid=IwAR2KztQEZ9H3k0RNNYYVTRokwnIFEcaE91yZg5EWuZbKZN01lsTIpQV-2mE One thing I'd clarify, not all ships have a GF section in the windjammer, though will label a few GF choices. And the ones that do vary quite a bit in their selection. SPS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyathome9 Posted March 7, 2023 Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 On 3/6/2023 at 8:08 AM, SPS said: Hello, Candy. Welcome to the boards. As someone who's spouse has to eat gluten-free, I've made a few posts about how well Royal Caribbean accommodates her dietary needs. Here's a good link to one of my posts. Thank you for this information. I really appreciate it SPS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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