How does Royal Caribbean deal with guest with food restrictions (I.e. colorestrol, diebetes, low sodium, etc.)? Is there a special menu provided in the MDR or speciality restaurants?

[Ruth]

How or how well does Royal Caribbean deal with guests with speciality dietary restrictions?  Is there a special menu in WJ, MDR, speciality restaurants, coastal kitchen, diamond lounge when food is served (for breakfast, Lunch or Dinner) and do these options taste good? A person wouldn’t want to starve because of dietary restrictions on a cruise ship .

 

[TomBryant]

My DW is allergic to black and white pepper. They meet with us at check in and then before the meal. They showed her the menu for the next night and she could choose what she wanted.. They would prepare it. The service is better than at shore side restaurants. Contact them at   special_needs@rccl.com   

Here is the letter they sent us:

Allergies are handled daily on all sailings. We have advised our ship staff of Sara Bryant dietary/allergy needs. ( Allergy to all kinds of Pepper)

Our galley has a separate preparation area away from the main production area to prepare meals for guests with allergies and to avoid cross-contamination of the meals.  Our Food and Beverage Staff attend recurring training programs regarding allergy protocols.

During the booking process, we ask that the guest choose a set dining time versus My Time Dining. This will provide the guests with a dedicated serving staff for the cruise.

Once the guest is onboard, we ask them to visit the dining room, introduce themselves and speak with the dining staff to advise of the Pepper allergy. The dining staff for their table will be advised.

We are pleased to advise you Royal Caribbean offers Gluten Free meals as a standard offering on our menus in the main dining room.

We offer lactose free, almond milk, soy milk, whole milk and skim milk onboard our ships.

When guests eat in the buffet, please ask for a manager so they can arrange to get a meal from the galley. This will avoid any cross contamination that may occur at the buffet. 

When eating in specialty restaurants or other food venues, it is important to advise our staff of the allergies.

However, you are allowed to bring, non-perishable food items such as cookies, crackers, chips, energy bars, etc.  These items must not require refrigeration and be sealed in the original store bought containers.

Best regards,

Carlos Alvarez

Access Advocate

 

[OCSC Mike]

My young niece has severe peanut/tree nut allergies. In addition to contacting special needs as mentioned above, we have always mentioned it to the staff in the MDR, CK, specialty restaurant (wherever we are eating) and they have done an amazing job of taking care of her. In the WJ, a manager has hot dogs & fries made for her in the back so as to avoid cross-contamination and brought them out to our table.

Short version... they handle food needs amazingly well in our experience.

[smokeybandit]

You likely don't need to contact special needs for many of the common food allergies (dairy, gluten, etc) unless you have something rare or something that requires special advanced planning on RC's part (like special ingredients).

All they're going to do is put a note on the reservation, same thing that would happen if you just go see the head waiter as soon as you board.

[Riley]

Talk to the head waiter or maitre' D on the first day. I am very sodium-restricted and have had no issues so long as I maintain reasonable expectations. The kitchen can provide sauces, dressings, etc. on the side, and in the MDR we pre-ordered the next night's dinner so the kitchen could adjust. NOTE: on some items like soups, braised meals, etc. the kitchen can't adjust so that's where "reasonable expectations" come in. Some nights I ate a grilled chicken breast, baked potato and steamed veggies... but usually one of the entrees could be made salt-free. Also you can request fresh fruit for dessert.