Carnival Cruising Gluten-Free
Hello everyone! Just thought I'd put my 2cents in on cruising. I've been taking cruises for years...on just about every line. I have to say that for the price Carnival is probably my favorite. It seems to be younger cruisers...activity is planned pretty much around the clock if you want to participate...and I honestly find the rooms to be some of the most comfortable.
Which is why we booked Carnival last Spring for a little Family Reunion on board Carnival Sensation. And I did the whole thing GlutenFree with no problems at all…starting with dinner at Port Canaveral. We arrived the night before departure and went out to dinner at Fish Lips in port. They had a GF menu with quite a bit of selection. They even had a most incredible dessert that I ordered to go...just because I could...and enjoyed it later that evening in my hotel room.
The cruise was easy. There is a form you'll need to fill out when you book your cruise. It's really simple and you can get it online or from your travel agent. I got mine from my travel agent…filled it out…and emailed it in...a copy to the cruise line, and a copy to my travel agent just to be certain.
Once on board I checked in with the main dining room just to warn them I was there and would need a GF meal plan. They told me to come back at dinner time and speak with the Matre'd…which I did. She was great!! She handled all my meals from then on. The first night my choices were limited to what was already prepared and would be GF…but she knew what was available. Then each night she would bring me the menu for the following evening and I could choose ANYTHING that I wanted and it would be prepared GF just for me. Anything!! Oh joy!! I even ordered Crab Cakes one night. I haven't had a decent Crab Cake in years. Heaven :-) The only thing I didn't enjoy was the bread…it was that white rice cardboard that most of us have tried at least once since going GF. I'm pretty certain no Chef has ever actually tasted that stuff...or they'd be using it to scrub down the sinks instead of serving it with their wonderful meals. Dessert was no choice…but different every night and delicious!!
Breakfast in the morning was in the Main Dining Room again and totally Gluten-Free. We discovered some time ago that the Food Services on ship are all done under some incredibly strict rules and guidelines and the food and service in the Main Dining Room make it the safest place to eat. So every morning we met at the Dining Room for breakfast and I got the fluffiest GF pancakes every day with fresh fruit, eggs and bacon. I didn't bother with the bread. In fact…as soon as I got home I wrote them a letter introducing both Udi’s & Rudi’s breads and baked goods. I’ve since heard back that they would consider them…but nothing since.
Lunch on the Lido deck was a bit more challenging…since I had no-one to guide me or ask questions of. As always the Wait Staff were all very knowledgeable and understanding even though their options were much narrower. But when I wanted something more than breakfast or dinner it really worked out pretty good. I just had to be a little more selective and careful.
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse
101 Imperial Palm Drive
Largo, Florida 33771
Carolanne LeBlanc
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse
101 Imperial Palm Drive
Largo, Florida 33771
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