Has anyone ever had to deal with a special diet on the cruise?  Was it hard to deal with?

My daughter is on a GFCF Diet and we are going to bring on some snacks for her. 

I read somewhere that other cruise lines (RCI and Cel)  will cook pasta and frozen waffles that you bring on board.  Will Carnival do this?

Have you contacted the special needs department, I know I called them because my grandson has food allergies and they told me how to deal with it while onboard... I am sure they will be able to give you a lot of the answers you need about special diets

I have called them twice and have gotten disconnected oth times.  I am filling out the form for special needs, and attaching a paper explaining all of this. I hope they will get back with me after they get the fax.

did you have the extention for them... if not it is 70025

I am also in the same situation. My 6 yo has PKU so I will also be bringing on lots of snacks, pasta, pancakes, etc.  I contacted the special needs dept and got the form, however there are other things I have questions about.  Such as once we bring the food on board, do we bring the food to the galley or keep in our room?  Should we eat all our meals in the dining room, to make it easier?I guess I will be calling to find out what to do. . Its just nice to know that they have dealt with this b4.

The only form i got was one that has info about wheelchairs and stuff. there was a small area for foods.  Is that the same form, or did you get one especially for dietary needs?

I think you should call them again since you have been disconnected in the past.  This is an important issue.  I think you should keep calling them until you get the information you need and if that means calling several times, then do so, I also would talk with a personal vacation planner at carnival about it, because they may be able to contact them in a different manner than we who are calling from the outside.  I've had PVP even send emails to the ships for me.  I would think that Carnival could accomodate you.  And your food is included.  It's nice to bring the snacks, but they should have them for you for free on the ships.

Judy

Latest info...

I got tired of having a hard time with the Special Guest serices. one lady was very rude to me, so i wrote an email to someone Higher up in the Carnival Corporation.  I have since then received emails and phone calls from several departments including the Ship's staff and some of the folk's from the miami offices. 

I have been told everything will be taken care of and there isnothing I need to worry about and that I don't even need to bring any food on board. They will be fully prepared for my daughter.  When i get back, I'll write a review of how everything goes.  We are getting very excited.

My son can only eat pureed food due to his special needs and they were wonderful with him.  They would have me look at the menu the nite before and tell them what I wanted for him to eat and the next nite when we go to the dining room it was there all pureed waiting on him.

They were WONDERFUL!

Please let everyone know how your cruise went with your daughter's special diet.  In August we are taking a family cruise and my daughter was recently diagnosed with several food allergies,  The biggest being wheat and milk (they are in everything) in addition to nuts.  Although she is 22 and married, I still worry that there will be food she can eat and not have an allergic reaction, especially on the Lido deck buffet.

Everything went great with my daughter's foods.  we were able tog et all of her food special prepared without andy wheat or dairy products.  Each night, the hostess would come and take our order for the following day, all three meals.  We usually ate in the Dining Room for meals, but even in the buffet, we would find a hostess or manager and they would get her food specially made from the kitchen.  It was Great. WE loved our Hostess, and hope to see her again on another cruise.

 They did tell us that becasue they knew ahead of time that  we were coming they were able to accomodate us.  There was another family that showed up for the same cruise that had not told carnival of their needs ahead of time and yet still expected the same treatment.  Carnival did accomodate them as far as I know.  It just wasn't as easy for them as it was for us.

Barbie,

Folks don't want to go through the extra paperwork to submit the forms, but in the long run, it pays off.  No matter what the Special Need is, if they are aware of it, they make every effort.  On our last cruise, we carried a spare oxygen tank for my DH, and the taxi driver that we had, accidentally left it in the taxi when he dropped us off, and we didn't think about it either.  As soon as we dinged in, they noticed my DH didn't have that tank and caught up with us before we got to the Purser's Desk.  They went the extra mile, to have their security meet our taxi driver, get that tank, and secure it onboard.  It, ultimately,  was our fault for leaving it in the taxi!

Thank you for sharing your experience.  I was worried about the buffet on Lido deck when we board.  My daughter's doctor has her trying her allergic foods one at a time so she will know what kind of a reaction to expect if she accidentally eats something she shouldn't. 

I called Carnival soon after the food allergy diagnosis and they faxed me the special needs paperwork.  My plan from the beginning was to fill it out and return it (but have waited to see if she had more allergies since the testing wasn't complete) since I tend to be overly cautious about things like this. 

I think some people may wait until they get on board the ship to discuss it with the dining room because of this posted on the page for guests with special requirements:

Dietary Needs

Carnival Cruise Lines can provide meals to our guests with the following special dietary needs: vegetarian, low-cholesterol, low-fat, low-carbohydrates, low-sugar, gluten-free, and Kosher. If you have food allergies, please advise your dining staff once onboard, or contact a Guest Access Services Representative to discuss your requirements.