Why Choose a Celiac Cruise?
Why would someone who never wanted to take a cruise decide to take one? The reason I did was because it was a Celiac Cruise. The team at Celiac Cruise works with the cruise line, in this case, Royal Caribbean, to set up a 100% gluten-free dining experience on the ship. Although I was a self-professed, never-cruiser, the thought of a completely gluten-free vacation where I never had to worry about the safety of my food made me change my mind about cruising.
Gluten-Free Dining Experience
The Celiac Cruise takes care of everything; you sign up and pay through them, and once you board the ship, your worries about food end. On the ship we sailed on, Royal Caribbean Oddessey of the Seas, the Celiac Cruise converts one restaurant to a dedicated gluten-free restaurant. Everything is completely sanitized, and all ingredients are checked for gluten before sailing. For larger ships, like the ones in the Caribbean, one level of the main dining room is gluten-free. Our ship had approximately 280 cruisers who were a part of the Celiac Cruise. We could use all the ship's facilities, and our gluten-eating family members could enjoy any of the restaurants and buffets on board, too. If we felt safe, we could also eat anywhere on the ship. I preferred to stick with our restaurant, but we did have gluten-free pizza from a dedicated oven one night, and that was delicious.
It was so wonderful not to have to cook for myself, and my only task was to decide which item looked better. Each evening, we had a menu of main dishes, and the appetizers and desserts were self-service. On the larger ships, they have full service in the main dining room. I liked the flexibility of picking options and trying many different foods. I also loved sitting on my cruise balcony and watching us sail by beautiful scenery or just watching the sunset over the sea. After one day, I was hooked.
Cruise Highlights from a never-cruiser turned first-time cruiser.
Mental Relief of Dining Freely
I had forgotten what it felt like to eat freely without asking questions or substituting the menu. The mental relief at the first lunch on board brought tears to my eyes. I forgot how much I enjoyed a salad bar with croutons, although those tiny pieces of dried bread scared me for a second. The massive welcome layer cake was also something I had not experienced in years. Royal Caribbean has a dedicated pastry chef assigned to the Celiac Cruise. The team of chefs is cooking and baking gluten-free just for us. That meant gluten-free bread and rolls at every single meal. They also always had buns from Schär, a cruise sponsor.
Exploring New Cities
I loved visiting new locations, and I booked tours through Royal Caribbean for the first tow ports. If you do that ahead of time, there is a discount. I found that the tours were rushed and not really my speed. As someone who has traveled often, I really enjoy exploring cities and experiencing them at my own pace. We did that in Mykonos, Greece, and Naples, Italy, and I loved it. The one downside to the cruise is you only spend a short time in a port. This means you only get to see the highlights. Cruises are good for an overview, but it left me plenty to go back for a second visit. We visited Santorini and Mykonos, Greece; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; and Naples, Italy on this cruise. The one additional recommendation I would make for this itinerary is to go in the spring or fall. Summer was miserably hot, and that made it less enjoyable.
Onboard Activities and Relaxation
If you like shows, activities and events, the ship has everything. I was more about relaxing and enjoying my surroundings than going to shows or riding the FlowRider. You can keep yourself busy all the time on the ship. I did take advantage of a spa special on one port day afternoon, and it was wonderful. I also enjoyed the events the Celiac Cruise put on. We had two special events as fundraisers for The Celiac Disease Foundation, one was a special tasting menu, and the other was a beer tasting of Holidaily Beers. We also had a cooking class sponsored by Schär. They had many kid-specific events and the kids onboard had a wonderful time.
Meeting New Friends and Community
It was so fun to meet friends who follow me on social media, and it was such a great experience to meet other people with Celiac Disease or gluten-free for other reasons. It is a bond none of us want, but it is so gratifying to know you are not alone. I would have enjoyed connecting a few more times, but the ones we had were wonderful.
Looking Ahead: What do I recommend?
The Value of a Balcony Cabin
Will I go again? That is the question. I will definitely go again. The positives completely outweighed the reasons I didn't want to cruise. I also found that the things I wasn't interested in were not a problem. I didn't want to be in masses of people, and I didn't need to be. If you are like me, I highly recommend booking a balcony cabin. It was so lovely to sit on the balcony and drink the wine we brought on board. You can bring 2 bottles on when you board. I loved having safe food and having a vacation from my Celiac Disease. It was a great vacation, and I definitely will go again. I just need to save my money for the next round.
Future Plans and Additional Destinations
The Celiac Cruise operates groups to a variety of destinations on different ships and cruise lines. You can see their sailings on their website. The large ships have dedicated gluten-free restaurants. The European River Cruises are 100% gluten-free, including the crew.
Now I just need to decide where I want to go next and save up the money to make the trip.
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