I know gluten free travel can be both stressful and challenging. When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease I was very concerned about what this diagnosis would mean when I traveled throughout the US and Europe both on land and at sea. Since becoming a Travel Consultant, I am more determined than ever to provide travelers with a gluten allergy or intolerance with a means to feel comfortable with food options when they travel. At Solshine Travel, we will take all your health issues into consideration when helping you choose that perfect vacation. This page is dedicated to reporting my experiences traveling with Celiac Disease. Please feel free to leave comments with your suggestions as well!
I will use this page to inform you of my gluten free travel experiences. Next up….A post pandemic travel experience yet to be determined! We are looking at a trip to Europe or another cruise in 2022. In the meantime I have included my Celiac review of the Nieuw Statendam along with some gluten free food pics from Tamarind!
HAL and Celiac (My 1st Experience Cruising with Dietary Restrictions)
In March of 2019 I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at the age of 52. If that wasn’t bad enough, my wife and I were headed on our annual spring break cruise 3 days later. I was not happy when my gastroenterologist told me to immediately go on a gluten free diet. I was going on a vacation where there is food everywhere you look. This diagnosis was so new that I hadn’t even had time to speak with a nutritionist. When I was diagnosed, I was briefly instructed to watch what I eat and be careful of cross-contamination. It never occurred to me that any contact with gluten would be harmful to me. So, how was I going to make sure I was eating the right food? How could I ensure what I was eating wasn’t cross-contaminated? I was going on vacation, I was not mentally prepare to watch what I eat and drink or to ask so many questions upon boarding (much of which I was ill prepared to do). When you travel, you should not be stressed out. You should be relaxing without a care in the world. All I could think about was “I’m going on a cruise in 3 days and I can’t eat anything fun!!!”
Tamarind on the Nieuw Statendam had so many Gluten-Free options!
My wife called Holland America to ask about dietary restrictions. They took my name and dietary restriction over the phone. We were sailing on HAL’s newest ship the Nieuw Statendam. Immediately after embarking, we went to the Main Dining Room to eat lunch and when I informed the waiter, he looked me up and then told me what I could eat. After lunch we spoke with the Maitre ‘D and they gave me the nights dinner menu with gluten free options. This became the practice for the whole cruise. Each night, our head waiter provided me with the next nights menu and let me know what I could choose. If there was something I wanted, he asked the head chef and they improvised. This wasn’t just the case in the Main Dining Room, the specialty restaurants also had a note that I had Celiac and could not come into contact with gluten. We ate at both Tamarind and Canaletto. Both made sure I was well taken care of.
Gluten Free Deck Food (Would I be able to eat on Deck with Celiac Disease?)
The food venues on deck were also accommodating with me to a point. Dive In at the Terrace Grill was one of my favorite pre-Celiac food venues. I loved the burger and fries. This was my next educational experience. Here, I was told that I could have a burger with a gluten free bun but couldn’t have the fries! What? The manager told me that the fries are coated with flour to make them golden. Also, the sauce was made with flour. I needed to adapt if I was going eat here.
New Your Deli and Pizza 
The Dive In at the Terrace Grill
Europe Deals and Specials