Gluten Free Food On The Oriana
I had been a bit worried about getting gluten-free food on the cruise. But to be fair, the food was generally good to excellent and I certainly didn’t have any problems.
I should say that although, I’m a properly diagnosed coeliac, I think that if I was to eat a couple of slices of regular bread, it wouldn’t do me that much harm. Not that I’m going to try. But I’m definitely not supersensitive!
According to the restaurant manager of the 1,800 or so on the ship, twenty-four were on a gluten-free diet. This number probably gave us all a bit of safety, as if it was typical for a cruise, they would be getting quite a bit of practice in dealing with those needing a gluten-free diet. And as they say, practice makes perfect.
Initially, at dinner, they wanted me to choose my meal the day before. I wasn’t having any of that, as I like to stick to a balanced diet and how would I know, what I would eat at breakfast and lunch, so that I could properly choose the dinner.
I had seen the menu and noted that there were three starters, two soups and six or more main courses. So I felt that there must be something I could eat, perhaps by removing one element if required. The only day I was in trouble, was when most of the main courses had a small problem or I didn’t like them and I was left with just Norfolk turkey. As an Ipswich Town supporter, you don’t eat oversized budgies from our Northern neighbours.
So I swallowed my prejudices and had a very nice turkey and vegetables without the stuffing.
One thing that surprised me about the food at dinner was the variety. As an example, I was surprised to see tuna steak on the menu.
Tuna Steak For Dinner
And very nice it was too!
I should also note these points about the dinner.
1. The staff were very knowledgeable and one told me, that they used flour in the cream soups, so he said stick to the clear ones, of which there was usually one.
2. Many of the main courses were meat and vegetables and you could generally have them plain.
3. I didn’t really look at the vegetarian options, as they weren’t for me.
4. I had gluten free bread every night and it was served separately.
5. I didn’t have puddings, except for ice cream, which was delicious and someone thought it was made on the ship. In one instance the ice cream came with a biscuit and the waiter took it back immediately he put it down and then got me another. And it was another and not just the original with the biscuit removed! We’ve all had that in restaurants, haven’t we?
The real problem about dinner was the company on the first night, who were a couple who didn’t speak to me or each other for that matter! After that experience, I was moved.
Breakfast wasn’t a problem at all, with many things I could eat. There was gluten free toast, which was quite nice and as it was very similar in taste to that in the Hope Street Hotel, I suspect they made it themselves from some sort of standard mix or recipe.
A Typical Breakfast
Towards the end of the cruise, I’d settled down to a breakfast like the one shown, which I ate in the buffet restaurant, with good views of the sea. The toast hadn’t arrived, if you’re wondering, why I have marmalade and no toast.
The bacon wasn’t the usual mass catering rubbish, with a lot of fat, but lean and tasty. I sometimes had an egg, but I find that too many are not good for me, so I usually limit myself to three a week. The beans incidentally were Heinz, as I heard someone ask!
If I have a small problem in the buffet restaurant, it’s that the labelling could be better. For instance, the beans could have been labelled Heinz, which many and not just those on a gluten-free diet would find comforting. With better labelling, staff wouldn’t probably have to answer the same questions over and over again.
I usually had salad for lunch, if I actually needed to eat and they were very acceptable. Again, in some instances the labelling could have been better, as sometimes they mixed up a few vegetables and ham to create special salads.
If there was a problem, it was in the lack of gluten free cakes and biscuits. There were some, but they weren’t to my taste, as they had coconut in them and that’s something I can’t abide. So I would recommend that you take a few of your own. I did! But I didn’t take enough!
Another problem, was that I think I might have put on a kilo or so!
The Anonymous Widower 
Your experience with the gluten free food on P&O is similar to mine on Azura, so it’s good to see there is consistency across the fleet. I did choose from the dinner menu the night before as I was on a work conference and thought it might be quicker, but that was probably unnecessary. I had some packaged rolls with dinner each night – they were pleasant-tasting but so bouncy that they reminded me of those power balls we played with as children. Rather unusual for gluten-free! Like you I found the sweet things rather full of coconut, so I ate a lot of sorbet (I’m lactose intolerant too). If you haven’t yet found it, there are gluten free cakes in Costa on board, some of which are not full of coconut. I seem to recall a rather nice macaron. And like you, I normally take my own emergency supplies, but ended up carrying most of them home at the end. Bon voyage for the rest of your trip.
Comment by thetravellingtravelator | March 30, 2013 |
There wasn’t a Costa on Oriana. I’m not lactose intolerant, although I do drink goats milk from Waitrose at home. Ice cream though, doesn’t affect me provided it’s a good one. I quite regularly have it in Carluccio’s and that I know comes from the legendary Marine Ices in Camden Town
Comment by AnonW | March 30, 2013 |