Tag: glutenfree

Travel Series: Gluten-free California

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In August, my boyfriend and I took a great vacation in California. This was the first vacation in my life that did not revolve around a beach and to my surprise, it was possibly the most enjoyable yet. It was also my first time traveling to California. We started our trip flying into San Diego and rent a car. After spending a few days in San Diego, we started making our way north and included stops in Huntington Beach, West Hollywood, Santa Barbara and Solvang. We ended our vacation with cool, fall-like weather in San Francisco.

I think many of my fellow gluten-free travelers will agree that traveling with a food allergy can be especially difficult. My vacations are heavily planned around the availability of gluten-free dining. In this blog post I will take my you through my gluten-free journey in California. I am really excited to share my experience with you and hope my blog helps to make some of your California vacation planning less stressful. Over the next few weeks I plan to share the highlights of our trip in individual blog posts (San Diego, LA, Solvang and San Francisco)

If California is not on your list of future destinations, but sure to check out some of my other travel blogs here. When I first started blogging, one of my first travel blogs on my prior site was about gluten-free dining in Aruba. I hope to help as many gluten-free travelers as possible, so please share my posts with your GFFs (gluten-free-friends) and you can save/share my posts on Pinterest too!

Royal Caribbean is Gluten Free Friendly!

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I am long over do for a blog post, so I think it’s the perfect time to share my experience sailing with Royal Caribbean, Allure of the Seas! I recently spent a week cruising to Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico with my family. Before every vacation I always make sure to do my research on gluten free options while traveling. When booking my reservation my travel agent put a gluten allergy notice on my account. Later-on I also called Royal Caribbean to confirm that I would not have a problem eating at any restaurant on the ship. I was pleasantly surprised by staff’s knowledge and ability to accommodate my gluten allergy. If you have a gluten allergy you have nothing to worry about while sailing Royal Caribbean! You can eat EVERYWHERE on the ship! A major gluten free plus – Royal Caribbean uses a lot of Udi’s products!! I definitely recommend spending a little extra money for Rita’s, Chops and Giovanni’s Table. My family really enjoyed our meals these nights. For the most part, we felt the “free” dining options providing average an dining experiences.
Allure of the Seas in Labadee, Haiti

Here are some of my cruising tips:

-The first night you eat in the main dining hall for dinner, immediately notify your sever of your allergy (mine was already aware).  Although the menu identifies which items can be prepared gluten free, the sever will likely walk you through the menu. With the exception of the first sailing day, you will be asked to chose your dinner for the main dining hall a day in advance (ex – when you finish dinner on Monday night, you will be asked to choose dinner for Tuesday night). I believe this is done to ensure the best cross-contamination prevention.  The main dining hall is the only restaurant on the ship that severs fresh gluten free bread.
-In the main dining hall and any other restaurant look for a manager (they are likely wearing a different uniform and are easy to spot) and go to them with any food allergy related questions.
-In the buffet style restaurants, tell one of the mangers of your allergy and they will likely bring you a chef who will walk you around the buffet.
-If you are going to dine at a specialty restaurant, stop by ahead of time or the night before to discuss and select your meal.
-At the Central Park Cafe, one of the food managers took it upon himself to prepare my gluten free sandwich to prevent cross contamination.
-I suggest bringing peanut butter, instant oatmeal and a few snacks as backup, especially if you plan on exploring your destinations. If you are on an island for lunch it may be difficult to find a gluten free option! However, Margaritaville in Falmouth, Jamaica was gluten free friendly.

 

Gluten Free at MSG!

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Fear not, sports fans! The revamped Madison Square Garden is gluten free friendly. Their gluten free stand is called, “Healthy at The Garden.” The menu includes hot dogs, nachos,  fries, chicken fingers, pizza, multiple beers and more! They also offer pre-made sandwiches by The Bare Naked Bakery on Long Island. I bought the sandwich, but the bread was VERY dry. Although the sandwich wasn’t my favorite, I have to say the gluten free menu at The Garden blows away those of  the other arenas/stadiums I’ve been the.
 
FYI – Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and The Barclay’s Center have gluten free stands as well!