LowproteinLIVING

Laura Garr, mom to 12-year old Ryan with PKU, First Published on our US site: http://www.myspecialdiet.com. Oct 2006

Our family recently returned from a seven-day Alaskan cruise aboard the Norwegian Star. Ryan, my 12-year-old son, has PKU and we were unsure how our trip would go in regards to his diet. We are pleased to report that the trip was great, Ryan had a great time and was served any low protein meal we requested. We did have a few obstacles in the beginning, but they were quickly cleared up. I thought I would share our experience.

After deciding we would be cruising with Norwegian Cruise Lines I decided to find out whom to speak with regarding special diets. Always thinking ahead I did this a year before our cruise date! I was immediately contacted by the ship’s coordinator who e-mailed me and asked for an explanation of PKU, what the diet consisted of, and what I was hoping for. The coordinator told me that they wanted to do everything possible to ensure that Ryan had a great time and got to eat well just like everyone else. She told me that we could bring as much food as needed and the chef on the ship could prepare Ryan’s food for him. She kept all our e-mails on file and asked me to contact her again about a month prior to the cruise to go over the specifics.

About a month before our cruise date I e-mailed the ship coordinator to touch base about Ryan’s diet and how it would work on the ship. I also asked if there was any possibility that the ship could order some of Ryan’s specialty foods so I wouldn’t have to pack as much since we were driving quite a distance. She asked me to send her a list of what I wanted and where she could order them from and she would look into it. Unfortunately, we found out that this would not be possible, but I could bring all the food I wanted and the ship would store it and prepare it for Ryan. She gave me the name of the chef that I would meet with upon boarding to go over the details of getting Ryan’s food to him. She also asked me to make up some sample menus just to give the chef an idea of what Ryan’s meals would look like.

About a week before our cruise I was e-mailed again by the coordinator telling me she had good news. To her surprise she just heard from the purchasing department that after all, they were able to order the specialty foods for Ryan and that they would be on the ship when we boarded! However, I still brought a few basic food staples just in case anything went wrong.

The day came and the whole family was excited. After boarding the ship I immediately went to my room and called the Information Desk and asked to speak with the chef whose name I was given. I needed to figure out how Ryan would get his food and also have them store some of the food I brought. I was told the chef was on vacation this week! The Information Desk then contacted the chef who was onboard to ask him to meet with me so I could give him the food I had brought along. The chef said to just leave our food in the room and room service would pick it up. I let them know quite firmly that this would not be happening and then I kindly demanded to speak with the chef in person as I had originally been planned. The chef agreed to meet with me and was very friendly. He had been notified of Ryan’s diet and told me that he would contact me later that evening to let me know if all the specialty food arrived and to let me know how we would arrange for Ryan’s meals. Within an hour he called and said that most of the specialty food arrived. Only one item was missing. Also, he said I would be contacted shortly by a maitre’d who would be our main contact for arranging Ryan’s meals.

The maitre’d from one of the ship’s restaurants called me right away and told me that he wanted to do everything possible to make sure Ryan got whatever he needed. He gave us his personal number and said to call him anytime—day or night, and he would make himself available. He said that we could eat at any restaurant on the ship and to just call him when we knew where and when we were eating each day and he would have Ryan’s food prepared and sent to us. This man was awesome! He was so nice to Ryan and our whole family. He made it clear that it was no burden at all to get Ryan’s food prepared and that we were to just have a good time and let him know if we needed anything. This maitre’d was our contact person for the entire cruise. He answered his phone every single time I called to request Ryan’s meals be made and he even came to make sure it arrived when we weren’t eating in the restaurant he specifically worked at.

In addition to preparing Ryan’s specialty foods, the ship coordinator told me in advance that there would always be fruits, veggies, french fries and salads available anytime. She was right! These things were always available in the buffet style restaurant and if for some reason they weren’t, I would just have to call our awesome maitre’d and he would get Ryan whatever he wanted. It was amazing!

We had a great trip and would do it again in a heartbeat. I would highly recommend cruising with PKU, particularly with Norwegian Cruise Lines. They really seemed to want to help. Even with the few issues upon first boarding, they were quickly cleared up and the staff was very kind and compassionate the entire time.

The only thing I would recommend is if the ship says they are ordering any special food, bring along some emergency food items just in case. The chef did tell me that they almost sent the specialty food back before he caught them. Happy cruising to all!