Don't stress about your meals on vacation: How to take a cruise if you have dietary restrictions

David and Sara Stubler took a cruise for their honeymoon in 1995, but after David found out he could not eat gluten six years ago, he thought that was his last.

"Because of my severe reaction to gluten and cross-contact, we didn't think we'd ever go on a cruise again," David Stubler, who has celiac disease and eosinophilic esophagitis and is also dairy-free, told USA TODAY.

Then, the 51-year-old stumbled across Celiac Cruise online, which offers gluten-free sailings in partnership with Royal Caribbean International and AmaWaterways. He and his wife boarded a cruise to the Bahamas with the company in January 2020 to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.

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"Going into it, I was skeptical, so I had the suitcase full of snacks and emergency food and quickly realized I didn't need any of it," said the mechanical engineer, who is based in Kansas City, Kansas.

For travelers like Stubler who have dietary restrictions or food allergies, taking a trip requires extra thought and planning. And while taking a cruise can present a challenge for those with specific dietary restrictions, travelers can do so safely.

Try a specialized sailing

Maureen Basye co-founded Celiac Cruise after her son and husband were diagnosed with celiac disease. She and her family had traveled extensively prior to the diagnosis and wanted to continue to do so, but the experience felt different as she thought through every detail, from what they could eat at the airport to how many bags of food she needed to pack.

On vacation, she said, "the goal is to unplug and really relax and be able to just focus on your family or friends or whatever, and you're consumed 100% with, 'OK, what am I going to eat next, and what would happen if I got sick?' "

Celiac Cruise facilitates a celiac-specific training for all crew members on board the ship in partnership with Boston Children's Hospital, and has a dedicated galley – a kitchen on cruise ships – free of gluten for the duration of the trip.

In addition to regular meals, they offer late-night snacks, and have members of the medical team from Boston Children's Hospital and other experts present research to cruisers and "really give people the chance to learn something about how to better navigate and better live day to day with this disease," Basye said.

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They also choose sailings based on guest feedback, and work to safely recreate otherwise gluten-heavy experiences – such as by providing gluten-free pretzels to passengers in Austria.

Basye said rather than passengers feeling they cannot eat a given food or participate in a certain activity, she said the Celiac Cruise aims to say, "No, actually you can with us. This is what you can do."

Research ahead of time and prepare

Allie Bahn, a food allergy travel consultant who runs the website Miss Allergic Reactor, went on a cruise to Bermuda with her family in high school and has been on several smaller ones as an adult.

"I think in the last decade or so, it definitely seems like they're a lot more accustomed to dealing with different dietary restrictions and also food allergies as well," she added. Carnival Cruise Line, for instance, recently launched a food allergy program.

Bahn, who is allergic to foods including peanuts, tree nuts, and fish, said doing research ahead of time is the best way to safely take a cruise.

• She recommended reading reviews of the cruise line, looking into their protocols, and reaching out to them to "find out what that will look like when you're actually on the cruise."

• She also stressed that travelers should check to see what kind of medical facilities, staff, and supplies the ship has and determine their own comfort level. "If it's a family that hasn't done much traveling before, or an individual that hasn't done that much traveling before, they really need to decide if they feel comfortable with however far they're going, the destination, out in the middle of the ocean," she said.

• Bahn recommended cruisers consider whether they will need a translated "chef card" stating their food allergies, particularly if they are traveling to places where English is less commonly spoken.

• Buffets can be tricky for travelers with food allergies as well. "It's really hard to know," she said. "People can be mixing the different utensils with things." She suggested opting for a sit-down option instead, where guests can communicate their allergies to a server who can relay them to the chef.

• Bring plenty of safe, packaged snacks, too, "so that you always have a backup plan," Bahn said.

Lizzie Reynolds, a food allergy travel agent who focuses on Disney as well as other destinations, said to check rules about what kinds of foods you can bring off the ship while in port, as restrictions may vary.

"If the cruise line doesn't know that information, that should be a red flag," she said. Reynolds added that the company should know those rules.

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Reynolds added that not all companies handle allergies equally. She works with Disney Cruise Line, AmaWaterways, and SeaDream Yacht Club, and also recommended Windstar Cruises, all of which she said have "consistent great care" for food allergies.

What if you are exposed to allergens?

If you are exposed to something you are allergic to, Dr. James Baker, director of the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center at Michigan Medicine, said it is important to have an epinephrine auto-injector with you and be sure it's up to date.

"If you're going to be on the (ship) for a prolonged period of time, let's say a two-week cruise, you may even want to have at least two and maybe four of those, so if you have a reaction you can take care of it," he said.

He also recommended notifying medical staff of your allergies before or when you board, showing them your emergency medications and "make sure that they feel comfortable treating you beyond that."

While Reynolds said traveling with food allergies is still difficult, her 17-year-old daughter who is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and dairy, has been on over 20 cruises. She has had anaphylaxis multiple times, but never while on a ship.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to go on a cruise if you have food allergies