- Welcome Message and select excerpts of our first year blog
- Our New Blog
- Contact us
- Travel Advice
- Guidelines for travel agents
- Flying-all you need to know before you book your next plane ticket>
- Cruising-planning the perfect cruise>
- Car Travel
- Traveling by bus...in style
- Hotels-Creating the ideal autistic friendly hotel room>
- Packing -101>
- Ask away -Autistic Globetrotting Free advice service>
- Tid bits-travel advice from our readers in 100 words or less
- Autistic Travels' Golden Rules
- Guidelines for travel agents
- Autisticals-a personal view of autistic travel
- US 10 best in
- The 10 best of Boston
- The best 10 of Hilton Head,South Carolina
- The 10 best of New York
- The 10 best of Alaska
- The 10 best of Texas-San Antonio and Galveston
- The 10 best of Santa Fe and the surroundings
- The 10 best of Arizone-Grand Canyon
- The 10 best of Colonial Williamsburg,Jamestown and surroundinds
- The 10 best of Washington D.C.
- The 10 best of Las Vegas
- The 10 best of Boston
- International 10 best
- Mini autisticals- the darnest travel stories you'll hear
- The Sleeps-our biased and un biased hotel reviews
- The Eats-Tasty challenges from around the globe
- The Shops-what you can buy next
- Collector's Corner-How did these travel trinkets become a collection
- Recommended products
- Giveaways
- Monthly news roundup
- Interviews
- Q&A with Jackie Longino founder of Aspietravel
- Q&A with Tal managing director of ALUTEVA-autistic hotel in Israel
- Eva Bronstein-Greenwald-special needs travel agent and founder of We Belong
- Q&A with Trip it's
- Q&A with David Intercontinental Tel Aviv
- Keri Bowers- film producer of 'Normal people scare me'
- Jamie Grover-Autism on the seas
- Peter Shears
- Clive-guide dog extraordinaire
- John Brown of 'Devyn and Dad' -an inspirational adventure across the United States
- Rose Niehaus Olsen Morris inventor of the safety sleeper bed
- Annette White,counselor for Camp Autism
- Colin Brennan-Canada's new singing sensation
- Dennis Debbaudt-autism safety expert
- Gisela Sedlmayer- author of 'Talon'
- Q&A with Jackie Longino founder of Aspietravel
- Inspirational travel stories by our guest writers
- Danette Schott's-Revisiting family vacations
- Brian R. King-Meltdown at the airport
- Joy's visit to the Aquarium
- Denise Klipsic-An incredible encounter with Princess Tiana
- Tanya Savko- Hope on a river
- Tiffany Robison-Great Wolf Lodge
- Fiona Westner Ramsay -Making-room-for-autism-in-your-canoe
- Laura Shumacher-Traveling with autism: a true story
- Phyllis Fanzo Lombardi-s -Vacation Time with Joey
- Kristina Chew-18 Miles On the Bikes At the Beach
- Jeff Katz-Chicago
- Margaret Ann Franklin's visit to the Great Northern Carousel in Helena Montana
- Claire Sarcone-Chessington the aspie way
- Elaine Hall-Tips for summer vacation
- Steve LHeureux -Autism "Outings" need to be planned and appropriate
- Kelly Green-The Gardens of Gilroy
- Wolfie Blue-Tips I learnt by traveling with my family
- Gluten free Disney cruise experience
- Danette Schott's-Revisiting family vacations
- North,Central and South America-pictures,videos and AG's tips
- Arizona,The Grand Canyon
- Alaska Cruise-USA and Canada
- Florida,Orlando-Universal Studios-looking for Harry Potter
- Florida,Orlando-Macy's mini parade in Universal Studios
- Florida-Everglades Park ,Miami,Key West
- Hawaii's big island with a glimpse of Pearl Harbor
- Louisiana,New Orleans-French Quarter,Christmas Parade,Nanchez Steamboat
- Louisiana,New Orleans-in the footsteps of Katrina,Garden district
- Massachussetts-Boston ,New England Coastal towns of NH and Maine
- New York-NYC
- New Mexico-Santa Fe and Bandoliers National Park
- Pennsylvania-Philadelphia
- Texas-San Antonio and Galveston
- Canada-Niagara Falls,Montreal,Quebec,Toronto
- Caribbean-Bahamas- the Atlantis resort
- Caribbean-Castaway Cay-Disney's bahamian paradise
- Caribbean-Roatan,Honduras>
- Caribbean-Grand Caymans-Hell,Turtles,Wild Hens and Stingrays>
- Mexico-Cabo San Lucas(Mex Riviera)
- Mexico-Puerta Vallarta (Mex Riviera)
- Mexico-Acapulco and Manzanillo
- Mexico-Mazatlan(Mex Riviera)
- Mexico-Playa del Carmen's Xcaret eco park>
- Mexico-Tulum and XelHa Eco Park
- Yucatan,Mexico- Chichen Itza,Cozumel's Paradise Beach
- Arizona,The Grand Canyon
- Europe,Asia,Australia and New Zealand,Cruise ships-pictures,videos and AG's tips
- Australia-Sydney and Melbourne
- Austria-Salzburg
- Belgium-Antwerp ,Brussels
- Canary Islands-Lazarote
- Croatia-the walled town of Dubrovnik
- Denmark-Copenhagen
- France-Normandy's D day beaches>
- France- Cannes,Nice,Eze
- France-Paris
- Finland,Helsinki
- Germany-Munich,Dachau
- Germany-Romantic Road
- Ireland-Dublin
- Ireland -Cork,Blarney,Kinsale>
- N. Ireland-Belfast>
- N. Ireland's Giant Causeway
- N.Ireland-Carrick -a -Rede-rope bridge>
- Italy-Venice,Pompeii,Rome
- Italy-Florence,Messina and Taoramina
- Israel-Jerusalem>
- Israel-Masada and the Dead Sea>
- Israel-Tel Aviv>
- Morocco-Casablanca
- New Zealand-Rotarua
- New Zealand-Fjord Park,Dunedin,Christchurch
- New Zealand - Auckland and sheep farm
- The Netherlands-Amsterdam,Delft,The Hague,Rotterdam,Madurodam
- Sweden-Stockholm and the Archipelago
- Russia-St Petersburg's Palaces
- Scotland-Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh
- Scotland-Edinburgh>
- Scotland-Inverness>
- Scotland-Loch Lommond,Luss,Sottish sheep show>
- Spain-Barcelona
- Spain-Cadiz and Seville
- Spain-The Alhambra Palace,view of Malaga
- Tasmania-Hobart
- UK-Liverpool and the Beatles>
- UK-London>
- UK-Stonehenge,Bath,Warwick Castle,Stratford on Avon,Oxford
- UK-Guernsey>
- Carnival -Legend
- Aboard the Carnival Legend
- Carnival -Ecstasy
- Carnival- Fascination
- Carnival Spirit
- Celebrity-Century
- Crown Princess>
- Sapphire Princess
- Royal Caribbean-Brilliance of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean-Mariner of the Seas (parades)
- Royal Caribbean- Mariner of the Seas
- Australia-Sydney and Melbourne
- Monthly guest's -Travel videos and pictures
- Web sites and blogs we follow
- Face Book discussions
- Guest Book
Gluten Free Disney Cruise Experience
Jen Manzi, Karen Horan and Colleen Williams are consultants specializing in gluten-free living. They are GREAT guides affiliated with the NFCA. They all have families with Celiac Disease and are skillful at keeping strict gluten free households.
Karen’s young daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease just before she turned four years old. Her only symptom was chronic and severe constipation starting around six months old (just about the time she was introduced to cereals). Karen’s entire household has been strictly gluten free for over two years and she is happy to report that everyone is well adapted and thriving. Karen holds a BS from Bucknell University in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing additional education in holistic nutrition.
Jen’s husband was diagnosed with Celiac Disease six years ago and is feeling better than ever on a gluten free diet. When their first son began to show similar symptoms, it was confirmed that he too had Celiac Disease. Jen is adept at running a gluten free kitchen and has been very proactive in helping other gluten free families. Jen is a graduate of Penn State University and is the founder of Malvern Chapter of R.O.C.K, a support group for parents of children with celiac disease.
Colleen began itching several years ago. Fortunately it did not take too long to discover that her rash was a result of celiac disease. Her oldest child was diagnosed as well a year later. Colleen has been happily gluten free and itch free for seven years now. Colleen graduated from Bucknell University and enjoys helping celiac families in her community. She is an active proponent of gluten free living and is very knowledgeable about safe foods and productsTheir web site is http://www.eattolearn.net/GlutenFreeTravel/Home.html
*This story was written and published by Karen Horan on her blog http://www.eattolearn.net/GlutenFreeTravel/Home.html
Karen’s young daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease just before she turned four years old. Her only symptom was chronic and severe constipation starting around six months old (just about the time she was introduced to cereals). Karen’s entire household has been strictly gluten free for over two years and she is happy to report that everyone is well adapted and thriving. Karen holds a BS from Bucknell University in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing additional education in holistic nutrition.
Jen’s husband was diagnosed with Celiac Disease six years ago and is feeling better than ever on a gluten free diet. When their first son began to show similar symptoms, it was confirmed that he too had Celiac Disease. Jen is adept at running a gluten free kitchen and has been very proactive in helping other gluten free families. Jen is a graduate of Penn State University and is the founder of Malvern Chapter of R.O.C.K, a support group for parents of children with celiac disease.
Colleen began itching several years ago. Fortunately it did not take too long to discover that her rash was a result of celiac disease. Her oldest child was diagnosed as well a year later. Colleen has been happily gluten free and itch free for seven years now. Colleen graduated from Bucknell University and enjoys helping celiac families in her community. She is an active proponent of gluten free living and is very knowledgeable about safe foods and productsTheir web site is http://www.eattolearn.net/GlutenFreeTravel/Home.html
*This story was written and published by Karen Horan on her blog http://www.eattolearn.net/GlutenFreeTravel/Home.html
Planning
We Are Going On Vacation!
Last year Pete and I decided it was time to take our twice-a-decade grown-up only vacation. We spent some time narrowing down our options and came to the the conclusion that the most important criteria was that if would have to be gluten-free. That is, it must be gluten-free with minimal effort, otherwise it’s not really a vacation.
We’ve been to a few the all inclusive resorts they were fun, but there wasn’t much to do off the property. With all of the buffets at the all inclusive, I wasn’t too sure how easily they would do our diet requests, especially if there were any language barriers. We have done Disney World several times and found every restaurant (even the buffets) to be very thorough and conscientious about special dietary requests. But we just weren’t up for another WDW vacation. My feet were still recovering after our last one! Ah, but we do love their food service, no explaining our diet at every restaurant, chefs who were willing to make us a gf version of most anything on the buffet or menu.
On the advice of our travel agent we started looking into cruises. Disney Cruise Line (DCL) was a standout choice not only for dining options but also for customer service, staterooms and activities. But going on a Disney cruise without children?!? After a little research it was clear that we would have access to multiple adult only areas including a pool, cafe, fitness center, restaurant and even a section of a beach. All food would be included in our fare with the exception of the obvious things like alcohol. Disney owns it own island where the ship would dock for a day. It was beginning to sound better and better. The clincher was finding out that room service was included in the fare as well. It is music to my ears to hear that knock on the door in the morning with an arriving tray of coffee and breakfast. Aaaaahhhhh.
We decided to take the plunge and last April we called our travel agent to book a room for us. Since it is seldom we get to go on vacation together with no extra company, we booked a room with a veranda. We opted for a Category 6 guarantee, which means that they would assign our room number to us just before the cruise and we had the possibility of being upgraded. Early April seemed like a long time from Late October. We tried our best to keep busy...
We are finally on our way!
The alarms started going off at 4:00 am this morning. And when I say alarms, we set three. Haven’t you ever had that dream that you over slept and missed something really important. So we sent the regular alarm clock, but since it was pouring rain all night, Pete also set his wind-up clock. Just in case the power went our and the manual alarm clock failed, I also set my cell phone alarm. It was a little neurotic I know. As it turned out we didn’t even need an alarm and we both woke up to the radio a few minutes early.
We made it to the airport with plenty oftime before our flight, got an overpriced coffee and happily settled down to wait. Time to decompress. Pete smiled and made me promise that I would totally relax once we were on board. You all know how I get. Really, I am trying. I am going to take a deep breath and start relaxing right now. Hmmmm, maybe I should have gotten a decaf instead.
It is hard to believe that we got here exactly as planned without one travel delay. We landed in Orlando twenty minutes early and made our way down to the transportation area. We actually checked in for the cruise right at the airport and we were literally whisked away on a bus for the port. (seriously, I thought we would have at least a 10 minute wait, so I had gotten out my laptop to post this morning’s blog - the moment I hit publish, they called us for the bus) Less than an hour later the big boat came into sight. The only thing we had to do at the terminal was get our ID picture taken before we got on board. Apparently the computer system that runs the cameras had been down earlier in the day, so we had to wait in a really long line. Truthfully I was so busy people watching that the time in line actually seemed to pass quickly.
Once aboard we were able to go right up to the buffet at Topsider’s and get some lunch. We found a chef to walk us through the choices. We found a nice table on the deck and relaxed in the sun while we ate our lunch. Our rooms were ready prompty at 1:30 and we were really ready to put down all our heavy carry on bags.
Our room is on deck 8 with a lovely verandah.
Plenty of room for the two of us, but I can see how it would be a little tight for a family of five. Since our luggage hadn’t arrived yet there was no need to unpack so we changed into out bathing suits and headed to the pool. Midafternoon we had the official “muster drill” -
This is where everyone puts on their pretty life jackets and crowds like sardines on the humid deck. It is the crew’s opportunities to teach you not to panic. Pete and I skipped the sail away party and watched our departure from the comfort and privacy of our our balcony. I could get used to this.
By the time we were out to sea, our bags had arrived. We unpacked got changed and went down to the theater for a welcome show. We are assigned to a late dinner seating at 8:15. Since it was our first dinner of our trip, they were not able to prepare any thing specifically gluten free for us. Dinner was okay, a bit plain since the sauces had to be left off. During our dessert, the head waiter brought us the next night’s menu and we were able to order our dinner in advance.
Day 1
I woke up at 4:45 this morning and just couldn’t get back to sleep. Can you believe that - my first day of vacation and I am up before the sun. I was thinking about several things I needed to do, one of which was email the kids and the grandparents to let them know we were here and see how everyone back home was doing. Well, I wasn’t asleep, so I figured I might as well get some things done. I wandered upstairs to the beverage station to get a cup of coffee and found out I was not the only one up before the sun. Pete was happy to have coffee with me and then went for a run - there is one deck with a walkway all the way around it, one lap is about a third of a mile.
With some emails sent and a blog posted I decided to go to the 7:30 am Yoga class. I would just like to point out that yoga is hard enough at the gym, but balancing is even harder when the floor below you is slowly swaying from side to side. Fortunately I didn’t take anyone else down with me... By the end of that, we were really hungry and wandered off to brunch at Luminere’s.
We both had Western Omelets and sausage. Quite tasty. We headed up to the pool to get a little vitamin D. Competition for the good lounge chairs was fierce! We finally ended up a deck up overlooking the pools for the rest of the morning. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and there was a great breeze, which probably contributed to the fact that didn’t realize we were beginning to burn... We left for lunch just in time and are just a little pink.
For lunch we headed back down to Parrot Cay
to see what was available at the buffet. The selection was limited, but the chef offered to make us some salmon and vegetables. We had some crab claws, salad and cold mango soup while we were waiting. We had a long talk with the head waiter about where to eat and how to pre-order our food. We will be heading back to Luminere’s for breakfast and lunch tomorrow too.
After a lovely lunch, what else was there to do but take a nap? I finally caught up on some sleep and Pete took a himself on a tour of the boat then sat on the verandah and read his book. It was “formal” night on the cruise so we dressed up
in our Sunday best (actually, a little nicer than my usual Sunday best!) Since we had pre ordered dinner the night before, everything went much better. For an appetizer I had Honeydew Melon with Prosciutto and Pete had Scallops with Risotto. For dinner we had ordered Lamb Chops and Roasted Duck. Both entrees were so delicious that they were gone before I got the camera ready. We even had dessert - a strawberry sundae and creme brulee. Fortunately the portions are rather small, so it is quite possible to eat an appetizer, salad, dinner and still have room for dessert. It was a good day, I think I’ll sleep better tonight
Day 2
I woke up at 4:45 this morning and just couldn’t get back to sleep. Can you believe that - my first day of vacation and I am up before the sun. I was thinking about several things I needed to do, one of which was email the kids and the grandparents to let them know we were here and see how everyone back home was doing. Well, I wasn’t asleep, so I figured I might as well get some things done. I wandered upstairs to the beverage station to get a cup of coffee and found out I was not the only one up before the sun. Pete was happy to have coffee with me and then went for a run - there is one deck with a walkway all the way around it, one lap is about a third of a mile.
With some emails sent and a blog posted I decided to go to the 7:30 am Yoga class. I would just like to point out that yoga is hard enough at the gym, but balancing is even harder when the floor below you is slowly swaying from side to side. Fortunately I didn’t take anyone else down with me... By the end of that, we were really hungry and wandered off to brunch at Luminere’s. We both had Western Omelets and sausage. Quite tasty. We headed up to the pool to get a little vitamin D. Competition for the good lounge chairs was fierce! We finally ended up a deck up overlooking the pools for the rest of the morning. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and there was a great breeze, which probably contributed to the fact that didn’t realize we were beginning to burn... We left for lunch just in time and are just a little pink.
For lunch we headed back down to Parrot Cay to see what was available at the buffet. The selection was limited, but the chef offered to make us some salmon and vegetables. We had some crab claws, salad and cold mango soup while we were waiting. We had a long talk with the head waiter about where to eat and how to pre-order our food. We will be heading back to Luminere’s for breakfast and lunch tomorrow too.
After a lovely lunch, what else was there to do but take a nap? I finally caught up on some sleep and Pete took a himself on a tour of the boat then sat on the verandah and read his book. It was “formal” night on the cruise so we dressed up in our Sunday best (actually, a little nicer than my usual Sunday best!) Since we had pre ordered dinner the night before, everything went much better. For an appetizer I had honeydew melon with prosciutto and Pete had Scallops with Risotto. For dinner we had ordered Lamb Chops and Roasted Duck. Both entrees were so delicious that they were gone before I got the camera ready. We even had dessert - a strawberry sundae and creme brulee. Fortunately the portions are rather small, so it is quite possible to eat an appetizer, salad, dinner and still have room for dessert. It was a good day, I think I’ll sleep better tonight.
Day3
I slept so much better last night. Didn’t open my eyes until 8:15 - Pete had already gotten up, done a load of laundry and gone for a two mile run around the deck. We hustled down to get some breakfast - same as yesterday, so I won’t bore you with repeat pictures. Actually, we got a really lovely plate of fruit to share -
that is worth seeing... We got back to the adult pool just in time to claim the last two cushy lounge chairs. Pete is reading The Lovely Bones, I just finished Confessions of a Shopaholic and started The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. At noon we gave up our lounge chairs (to some very happy people) and headed back to the room. I went up to the fitness center for a little exercise and Pete went down to the restaurant to pre-order our lunch. Since Pete was more than a little hungry when he looked at the menu, we had a table full of food: Zucchini Antipasto, Shrimp Cocktail, Portobello Mushroom Risotto, Sauteed Cod, and a Steak with Baked Potato. We skip The afternoon was spent reading - Pete is deep into his book and wants to find out how it ends.
Momentarily, I am waiting for room service to bring us a Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bar. I let you know how that turns out later...
It was a bit of a wait, but we finally got some Mickey Bars! Pete has finished reading The Lovely Bones and is ready to move onto something a little lighter.
Tonight is dinner at Palo, the adult only fine dining restaurant aboard the ship. We spent the afternoon relaxing in our cabin, then got partially dressed (i.e. clean, but in regular clothes) for the evening show. Tonight’s presentation was a Broadway style adaption of Cinderella called Twice Charmed. With lots of singing, dancing and costumes it was the story of how the ugly stepsisters meet their evil fairy god-father and go back in time to try to get rid of Cinderella’s other glass slipper. For those of you with small girls, it was similar in plot to Cinderella Three- A Twist In Time.
After the show we got dressed in our Sunday Bestagain and headed up for dinner at Palo. We had pre-ordered our food the night before to ensure everything could be made gluten free. The restaurant is on the top deck of the ship, with windows all around. We ordered some Tanqueray and Tonics and sat down at a lovely little table for two. I tried to take pictures of all our courses, but some of them smelled so good that I had eaten them before reaching for my camera
Day 4
If you think all we have been doing is eating, reading and sitting by the pool this week, you are correct. Truthfully, I think my shorts are getting tight, and it may be time for a little more activity. Today we dockedin Saint Maarten and headed off the boat for an excursion. Our tour bus took us through the Dutch side of the Island to the French side where we got on mountain bikes and took an on road/off road bike trip. After about an hour, we ended up at Friar’s Bay Beach were we had a chance to swim and get a beverage. Finally we headed back to the ship for lunch.
In the afternoon we got off the boat again and took a walk through the nearby town of Phillipsburg. Lots of of jewelry, electronic and duty free stores as well as the typical tourist trinket shops. We were docked next to the Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Sea, which I hear is currently the largest ship afloat. It was enormous and made our ship look puny. We had a nice afternoon sitting on our verandah watching people get back on to the boats and seeing the RC ship sail away.
Tonight’s theme was “Pirates in the Caribbean”. We put pirate bandanas on and headed down to Parrot Cay for dinner. Our dining table companions are another couple aboard without their children. (Their oldest is a sophomore at Bucknell, what a small world!) Lots of great food, friends and a little dancing.
We Are Going On Vacation!
Last year Pete and I decided it was time to take our twice-a-decade grown-up only vacation. We spent some time narrowing down our options and came to the the conclusion that the most important criteria was that if would have to be gluten-free. That is, it must be gluten-free with minimal effort, otherwise it’s not really a vacation.
We’ve been to a few the all inclusive resorts they were fun, but there wasn’t much to do off the property. With all of the buffets at the all inclusive, I wasn’t too sure how easily they would do our diet requests, especially if there were any language barriers. We have done Disney World several times and found every restaurant (even the buffets) to be very thorough and conscientious about special dietary requests. But we just weren’t up for another WDW vacation. My feet were still recovering after our last one! Ah, but we do love their food service, no explaining our diet at every restaurant, chefs who were willing to make us a gf version of most anything on the buffet or menu.
On the advice of our travel agent we started looking into cruises. Disney Cruise Line (DCL) was a standout choice not only for dining options but also for customer service, staterooms and activities. But going on a Disney cruise without children?!? After a little research it was clear that we would have access to multiple adult only areas including a pool, cafe, fitness center, restaurant and even a section of a beach. All food would be included in our fare with the exception of the obvious things like alcohol. Disney owns it own island where the ship would dock for a day. It was beginning to sound better and better. The clincher was finding out that room service was included in the fare as well. It is music to my ears to hear that knock on the door in the morning with an arriving tray of coffee and breakfast. Aaaaahhhhh.
We decided to take the plunge and last April we called our travel agent to book a room for us. Since it is seldom we get to go on vacation together with no extra company, we booked a room with a veranda. We opted for a Category 6 guarantee, which means that they would assign our room number to us just before the cruise and we had the possibility of being upgraded. Early April seemed like a long time from Late October. We tried our best to keep busy...
We are finally on our way!
The alarms started going off at 4:00 am this morning. And when I say alarms, we set three. Haven’t you ever had that dream that you over slept and missed something really important. So we sent the regular alarm clock, but since it was pouring rain all night, Pete also set his wind-up clock. Just in case the power went our and the manual alarm clock failed, I also set my cell phone alarm. It was a little neurotic I know. As it turned out we didn’t even need an alarm and we both woke up to the radio a few minutes early.
We made it to the airport with plenty oftime before our flight, got an overpriced coffee and happily settled down to wait. Time to decompress. Pete smiled and made me promise that I would totally relax once we were on board. You all know how I get. Really, I am trying. I am going to take a deep breath and start relaxing right now. Hmmmm, maybe I should have gotten a decaf instead.
It is hard to believe that we got here exactly as planned without one travel delay. We landed in Orlando twenty minutes early and made our way down to the transportation area. We actually checked in for the cruise right at the airport and we were literally whisked away on a bus for the port. (seriously, I thought we would have at least a 10 minute wait, so I had gotten out my laptop to post this morning’s blog - the moment I hit publish, they called us for the bus) Less than an hour later the big boat came into sight. The only thing we had to do at the terminal was get our ID picture taken before we got on board. Apparently the computer system that runs the cameras had been down earlier in the day, so we had to wait in a really long line. Truthfully I was so busy people watching that the time in line actually seemed to pass quickly.
Once aboard we were able to go right up to the buffet at Topsider’s and get some lunch. We found a chef to walk us through the choices. We found a nice table on the deck and relaxed in the sun while we ate our lunch. Our rooms were ready prompty at 1:30 and we were really ready to put down all our heavy carry on bags.
Our room is on deck 8 with a lovely verandah.
Plenty of room for the two of us, but I can see how it would be a little tight for a family of five. Since our luggage hadn’t arrived yet there was no need to unpack so we changed into out bathing suits and headed to the pool. Midafternoon we had the official “muster drill” -
This is where everyone puts on their pretty life jackets and crowds like sardines on the humid deck. It is the crew’s opportunities to teach you not to panic. Pete and I skipped the sail away party and watched our departure from the comfort and privacy of our our balcony. I could get used to this.
By the time we were out to sea, our bags had arrived. We unpacked got changed and went down to the theater for a welcome show. We are assigned to a late dinner seating at 8:15. Since it was our first dinner of our trip, they were not able to prepare any thing specifically gluten free for us. Dinner was okay, a bit plain since the sauces had to be left off. During our dessert, the head waiter brought us the next night’s menu and we were able to order our dinner in advance.
Day 1
I woke up at 4:45 this morning and just couldn’t get back to sleep. Can you believe that - my first day of vacation and I am up before the sun. I was thinking about several things I needed to do, one of which was email the kids and the grandparents to let them know we were here and see how everyone back home was doing. Well, I wasn’t asleep, so I figured I might as well get some things done. I wandered upstairs to the beverage station to get a cup of coffee and found out I was not the only one up before the sun. Pete was happy to have coffee with me and then went for a run - there is one deck with a walkway all the way around it, one lap is about a third of a mile.
With some emails sent and a blog posted I decided to go to the 7:30 am Yoga class. I would just like to point out that yoga is hard enough at the gym, but balancing is even harder when the floor below you is slowly swaying from side to side. Fortunately I didn’t take anyone else down with me... By the end of that, we were really hungry and wandered off to brunch at Luminere’s.
We both had Western Omelets and sausage. Quite tasty. We headed up to the pool to get a little vitamin D. Competition for the good lounge chairs was fierce! We finally ended up a deck up overlooking the pools for the rest of the morning. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and there was a great breeze, which probably contributed to the fact that didn’t realize we were beginning to burn... We left for lunch just in time and are just a little pink.
For lunch we headed back down to Parrot Cay
to see what was available at the buffet. The selection was limited, but the chef offered to make us some salmon and vegetables. We had some crab claws, salad and cold mango soup while we were waiting. We had a long talk with the head waiter about where to eat and how to pre-order our food. We will be heading back to Luminere’s for breakfast and lunch tomorrow too.
After a lovely lunch, what else was there to do but take a nap? I finally caught up on some sleep and Pete took a himself on a tour of the boat then sat on the verandah and read his book. It was “formal” night on the cruise so we dressed up
in our Sunday best (actually, a little nicer than my usual Sunday best!) Since we had pre ordered dinner the night before, everything went much better. For an appetizer I had Honeydew Melon with Prosciutto and Pete had Scallops with Risotto. For dinner we had ordered Lamb Chops and Roasted Duck. Both entrees were so delicious that they were gone before I got the camera ready. We even had dessert - a strawberry sundae and creme brulee. Fortunately the portions are rather small, so it is quite possible to eat an appetizer, salad, dinner and still have room for dessert. It was a good day, I think I’ll sleep better tonight
Day 2
I woke up at 4:45 this morning and just couldn’t get back to sleep. Can you believe that - my first day of vacation and I am up before the sun. I was thinking about several things I needed to do, one of which was email the kids and the grandparents to let them know we were here and see how everyone back home was doing. Well, I wasn’t asleep, so I figured I might as well get some things done. I wandered upstairs to the beverage station to get a cup of coffee and found out I was not the only one up before the sun. Pete was happy to have coffee with me and then went for a run - there is one deck with a walkway all the way around it, one lap is about a third of a mile.
With some emails sent and a blog posted I decided to go to the 7:30 am Yoga class. I would just like to point out that yoga is hard enough at the gym, but balancing is even harder when the floor below you is slowly swaying from side to side. Fortunately I didn’t take anyone else down with me... By the end of that, we were really hungry and wandered off to brunch at Luminere’s. We both had Western Omelets and sausage. Quite tasty. We headed up to the pool to get a little vitamin D. Competition for the good lounge chairs was fierce! We finally ended up a deck up overlooking the pools for the rest of the morning. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and there was a great breeze, which probably contributed to the fact that didn’t realize we were beginning to burn... We left for lunch just in time and are just a little pink.
For lunch we headed back down to Parrot Cay to see what was available at the buffet. The selection was limited, but the chef offered to make us some salmon and vegetables. We had some crab claws, salad and cold mango soup while we were waiting. We had a long talk with the head waiter about where to eat and how to pre-order our food. We will be heading back to Luminere’s for breakfast and lunch tomorrow too.
After a lovely lunch, what else was there to do but take a nap? I finally caught up on some sleep and Pete took a himself on a tour of the boat then sat on the verandah and read his book. It was “formal” night on the cruise so we dressed up in our Sunday best (actually, a little nicer than my usual Sunday best!) Since we had pre ordered dinner the night before, everything went much better. For an appetizer I had honeydew melon with prosciutto and Pete had Scallops with Risotto. For dinner we had ordered Lamb Chops and Roasted Duck. Both entrees were so delicious that they were gone before I got the camera ready. We even had dessert - a strawberry sundae and creme brulee. Fortunately the portions are rather small, so it is quite possible to eat an appetizer, salad, dinner and still have room for dessert. It was a good day, I think I’ll sleep better tonight.
Day3
I slept so much better last night. Didn’t open my eyes until 8:15 - Pete had already gotten up, done a load of laundry and gone for a two mile run around the deck. We hustled down to get some breakfast - same as yesterday, so I won’t bore you with repeat pictures. Actually, we got a really lovely plate of fruit to share -
that is worth seeing... We got back to the adult pool just in time to claim the last two cushy lounge chairs. Pete is reading The Lovely Bones, I just finished Confessions of a Shopaholic and started The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. At noon we gave up our lounge chairs (to some very happy people) and headed back to the room. I went up to the fitness center for a little exercise and Pete went down to the restaurant to pre-order our lunch. Since Pete was more than a little hungry when he looked at the menu, we had a table full of food: Zucchini Antipasto, Shrimp Cocktail, Portobello Mushroom Risotto, Sauteed Cod, and a Steak with Baked Potato. We skip The afternoon was spent reading - Pete is deep into his book and wants to find out how it ends.
Momentarily, I am waiting for room service to bring us a Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bar. I let you know how that turns out later...
It was a bit of a wait, but we finally got some Mickey Bars! Pete has finished reading The Lovely Bones and is ready to move onto something a little lighter.
Tonight is dinner at Palo, the adult only fine dining restaurant aboard the ship. We spent the afternoon relaxing in our cabin, then got partially dressed (i.e. clean, but in regular clothes) for the evening show. Tonight’s presentation was a Broadway style adaption of Cinderella called Twice Charmed. With lots of singing, dancing and costumes it was the story of how the ugly stepsisters meet their evil fairy god-father and go back in time to try to get rid of Cinderella’s other glass slipper. For those of you with small girls, it was similar in plot to Cinderella Three- A Twist In Time.
After the show we got dressed in our Sunday Bestagain and headed up for dinner at Palo. We had pre-ordered our food the night before to ensure everything could be made gluten free. The restaurant is on the top deck of the ship, with windows all around. We ordered some Tanqueray and Tonics and sat down at a lovely little table for two. I tried to take pictures of all our courses, but some of them smelled so good that I had eaten them before reaching for my camera
Day 4
If you think all we have been doing is eating, reading and sitting by the pool this week, you are correct. Truthfully, I think my shorts are getting tight, and it may be time for a little more activity. Today we dockedin Saint Maarten and headed off the boat for an excursion. Our tour bus took us through the Dutch side of the Island to the French side where we got on mountain bikes and took an on road/off road bike trip. After about an hour, we ended up at Friar’s Bay Beach were we had a chance to swim and get a beverage. Finally we headed back to the ship for lunch.
In the afternoon we got off the boat again and took a walk through the nearby town of Phillipsburg. Lots of of jewelry, electronic and duty free stores as well as the typical tourist trinket shops. We were docked next to the Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Sea, which I hear is currently the largest ship afloat. It was enormous and made our ship look puny. We had a nice afternoon sitting on our verandah watching people get back on to the boats and seeing the RC ship sail away.
Tonight’s theme was “Pirates in the Caribbean”. We put pirate bandanas on and headed down to Parrot Cay for dinner. Our dining table companions are another couple aboard without their children. (Their oldest is a sophomore at Bucknell, what a small world!) Lots of great food, friends and a little dancing.
Day 5
This morning we docked in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. We hopped in an open air taxi which took us up and down many large hills to a marina where we got on a catamaran to sail over to St. John. As we sailed off the dark clouds began to gather and the sky began to look ominous. In the next half hour, our little boat bounced up and down and rain poured down from the sky. Miraculously as we dropped anchor in a little beach cove in St. John, the sun came out and all the clouds disappeared. We spend the next hour or so snorkeling and sitting on the beautiful white sand beach I have ever seen. A little before lunch we returned to the boat and began our sail back to St. Thomas. This time the weather was sunny and breezy and we could enjoy sitting on the deck of the boat drinking rum punches.
Once back to the cruise ship, we had a bit of lunch then explored the tourist shops near the pier. Again, Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Sea was docked next to us. Pete and I very much enjoyed sitting on our verandah and watching the tiny people down below re-board the ship while we got ready to sail away.
In the evening, we had a lovely dinner at Parrot Cay and got to see all the children dressed in their Halloween costumes. We went to a 10:30 showing of The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D, but had a really had time staying awake! The picture at right is the cute little towel elephant that greeted us after dinner.
Day 6
This is our third and final day at sea. We are sailing from St. Thomas back up to the Bahamas - about 820 nautical miles. We took advantage of the clear blue sky and ate our breakfast outside at Topsiders today. Although buffets are always a little challenging for the gluten-free, this one has some inherent safety features. The fruit is the first item in the buffet line, followed by the meats. The omelets are at a separate station and do not contain any wheat ingredients. After lunch we hustled over to the adult pool and got the last two available lounges. (Pet peeve: people who spread towels on the chairs then leave to go eat breakfast for two hours.) After a few hours reading by the pool we retired back to our room with our lunch. Alana, our stateroom host had left a birthday cake made out of towels on our bed.
Alas, it is my birthday. No body parts have fallen off or broken down today, so I think I am going to make it. Pete managed to score a repeat reservation for Palo and we invited our table mates to join us for dinner. Being a very thoughtful husband, he also arranged for outdoor chair massages for both of us. I also had a chance to have coffee with Executive Chef and talk about how DCL handles gluten free travelers. In my opinion, this all adds up to a pretty good day...
We had the most fantastic dinner at Palo. There was lobster on the menu - see the header picture! When we go back to the room, we were treated to a beautiful plate of truffles. We were too full to eat them but managed to fit them in the beverage cooler for the next day. Tomorrow we have our last stop at Castaway Cay before heading home...
Day 7
Our last full day of our cruise was spent at Castaway Cay, Disney’s privately owned island in the Bahamas. From our verandah we were able to watch the ship dock and the crew members get off the boat. Everything for the day at the Castaway Cay must be unloaded from the ship before the guests can disembark. We watched as all the towels, food and supplies were quickly and efficiently taken off the ship and sent to their proper places. It was an impressively choreographed with each person seeming to know exactly where to put everything.
Once we were allowed to disembark, we headed straight over to Serenity Bay, the adult only beach as the end of the island. On the soft sand beach were pairs of lounges and umbrellas set up as far as the eye could see. The swimming area as expansive with clear blue water. At noon Pete and I wandered over to the lunch station set up near the beach. We had checked ahead of time with the staff and found that most of the items would be gluten free. I had a hamburger (no bun) and Pete had rotisserie chicken and a steak. We both had salad and fruit.
Around two in the afternoon we left the beach and made our way over to the bike rental station. We picked up our bikes and took a little spin around, stopping at the look out tower for a good view of the island. The bikes were “old school” with no gears or handbrakes. It took me a while to remember to pedal backwards to stop. The trails were nice, flat and wide with water station every so often.
We headed back onto the boat around 3:30 and sat on our verandah watching everyone else slowly stream back into the boat. As happy as we were to sit and relax, we were beginning to feel a little sad the our trip was just about over. Some packing to do before dinner and our bags would need to be out in the hallway for pickup before 11 pm.
We headed down for our final dinner with our table mates and servers - appropriately named “Until We Meet Again”.
Our servers were Angelina from Columbia and Non from Thailand. As a final treat their brought us a special anniversary dessert made with white chocolate mousse - all gluten free of course!
Day 8
This is the hardest day to write about, it is time to leave the ship. Early in the morning we docked in Port Canaveral. Our alarm was set early so that we would have time to shower and get to our 7:45 am breakfast seating. We had packed our two main bags the night before and only needed to pack up our carry ons. We were left with some extra time to sit on our porch, watch the sunrise and contemplate our vacation.
At our assigned time we slowly made our way back down to Parrot Cay for our final meal on the ship. We said good bye to our servers and table mates one last time and slowly left the ship. I am sure I walked half as fast down the gang way than I had the week before. We collected our luggage from the baggage area and quickly made our way through customs. As always, Disney is highly efficient in moving people and we were quickly directed to an airport bound bus.
We arrived at the airport and finished all checking by 10:30 am. We still had over three hours until our flight. I really like the fact that the Orlando Airport has free wireless internet. Pete and I both found comfortable chairs near our gate and caught up on work. As it turned out, our flight home was delayed by several hours - all due to lack of landing space at the Philadelphia Airport. I will give due credit to Southwest here, they let us wait in the terminal until we had clearance to take off. I was very thankful we didn’t have to sit on a crowded airplane on the tarmac during our delay. When Pete and I got tired of working, we watched a few old episodes of The Office on my laptop. (slight aside, we watched the episode called The Injury. It is the one where Michael Scott gets his foot caught in his Foreman Grill. I have seen it several times and it still makes me laugh out loud.)
We arrived home around 7 pm in a steady cold rain with just enough time left to greet a few trick-or-treaters. What to do next? We are contemplating our next Disney vacation. This time we will take the children...
General Recommendation for Traveling Gluten Free on the Disney Cruise Line:
• Notify Disney at the time of booking of food allergies
• Send in a Medical Form at least three weeks before departing
• Upon arrival on the ship, meet with your head server to review menus
• Be aware that there are 2000 other non-gluten free cruisers on board with you. Due to the number of meals the kitchen much prepare each day, they must have special orders in advance.
• Buffets are at your own discretion and risk. Although DCL can tell you what each dish contains, it is impossible for the to be sure other guests have not accidently contaminated them.
• In lieu of eating from buffets, the chefs will be happy to prepare food in the kitchen for you. Please be aware that this is made to order and will take additional time. Giving them advance orders is always appreciated.
• Seven night cruises are recommended over 3 or 4 night cruises. This gives the chefs and servers a chance to really get to know you and accommodate your needs.
Disney Cruise Line Information: http://disneycruise.disney.go.com
This morning we docked in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. We hopped in an open air taxi which took us up and down many large hills to a marina where we got on a catamaran to sail over to St. John. As we sailed off the dark clouds began to gather and the sky began to look ominous. In the next half hour, our little boat bounced up and down and rain poured down from the sky. Miraculously as we dropped anchor in a little beach cove in St. John, the sun came out and all the clouds disappeared. We spend the next hour or so snorkeling and sitting on the beautiful white sand beach I have ever seen. A little before lunch we returned to the boat and began our sail back to St. Thomas. This time the weather was sunny and breezy and we could enjoy sitting on the deck of the boat drinking rum punches.
Once back to the cruise ship, we had a bit of lunch then explored the tourist shops near the pier. Again, Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Sea was docked next to us. Pete and I very much enjoyed sitting on our verandah and watching the tiny people down below re-board the ship while we got ready to sail away.
In the evening, we had a lovely dinner at Parrot Cay and got to see all the children dressed in their Halloween costumes. We went to a 10:30 showing of The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D, but had a really had time staying awake! The picture at right is the cute little towel elephant that greeted us after dinner.
Day 6
This is our third and final day at sea. We are sailing from St. Thomas back up to the Bahamas - about 820 nautical miles. We took advantage of the clear blue sky and ate our breakfast outside at Topsiders today. Although buffets are always a little challenging for the gluten-free, this one has some inherent safety features. The fruit is the first item in the buffet line, followed by the meats. The omelets are at a separate station and do not contain any wheat ingredients. After lunch we hustled over to the adult pool and got the last two available lounges. (Pet peeve: people who spread towels on the chairs then leave to go eat breakfast for two hours.) After a few hours reading by the pool we retired back to our room with our lunch. Alana, our stateroom host had left a birthday cake made out of towels on our bed.
Alas, it is my birthday. No body parts have fallen off or broken down today, so I think I am going to make it. Pete managed to score a repeat reservation for Palo and we invited our table mates to join us for dinner. Being a very thoughtful husband, he also arranged for outdoor chair massages for both of us. I also had a chance to have coffee with Executive Chef and talk about how DCL handles gluten free travelers. In my opinion, this all adds up to a pretty good day...
We had the most fantastic dinner at Palo. There was lobster on the menu - see the header picture! When we go back to the room, we were treated to a beautiful plate of truffles. We were too full to eat them but managed to fit them in the beverage cooler for the next day. Tomorrow we have our last stop at Castaway Cay before heading home...
Day 7
Our last full day of our cruise was spent at Castaway Cay, Disney’s privately owned island in the Bahamas. From our verandah we were able to watch the ship dock and the crew members get off the boat. Everything for the day at the Castaway Cay must be unloaded from the ship before the guests can disembark. We watched as all the towels, food and supplies were quickly and efficiently taken off the ship and sent to their proper places. It was an impressively choreographed with each person seeming to know exactly where to put everything.
Once we were allowed to disembark, we headed straight over to Serenity Bay, the adult only beach as the end of the island. On the soft sand beach were pairs of lounges and umbrellas set up as far as the eye could see. The swimming area as expansive with clear blue water. At noon Pete and I wandered over to the lunch station set up near the beach. We had checked ahead of time with the staff and found that most of the items would be gluten free. I had a hamburger (no bun) and Pete had rotisserie chicken and a steak. We both had salad and fruit.
Around two in the afternoon we left the beach and made our way over to the bike rental station. We picked up our bikes and took a little spin around, stopping at the look out tower for a good view of the island. The bikes were “old school” with no gears or handbrakes. It took me a while to remember to pedal backwards to stop. The trails were nice, flat and wide with water station every so often.
We headed back onto the boat around 3:30 and sat on our verandah watching everyone else slowly stream back into the boat. As happy as we were to sit and relax, we were beginning to feel a little sad the our trip was just about over. Some packing to do before dinner and our bags would need to be out in the hallway for pickup before 11 pm.
We headed down for our final dinner with our table mates and servers - appropriately named “Until We Meet Again”.
Our servers were Angelina from Columbia and Non from Thailand. As a final treat their brought us a special anniversary dessert made with white chocolate mousse - all gluten free of course!
Day 8
This is the hardest day to write about, it is time to leave the ship. Early in the morning we docked in Port Canaveral. Our alarm was set early so that we would have time to shower and get to our 7:45 am breakfast seating. We had packed our two main bags the night before and only needed to pack up our carry ons. We were left with some extra time to sit on our porch, watch the sunrise and contemplate our vacation.
At our assigned time we slowly made our way back down to Parrot Cay for our final meal on the ship. We said good bye to our servers and table mates one last time and slowly left the ship. I am sure I walked half as fast down the gang way than I had the week before. We collected our luggage from the baggage area and quickly made our way through customs. As always, Disney is highly efficient in moving people and we were quickly directed to an airport bound bus.
We arrived at the airport and finished all checking by 10:30 am. We still had over three hours until our flight. I really like the fact that the Orlando Airport has free wireless internet. Pete and I both found comfortable chairs near our gate and caught up on work. As it turned out, our flight home was delayed by several hours - all due to lack of landing space at the Philadelphia Airport. I will give due credit to Southwest here, they let us wait in the terminal until we had clearance to take off. I was very thankful we didn’t have to sit on a crowded airplane on the tarmac during our delay. When Pete and I got tired of working, we watched a few old episodes of The Office on my laptop. (slight aside, we watched the episode called The Injury. It is the one where Michael Scott gets his foot caught in his Foreman Grill. I have seen it several times and it still makes me laugh out loud.)
We arrived home around 7 pm in a steady cold rain with just enough time left to greet a few trick-or-treaters. What to do next? We are contemplating our next Disney vacation. This time we will take the children...
General Recommendation for Traveling Gluten Free on the Disney Cruise Line:
• Notify Disney at the time of booking of food allergies
• Send in a Medical Form at least three weeks before departing
• Upon arrival on the ship, meet with your head server to review menus
• Be aware that there are 2000 other non-gluten free cruisers on board with you. Due to the number of meals the kitchen much prepare each day, they must have special orders in advance.
• Buffets are at your own discretion and risk. Although DCL can tell you what each dish contains, it is impossible for the to be sure other guests have not accidently contaminated them.
• In lieu of eating from buffets, the chefs will be happy to prepare food in the kitchen for you. Please be aware that this is made to order and will take additional time. Giving them advance orders is always appreciated.
• Seven night cruises are recommended over 3 or 4 night cruises. This gives the chefs and servers a chance to really get to know you and accommodate your needs.
Disney Cruise Line Information: http://disneycruise.disney.go.com