Celebrity Solstice Gluten Free Food Review: What to Expect if You Have Celiac Disease
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Earlier this year I shared what it was like eating gluten free on Princess Cruises after paying close attention to the options available for my niece, who has celiac disease. On that cruise, I came away impressed with how easy Princess made the experience. If you are wondering What Gluten-Free Options Look Like on a Princess Cruise Buffet (Photo Tour), you can read my full review.
This summer I had the opportunity to cruise with my niece on Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Solstice, so I was able to see firsthand what navigating a gluten-free diet looked like day after day.
Celebrity Solstice cruising to the Hubbard Glacier.
Celebrity Solstice Gluten-Free at a Glance
⭐ Plenty of naturally gluten-free foods
⭐ Excellent gluten-free pizza
⭐ Great made-to-order pasta
⭐ Helpful staff
⭐ Limited desserts
⭐ No gluten-free bagels
⭐ Breakfast required planning
Every cruise line handles dietary restrictions a little differently, and experiences can vary depending on the ship and crew. Rather than comparing every detail to other cruise lines, I want to show you exactly what we found on Celebrity Solstice so you can decide if it's the right fit for your family.
Yes, you can eat gluten free on Celebrity Solstice if you have celiac disease. We found plenty of naturally gluten-free foods, including pizza, pasta, burger buns, grilled meats, fruits, and vegetables. The biggest challenges were breakfast pastries, desserts, and the extra planning required for some meals.
Disclosure: Our experience is based on one sailing aboard Celebrity Solstice in 2026. Dining procedures, menus, and gluten-free offerings can change from ship to ship and over time, so your experience may be different. My family paid for this cruise ourselves. We were not hosted by Celebrity Cruises, and this review reflects our honest firsthand experience. If you have celiac disease or another medically necessary dietary restriction, I recommend contacting Celebrity Cruises before your sailing and speaking with the dining team once you're onboard to discuss your specific needs.
If you're planning a Celebrity Cruise with celiac disease or another medically necessary gluten-free diet, here's what we experienced. If you're wondering what about the updates during the recent Celebrity Solstice renovation, read my complete Celebrity Solstice renovation review, Celebrity Solstice Renovation Review: What's New, What's Changed, and Is It Still Great for Families?
Gluten-Free Food at the Celebrity Solstice Oceanview Buffet
Navigating the buffet using labels under the name of the food.
Overall, there was plenty of naturally gluten-free food available. The biggest challenge wasn't finding something to eat, but it was finding gluten-free versions of the fun extras like breads, pastries, and desserts.
Are gluten-free items labeled?
The Celebrity Solstice Oceanview Buffet included labels for most foods indicating whether they were gluten free, vegan, or sugar free. Not every item was labeled, but most were, which made navigating the buffet much easier. Most of the naturally gluten-free foods included grilled meats, vegetables, salads, fruit, rice dishes, potatoes, and made-to-order options.
Gluten-free Breakfast Items
After speaking with the Celebrity Solstice buffet chef, they offered to prepare gluten-free pancakes, French toast, and muffins.
Unfortunately, there was a little miscommunication during the first couple of mornings, and the special breakfast was never prepared. By the third morning everything was sorted out, and they prepared a dedicated gluten-free breakfast for her.
As a 17-year-old, she really missed being able to grab pastries and other fun breakfast treats that many other guests could enjoy without planning ahead.
Gluten-free Bread Options
Gluten-free bread on the Celebrity Solstice.
There wasn't a dedicated gluten-free bread station. Instead, gluten-free bread was kept behind glass, and guests could ask a crew member for slices. There was also a separate toaster to help avoid cross-contamination in Celebrity Solstice’s Oceanview Cafe.
My niece thought the bread was good but would have liked more variety and options. She especially wished there had been gluten-free bagels available for breakfast. If bagels are a favorite, it may be worth bringing a few from home. My niece’s favorite breakfast is a bagel with cream cheese, cucumber, and salmon. She recreated it with the gluten-free bread however, we definitely made a note to bring some with us for next time.
Gluten-Free Pizza at Celebrity Solstice Oceanview Café
One of the biggest surprises was the gluten-free pizza.
Gluten-free pizza which is made-to-order.
Celebrity Solstice offers gluten-free pizza crust that is made fresh with your choice of toppings. I tried a slice myself, and honestly, I may have preferred it to the regular pizza. It was one of the highlights of the cruise. The only downfall my niece mentioned was having to wait for it as it had to be ordered and then made individually.
Made-to-Order Gluten-Free Pasta
Another standout was the made-to-order pasta station.
Guests choose their pasta, vegetables, protein, and sauce, and everything is cooked fresh in front of you. Gluten-free pasta was available and my niece really enjoyed it.
Buffet Desserts
A section at the Oceanview Buffet for sugar-free, gluten-free, or lactose free options.
At the Celebrity Solstice Oceanview Buffet, my niece could enjoy soft serve ice cream or regular ice cream whenever she wanted a sweet treat. There was also a small selection of sugar-free desserts and Jell-O available, although we didn't find additional gluten-free dessert options beyond those and the fresh fruit.
Gluten-Free Burgers Buns at Mast Grill
The Celebrity Solstice Mast Grill also offered gluten-free hamburger buns, which my niece gave a big thumbs up.
Gluten-Free Muffins at Spa Café
One pleasant surprise was discovering gluten-free muffins at the Celebrity Solstice Spa Café. We weren't expecting to find them, and they became one of her favorite breakfast treats.
Gluten-Free Dinner at Grand Epernay, Celebrity Solstice’s Main Dining Room
While the crew was always friendly and willing to help, we found that the dining room wasn't quite as seamless as we expected.
Sample dinner menu at the Grand Epernay
The daily Grand Epernay dinner menu identified which dishes were gluten-free, vegetarian, sugar-free and lactose-free. The menu was easy to read, but many dishes still required confirmation from the chef before we knew whether they could be safely modified. We also noticed that special requests weren't always straightforward. This wasn't limited to gluten-free meals. My nephew, who avoids added sugar and often requested his meals without sauce, frequently received the same response that the server would need to check with the chef before making any changes. Compared with other cruise lines we've sailed, the dining room seemed less flexible when it came to customizing menu items or accommodating dietary requests. The Grand Epernay staff was always willing to ask, but modifications didn't feel as routine as we've experienced elsewhere.
When requested, she was given gluten-free bread with dinner, but it was the same sliced bread that was available in the buffet rather than a dinner roll or other variety.
Toward the end of the cruise, the Grand Epernay dining room began bringing my niece the following day's menu so she could pre-order her meals. This was helpful as it gave the kitchen time to prepare modifications in advance and worked really well. There would often be a few of the Celebrity Solstice’s dining room staff working with her and any requests she had. For instance, a pasta sounded really good to her so she asked if it could be made with gluten-free pasta. The following day, the gluten-free pasta dish was prepared for her.
Shrimp cocktail at the Grand Epernay
Dessert was probably the biggest disappointment. Most evenings, her choices in the Grand Epernay dining room were limited to ice cream or sorbet, as there weren't many gluten-free desserts available on the regular menu. Since we had late dining, the Oceanview Café buffet was already closed by the time dinner ended, so there weren't many other options besides ordering a gluten-free pizza.
One of our favorite moments came on the final evening. During the cruise, my niece had enjoyed the gluten-free chocolate soufflé in the specialty restaurant, Murano and mentioned how much she loved it. She requested it during her post-dinner menu review the previous day and the dining room team made it for her on the last night of the cruise. She was absolutely thrilled, and it was a wonderful way to end the sailing.
Having cruised both Princess and Celebrity within a few months of each other, I found Princess offered a smoother experience for guests with celiac disease. Celebrity had plenty of safe food, but it required more planning and offered fewer gluten-free specialty items.
Gluten-Free Desserts Around the Ship
Desserts were probably where the gluten-free options felt the most limited.
Celebrity Solstice didn't offer gluten-free ice cream cones, but my niece planned ahead and packed her own. She loves soft serve, and bringing gluten-free cones from home meant she could still enjoy one of our family's favorite cruise traditions. It was a simple idea that made a big difference.
Gluten-free desserts at the Oceanview Cafe
Gluten-free pastries and baked goods were also hard to find. At Sunset Park Café, the display case was filled with tempting cakes, brownies, cookies, and other treats, but the only gluten-free options we found were fresh fruit.
Each afternoon from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., the Sunset Park café hosted a warm cookie hour, but there wasn't a gluten-free cookie available. Watching everyone line up for warm cookies while she couldn't have one reminded me that traveling with celiac disease isn't just about finding safe food, it's also about missing out on some of the little moments that make vacation feel special.
That said, she was perfectly happy with the soft serve, ice cream, and gelato throughout the week. While the Celebrity Solstice dessert selection wasn't as varied as we had hoped, she always had something sweet to enjoy after dinner or while relaxing by the pool.
Gluten-Free Specialty Dining at Murano on Celebrity Solstice
For my nephew's birthday, we celebrated with dinner at Murano, Celebrity Solstice's French-inspired specialty restaurant.
Because it is a smaller, more intimate restaurant, my niece found it easier to discuss her dietary needs with the staff and customize her meal than she did in some of the larger dining venues. While there were still some limitations, the Celebrity Solstice Murano’s team was accommodating and worked with her to find options she could enjoy.
As elsewhere on the ship, there wasn't a gluten-free dinner roll available, but the meal itself was one of the highlights of the cruise. In fact, the gluten-free chocolate soufflé she enjoyed at Murano was so memorable that the main dining room arranged to have one prepared for her again on the final night of the cruise. We would absolutely eat at Murano again, not only because of the outstanding food but because the smaller dining room made conversations about dietary restrictions much easier.
My Niece’s Favorite Gluten-Free Foods on Celebrity Solstice
🍕 Made-to-order gluten-free pizza
🍝 Made-to-order gluten-free pasta
🍦 Soft serve ice cream (with her own gluten-free cones)
🍓 Smoothies from Spa Café
☕ Specialty coffees
🍫 Murano's gluten-free chocolate soufflé
🥩 Filet mignon
🦆 Duck à l'Orange
🍤 Shrimp cocktail
🍚 Indian rice dishes
❤️ Caesar Salad (no croutons)
Food items my niece missed the most onboard
🥯 Bagels
🥞 Pancakes
🍪 Cookies
🥐 Pastries
🧁 Desserts
🥖Dinner Rolls
Bringing Your Own Gluten-Free Snacks
My Favorite Gluten-Free Cruise Packing Essentials
Shelf-stable bagels
Crackers
Protein bars
If there are specific gluten-free foods you love, it's worth packing a few in your suitcase. Cruise lines generally allow guests to bring unopened, commercially packaged, non-perishable food onboard. Homemade foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and opened packages are typically not permitted because of food safety and agricultural regulations.
For our Celebrity Solstice cruise, my niece packed her own gluten-free ice cream cones so she could enjoy the ship's soft serve, and she was so glad she did. My niece wished she had packed a few of her favorite gluten-free bagels from home. If you have a brand you love, consider bringing a few unopened bagels or other shelf-stable gluten-free snacks so you have a familiar breakfast option during your cruise.
What About Cross-Contamination on Celebrity Solstice?
During our sailing, I didn't personally observe how Celebrity handles cross-contamination for guests with celiac disease. During our sailing, I didn't personally observe or hear staff discuss separate preparation areas, dedicated utensils, changing gloves, or other cross-contact procedures, so I can't speak to those practices. If avoiding cross-contamination is a primary concern, I recommend discussing your specific needs with Celebrity before sailing and with the dining team once you're onboard.
Mediterranean selections at the Oceanview Cafe.
For context, my niece has celiac disease, but her reactions to accidental gluten exposure are not immediate or severe. Every person with celiac disease has different experiences and sensitivities, so it's important to work with the crew based on your own medical needs.
Would I recommend Celebrity Solstice for someone with celiac disease?
Yes, but with realistic expectations. There was plenty of safe food available throughout the cruise, and my niece never went hungry. However, compared with our recent Princess cruise, meals required more planning, communication, and flexibility. If you enjoy customizing meals and don't mind asking questions, you'll likely have a great experience. If convenience and variety are your top priorities, Princess currently has the edge based on our experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Celebrity Solstice have gluten-free pizza?
Yes. Gluten-free crust is available and made fresh to order.
Does Celebrity Solstice have gluten-free bread?
Yes. Bread was available upon request, although we only found sliced bread rather than rolls or bagels.
Does Celebrity Solstice have gluten-free desserts?
There were some options such as ice cream, gelato, and fruit, but specialty desserts were limited during our sailing.
Should I bring my own gluten-free snacks?
If you have favorite bagels, cookies, crackers, or cones, I recommend packing a few unopened shelf-stable items.
Gluten-free on Celebrity Cruises’s Celebrity Solstice
After spending a week cruising with my niece, I walked away impressed by how much safe food was available onboard. She never went hungry, enjoyed several memorable meals, and even found a few new favorites. While Celebrity required a bit more planning than our recent Princess cruise, we still had a wonderful vacation together. With a little preparation and realistic expectations, I wouldn't hesitate to cruise Celebrity Solstice again with someone following a gluten-free diet