What to do if I have a food allergy or intolerance?
We want every guest to enjoy the full experience of their P&O Cruises holiday. If you have a food allergy or intolerance, you’ll be provided with enough food options to not only keep you safe but also explore a wide range of delicious and exciting meals throughout your trip.
Allergies and intolerances
Last updated: 10/04/2026
Got an allergy or intolerance? Here’s what to do
Please inform our Customer Contact Centre (or your travel agent) about any allergies, special dietary requirements, or food intolerances.
Allergies and intolerances
If you have an allergy, please call us no later than 28 days before your holiday. If your holiday is closer sooner than 28 days, please call us anyway and we’ll do our best to accommodate you, although we can’t offer any guarantee.
Kosher meals
If you require kosher meals, we need a minimum of 12 weeks’ notice.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and pescatarian
We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and pescatarian diets as standard. You only need to tell us about these if you’ve booked a fly-cruise holiday (directly with us) that includes an-inflight meal. This is so we can ensure the airline caters for you. If you’ve booked a flight independently, you’ll need to let your airline know of any dietary needs.
Baby food
If you require baby food, we need a minimum of 12 weeks’ notice.
If you have any changes to your dietary requirements or allergies, please notify us immediately by contacting the Customer Contact Centre.
How do we ensure you’re catered for?
Once you've spoken to our team about your requirements, you can relax knowing that a wide range of food will be waiting for you on board.
You’ll receive a welcome letter in your cabin inviting you to meet the Food and Beverage team. During this meeting, you’ll have the chance to talk with them about food safety during your holiday, gain advice on which restaurants to eat at, and find out how to pre-order your meals. We know peace of mind is important, and our team are here to help.
Dining onboard
Want to book dining? We're happy to arrange that on your behalf in the Freedom and Club restaurants. Guests with severe allergies are advised to use the included Freedom and Club restaurants to minimise the risk of cross-contamination further.
Lunch and dinner for your first day on board has been pre-ordered on your behalf to ensure your requirements are met. We'll let you know which restaurant to go to on the day.
Sample menus
Our menus are subject to change, so we cannot provide a fixed menu. Our menus on board will show which options are vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, but they don’t highlight all 14 major allergens.
Preordering meals
During your meal, you’ll be provided with the next day’s menus to choose from, and the waiter can pre-order the next day’s choices at the same venue. If you eat at a different restaurant on the following day, you’ll need to collect the menus from there.
To ensure you receive your food safely and without delay, please pre-order all meals and afternoon tea so we can make the necessary preparations.
For breakfast and lunch, please pre-order by 2pm for the next day.
For dinner, please pre-order by 10am on the same day.
Drinks for dietary needs
We don’t detail the allergens in our drinks, so please discuss this with the Food and Beverage team on board. You can also discuss this with your waiting staff and bartenders when ordering drinks.
Dining onshore
If you're going ashore and have registered your dietary requirements within the appropriate time before sailing, this can be accommodated. If you haven’t done this, you’ll need to let the Shore Experiences team know about your requirements, but there’s no guarantee that these can be met.
Allergies and intolerances we cater for
We cater for the 14 allergens recognised by the Food Standards Agency in the UK.
These are:
- Milk
- Lupin
- Fish
- Cereals including gluten
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Molluscs
- Mustard
- Tree nuts
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Soybeans
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
- Celery
Special diets and intolerances we cater for
We additionally cater to a selection of dietary requirements:
- Halal - Not all the meat we provide is halal, but we do stock halal options.
- Kosher - We need a minimum of 12 weeks’ notice.
- Soft food/puree
- Gluten-free
- Baby food
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Pescatarian
Milk and dairy-free milk alternatives we cater for
We have a variety of milk options available on board. Rice, oat, soya and almond milk are available as standard.
Please ask a waiter or crew member when you’re in any of our bars, cafés or dining venues.
If I bring my own food, can I heat it on board?
Maintaining proper storage and temperature control is essential for ensuring food safety. Our suppliers undergo rigorous food safety reviews and adhere to specific criteria, so we can’t allow food on board that hasn’t been through this process, as it could contaminate our storage supplies.
You can bring on board – and keep in your cabin – ready-to-eat food that’s pre-packed by the manufacturer and doesn’t require temperature control, but it can’t be prepared or reheated on board. This is to prevent outside contamination and guarantee food safety.
Still need help?
Still have questions? Our friendly Customer Contact Centre is always happy to help! Contact us today on 0344 338 8003.
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