From Worried to Wowed: How Marina Changed My Cruise Food Game

I almost cancelled my seven-day Mediterranean cruise on Marina six months ago. Not because of cold feet about traveling solo—I was genuinely excited about that—but because I have celiac disease, and the thought of being stuck on a ship with limited food options made me want to crawl under my bed. I'd done the cruise thing before, years ago, before my diagnosis, and I remembered buffets piled with pasta, bread at every meal, and servers who looked confused when you asked if something contained gluten. This time felt different, scarier somehow. But my friend Rachel literally shook me and told me to call Oceania Cruises before I did anything dramatic. I'm so glad I did. That single phone call changed everything about how I approached this trip, and honestly, it's made me rethink what I thought was possible on a cruise ship when you have dietary restrictions. The woman I spoke with at Oceania's reservations desk was named Maria, and she was refreshingly straightforward. "Listen," she said, "we take this seriously. You're going to fill out a detailed dietary form before you board, and you're going to email our onboard executive chef directly with your specific needs. Marina's chef team…