Vegans on Oceania

It was an interesting read discovering how poorly Oceania did with multiple dietary issues but but as a straightforward convenience vegan, not WFPB diet, they do really well :)

 

I was onboard Marina last Oct and had the best, finest vegan meal I have ever been served onboard a cruise ship 😍 Just a few comments on the above points.. addition, rather than reply...

Hi Sanna, I was hoping you might have something to add. :D (I actually tried emailing you a few days ago, but not sure if it got through...). I think your comments are spot on, and your needs/preferences are a great fit for the niche they're targeting.

To add to your collection, we most often do Celebrity, and they seem to have a pretty good variety of veggie/vegan choices. Beyond items on the main menu, there's a separate veggie menu, also I believe on a 14 day rotation. It includes ovo-lacto stuff, but at least one vegan item per category, so choice-wise on par with Oceania. They've also in our experience always been very willing to go off menu. (And their lunch salad bar always has some kind of beans so I could do a big green salad with some protein, which I missed with Oceania!).

It's also harder on the smaller (only by cruise line standards!) ships to offer more options given correspondingly smaller galley, food storage, buffet size, staff, etc. I think Oceania does a great job for what they're offering, and I think what you saw demonstrates that well. It's just not a great fit for us, even ignoring the mistakes.

I think there are some fairly easy things they could do to improve what they're already doing and broaden the appeal further, which I'd love to see. And on the multiple dietary issues side, they're starting way behind, which is fixable, but would require some pretty big changes behind the scenes. I like the overall experience and ambience on Oceania, but as-is it's unfortunately not an option.

I've sent this through Oceania's feedback form (no answer so far), and my TA has offered to pass it on to her Oceania rep. I'll definitely report back if/when I hear anything. Thanks!

Thank you for your reply and I take on board (no pun intended) what you have said. We have sailed with Oceania several times before now and have loved everything about the cruises, not just the food. That said, I appreciate that the food is a very important element to enjoying these cruises. I'm hoping that with the introduction of a vegan menu with over 250 dishes available that I will be able to find something to eat! To me, paying full price to eat a plant based diet whilst on board is not a hardship. To me veganism isn't only a principle, it's now a healthier, more enlightened way of life.

As long as you know the whole picture, I cant argue with your decision. I disagree as humans are omnivores and require nutrient that plants just cant according to MD's I respect. a Balanced diet that includes meat grain and veg. .

Best of luck to you and hope you keep healthy

As long as you know the whole picture, I cant argue with your decision. I disagree as humans are omnivores and require nutrient that plants just cant according to MD's I respect. a Balanced diet that includes meat grain and veg. .

Best of luck to you and hope you keep healthy

Probably shouldn't be taking nutritional advice from an MD - only 20% have taken a single course on nutrition as it is not a requirement in most programs. A vegan diet, done correctly, can absolutely meet the body's requirements without the hormones antibiotics, carcinogens and genetic modifications that come with meat consumption. It's well documented through clinical research that people following a plant-based diet have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer, dementia and cognitive decline along with a higher metabolic rate. Have you ever met an obese vegan?!

Probably shouldn't be taking nutritional advice from an MD - only 20% have taken a single course on nutrition as it is not a requirement in most programs. A vegan diet, done correctly, can absolutely meet the body's requirements without the hormones antibiotics, carcinogens and genetic modifications that come with meat consumption. It's well documented through clinical research that people following a plant-based diet have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer, dementia and cognitive decline along with a higher metabolic rate. Have you ever met an obese vegan?!

obese vegan...yup, seen many. There is as many junk vegan foods, and people over compensating with starch as healthy ones. Everything in moderation, and see a vegan nutritionist. And yup, IF you follow a healthy vegan diet, you can be healthy, however, some folks hack at it, and are detrimental to themselves and others. One cannot generalize on either side of this. As many omnivores are extremely healthy also.

You are not allowed to eat Vegans on Oceania ships.

You are not allowed to eat Vegans on Oceania ships.

What if you bring your own vegans in your carry on? Can you consume them in your cabin? ;p