Lido salad bar etc--vegan-friendly?

[nana51]

Yes, but "vegan" and "healthy" don't always go together. ;-) Most vegan stuff, like most other food, is made w/ tons of fat, which I avoid. I'm always better trying to cobble together something from as much whole food as possible. At least I have plenty of just-add-water soups to tide me over until I figure it all out!

When I was on the Zaandam this last March every night in the MDR they had a full vegetarian menu posted beside the regular menu. LOTS of Vegan choices on it. I would suggest rather than the lido you eat at the MDR at least for dinner. My daughter and son-in-law are Vegan so I know what it entails. That is why I noticed it on my last cruise. Just let them know you need to see the Vegan/vegetarian menu.

[pawsplus]

Thanks everyone! I'll go see someone in the kitchen when I get there and discuss the issue. I just figured I wouldn't want to bother them and would rub along on my own but we ARE paying a lot for this cruise so I guess it's not out of the way for them to make some kind of effort. :-)

[sail7seas]

Cruise ship lingo, lesson #1. :D The 'kitchen' on a ship is called a galley ;) and you won't be permitted in unless on a tour etc The person to speak with in Main Dining Room is Dining Room Manager, Asst Dining Room Manager or one of the section supervisors. Your dining steward can direct them to you or you to them.

 

In Lido, speak with one of the supervisors you will see in uniform jacket or if one of the Chef is 'out and about' as is often seen.

 

[OlsSalt]

Thanks everyone! I'll go see someone in the kitchen when I get there and discuss the issue. I just figured I wouldn't want to bother them and would rub along on my own but we ARE paying a lot for this cruise so I guess it's not out of the way for them to make some kind of effort. :-)

 

Which means the rest of us who are also "paying a lot" but don't ask for special treatment are in fact subsidizing the special treatment others are now demanding. The fairer treatment would be asking for a surcharge for special dietary requests, which seem to be multiplying every day.

[pawsplus]

Which means the rest of us who are also "paying a lot" but don't ask for special treatment are in fact subsidizing the special treatment others are now demanding. The fairer treatment would be asking for a surcharge for special dietary requests, which seem to be multiplying every day.

Oh, good grief. The simple fact is that ANYTHING I eat costs half of anything you eat LOL. If anyone is gonna charge me extra so I can eat plain, real food that is cheap and simple to prepare, I wouldn't go.

 

I am pretty low-maintenance, and as I said, I normally just assume that when I'm going out I won't enjoy my food very much (what I make at home is much better), but that's OK b/c I'm with friends, family, etc. But if I occasionally want to ask them to make me something, the fact that it won't have meat or cheese makes it far less pricey. I'll be paying the same even though my food costs half what yours does, and it won't impact YOUR bill one little bit!

[pawsplus]

This puts me in mind of another fact: healthy people like me, who don't eat meat or dairy, who exercise, and whose total cholesterol is 120 are, in fact, "subsidizing" the rest of you (who eat unhealthy food and end up having bypasses, transplants, diabetes, etc.), via paying for health insurance at ever-increasing rates even though we rarely use it.

 

Should all the meat eaters have to pay a subsidy? I would certainly support that, but it's unlikely to happen. ;)

 

And my little meal is a FAR smaller piece of anyone's pie.

[cruz chic]

This puts me in mind of another fact: healthy people like me, who don't eat meat or dairy, who exercise, and whose total cholesterol is 120 are, in fact, "subsidizing" the rest of you (who eat unhealthy food and end up having bypasses, transplants, diabetes, etc.), via paying for health insurance at ever-increasing rates even though we rarely use it.

 

Should all the meat eaters have to pay a subsidy? I would certainly support that, but it's unlikely to happen. ;)

 

And my little meal is a FAR smaller piece of anyone's pie.

Do you know for a fact that everyone who is eating meat, cheese etc. is unhealthy? I saw earlier that you mentioned you were going to bring just add water soups. Is there any nutrition in there? I'm sorry but I don't understand how eating rice, salsa and veggies would be healthly. Surely you must add protein (beans?) to that. If this is the life you choose so be it but don't expect everyone else to carry on with you and when they don't tell them they are going to die an ugly death:eek::rolleyes:.

[pawsplus]

Do you know for a fact that everyone who is eating meat, cheese etc. is unhealthy? I saw earlier that you mentioned you were going to bring just add water soups. Is there any nutrition in there? I'm sorry but I don't understand how eating rice, salsa and veggies would be healthly. Surely you must add protein (beans?) to that. If this is the life you choose so be it but don't expect everyone else to carry on with you and when they don't tell them they are going to die an ugly death:eek::rolleyes:.

 

It's totally off topic here LOL, but yes--eating a plant-based diet (lots of veggies, whole grains, potatoes, and some beans, with no added fat (i.e., oil, etc)) is by far the healthiest way to eat. Human beings have a very low protein requirement, despite the meat and dairy industry long paying billions to convince you otherwise. I am accustomed to simplifiying my diet even more when I eat out, and yes, I'm perfectly happy w/ a baked potato with veggies, beans, and salsa, rice with the same, and/or a big salad.

 

The soups I take on trips are very healthy and make a meal with a salad or items. They usually do have beans (even though that's far from necessary).

 

I didn't start this. Someone else suggested that my asking for a meal I can eat was somehow costing him money, and my point initially was simply that since anything I eat costs WAY less than anything most Americans eat, that's completely bogus.

 

The health thing is off-topic, I grant you. But if anyone wishes to learn more:

 

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

http://www.drmcdougall.com/

http://www.heartattackproof.com/

[cruz chic]

It's totally off topic here LOL, but yes--eating a plant-based diet (lots of veggies, whole grains, potatoes, and some beans, with no added fat (i.e., oil, etc)) is by far the healthiest way to eat. Human beings have a very low protein requirement, despite the meat and dairy industry long paying billions to convince you otherwise. I am accustomed to simplifiying my diet even more when I eat out, and yes, I'm perfectly happy w/ a baked potato with veggies, beans, and salsa, rice with the same, and/or a big salad.

 

The soups I take on trips are very healthy and make a meal with a salad or items. They usually do have beans (even though that's far from necessary).

 

I didn't start this. Someone else suggested that my asking for a meal I can eat was somehow costing him money, and my point initially was simply that since anything I eat costs WAY less than anything most Americans eat, that's completely bogus.

 

The health thing is off-topic, I grant you. But if anyone wishes to learn more:

 

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

http://www.drmcdougall.com/

http://www.heartattackproof.com/

I think it was more the idea that you can walk into a kitchen and start making demands that ruffled feathers. I know there was another poster a few months back that couldn't understand why he couldn't just walk up to a cook and demand his GF pasta be cooked on the spot. Imagine if all 2000 pax wanted special requests. I just want you to be realistic so you won't be disappointed. Being on a cruise ship is different than being on land. I've seen very demanding people on a ship (not saying you are) but it makes it hard for everyone. I just think you need to be respectful of the way people choose to eat and not lash out if it's different than you are and you should get the same provided it is realistic.

[Hlitner]

Which means the rest of us who are also "paying a lot" but don't ask for special treatment are in fact subsidizing the special treatment others are now demanding. The fairer treatment would be asking for a surcharge for special dietary requests, which seem to be multiplying every day.

 

OMG! You are going to give the cruise ship a new idea to better maximize onboard revenue. I can see it now. A sign at the Guest Relations Desk that says: "All Customers will be Assessed a $50 Charge to their onboard Account for asking a question." "Each Answer given by our staff will result in an Additional $25 per answer assessed to your onboard account." "Thank you for cruising with HA!"

 

Or better yet, if you like your meat prepared a certain way (i.e. rare, medium rare, medium, etc) they will now charge you $10 for the request. Otherwise, you just get it the way they make it!

 

 

Hank:D

[cruz chic]

Sorta different, don't you think?

[OlsSalt]

Oh, good grief. The simple fact is that ANYTHING I eat costs half of anything you eat LOL. If anyone is gonna charge me extra so I can eat plain, real food that is cheap and simple to prepare, I wouldn't go.

 

I am pretty low-maintenance, and as I said, I normally just assume that when I'm going out I won't enjoy my food very much (what I make at home is much better), but that's OK b/c I'm with friends, family, etc. But if I occasionally want to ask them to make me something, the fact that it won't have meat or cheese makes it far less pricey. I'll be paying the same even though my food costs half what yours does, and it won't impact YOUR bill one little bit!

 

The concern is not food costs; it is service costs that growing numbers of special treatment passengers require. That is all.

[OlsSalt]

I didn't start this. Someone else suggested that my asking for a meal I can eat was somehow costing him money, and my point initially was simply that since anything I eat costs WAY less than anything most Americans eat, that's completely bogus.

 

The health thing is off-topic, I grant you. But if anyone wishes to learn more:

 

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

http://www.drmcdougall.com/

http://www.heartattackproof.com/

 

That isn't what was said. But you are right, this is going off topic. Best wishes and have a good trip.

[Mumsysailor]

Which means the rest of us who are also "paying a lot" but don't ask for special treatment are in fact subsidizing the special treatment others are now demanding. The fairer treatment would be asking for a surcharge for special dietary requests, which seem to be multiplying every day.

 

Do you realise how offensive that is?

 

Pawsplus, take it with a pinch of salt. Some people make remarks on here which aren't worth rising to.

 

Mumsy.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Oh, good grief. The simple fact is that ANYTHING I eat costs half of anything you eat LOL. If anyone is gonna charge me extra so I can eat plain, real food that is cheap and simple to prepare, I wouldn't go.

 

I am pretty low-maintenance, and as I said, I normally just assume that when I'm going out I won't enjoy my food very much (what I make at home is much better), but that's OK b/c I'm with friends, family, etc. But if I occasionally want to ask them to make me something, the fact that it won't have meat or cheese makes it far less pricey. I'll be paying the same even though my food costs half what yours does, and it won't impact YOUR bill one little bit!

 

 

Well I don't mean to disagree on one point, but I have to. I buy a lot of produce in the store - fresh vegetables and fruit are not cheap these days.....it is a major part of my food bill. Granted, meat and cheese are high too along with a lot of other things, but I don't think a vegetarian diet would be inexpensive by any stretch if you are buying fresh 1st quality produce. As to it being simple to prepare, some vegetarian recipes can be just as labor intensive as a meat meal.

 

I always remark to my DH in the store that it would be cheaper to eat the junk food, than the quality, healthy food that I do buy on a weekly basis. As long as I can afford it, I am going to eat healthy.

[sail7seas]

Well I don't mean to disagree on one point, but I have to. I buy a lot of produce in the store - fresh vegetables and fruit are not cheap these days.....it is a major part of my food bill. Granted, meat and cheese are high too along with a lot of other things, but I don't think a vegetarian diet would be inexpensive by any stretch if you are buying fresh 1st quality produce. As to it being simple to prepare, some vegetarian recipes can be just as labor intensive as a meat meal.

 

I always remark to my DH in the store that it would be cheaper to eat the junk food, than the quality, healthy food that I do buy on a weekly basis. As long as I can afford it, I am going to eat healthy.

 

 

:o Thanks, Linda.

I was thinking the same thing.

Our produce bills are extremely high every week. By the time I load up with blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, tomoatoes, zucchini, radishes, brocolli, green beans, fresh sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, ....well, you get the picture. Nice, fresh good quality veggies are pricey. So is the salmon I eat lots of. :)

 

While veggie/vegan diet can be healthful, so can other eating plans.

Most doctors are pleased if their patients eat grilled salmon, brocolli, baked sweet potato and large glass of water.... even a glass or red wine is fine by most doctors if not counter-indicated in some people.

 

That, of course, is not the point of this thread but since it was taken in this direction....

 

OP: I hope you find a chef who will cook whatever it is you want in whatever way you want it and you have a great cruise.

 

Please let us know how it goes as a guide to others with specific dietary needs.

 

[Jemima]

I would have difficulty making a meal from most HAL salad bars and I'm ovo-lacto, not vegan. There is also a sandwich section at lunch in the lido depending on how strict you are about your bread. The sandwiches are made to order so you could just get a veggie sandwich. I don't know if their veggie burgers are vegan and they don't always have the same kind. We rarely get them because they don't start cooking the veggie ones until requested which takes a while.

 

The MDR (main dining room) regular dinner menu always has at least one vegetarian selection which is often but not always vegan. We don't request the special menu, but vegans should. Ask at the beginning of dinner for both the next night's regular menu and the vegetarian menu. You may have to remind again at the end of the meal. You will need to make any special selections before you leave the MDR. I suggest requesting both menus because I've found veg selections on the regular menu often more freshly prepared.

 

There is lunch in the MDR and they do now usually include a veg selection. That again may or may not be vegan. There is, as far as I know, only the regular menu available at lunch. This menu will be posted in the morning, so can be checked ahead.

 

Breakfast is the easiest for DD and I, but would be harder if vegan. There will be fruit, , juices, soy milk, and bread (if appropriate),

 

People on CC probably think I yak a lot about being vegetarian, but we do not. I've always disliked discussions of diet etc. at meals. I try to keep any requests unobtrusive. Cruise ship choices are much better than most restaurants even for vegans. Just don't expect a whole lot. People told me before my first cruise that I'd have lots and lots of choices. Not really so and so I spent some time being unhappy. Now I know what to expect, am delighted that HAL has expanded veg choices, and simply enjoy having at least more choice than most restaurants give me.

[Mumsysailor]

...

I hope you find a chef who will cook whatever it is you want in whatever way you want it and you have a great cruise.

 

Please let us know how it goes as a guide to others with specific dietary needs.

 

 

Here, here!

 

Mumsy.

[nana51]

This puts me in mind of another fact: healthy people like me, who don't eat meat or dairy, who exercise, and whose total cholesterol is 120 are, in fact, "subsidizing" the rest of you (who eat unhealthy food and end up having bypasses, transplants, diabetes, etc.), via paying for health insurance at ever-increasing rates even though we rarely use it.

 

Should all the meat eaters have to pay a subsidy? I would certainly support that, but it's unlikely to happen. ;)

 

And my little meal is a FAR smaller piece of anyone's pie.

Good for you! I agree. I'm a horrible eater but my kids are so damn healthy they may never die unless they get hit by a bus. Don't back down, it is your right and HAL does NOT mind.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

:o Thanks, Linda.

I was thinking the same thing.

Our produce bills are extremely high every week. By the time I load up with blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, tomoatoes, zucchini, radishes, brocolli, green beans, fresh sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, ....well, you get the picture. Nice, fresh good quality veggies are pricey. So is the salmon I eat lots of. :)

 

While veggie/vegan diet can be healthful, so can other eating plans.

Most doctors are pleased if their patients eat grilled salmon, brocolli, baked sweet potato and large glass of water.... even a glass or red wine is fine by most doctors if not counter-indicated in some people.

 

That, of course, is not the point of this thread but since it was taken in this direction....

 

OP: I hope you find a chef who will cook whatever it is you want in whatever way you want it and you have a great cruise.

 

Please let us know how it goes as a guide to others with specific dietary needs.

 

 

You are welcome, Sail. I didn't want to get into a "food fight" but I had to tell it like it is..........good healthy food is expensive, it is the cheap crap that is not. Vegetarians like to claim that produce is inexpensive, and their way of eating is more frugal. I really can't see where the truth in that lies, unless you own your own farm, or are near to a local farm that gives you the best stuff at a reduced rate. The produce I buy takes a big chunk of change. And there are wonderful vegetarian recipes out there, but they are sometimes labor intensive to cook and some of the ingredients and spices are hard to come by. I think vegetarian eating is great, but I don't necessarily think it is inexpensive. JMHO.

 

 

And BTW,

 

We love fish/seafood too.......what is more expensive than that?? At least where I live. Fresh fish is a real treat for us. And living where we are living, many times we are forced to eat previously flash-frozen, but that is okay, it is better than nothing. And some is decent quality, considering it has been frozen. It doesn't compare to fresh, like the Halibut we had in Alaska or the Haddock or Lobster/Clams you get in New England.

[Vict0riann]

I think HAL are very good at accommodating special diets - our friends who are celiacs do notify them before their cruises of their requirements, and then do the usual, by requesting the following day's menus and discussing with the maitre d' what they can or cannot eat.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

I thought of something else last night....the OP needs to look at Retired Mustang Dave's thread on CC- his live from his T/A cruise he is on right now. He has been posting menus daily from the MDR and I find those very interesting. The OP can see the vegetarian items offered and read the descriptions to see if it would suit her particular dietary needs.

[sail7seas]

Neither DH nor I, thankfully, have any special diet needs we cannot manage on our own. We don't need help eating low fat, low cal, low sugar, high fiber etc....... all of us can acoomplish that on our own, but I do wonder.

 

For those who require additional dietary assistance on the ship, what happens when you stay in a hotel? Do you go to All Inclusives? How do you manage? Do hotels usually publish separate menus for you, prepare special dishes, have you pre-order for celiac etc Discuss vegan special cooking? I'm really serious. This is not meant as a criticism in any way but really a curiousity for information. Do hotels, restaurants, etc make special effort in the ways cruise ships seem to?

 

Thanks for those who can clarify.

[kyriecat]

My husband is diabetic, which is fairly easy to accommodate onboard ships. Usually he prefers a cheese tray as his dessert, but occasionally he likes something "sweet." It's nice that the ships offer some sugar-free choices.

 

It's much harder to find sugar-free options at hotels, restaurants, and AI's. Normally he brings along some sugar-free hard candy when we take land trips since it's rare to see sugar-free desserts available.

 

A few years ago we spent a long weekend at Cliff House in Manitou Springs, CO for our 14-yr anniversary. We had wonderful dinner at the hotel restaurant. There were several desserts on the menu that looked good, but I don't like eating dessert when there is nothing available for my husband. My husband was encouraging me to order one, and our waiter overheard us. The waiter actually brought the pastry chef to our table to inquire what my husband liked and could eat. The chef made a special sugar-free dessert for my husband. Very classy and unexpected. We let the hotel manager know how pleased we were by the amazing service we were given.

[pawsplus]

I think it was more the idea that you can walk into a kitchen and start making demands that ruffled feathers. I know there was another poster a few months back that couldn't understand why he couldn't just walk up to a cook and demand his GF pasta be cooked on the spot. Imagine if all 2000 pax wanted special requests. I just want you to be realistic so you won't be disappointed. Being on a cruise ship is different than being on land. I've seen very demanding people on a ship (not saying you are) but it makes it hard for everyone. I just think you need to be respectful of the way people choose to eat and not lash out if it's different than you are and you should get the same provided it is realistic.

Where did I suggest that I was going to walk into the kitchen and start making demands?? I originally said I was planning to just eat salad and my own soup and deal with it the whole week. A few people encouraged me to speak to the staff, and my HAL chat discussions w/ customer service have given me the same impression--they ARE happy to make some changes with a little notice. How is that making demands???