vegetarian cruising

[joeyancho]

Recently booked our first Princess cruise. Perhaps some one could give und a heads up on the food offerings available for vegetarians. The wife and I are not vegetarians but my 34 year old daughter is. I promised her there would be plenty to eat and that it would be yummy. I hope I am right. Also the vegetarian options in the pay venues. Also are you allowed to carry on wine and soft drinks? I have taken 30 cruises on Carnival and royal but this is our first princess cruise, so I am trying to learn the ropes. thank you!

[jsiegel]

There are always vegetarian options in the main dining room. The menu is marked with a V for those entrees. As for specialty dining, it would probably be a waste of money in the Crown Grill as that restaurant is meat focused. They do have shellfish and one fish entree. Sabatini's has many vegetarian appetizers and personally I think the appetizers are better than the entrees. She could order as many as she wants.

 

She won't go hungry and there are plenty of delicious options for vegetarians.

 

Jackie

[shepp]

You can carry aboard one bottle of wine per person without charge. Any more than that incurs a $15 per bottle fee.

Edited August 26, 2014 by shepp

[bladerunner6]

Here is a link to a thread about a couple of vegans that cruised on Princess.

 

There blog is full of things about the food they ate and it might be helpful.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1981525

Edited August 26, 2014 by bladerunner6

[Appygirl]

I'm a vegetarian and am disappointed with Princess in that department. You're going to get a bunch of people tell you to make sure you put on your cruise personalizer that your daughter is a vegetarian and alert the head waiter but these people don't say what their own personal experiences are at their advice so I'll cover it. I always put on the cruise personalizer that I'm a vegetarian. It doesn't make any difference. Princess does not acknowledge the vegetarian passenger in any way, such as a quick letter that they got it, or anything that pops up on the computer and alerts the maître de when coming into the main dining room and giving the cabin number. But to be fair, Princess is not the only cruise line out there that doesn't care about vegetarians putting that information in their personalizer. I do it for every cruise I go on because everyone says that's what I have to do. I'm sure that somewhere out there is a cruise ship that actually cares about their vegetarians and getting the notice on the personalizer about it, but so far I haven't sailed that line!

 

So I did the next thing us vegetarians are supposed to do the first night at sea and alerted my waiter who said he'd have the head waiter come over to discuss vegetarian options for the next night and so on. He never showed up. Now whether or not my waiter spoke to him or whether he got the message and decided it was just another mf'ing vegetarian and not a priority, who knows. I've never bothered to alert the head waiter again.

 

I always choose anytime dining on any ship I sail. Perhaps someone choosing one of the fixed seating times with the same table and waiter will get better service when alerting them of being a vegetarian.

 

Princess posts their dinner menus sometime in the afternoon so you can go down to the dining room ahead of time and take a look. There will be a few appetizers and starters a vegetarian can choose from. From the entrees there will be one vegetarian item. If I decided that one item didn't interest me - for example the night the vegetarian option was the leek and ricotta cheese tart - then we'd go upstairs to the Horizon Court.

 

Breakfast - lots of vegetarian choices.

 

Lunch (Horizon Court) - put it together yourself salad fixings, breads, fruit, etc. They made incredible looking gourmet salads and sandwiches. Unfortunately with meat. About every 2 or 3 days there would be one gourmet salad or sandwich suitable for a vegetarian.

 

Dinner (Horizon Court) - again salad fixings, breads, fruit, and there are a couple of chefs who can put together something hot for a vegetarian.

 

There's a grill that serves burgers including vegetarian burgers. The vegetarian patty is very thick, about an inch and a half to 2 inches. It doesn't get cooked all the way through and is very mushy and not pleasant to eat.

 

Room service has a very nice vegetarian sandwich.

 

The good news is a vegetarian is not going to put on weight on a Princess cruise!

[IECalCruiser]

Princess does a very good job working with people with medical dietary restrictions and we have direct experience with that. However, we do not have experience modifying meals for vegetarians. On the one cruise that our daughter, an ovo lacto vegetarian, sailed with us, she didn't want to go to the trouble of working with the head waiter for the next evening's meals. She was able to find options on the standard menu most nights but opted for the fettucini Alfredo two nights on our 11 day cruise. Other meals were no problem.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[wizard-of-roz]

My DH was a vegetarian. He loved the food choices onboard Princess and said that Princess had the very best pizza [cheese & tomato] he had ever eaten onboard any ship on the high seas.

 

At lunch there are always pasta choices and cooked vegetable choices or you can make your own salad from lots of bean and veggie choices. He loved their vegetable soup [as long as it had a vegetable base.]

 

He loved fruit and cottage cheese for lunch sometimes and if he didn't see it, he simply asked for it.

 

At dinner he always started his meal with a pasta salad and would ask for roasted vegetables and would have cheese's and fruit on the side.

 

For snacks or desserts he would have nuts/dates and all sorts of choices to choose from.

 

I promise you, he NEVER went hungry onboard a cruise and there are ALWAYS lots of choices for the vegetarian's.

 

You don't need to ALERT anyone to your food choices [unless you require Kosher meals, they must be pre-ordered.] If you don't see what you desire on the menu - Ask for what you want.

[shredie]

So I did the next thing us vegetarians are supposed to do the first night at sea and alerted my waiter who said he'd have the head waiter come over to discuss vegetarian options for the next night and so on. He never showed up. Now whether or not my waiter spoke to him or whether he got the message and decided it was just another mf'ing vegetarian and not a priority, who knows. I've never bothered to alert the head waiter again.

 

Perhaps you should not have given up that easily.

[geoherb]

I think traditional dining works better for people with particular diets--whether they're vegetarians or they eat gluten free or have some food allergies. We have shared many tables with people who have been able to work out their menu choices with the head waiter for the following night. For vegetarians, the head waiter will be able to let them know whether a particular dish can be made without meat--such as French onion soup made with vegetable stock instead of beef stock. There are also dishes not on the menu that can be prepared for them if they'll let their head waiter know the night before.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Recently booked our first Princess cruise. Perhaps some one could give und a heads up on the food offerings available for vegetarians. The wife and I are not vegetarians but my 34 year old daughter is. I promised her there would be plenty to eat and that it would be yummy. I hope I am right. Also the vegetarian options in the pay venues. Also are you allowed to carry on wine and soft drinks? I have taken 30 cruises on Carnival and royal but this is our first princess cruise, so I am trying to learn the ropes. thank you!

 

There's no problem with bringing on soft drinks. I'm not a fan of coke products so will try to bring on my Mountain Dew. We've even filled a big plastic crate with my beverages, extra sunscreen and other supplies, our box'o'wine -- but you might have to double check the Princess website about whether you have to carry on wine now or not. You should read the cruise answer info on the Princess website anyway. Lots of good info there. Please you can find out about your ship and the features, dining info, etc.

[Sayra]

I'm a vegetarian, and I always manage to gain several pounds on board. I don't bother alerting the head waiter since the menu has the vegetarian choices marked, and there is veggie option each night.

 

As far as the pay restaurants, we did the Crown Grill in March for the first time. I let them know that I was a vegetarian when we made the reservation. They were prepared for me, and I was able to order the veggie choice from the main dining room. I still paid the cover charge, but it was worth it to experience the Crown Grill with my meat eating friends. In the future, I won't bother ordering from the main dining room and will just eat all of the delicious sides. I can make a meal out of asparagus, creamed spinach, mushrooms, etc.

[caribill]

DW is a vegetarian and has no problems on Princess (or other cruise lines).

 

First night speak with your headwaiter. He will be quite busy as first night passengers get settled, but your waiter can have the headwaiter come over. If necessary, ask again.

 

The headwaiter will bring the next day's menus (B,L (if at sea), D) and go over them with you. As pointed out by another poster, the headwaiter can work with you to see if items you want (such as the mentioned French onion soup) can be prepared vegetarian style.

 

Your choices will be kept by cabin number, so if you are in anytime and thus may be at a different table each evening, just tell your waiter your menu has been chosen and give him/her your cabin number. If in anytime, it is better to use the same anytime dining room each evening so you can work with the same headwaiter throughout the cruise.

 

And do ask questions about items marked as vegetarian on the menu. Sometimes an item such as a vegetable soup might have a non-vegetarian base. The menu writers do not realize this.

 

Although the waiter and assistant waiter cannot help plan your meals, do make them aware of your dietary restrictions so they do not accidentally bring you food you do not want to eat.

 

If going to a specialty restaurant, go there a day in advance to similarly plan the menu.

 

When eating in the buffet, speak to a headwaiter at the time you go to eat. Do not rely on any other person.

 

If getting a veggie burger at the grill near the pool, make sure they know to cook it away from where non-vegetarian foods are grilled.

[rdsqrl]

. . . .

If getting a veggie burger at the grill near the pool, make sure they know to cook it away from where non-vegetarian foods are grilled.

, stop right there!!! Do not do this. Go get something else. Anything else. Worst veggie burger in the universe. Epically bad. If this should be your first intro to Princess food, you'll want to jump overboard and swim to shore, to heck with the sharks and the rip currents and the hypothermia. So save yourself; say no to the veggie burger.

[shredie]

, Worst veggie burger in the universe. Epically bad.

 

I will agree here. I don't know what's in them, but no amount of cooking will get rid of that mushy texture. Foul tasting slop.

[knippsel]

Completely agree about the veggie burger. If your ship has Alfredo's their veggie pizzas are the best anywhere IMHO. (And I worked my way through college in an East Coast pizza parlor)

[caribill]

, stop right there!!! Do not do this. Go get something else. Anything else. Worst veggie burger in the universe. Epically bad. If this should be your first intro to Princess food, you'll want to jump overboard and swim to shore, to heck with the sharks and the rip currents and the hypothermia. So save yourself; say no to the veggie burger.

 

By the way, the veggie burger available in the dining room is different from the one at the outdoor grill.

 

Any opinion about that one? (Don't hold back. Say how you really feel.)

[Love.II.Cruise]

, stop right there!!! Do not do this. Go get something else. Anything else. Worst veggie burger in the universe. Epically bad. If this should be your first intro to Princess food, you'll want to jump overboard and swim to shore, to heck with the sharks and the rip currents and the hypothermia. So save yourself; say no to the veggie burger.

 

LOL! You've convinced me not to try it!

[billco]

By the way, the veggie burger available in the dining room is different from the one at the outdoor grill.

 

Any opinion about that one? (Don't hold back. Say how you really feel.)

I had the dining room veggie burger once. First and last time.

[fabby50]

Another vegetarian here chiming in with SKIP THE VEGGIE BURGER! It was the first thing I tried on my first Princess cruise and still leaves a bad taste in my mouth :)

 

It's a mashed potato patty with some peas. Mine was cold, on a white bun. Don't know who came up with that, but they should be forced to eat a few.

 

Don't forget the International Café. I ate lunch there several times on our last cruise. They had a good watermelon and feta salad and also a pasta salad that was quite good. In the mornings, I'd get a yogurt parfait.

 

The menu in Sabatinni's has changed since our last cruise, but my understanding is they now have a couple of veggie pasta dishes. I asked for angel hair with garlic and oil, and with the appetizers, it was quite good, ample and filling.

 

In the Crown Grill, when I made my reservations, I told them I was a veg head. I was able to get a vegetarian entrée and I agree, there are plenty of good sides. I usually had a baked potato with the creamed spinach or the sauted mushrooms on top.

 

I dislike the Horizon Court and would not recommend it, but to each his own.

[JustinPlusLauren]

We recently wrote a guide on our blog to eating vegan on a cruise ship - even more restrictive than a typical vegetarian diet. You might it useful:

 

http://justinpluslauren.com/eating-vegan-on-a-cruise-ship/

 

There are vegetarian options on all of the dining room menus and in the buffets. If you require a vegan diet, you must speak to the head waiter and they will show you the next nights menu and you can either make a pre-existing meal vegan or order something different that they have the ingredients for, like a tofu stir fry or pasta.

 

We were very happy with how we were served on board! Exceptional service. We don't eat meat, dairy or eggs and Princess made us some incredible meals!

 

As a sidenote, they really do need to serve a diff veggie burger as it is really bad. Also, would be nice to be able to order veggie pizza without cheese any day (veg pizza only on certain days and otherwise they would not make us one - and no point in ordering a margarita pizza without cheese!) And we would love to see a vegan dessert offered too.

[minniem]

We cruised last Feb on the Ruby Princess with our good friend who is a vegan. The head waiter could not have been nicer. Each night he would show him the next day's menu and make adjustments. In addition he would bring additional dishes the chef prepared for him, often so much of it that we all got to taste it. We had no complaints about the head waiter. He took good care of both the vegan and my husband who has multiple food issues and allergies.

[JustinPlusLauren]

We cruised last Feb on the Ruby Princess with our good friend who is a vegan. The head waiter could not have been nicer. Each night he would show him the next day's menu and make adjustments. In addition he would bring additional dishes the chef prepared for him, often so much of it that we all got to taste it. We had no complaints about the head waiter. He took good care of both the vegan and my husband who has multiple food issues and allergies.

That's the kind of experience we had on board the Emerald! We were very pleased and wouldn't hesitate to return to Princess.

[shredie]

 

In the Crown Grill, when I made my reservations, I told them I was a veg head. I was able to get a vegetarian entrée and I agree, there are plenty of good sides. I usually had a baked potato with the creamed spinach or the sauted mushrooms on top.

 

 

I'm not a vegetarian, but this thread with its discussion of the sides in the Crown Grill has just about convinced me to eat there as a temporary veg! Every one of the side dishes sounds so good!

[schlot]

Lots of info here. But you might want to see (unless I missed it) what kind of vegetarian she is.

 

When we sailed the Ruby in 2012 my wife had no problem what so ever in finding plenty of good food to eat. But the following applies:

 

1) We ate almost exclusively at the buffet

2) She is not a vegan

3) She eats seafood

 

Good luck....but perhaps after she sees all the good non-vegetarian food available she might just give up and eat real food! LOL.

[nojoke]

We are vegetarians and never do any requests ahead of time. Besides the one vegetarian entree at dinner, you can always have a plate made of the beautifully prepared sides from the meat entrees. There is usually a pasta available either as an appetizer which can be made into an entree, or on the left side of the menu will be a pasta. And, they will always have a baked potato available. We have never dined in the specialty restaurants.