Shameful vegan experience on Rhapsody

[Sotermarler]

If the cruise promised you vegan meals then they should have provided them, but since they didn't was there nothing at the buffet you could eat?

[Diplomacy]

Agreed, the "new" math was wrong, and I took my facts from what I would think is a reliable source. I don't think babies and, say, 5-year olds decide to become vegans that young. I stand by my math. 0.5% of 3,000 pax IS 15, and also the 1 million total in the USA quote.

 

Regardless, vegans are a tiny, tiny minority on any ship.

 

As to the OP taking some of us to task over our comments, well, the OP just lost any support I had. The argument doesn't work for me, and right now, I could not care less if cruise lines accommodate vegans or not!

 

The OP made a life choice. It is not an allergy, or other medical, dietary requirement. Take a different attitude, as the world will not revolve around your life choice.

 

Or as I often say: "You get more with sugar than spice", and the OP seemed to use a lot of spice in making demands of the kitchen.

 

Lol, I'm glad you "agree" that his bogus numbers which agree with your bogus numbers, which don't even correspond to the statistics you originally cited are correct. Because you can't have a census without consensus... oh, wait. That doesn't work. Stupid soft C. Hey, frank, if I write census with an S, and you agree that it is spelled with an S, will that change the population of the US back to 1980s numbers? I reiterate:

according to "Vegetarian Times", 3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian-based diet. Approximately 0.5 percent, or 1 million, of those are vegans,

Next on faux news, we discuss Benghazi.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Diplomacy

[CI66774]

I think the only position that holds any water here is what does RCI's policy re: special meals state. Did OP give RCI 45 days notice? If yes, then he/she should be accommodated. If no, then the ship would attempt to accommodate him/her.

 

However, OP writes the chefs assured him/her they would prepare a vegan meal. I've done vegan for a few months (it wasn't horrible but I like my meat and dairy) and it is hard to find decent choices. If he/she was promised a decent meal, then she/he should have received it. More and more people are vegans, vegetarians, etc., and the cruise lines (if they want to keep customers happy) need to adapt.

[CI66774]

Lol, I'm glad you "agree" that his bogus numbers which agree with your bogus numbers, which don't even correspond to the statistics you originally cited are correct. Because you can't have a census without consensus... oh, wait. That doesn't work. Stupid soft C. Hey, frank, if I write census with an S, and you agree that it is spelled with an S, will that change the population of the US back to 1980s numbers? I reiterate:

 

Next on faux news, we discuss Benghazi.

 

By "faux news" you mean CNN and MSNBC, right? :cool:

[akcruz]

Everyone here is making the assumption that the OP chose the vegan lifestyle. I don't see this stated anywhere by them. Maybe they have other allergies or it is a religious thing that has made them go with the vegan lifestyle. Can we give them a break please?

 

If the OP was told they would have a vegan meal ready for them and it was not there, that is an issue in my mind. Not what lifestyle they may or may not have chosen.

[Tura Lura]

FYI - some folks are vegan for religious reasons, just like some are kosher or halal.

 

Some Hindu are "pure" vegetarian as well as Jains. Some Buddhists also are vegan.

 

Not sure why the nasty attitude toward vegans here. It doesn't matter if it's a "choice" or religious belief (which is a "choice" too) or for health reasons. You pay for a cruise, which is inclusive of food. The cruise line states that it accommodates special food requirements as long as you notify them in advance. Therefore they need to honor that and provide vegan meals or whatever other requests are made.

[sanger727]

What's really odd about the OP's experience to me is that many of the crew will be vegetarian for religious reasons, so I have also found, especially if you want indian food, plenty of vegetarian/vegan choices. So, it sounds like either the Matre d is the problem or could they be running a shortage on certain supplies? Either way, it's unfortuante. And OP, ignore the people who are writing off your diet as the same as liking the blues; I was a vegetarian for many years, and whatever the reason's the OP has for the vegan diet, I"m sure they are important. Being vegan is a lifestyle choice and takes alot of commitment, not something you are going to throw away to make a vacation easier.

[Thetrail]

Um, I'm pretty sure that you don't have to listen to music on a daily basis in order to survive but you do need to eat. Being vegan is a "life choice" but being a meat eater is as well. I'm pretty sure that if a cruise line ran out of steak on a cruise we would see all kinds of angry posts here. The OP is not asking for anything difficult or more complicated than someone who is allergic/intolerant to dairy.

 

OP as a fellow vegan I am sorry to hear about your struggle.

Struggle, please, there are vegan items on the menu each and every night...:rolleyes:

[Diplomacy]

Struggle, please, there are vegan items on the menu each and every night...:rolleyes:

 

Vegetarian?

Edited November 5, 2015 by Diplomacy

[Havingfun2010]

So based on this and the other "logic" in this thread, kosher meals should not be provided either. Religion is clearly a choice.

 

I've seen resorts do much better for special diets. Disney and sandals to name a few. They'll bend over backwards to make your dietary restrictions (whether by choice or medical) are followed and customize delicious meals for you every night without a hassle. Maybe that's harder on a cruise. Try a chain like Sandaks and you'll see how you are catered to!

 

My point was just a simple comment. I'm going to lunch, and around me it's easy to get a vegetarian meal, but not a vegan meal unless I want to eat a plain salad. Simple because the veggie burger is being cooked on the same grill as the juicy hamburger.

[ryano]

Being vegan is a lifestyle choice.

 

Thank you. Enough said.

[conandrob240]

No, many of the points raised here are suggesting that it shouldn't have to be accommodated or "too bad" because eating vegan is a choice. If this is true, then you should respond with the same venom when someone asks for a kosher meal because that, too, is a choice.

 

People have a right to eat a certain way for whatever the reason. Vegan, kosher- these are diets that are fairly common and should be accommodated by any decent vacation venue.

Edited November 5, 2015 by conandrob240

[SadieN]

OP, I am sorry you are having a hard time and I am sorry some people think your life choices are frivolous.

 

On the topic of Kosher or Vegan, knowing enough about both, I am surprised that Kosher would be easier to accommodate!

 

As far as OP's expectations, they were inline with 1.previous experience 2. RCI's online statements. A simple google search brings me here:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&faqId=322&faqSubjectId=335

 

This page clearly states :

 

Special meal requests that are received less than 45 days of sailing (90 days for European/South American itineraries) are dependent on the ship's product availability. We will try to accommodate to the best of our ability.

 

 

Based on that, my expectation is to absolutely be accommodated if I contacted them within that time frame.

 

What's more, it looks like the OP's presence in the dining room continuously "fell through the cracks" sort of speak. No reason to sit there for an hour only to find out that nothing is being done at all.

 

 

Kosher onboard is extremely easy for the cruise lines. It's a TV dinner, heated up, served unopened with plastic ware.

 

Fully kosher charters or partial charters will kasher a kitchen and bring in all new pots, dishes, utensils etc. After the charter the stuff gets put into regular rotation.

[loubetti]

Lol, I'm glad you "agree" that his bogus numbers which agree with your bogus numbers, which don't even correspond to the statistics you originally cited are correct. Because you can't have a census without consensus... oh, wait. That doesn't work. Stupid soft C. Hey, frank, if I write census with an S, and you agree that it is spelled with an S, will that change the population of the US back to 1980s numbers? I reiterate:

 

Next on faux news, we discuss Benghazi.

 

Ummm.. that's 0.5 percent of the US population being vegan!! :rolleyes:

 

Oh boy! :D

 

I still stand by my math!

Edited November 5, 2015 by loubetti

[poncho1973]

I'm a steakandbeeratarian. Life is good.

[conandrob240]

Kosher food is extremely expensive for any resort ofrcruise line to accommodate. They have to buy and pay the premium for pre-packaged foods.

 

Easy to accommodate shouldn't be a factor in it either. Gluten-free is difficult in a kitchen as well but that doesn't mean it should be accommodated.

[legaljen1969]

Everyone here is making the assumption that the OP chose the vegan lifestyle. I don't see this stated anywhere by them. Maybe they have other allergies or it is a religious thing that has made them go with the vegan lifestyle. Can we give them a break please?

 

If the OP was told they would have a vegan meal ready for them and it was not there, that is an issue in my mind. Not what lifestyle they may or may not have chosen.

 

What difference does it make if the OP "chose" to be vegan, or it is actually necessitated for some health reason?

 

If the cruise lines says they will accommodate you as long as you notify them outside of the 45 day window- they should do so. Even if you are within the 45 day window and they CAN accommodate you, there is no reason to deny "reasonable" accomodations.

 

I guess that's where things break down. "Reasonable." That's not a thing many people understand. What's "reasonable" to me, may not be "reasonable" to someone else.

 

There are more and more people all the time "choosing" the vegan lifestyle. There are people "choosing" all manner of "alternative" lifestyles and most of them are accommodated and not made to feel like second class citizens.

 

I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I do think if someone informs the cruise line in the specified time limit and they talk to the designated person (I am guessing the head waiter is that person) in the dining room- they should be able to have their needs met.

 

Just because it's not "YOUR" choice, it doesn't mean THEIR choice should be disregarded.

[docd]

People are missing the point. It makes no difference what a particular dietary restriction is, if RCI committed to accommodating it, then they should do so. Otherwise, DON'T OFFER the accommodation at all.

 

So, who cares what the accommodation is? They failed to deliver as per their agreement.

[tahqa]

Lol, I'm glad you "agree" that his bogus numbers which agree with your bogus numbers, which don't even correspond to the statistics you originally cited are correct. Because you can't have a census without consensus... oh, wait. That doesn't work. Stupid soft C. Hey, frank, if I write census with an S, and you agree that it is spelled with an S, will that change the population of the US back to 1980s numbers? I reiterate:

 

Next on faux news, we discuss Benghazi.

 

Anyways... the claim is:

 

"according to "Vegetarian Times", 3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian-based diet. Approximately 0.5 percent, or 1 million, of those are vegans"

 

Don't look at the number of US adults.... look at how many people are on the ship. Let's take Oasis class with 6,000 passengers (roughly). Of those 6000 you would expect 3.2% (.032) to be vegetarian. So... 192 vegetarians.

 

Of those 192 vegetarians it is claimed that approximate 0.5% (.005) are vegan. So... .96 vegans (on average). :D

 

Anyways, it doesn't really matter whether she was the lone vegan on board or if there were more. The staff made a verbal commitment to her to provide vegan meals and they failed.

[MommaBear55]

People are missing the point. It makes no difference what a particular dietary restriction is, if RCI committed to accommodating it, then they should do so. Otherwise, DON'T OFFER the accommodation at all.

 

So, who cares what the accommodation is? They failed to deliver as per their agreement.

 

I agree. The cruise line could have prepackaged meals for vegans, just the way they do for those who follow kosher. Or a vegan could eat: vegetables without the sauce, rice, nuts, fruit, potatoes, beans, tofu and perhaps vege burgers? (Don't know if those are vegan). Seems to me that it would be easy enough to eat vegan, albeit boring.

 

DD has celiac and she picks and chooses from the buffet and from the MDR menu. She eats regular food with some change in the preparation. The difference if she gets a mouthful of gluten she is sick for a week, if a vegan gets a mouthful of dairy or eggs, they have violated their beliefs.

[garnetpalmetto]

Struggle, please, there are vegan items on the menu each and every night...:rolleyes:

 

No, there aren't. There are vegetarian items. Veganism is but a type of vegetarianism (the most restrictive kind, shying away from any and all animal products, including dairy, eggs, honey, animal-derived gelatins, etc.) and something that's "vegetarian" may not necessarily be vegan. Looking at the MDR menus, for instance, the Artichoke-Filled Crepes au Gratin that appear on the Saffron menu, are marked as vegetarian. However, by virtue of having cheese in them, they would not be vegan.

Edited November 5, 2015 by garnetpalmetto

[north29]

With the OP's post, but if RC truly said they would could provide Vegan dishes, that is what they should have done with the same service as regular meals. Same for Gluten free or Kosher.

Also when one is in the MINORITY of pax eating choices, sometime you just have to bit the bullet and YES, there can be some BIG glitches resulting is comprimised quality and service.

[ryano]

Gotta love it. The apologists are out in full force.

 

Coming on here with descriptive words such as shameful, horrible etc and so forth with a post that wreaks with self entitlement and expecting empathy. Lol, good luck with that!

 

I'm curious as to what the OP thought some faceless cronie on social media could do for her late at night 1000 miles away and on land?

[ZandZ]

Kosher onboard is extremely easy for the cruise lines. It's a TV dinner, heated up, served unopened with plastic ware.

 

Fully kosher charters or partial charters will kasher a kitchen and bring in all new pots, dishes, utensils etc. After the charter the stuff gets put into regular rotation.

I see your point although if its the prepackaged stuff Im sure its nowhere as good as fresh made...

[Big_G]

FYI - some folks are vegan for religious reasons, just like some are kosher or halal.

 

Some Hindu are "pure" vegetarian as well as Jains. Some Buddhists also are vegan.

 

Thanks for answering the question that I was almost fearful of asking. ;)