JADE: VEGETARIAN's TREATED LIKE THIRD TIER PASSENGERS!!!

[Rashmi]

Norwegian Jade (7 day cruise)

Houston – Cozumel – Belize City – Roatan – Houston

At the guest services counter of the Jade, I was surprised to see your proclamation that NCL provides the finest dining on the seas. This is because, as vegetarians, despite calling ahead of our sojourn, we were relegated to eat only at the garden buffet – 3 times a day. I am happy that I made it out of that awful ship.

I had made a request for vegetarian food at the time of buying tickets. I was very happy to get a letter and a call from Mr. H. (name removed) on checking-in into our rooms (we had bought two rooms since we brought our parents along). Mr. H. promised that we will be given vegetarian food at the restaurants (His quote was “I will make sure you have a wonderful vacation” or something like that). However, he failed to mention that the food will be brought down from the garden buffet. To be clear, the restaurant would send a server up to the buffet on the 12th floor, who would then fill up two bowls with an entree from the buffet, and take the elevator down to the restaurant. If we don’t want the buffet food at the restaurant, the only other option was the lasagna rolls, which was terrible.

We didn’t see the point of going to the restaurant to eat the buffet food. If we want to eat the buffet food, we go to the buffet. If you don’t see the problem, I suggest converting all your restaurants to only serve what entries are available in the buffet and get customer feedback. I am sure your customers would be raving.

Restaurant “Vegetarian” Option

Despite having more than 10 restaurants, none of the real dining/lunch choices beside the garden buffet has any vegetarian food. Not even the “Jasmine” restaurant which allegedly serves Asian/Chinese food. In the real world, I can walk into a Chinese, Thai, Japanese restaurant and easily find a number of things to eat. The only option in all the Jade restaurants was the fixed item in Grand Pacific and Alizar (lasagna rolls mentioned above). Even the garden buffet is not appealing to a vegetarian. Because of all the large chunks of unappetizing meat that is being constantly heated, there is a strong (disgusting) aroma coming from the entrance of the buffet, which is nauseating to us. Therefore, for this additional reason, we would have liked to eat at restaurants where this is not (typically) an issue.

Customer Service – think of the worst possible service and then move it down a few more notches.

However, the worst part of the whole experience was the abysmal customer service. We were made into a “lower class” people by your prestigious cruise line except while paying for the tickets. We expressed our concerns to many people including Mr. H., who feigned an inability to understand the issue. We even walked out of the Grand Pacific restaurant asking Mr. H. to get back to us if he has a better solution for us. On the last night, Mr. H. even had the audacity to come and talk to us in affirmative “I am sure you are having a good time” and when we replied “we are having a terrible time” and he said “good night.” In the end, no one made any attempt to resolve our problem.

Awesome (awful) NCL Policy

At the first meeting, Mr. H. asked us to contact the Group service coordinator if we are unhappy with the food. So I contacted the same with my problem. The saving grace was that the Group service coordinator pretended that she understood the problem. However, she noted that it was not within her job role to help us. I told her that I don’t know who to contact and she would surely know what to do (since she was supposed to be the boss!). (I was really not in the mood to go from one person to another through their 1100 crew hierarchy). Anyways, she mentioned that complaining is not likely to help us because of NCL policy as all food menu is predetermined. So the Chefs at any of their 15 restaurants cannot make a meal that is not in the menu for any customer. She said he will find out more and get back and I have still not hear back (I finished my cruise a week ago).

Vegetarian options at the garden buffet: acceptable but many times, the dishes especially at the salad bar were contaminated with food from the meat entries. We found this to be disgusting. The item labeled as “indian roti” was not even close to indian roti. It is made of a different flour not what indian roti is made from (indian roti is made with flour that brown bread is made of).

All we were hoping was to get a prepared food from your kitchen (not demanding this is what I need on a specific day). Apparently, that experience is permitted only for your “higher class” customer who happened to pay the same as me. (I will keep my head low and not complain if I get to pay a lower fare). However, as things stand, the lower class customers (vegetarians) are not acceptable customers for NCL perhaps according to NCL policy. So after thanking the crew for not asking me to step off the plank, we debarked in Houston, happy to out of that miserable prison “NCL Jade”. Will I ever take a NCL cruise again?

I also a left a similar copy of this letter to the Hotel Director on the 5/6th day of cruising and waiting for his prompt reply.

[MizDemeanor]

While not a strict vegetarian we do find daily options in the various dining rooms availble. This is not what you found?

[KeithJenner]

I'm not sure whether you are just posting this here for others to read, or whether you are hoping that NCL will see it and reply.

 

If it is the latter then I would just mention that NCL don't post here, and may or may not read these boards.

 

If you want them to read the message then you need to send it to their office.

[Tom Graphy]

While not a strict vegetarian we do find daily options in the various dining rooms availble. This is not what you found?

 

Yeah I have always found a vegetarian option as well.

[sjbdtz]

Will I ever take a NCL cruise again?

 

 

Inquiring minds, want to know.

 

 

 

.

[KeithJenner]

While not a strict vegetarian we do find daily options in the various dining rooms availble. This is not what you found?

 

I'm not sure what menus are currently on the Jade. The new ones have just one vegetarian entree each day. From the mention of the constant lasagne I suspect these were the older menus. I'm not sure what else they have on those menus and you would have hoped there would be a daily vegetarian dish as well. One unchanging entree doesn't sound like much.

[KeithJenner]

I just had a look at a couple of the older menus which I have pictures of. As well as the vegetarian lasagna rolls, there seems to be one or two daily dishes as well.

[MizDemeanor]

Fair enough for me to say I have not been on Jade.

 

I opt for vegetarian, and I opt for Gluten Free, and I don't think I'd have a hard time finding either of these options if I tried.

 

They may not be plentiful. But there is plenty of liquors and coffees not in my package too.

 

It's not home, its a cruise ship.

Edited February 12, 2016 by MizDemeanor

[KeithJenner]

I'm also a bit confused about the reference to no vegetarian options at Jasmine Garden. There has always been a vegetable rice dish there as far as I know.

 

Not a lot of options for a vegetarian, I would agree, but I'm sure there is something available.

 

I'm not necessarily defending the vegetarian options that NCL offer, as (and I say this as a confirmed meat eater) I have previously thought to myself that they do look a bit limited, but I think the OP's experience seems to be a lot worse than I have ever seen before. You can certainly get more than lasagna rolls outside the buffet.

[StolidCruiser]

On the last night, Mr. H. even had the audacity to come and talk to us in affirmative “I am sure you are having a good time” and when we replied “we are having a terrible time” and he said “good night.”

 

That would have pretty much been my response to you as well.

[FranknBeans]

Interesting that this is your first post on CC.

[luddite]

Wow.

Your first post is certainly a Lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

paragraph rant. And we don't really believe that your sole issue is ....believable. We have heard from preachy vegans who have done OK for themselves.

 

It really is hard to understand people like this thinking that the world should bend over backwards to kowtow to their lifestyle. I'll bet if they invited us over for dinner they wouldn't cook us a steak.

[casofilia]

In the future could I suggest that you ask to see the following night's menu, get the Maître d'. Discuss with him/her what you would like to eat from the menu. While they will not cook you a special meal they will work on what they are cooking to make you something that is acceptable.

 

Mike

[Moby0215]

I'm thinking this is a sarcastic joke post similar to the one about the bring your own butler. Surely there is stuff for vegetarians to eat. Obviously there isn't a bounty of options but surely more than just lasagna rolls.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jojo27]

We were just on the Jade and while I am not a vegetarian, I am not a big meat eater. On all NCL ships I have found many menu options that were vegetarian. Now a true Vegan may have a few more challenges. Interesting how many people just join CC to rant. :confused:

[casofilia]

On all NCL ships I have found many menu options that were vegetarian. Now a true Vegan may have a few more challenges.

 

We have a daughter who is a vegan and who writes vegan cookbooks so we have an idea of how she would manage with the menus we have in the main dining rooms on the ships we have cruised on. Not very well!!

 

I agree that vegetarians can do quite well so long as they are prepared to make a 'nuisance' of themselves and demand that there are meals for them. There are choices for a vegetarian and also the possibility that other meals can be adapted for them.

 

Mike

[Starflyr3]

I would like to dispute the statement that if it isnt on one of the menus, it isnt available.

 

When we went on Jewel last year, we went to Chin Chin (generally gross, at least to me and the kids) and DH noticed that orange beef was on the menu but no orange chicken. He politely enquired as to whether or not he could possibly get orange chicken, and they got it for him.

[karoo]

There are plenty of vegetables, salads, rice, non meat options. I would hate to think they would remove meat from the buffet, to cater for a minorities food choice. Tolerate the smell, you are on a cruise ship after all I have to tolerate the smell of Indian curries.

[3kidsncats]

We were on the Jewel, not the Jade, but on our recent cruise, BF was always able to find a vegetarian option with no difficulties, and found them to be quite good. I'm really surprised that OP had such a difficult time.

[NCLfamily]

To be honest, if the smell of meat makes you feel nauseous then why did you go on a cruise. Such a strict vegetarian should have done their homework and realised it wasn't for you. Cruises are well known for buffets and well known for meat being plentiful.

 

I'm hazarding a guess that out of say 2500 guests on board, you weren't the only vegetarians? Would love to hear from others.

[kdzkatz]

OP = Troll IMO

 

Nuff said?

[Aladdin1968]

OP = Troll IMO

 

Nuff said?

 

Nuff said indeed...

 

However...

 

Having been on the Jade many times and not being a meat lover, I can testify that there are enough vegetarian options in the MDR and most other venues.The 2015 and 2014 menus are easily to be found on the web. No reason to discuss this.

 

There is in the OP a clue about what the real frustration is about: a lack of Indian dishes outside the Buffet. I have heard that frustration earlier. But given the itineraries and the population on board, it is clear that not many are waiting for more Indian dishes. The OP would have done himself a favor checking this out before hand.

 

Taste is subjective and a repulsion about the odor of meat also is. Like I do not like the overwhelming odor of Indian dishes at certain sections of the Buffet. And reading this thread it seems I am not the only one. But complaining from high to low about this subjective dislike?

 

Anyway, the OP made his point and seems to have fled already and at NCL nobody will read his post and nobody will care.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Aladdin1968

[david_sobe]

Sorry to hear the cruise was not up to expectations. Many times people with strict diet needs are not happy with cruising. Cruises are catered for the masses and its a fine line to keep "most" of them happy.

[meltingmoments]

Cruises are catered for the masses and its a fine line to keep "most" of them happy.

 

^^This! I couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to cater for that amount of people on a cruise ship! Food.......and food smells.....are so subjective and personal. I'm in the camp of people who don't like the smell of Indian food, but I would never dream of complaining about it on a cruise ship!

 

Having been on the Jade AND having a vegetarian DD, we both commented that she would have been well fed had she travelled with us. Agreed that there are not the same options as for meat eaters, but that can also be said of lots of land-based restaurants, as we notice on a regular basis. But we do our research before heading out to those restaurants! :confused:

 

PS........Our DD DID travel with us on our Sky trip and was definitely NOT treated like a *third tier passenger*.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2016 by meltingmoments

[abe3]

Norwegian Jade (7 day cruise)

 

Houston – Cozumel – Belize City – Roatan – Houston

 

At the guest services counter of the Jade, I was surprised to see your proclamation that NCL provides the finest dining on the seas. This is because, as vegetarians, despite calling ahead of our sojourn, we were relegated to eat only at the garden buffet – 3 times a day. I am happy that I made it out of that awful ship.

 

I had made a request for vegetarian food at the time of buying tickets. I was very happy to get a letter and a call from Mr. H. (name removed) on checking-in into our rooms (we had bought two rooms since we brought our parents along). Mr. H. promised that we will be given vegetarian food at the restaurants (His quote was “I will make sure you have a wonderful vacation” or something like that). However, he failed to mention that the food will be brought down from the garden buffet. To be clear, the restaurant would send a server up to the buffet on the 12th floor, who would then fill up two bowls with an entree from the buffet, and take the elevator down to the restaurant. If we don’t want the buffet food at the restaurant, the only other option was the lasagna rolls, which was terrible.

 

We didn’t see the point of going to the restaurant to eat the buffet food. If we want to eat the buffet food, we go to the buffet. If you don’t see the problem, I suggest converting all your restaurants to only serve what entries are available in the buffet and get customer feedback. I am sure your customers would be raving.

 

Restaurant “Vegetarian” Option

 

Despite having more than 10 restaurants, none of the real dining/lunch choices beside the garden buffet has any vegetarian food. Not even the “Jasmine” restaurant which allegedly serves Asian/Chinese food. In the real world, I can walk into a Chinese, Thai, Japanese restaurant and easily find a number of things to eat. The only option in all the Jade restaurants was the fixed item in Grand Pacific and Alizar (lasagna rolls mentioned above). Even the garden buffet is not appealing to a vegetarian. Because of all the large chunks of unappetizing meat that is being constantly heated, there is a strong (disgusting) aroma coming from the entrance of the buffet, which is nauseating to us. Therefore, for this additional reason, we would have liked to eat at restaurants where this is not (typically) an issue.

 

Customer Service – think of the worst possible service and then move it down a few more notches.

 

However, the worst part of the whole experience was the abysmal customer service. We were made into a “lower class” people by your prestigious cruise line except while paying for the tickets. We expressed our concerns to many people including Mr. H., who feigned an inability to understand the issue. We even walked out of the Grand Pacific restaurant asking Mr. H. to get back to us if he has a better solution for us. On the last night, Mr. H. even had the audacity to come and talk to us in affirmative “I am sure you are having a good time” and when we replied “we are having a terrible time” and he said “good night.” In the end, no one made any attempt to resolve our problem.

 

Awesome (awful) NCL Policy

 

At the first meeting, Mr. H. asked us to contact the Group service coordinator if we are unhappy with the food. So I contacted the same with my problem. The saving grace was that the Group service coordinator pretended that she understood the problem. However, she noted that it was not within her job role to help us. I told her that I don’t know who to contact and she would surely know what to do (since she was supposed to be the boss!). (I was really not in the mood to go from one person to another through their 1100 crew hierarchy). Anyways, she mentioned that complaining is not likely to help us because of NCL policy as all food menu is predetermined. So the Chefs at any of their 15 restaurants cannot make a meal that is not in the menu for any customer. She said he will find out more and get back and I have still not hear back (I finished my cruise a week ago).

 

Vegetarian options at the garden buffet: acceptable but many times, the dishes especially at the salad bar were contaminated with food from the meat entries. We found this to be disgusting. The item labeled as “indian roti” was not even close to indian roti. It is made of a different flour not what indian roti is made from (indian roti is made with flour that brown bread is made of).

 

All we were hoping was to get a prepared food from your kitchen (not demanding this is what I need on a specific day). Apparently, that experience is permitted only for your “higher class” customer who happened to pay the same as me. (I will keep my head low and not complain if I get to pay a lower fare). However, as things stand, the lower class customers (vegetarians) are not acceptable customers for NCL perhaps according to NCL policy. So after thanking the crew for not asking me to step off the plank, we debarked in Houston, happy to out of that miserable prison “NCL Jade”. Will I ever take a NCL cruise again?

 

I also a left a similar copy of this letter to the Hotel Director on the 5/6th day of cruising and waiting for his prompt reply.

 

 

I think Mr H did the right thing and walked away from your during last meeting. He knew he couldn't make someone like you happy and figured you are what you are which I can't use those words on here to describe you.