I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly 30 years. Now I know what you’re thinking, “she can’t be older than 30 and, as such, must have been introduced to a vegetarian diet in utero by a hippy, fru fru mother who raised her on wheat grass and fermented soybeans. No, that would be my child.
While my dad would become a vegetarian later in life, when I became one he was still surviving on hamburgers and Diet Coke and my mom has never met a food she won’t try. If you’re wondering, “who ever orders the ox tongue and frog legs,” on a cruise, my mom does!
Naw, I was just an animal loving 12 year old, mildly susceptible to the influence of an older vegetarian cousin. And while it’s not uncommon for a young woman to declare herself a vegetarian in order to rebel against her father – with an “I Love Animals They’re Delicious” bumper sticker on the diesel truck he uses for hunting and rolling coal – only to answer, “yes please,” to an offer of pot roast a week later during Sunday dinner because it smells, “soooooo good,” I stuck it out.
Due to acute stubbornness, I persist with most things – even those ill-advised such as this mediocre blog. A blog I will continue to publish long after my one reader (hi mom!) is gone and I’m writing about cruises from 50 years ago both because I can’t remember what I did yesterday and because my nursing home excursions are limited to “scenic drives” to the mall food court. Although, note to self, I really should review the vegetarian options at the Northgate Mall for similarly situated nonagenarians.
Anyway, I’ve been on 14 cruises across many different lines as a vegetarian, and on a couple where I’ve eaten strictly vegan. This post will focus on Princess, but I’ll offer a few comparisons to my experiences on other lines and some general tips for eating vegetarian or vegan that I’ve found helpful across lines.
But before we put aside our steak knives in favor of an extra fork for the third dessert we ordered to avoid any accusations of healthfulness, if you clicked on this post just so you could post a joke about vegetarians in the comments, let me save you the trouble. Because despite rumors to the contrary, we vegetarians do have a sense of humor.
Q: What does a
vegetarian zombie eat?
A: GRAAAINNNS!!
Q: What did one
vegetarian say to the other vegetarian?
A: We have to stop meating like this.
Q: Why did the tofu cross the road? A: To prove he wasn’t chicken.
While it’s much easier to eat out as a vegetarian or even vegan now days, especially in urban areas – I can feast on vegan fare mimicking approximately 3,000 different meat preparations from every culture on earth as well as freeze-dried vegan ice cream suitable for space travel within a block of my apartment in downtown Seattle – the cruise industry is still lagging behind in terms of being vegetarian and vegan friendly.
And while I encourage my fellow vegetarians and vegans to continue to advocate for more and better options and fill out comment cards and surveys, as I always do, expressing specific needs and areas for improvement, there are realities that make catering to particular dietary requirements challenging on cruise ships.
It’s hard enough to feed a family of four composed of a weekday vegan, a vegetarian six-year-old limited to one color (orange), an omnivore amateur weight lifter who obsessively counts grams of protein like a teacher tracking his preschoolers on a field trip to the aquarium, “1,2,3,4…OMG Jessica is submerged up to her knees in the middle of the touch pool!” and a dog so elderly he can’t get into the bed unassisted but manages a five foot vertical leap when it’s time for his carnivorous kibble.
Now imagine having to cook for and serve 2-4 thousand cruisers three (or six to eight if they’re Prof. Cruise) vacation-worthy meals a day with limited provisions in tight kitchens and dining rooms swaying and bobbing and sometimes jerking violently about. With each guest having different standards and tastes and expectations. It’s a challenge! And they don’t always get it right, even for those without dietary restrictions.
Don’t forget that cruise lines are giant corporations in the business of maximizing profits for their owners and shareholders. No corporate Princess employee is tasked with figuring out how they can better my individual cruise experience, they’re looking for ways to fill ships, cut expenses, and separate passengers from more of their dollars.
And because vegetarians, and especially vegans, make up such a small percentage of cruisers, our needs are not a high priority. Which is not to say that cruise lines don’t make an effort, they do, but they don’t have to be great in order to remain profitable like a small, land-based restaurant does.
Very few cruise ship employees are native English speakers. This is one of the things I love about cruising – meeting and getting to know people from all over the world. And, despite now having a Ph.D., I almost didn’t graduate from college due to a pesky language requirement. So I know firsthand that learning another language as an adult is HARD and I have tremendous respect and admiration for those who work grueling jobs at sea, far away from home, in a second language, in order to provide for their families.
But language and cultural differences can make it harder to communicate your questions and needs as a vegetarian or vegan. A word for “vegetarian” doesn’t even exist in some languages.
My travels to China, where you’re more likely to see chicken feet on a menu than salad, have taught me to be very specific about my dietary needs. When you tell people who aren’t very familiar with vegetarianism or veganism or may not have even heard those words in English before that you “don’t eat meat” or that you “don’t eat animal products” they may read the title of a menu item that doesn’t sound like it has meat and tell you it’s fine, when it’s actually made with chicken or beef or fish stock or flavored with other meat products. This has happened to me many times on cruises, especially with soups and sauces. They aren’t trying to mislead you, they just don’t fully understand what you’re asking. Which brings me to my top tips for eating vegetarian or vegan on a cruise.
Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus and vegetarians are from Neptune because it’s “far out” as in “rad” to fellow vegetarians, but “far out” as in furthest away and most alien to non vegetarians. That’s okay, we can still lose our money in the casino together and attend an art auction for the free champagne and gaze out at the water and mistaken every bloody seagull for something more interesting: “I see a whale spout at 4 o’clock! Oh wait, it’s another darn seagull diving for fish.”
And, like a relationship, when it comes to getting your dietary needs met on a cruise, communication is key. And also much harder than a simple platitude would suggest. Here are my tips:
Don’t expect it to make much of a difference, but do it anyway. Normally there’s a place in your online reservation where you can do this. If you can’t find it, call the cruise line or your travel agent. This will become part of your reservation and will be communicated to the ship. Although know that you will still need to alert and meet with the appropriate ship staff when you board (more on this later). The ship may also stock more soy milk and such if they know in advance there are going to be vegan passengers.
I’ve found it helpful to make a detailed list of ingredients I can’t eat and another list of suitable substitutes and things I enjoy (keep them simple and present them as ideas not requirements) for my initial conversation with the head waiter in the main dining room (this is more relevant for vegans – vegetarians can usually order off the regular menu).
Instead of asking “is this soup vegetarian?” ask “can you tell me what kind of broth this soup is prepared with?” Then you can follow up with, “I’m a vegetarian and don’t eat any meat, chicken, fish or beef/chicken broth.”
Because you read this post in advance, you know that eating vegetarian or vegan on a cruise ship is going to require a bit of extra effort. Be patient with staff and know they are doing their best to help you. While I haven’t always had my question answered by the first person I asked or have had to wait for a time for a special request, I’ve found cruise ship staff exceedingly gracious, kind, and patient with me. So the least I can do is be patient with them, knowing they are doing the best they can considering the circumstances – most of which are out of their control.
I would use that old adage “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar” here, but vegetarians generally frown upon killing other sentient beings and vegans don’t eat honey. But, you get the picture.
This is not going to be the best food you’ve had. That’s true even for those without diet restrictions. But approach it with an attitude of good enough. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve always found a number of things I’ve LOVED on every cruise I’ve been on. Never have I returned home weighing anything less than 5 pounds over what I weighed at embarkation. #goals
Thankfully, if your entree in the main dining room contained olives or rotten grapes (who deceptively go by the name “raisins” to mislead the public), there are other options. Hit the buffet or the International Cafe (on many Princess ships) or grab a veggie burger from the grill. With a little flexibility, no one, no matter how limiting their diet is, should ever go hungry on a cruise!
Now then, let’s move onto vegetarian and vegan dining options specific to Princess cruises.
If you’re a vegetarian without any other significant allergies or restrictions, you’ll be fine ordering off the regular dining room menu on Princess. There’s always at least one vegetarian entree and usually several starters. Here are some sample menus from my latest cruise on the Golden Princess to give you a feel for the menus:
*Note: there was also a cheese ravioli available not indicated on the menu
The three items above are available every night. The fettuccine alfredo is also available in an appetizer portion which I often order in addition to whatever the vegetarian entree is for that night – I find the portions in the main dining room on the small side. Make sure to save room for 2 or 3 or 1 of each of the desserts though!
Go here if you want to see additional menus from the MDR and here if you want to see photos of all the food I ordered.
Although I have never eaten vegan on Princess, I have on other lines and did speak to the maître d’ about it on my last Princess cruise just to verify that the process is the same.
Upon boarding the ship you’ll need to meet with the maître d’ or head waiter in one of the main dining rooms. It can be confusing to figure out where you need to go and who you need to talk with. My strategy is to find out which dining room is open for lunch on embarkation day, go there, and ask the maître d’ seating guests who you need to speak with about your dietary request. They’ll get you to the correct place and person!
Let this person know what your needs are – again this is when I find a list helpful (although the maître d’ or head waiter probably has some experience with vegan guests). They’ll discuss your dinner choice for that first evening and will explain that after you’ve completed your meal each night, you’ll need to place your order with your waiter for the next night.
When you meet your waiter for dinner each evening (if you have a set dining time you will have the same wait team each night, which makes it easier), let them know that you have a dietary restriction and have already placed your order. They will ask for your room number so they can pull your order. Here are a few tips I’ve found helpful on other lines:
Having the same wait team each night is less of a hassle. After the first night, they’ll know the drill and you won’t have to explain it to a new team each time.
It’s not uncommon on cruise ships to be seated at a table with strangers – commence awkward small talk, “where are you from” and so on. You can, however, request to be seated with just your sailing companions. If you so desire, do this when you speak to the maître d’ or head waiter at embarkation if you have a set dining time or just mention it when you show up for Anytime Dining.
I recommend this because it can sometimes take longer for your special request items to be ready. It can be uncomfortable at a table of people you don’t know and can hold them up if they feel obligated to wait for you.
Also, while I’m generally happy to explain to people why I’m a vegetarian if they ask, sometimes I just want to relax and enjoy my meal without any special attention paid to it. Socializing and meeting new people can be fun too though, so this one is totally up to you – just something to noodle on.
While I was always the weak spot during games of Red Rover on the playgrounds of my youth due to my twiggy arms and excessively sweaty palms, I find the buffet the weakest spot for vegetarians and vegans on Princess.
The fact that nothing is labeled vegetarian (at least that’s been my experience on three different ships) is extremely frustrating and, indeed baffling. It would be such a simple thing to do. Just slap a “V” next to the name of the dish and fairly assume that most know it means “vegetarian” and that there isn’t a blood feud between the baked potatoes and the mashed potatoes.
Buffet staff would avoid six questions from every vegetarian coming through the line even if it does prompt a few Prof. Cruise inspired dumb jokes that at least don’t require anyone bother the chefs again, “what’s V for, vendetta? You smashed my brother and drowned him in cream and butter!” That last part should be read in the voice of the mafia boss of the baked potatoes.
Some dishes are obviously vegetarian or vegan, but many, many others are mysteries. Especially soups, sauces, and rice dishes which are often made with chicken or beef broth. While I’m always tempted to examine items up close with a magnifying glass while sporting a brown tweed trench coat and a gentleman’s pipe ala Sherlock Holmes just to make a point, this is the time to ask your specific questions of the friendly and helpful, but generally not very well informed buffet staff: “can you tell me what kind of broth this soup is made from? I’m a vegetarian.”
Princess also disappoints when it comes to the quality of vegetarian offerings, especially their international fare which has been a standout for me on certain other lines (I would book NCL solely for the Chinese and Indian food at the buffet).
On a positive note, the buffet desserts on Princess are quite good, so you have the perfect justification to load up your plate with these: “I couldn’t find anything else vegetarian.” Darn.
For more information about the buffet on my most recent Princess sailing, including video footage of breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings, see my Golden Princess Ship Review here.
Try to follow along as I jump from reviling Princess for their international food in one sentence to highlighting my favorite venue on Princess, the “International Cafe” a few verbs and trite adjectives later. While not every Princess ship has the International Cafe, count yourself lucky if you’re booked on one that does. This is one of the reasons I continue to sail on Princess.
Complimentary and open 24 hours, which I personally verified by visiting each hour from sunrise to sunset to sunrise again, under the guise of “research for my blog,” the International Cafe offers some of the best breakfast pastries and desserts on the ship. There’s also a hot, pressed to order breakfast sandwich that can be modified to be vegetarian by requesting it without the bacon (just be sure to ask them to make one fresh in the back, otherwise they’ll just pull the bacon off and you’ll be able to taste it still) and a delicious tomato and mozzarella panini during lunch, dinner, and late night hours. There are also some rotating specials for breakfast and lunch, many of which are vegetarian, as well as salads. For dinner they add a cheese, nut, and dried fruit board which is nice to take back to your room for a late night snack along with a few desserts.
Unfortunately most items are not vegan friendly with the exception of a salad that’s pretty tasty even though I prefer to exhaust all other options before ordering anything green on vacation.
There are generally two pizza options on Princess ships, Prego Pizza which serves up giant slices of New York style thin crust on the Lido deck and Alfredo’s Pizza which is a complimentary a sit-down restaurant serving made to order personal pizzas. Not all ships have both, but some do.
Say that one ten times fast: “Prego Pizza on Princess…”
Delicious cheese pizza is always available at Prego’s and there’s a rotating special that’s sometimes vegetarian. Fold it over and speak in an exaggerated Brooklyn accent to get the full effect.
There’s one vegetarian option on the menu which, as an avocado lover, I always order, but you can also modify items on the menu or customize a pizza to your liking.
Extra Credit Tip: Grab a salad and a dessert (or three) from the International Cafe to eat with your pizza while it’s cooking.
A counter burger and dogs joint, the Trident Grill, is located on the Lido deck and offers a veggie burger with or without cheese for vegetarians. Although no one was able to tell me for sure if it’s vegan, I suspect it is as it appears to be comprised mostly of quinoa and carrots and falls to pieces after the first bite suggesting the absence of eggs.
It’s cooked to order and takes longer than a meat burger, but it’s pretty good if you don’t mind eating it with a knife and fork like you’re entirely too proper to be skipping afternoon tea for a BBQ joint.
Because I’m too lazy to cut and paste and properly cite my own work using APA style, like I implored my students to do every semester for ten years as a college professor before I threw up my hands in surrender and retired to a cruise ship, I’ll just refer you here. Keep scrolling through the loquacious drivel until you see this photo:
But here’s the menu and photos of the vegetarian options if you’re not interested in my continuing hostility toward olives and raisins and have an episode of Teen Mom 2 cued up on your DVR like I do.
I’ve only eaten at one specialty restaurant on a Princess ship. Care to hazard a guess?
If you’re a meat eater, you probably guessed the Sterling Steakhouse and proceeded to tell the following joke:
Q: How many vegetarians does it take to eat a cow? A: One if nobody’s looking.
And you’d be right, except for the part about the cow – I stuck to veggie sides because it was a crowded restaurant with people staring with one part resentment, one part longing, and one part pity at the doe-eyed honeymooning couple (Prof. and Mr. Cruise) talking about how much fun it was going to be to have kids.
As far as that went, I found a phonetically spelled, hand written chart in my six-year-old’s room today titled, “Do I Hayt Mom And Dad Today?” with a row for each day of the week and a columns for yes and no. Last week we were a perfect 7/7…in the yes column. Fun.
Anyway, while the sides were delicious, alone they didn’t seem worth the $29 cover charge I was, however, perfectly willing to pay because I knew what I was getting into in advance. But with no mention of it, they automatically removed the charge from our bill. I don’t know if this is standard practice (I wouldn’t assume – definitely ask), but it was a nice surprise.
And what’s the best thing to do with found money? Head straight to the bar and discuss how cute your kids are going to be, which is exactly what we did! And thank goodness we were right about that one: “at least he’s cute!”
If you’re interested in trying a specialty restaurant, I’ve generally found the Italian ones to be the most vegetarian friendly. Here’s the menu for Sabatini’s on Princess:
While Princess doesn’t win my award for “best line for vegetarians and vegans,” which goes to Holland America with their extensive separate menu in the main dining room for vegetarians and vegans, there are many reasons I’ll continue to book and enjoy Princess. And while food is entirely subjective and I encourage you to try out several different lines in order to find what works best for you, there is one thing we can all agree on, vegetarians and vegans and omnivores and carnivores alike:
Q: What vegetable do you never want to see on a cruise ship? A: A leek!
And with that…
Class Dismissed.
Please share you experiences cruising as a vegetarian or vegan (or if you have other dietary restrictions) in the comments and don’t forget to check out my full review of the Golden Princess including additional menus, food pics, and video footage of the buffet here.
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