Traveling While Vegan on a Cruise Ship? No Problem!
When the temperature drops in our neck of the woods, we love to sneak away to warmer climes
as often as possible.
And when we booked our latest trip to the Bahamas on Norwegian cruise lines, the question of
what will I find to eat as a vegan never entered my mind.
Why?
Because one on the easiest ways to travel while vegan is on a cruise ship!
When the temperature drops, we often head for warmer climes!
Food is one of the first things that comes to mind when we think of cruises.
Why?
Because it is so plentiful and much of it is included in the price!
On most cruises, the day starts and ends with what the question: “What shall we eat?”
And vegans are no different.
We get hungry just like the rest of them.
The question on the minds of most cruisers is often: “What shall we eat next?”
Start the day with breakfast….
The easiest way to kick off your day with a healthy, nutritious and delicious vegan breakfast is
to head straight to the buffet.
There you are guaranteed to find a large, colorful assortment of fresh fruits, juices and cereals to
choose from.
First, I like to have a cleansing glass of warm water with lemon…
I actually drink water with lemon throughout the day.
There is never a shortage of fresh fruit in the ship’s buffet!
Fresh watermelon and pineapple slices make my day!
I always enjoy a bowl of fresh melon salad each morning.
In addition to fruit, oatmeal, muesli and granola are usually available.
I bring my own nondairy milk on the cruise to use on cereals or to add to coffee and tea.
I always pack my own rice, almond or hemp milk with me when I travel.
When I get up early enough to make the cut-off time for breakfast at a sit-down restaurant I ususally
order a fruit salad or fruit plate, sliced grapefruit, prunes and sometimes oatmeal with raisins.
I bring along my own non-dairy milk and stevia to add to tea, coffee and cereal.
However, breakfast at a sit-down restaurant is rare for me.
After all, I am on vacation–so I try not to force myself to get up extra early too often.
And let’s face it, rest and relaxation are what vacations are all about!
But we never rest too long before it is time to think about food again.
So when lunchtime comes along my go-to vegan choices are super-fun and easy.
The Lunch Munch
If we are on the ship I head straight to the salad bar section of the buffet and graze, baby graze!
Not surprisingly, the ship’s salad bar is my personal “vegan paradise”! Of course, I skipped the cheese.
Add some hearty kidney beans…
Or chickpeas…
Colorful peppers…
Sliced mushrooms….
Green peas….
Cherry tomatoes…
Sliced cucumbers…
Grated carrots…
The vegan options are seemingly endless as my healthy salad combos show!
Beets, grain salad, olives and other vegetables add up to a delicious, vegan salad creation!
Of course, it’s best to avoid those creamy bottled dressings full of dubious ingredients, additives
and preservatives.
I simply dress my salads with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
After a sumptuous salad like this, a walk around the ship is just what I need to burn some
calories and take in the ship’s amenities.
Walking the stairs instead of taking the elevators is another great way to keep from packing
on the pounds.
Then I try to hit the ship’s fitness center for a workout with a view.
Next stop: Dinner
With more than 15 restaurants to choose from, dinner can be quite challenging.
I like to visit each restaurant and scour their menus for vegan options ahead of time.
Most restaurants offer a vegan or vegetarian option as well as salads, soups and vegetable side dishes.
It is really quite easy to assemble a delicious vegan meal by ordering several side dishes and a salad.
This is particularly convenient since I’m vegan but my husband is not, so we can each enjoy the
best of both worlds!
Creating a satisfying vegan dinner is easy as ordering several sides and a salad.
I usually end the meal with a fruit plate and a pot of mint tea instead of the creamy cheesecake or tiramisu.
But when I really want to enjoy a greater variety of vegan dinner options on a cruise, I ususally head back
to the trusty buffet.
From the “create your own pasta” bar to spicy Indian Kormas to Asian stirfries, there’s a lot more than salad
to choose from.
At the pasta bar, the chefs will whip up a custom pasta dish for you.
A lovely Risotto Salad is one of the pasta choices.
Everday brings tasty, new vegan surprises!
Navaratan Korma is one of many delectable vegan Indian dishes served.
Spicy Cauliflower and Red Pepper Korma is another tasty vegan Indian delight.
Bright al dente brocolli, cauliflower and carrots…
Sauteed carrots and parsnips….
Sitr fried zuchini, asparagus and mushrooms…
Vegan potato salad, yum!
It all adds up to a wonderful week of healthy, delicious, vegan dining!
Note: If you are not sure about the ingredients in a prepared dish, always ask the chef or the
food supervisor.
Better safe than sorry!
Of course, there’s more to cruising than food, so we make sure to enjoy all that the ship has to offer
including Broadway-style musicals, comedy shows, themed parties, dancing or winding down at
“Fat Cats” with some cool blues and smooth jazz.
Make your cruise more meaningful by enjoying all that the ship
has to offer including some cool blues and jazz!
Happy sailing!
Have you ever traveled on a cruise ship while vegan?
Share your experiences and suggestions for eating vegan on a cruise!
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This is all very interesting to know! I mainly eat fish but I want to stop eating chicken and turkey permanently, but definitely not go total vegan. I don’t know how to cook for my husband, does you husband cook his own poultry? My husband doesn’t cook at all and if I didn’t cook, he would starve.
Hi Lily,
I enjoyed reading your comments. My husband eats meat and fish and I cook for him sometimes but I have to admit that much of the time he picks up freshly-cooked takeout from local buffets and restaurants in the neighborhood.
When we travel it is great because we simply order what we each want from the menu and it appears! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I appreciate it.
It really seemed like you had TONS OF OPTIONS!!! Looks all so delicious! I have never been on a cruise because I feel like i would get wildly antsy and I wouldn’t be able to eat anything with such a restricted diet, however, you have changed my views!
Hi GiGi,
I love to travel and I am always concerned about what I will be able to eat and how I will get enough vegetables, protein and other nutrients when traveling. In some countries where I have traveled it was really hard to find fresh vegetables or even fresh fruit because the cuisine was very limited, so taking a cruise is almost like paradise for me! There are really so many acceptable choices. I also carry a little survival kit in my luggage however with some of my dietary essentials like green tea, almond milk, stevia, nuts, dried fruit, etc.