vegan meals

hi. First time on Cunard transatlantic N.Y. to Great Britian and back to N.Y. May 2015. Would like to know if anyone has advice about vegan meals. I usually eat Vegan with chicken or fish once a week. Thank you for any info. or suggestions.

.. I usually eat Vegan with chicken or fish once a week...

I do vegan with once a week steak, Pittsburgh Rare. To each his/her own. The non-alcoholic drinks with red wine once a week nicely compliment it.

Cunard says that they do cater for vegan diets. https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/before-you-sail/diets_cater

We're not vegans, so I can't vouch for what you would be offered, but when we've made special dietary requests, we've been very pleased by what the chefs prepared.

If i remember correctly there is always a vegan choice on the menu everyday.

hi. First time on Cunard transatlantic N.Y. to Great Britian and back to N.Y. May 2015. Would like to know if anyone has advice about vegan meals. I usually eat Vegan with chicken or fish once a week. Thank you for any info. or suggestions.

Hi. I was very surprised by the fish entrees on QM2. Quite tasty, nicely prepared, especially since the chefs were preparing meals for hundreds of people eating at the same time. (I've tried to re-create some of the fish dishes we were served - the Cod recipe is a challenge!)

No worries, you can always ask for a simple dish of broiled chicken or a plate of vegetables. Another thought is that you could order three meatless entrees from the appetizer menu which will be served to you as your tablemates are served their courses, if you so direct your waiter.

Best wishes,

Salacia

hi. First time on Cunard transatlantic N.Y. to Great Britian and back to N.Y. May 2015. Would like to know if anyone has advice about vegan meals. I usually eat Vegan with chicken or fish once a week. Thank you for any info. or suggestions.

My advice would be to ignore and never eat them. I think you are referring to vegetarian meals otherwise the chicken and fish would be frowned upon and could result in you being kicked out of the club.

On a recent trip on QV the cruise critic meet had one of the chefs as a guest. Someone asked about special diets and he said that as long as you let them know beforehand then they can accommodate any diet. They don't routinely carry food 'just in case' but they can order special foods with notice.

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I suggest you contact Cunard before your trip. They are really good at working withyou on diet but advance notice is always appreciated. We currently have a lady at our table who is driving the waiter and head waiter crazy with her diet requests. I think it is more a case of won't eat rather than can't eat. Some nights her next day's menu has so many notes on it that it is a wonder she gets any dinner at all.

I have food allergies and they have been wonderful to me but please contact them ahead of time.

Do you happen to know if they can provide soy milk or rice milk without prior arrangements? Dont think I have enough time to call in advance of our trip?

Please see the sample of menus I posted from our August QM2 crossing: https://sites.google.com/site/qm2transatlantic28july2014/. As you will read, items marked "V" are for lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets.

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Don't think I have laughed as much reading a thread all the time I have been on CC😊

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My advice would be to ignore and never eat them. .

Thank you Mrs. Lovett

Seems an awful waste I mean, with the price of meat what it is?

When you get it, If you get it.

Do you happen to know if they can provide soy milk or rice milk without prior arrangements? Dont think I have enough time to call in advance of our trip?

I don't know about rice milk, but we had no difficulty getting soy milk although we didn't have time to request it in advance.

Just remember that calling yourself "Vegan" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone in every culture, so when to talk to make it clear what you can and can't eat and they will do everything they can to help. The only thing they likely can't provide is vegan friend unsual condiments, so if you need a vegan friendly horseradish sauce to eat (fake obviously) Beef, you may find your have to bring your own pot.

Thank you to everyone for your comments and advice. i will contact cunard ahead to cruise. I will be specific what i do not usually eat although i am flexible with my vegan diet since this was my choice and not for a particular physical ailment. i am mainly vegetarian with no milk products and cheese or meat. When at home I have fish or chicken one serving a week. TY for suggestion about soy or almond milk which is what i usually use.

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Just remember that calling yourself "Vegan" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone in every culture, so when to talk to make it clear what you can and can't eat and they will do everything they can to help. The only thing they likely can't provide is vegan friend unsual condiments, so if you need a vegan friendly horseradish sauce to eat (fake obviously) Beef, you may find your have to bring your own pot.

Sorry, I don't understand you comment regarding horseradish sauce...there is no meat in horseradish sauce (at least not where I live):confused:

Thank you to everyone for your comments and advice. i will contact cunard ahead to cruise. I will be specific what i do not usually eat although i am flexible with my vegan diet since this was my choice and not for a particular physical ailment. i am mainly vegetarian with no milk products and cheese or meat. When at home I have fish or chicken one serving a week. TY for suggestion about soy or almond milk which is what i usually use.

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Please let us know how that goes.

I often wonder how ships manage to comply with so many special dietary requests. Imagine: thousands of people being served dinner within the space of 4 hours, all having different requirements. This is not to minimize those passengers with serious reasons for requesting a special menu for medical or religious considerations - those are the passengers who have good reason to request special diets. Those who require special diets should have priority. The rest of us just muddle through somehow - usually by selecting the items on the menu provided.

Sorry, I don't understand you comment regarding horseradish sauce...there is no meat in horseradish sauce (at least not where I live):confused:

Vegans don't just not eat meat they also eat no animal byproducts.

Horseradish sauce, depending on how it's made can contain, cream, milk, eggs, animal fat and gelatin.

Depending on what you define as "Vegan" some, non or all of those ingredients are not allowed to be eaten.

Please let us know how that goes.

I often wonder how ships manage to comply with so many special dietary requests. Imagine: thousands of people being served dinner within the space of 4 hours, all having different requirements. This is not to minimize those passengers with serious reasons for requesting a special menu for medical or religious considerations - those are the passengers who have good reason to request special diets. Those who require special diets should have priority. The rest of us just muddle through somehow - usually by selecting the items on the menu provided.

I don't have special dietary requirements but if I ran a business I would set it up to ensure that as many customers as possible were satisfied with the result. I think that as well as people with medical or religious reasons for dietary requirements, there are those with ethical (eg animal welfare and environmental) and health (preventative medicine) reasons. Perhaps one day these people may be in the majority not the minority.

Vegans don't just not eat meat they also eat no animal byproducts.

 

Horseradish sauce, depending on how it's made can contain, cream, milk, eggs, animal fat and gelatin.

 

Depending on what you define as "Vegan" some, non or all of those ingredients are not allowed to be eaten.

Thanks OarToOar, I didn't know that about horseradish. The brand (Gold's) I have always purchased contains horseradish, vinegar and salt - nothing else. I use that to make other sauces such shrimp cocktail sauce - just add ketchup and lemon. :)

I don't have special dietary requirements but if I ran a business I would set it up to ensure that as many customers as possible were satisfied with the result. I think that as well as people with medical or religious reasons for dietary requirements, there are those with ethical (eg animal welfare and environmental) and health (preventative medicine) reasons. Perhaps one day these people may be in the majority not the minority.

Hi jenibor. I understand what you are saying about those with ethical and health reasons for following a certain diet. I think the majority of us, to one extent or another, do have food preferences. For example, I recently attended a dinner party at a friends house. She prepared special meals for 2 diabetics, one vegetarian, and ordered Kosher meals for 2. One couldn't eat anything with nuts or seeds due to diverticulitis and two couldn't eat anything with salt due to hypertension, and several of the above ate only gluten-free food. As for me, there are certain types of meat and fish that I don't eat. Anyway, I don't think she'll be planning a dinner party again any time soon:eek: :D

Similarity, I've noticed many passengers on board also have different dietary requirements. Just my opinion, but I think the menu offers a variety of items which allows for passengers to select what works for them - so to that extend, Cunard is doing a good job of keeping passengers satisfied in this regard, especially since there is always the option of contacting Cunard to discuss dietary preferences prior to boarding. Cheers, -S.

I'll say it straight out. Eating vegan on a ship for environmental reasons is a wasted exercise. If someone is not a strict vegan, why put an already over worked staff through additional paces when there are plenty of healthy choices on the regular menu?

I'll say it straight out. Eating vegan on a ship for environmental reasons is a wasted exercise. If someone is not a strict vegan, why put an already over worked staff through additional paces when there are plenty of healthy choices on the regular menu?

Speaking as a vegetarian who has, in the main, been well catered for on cruise ships, I'm with you, OP is not a vegan.

Omnivore would be a truer description, albeit one with particular requirements which should easily be accommodated by most cruise lines just by OP asking, eating from the buffet or reading menus.

Then, what does it matter for the relatively short time on a cruise?

Take my wife and me, at home we only have organic food but wouldn't dream of insisting on organic on a cruise.

I'll say it straight out. Eating vegan on a ship for environmental reasons is a wasted exercise. If someone is not a strict vegan, why put an already over worked staff through additional paces when there are plenty of healthy choices on the regular menu?

Hi Brigitte. I think that question was well phrased - much more direct and to the point than my circle around the issue.:o

I imagine a ships kitchen where thousands of passengers request special meals just because they can rather than selecting items from the menu that works for their dietary requirements (aside from serious medical or religious dietary restrictions which can and should be pre-ordered).

Much like the dinner party I described previously, eventually, it will become untenable when the kitchen on a cruise ship is overwhelmed with special requests. From my experience the menu on QM2 accommodates various dietary requirements, if only passengers read the menu and ordered accordingly.

Oh, and just to mention based on my personal experience: when a cruise is not sold out, and there are bargain basement fares on offer to sailing, the menu expands to include more meatless meals on the menu. That makes sense from a revenue standpoint, as much as it might be disappointing to those who paid full fare. Clean out the food locker cruises is what I call cruises that sell at bargain rates - for example -there was one offer recently where inside cabins on a QM2 crossing were on sale for under $70 per passenger, double occupancy per day. I can't imagine how much of that revenue would be allocated to the chef's budget, but I'm sure she will get very creative.

Cheers,

Salacia

Salacia........No offense meant to the OP......I've read so many posts stating that the STAFF is so overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated by Cunard that we need to treat them with the ultimate respect, tip them with a weeks worth of wages, and of course...always smile at them.

Then I read the posts telling new passengers to Cunard.....Oh please, know that the staff is there to fullfill your every wish because they thrive on pleasing you. If you want to order multiple appitizers, entrees, desserts, just tell your waiter because he just could not be more pleased to make mulitiple trips to the kitchen to cater to your every whim. And...as far as your cabin...just tell your cabin steward that your pillow isn't just perfect...he will be more than delighted to make multiple trips to get you just the perfect fit. And don't forget to tell him that you like your carpet to be vacuumed on the bias.

But please don't forget that this hard working staff, who is supposed to cater to your every whim and need, is away from their home and family for 7 months out of the year and is sacrificing thier personal life to wait on you. On the other hand...they are making a wage to support themselves and their family on the ship...which they could never do at home....which is why they are on the ship.

Enough already...tip well and don't ask for diva service. The staff will appreciate it.