Knittinglady

It's fine to stand by your opinion, but your assumption that the pre-ordered meals are frozen is incorrect. That is not an opinion, as you admitted you did not try any of the pre-ordered meals. That was an assumption on your part, and it was incorrect.

 

You or your husband tasted the pre ordered food, I did not. However, I did not assume. I was told that the meals were frozen by a HAL rep on the phone prior to my trip. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe I misunderstood. Who knows. Considering the reaction I would get whenever I asked for a tuna sandwich hold the tuna, veggie sausage in the Lido restaurant, whether the soup was made with chicken broth, etc. my money says cooking for a vegetarian customer is not something they do often and a frozen meal is not out of the realm of possibility.

 

And I agree, and admitted, that in some areas the vegetarian offerings on Holland America could be improved. My experience is that the vegetarian offerings on Holland America are similar to most restaurants in large metropolitan areas in the US. I'm glad your experiences in restaurants are have been better.

 

I stand by my opinions, and my facts, as well.

I stand by my opinion and my facts also.

And which other cruise lines offer better vegetarian choices?

If you read my original post, I admit that I do not have that knowledge. I am only speaking as to my experiences on this cruise.

I cruised in January with my husband who is a vegetarian. I had my travel agent list him as a vegetarian and we had no problems.

 

Honestly, vegetarian choices were scarce or bad. The portabello mushroom sandwich was a small slimy mushroom dwarfed by a huge bun and a heap of their "special sauce". -- I agree, choices at the Dive-In are limited for vegetarians. He tried the portabello mushroom burger, but found it overwhelmingly mushroom. But the taco bar had plenty of choices and he loved the customizable nacho options.

 

Usually only one entree choice in the MDR for the vegetarians. -- We found several choices, but I understand from reading these boards, the menu has been re-organized since our cruise..

 

Lido deck - I tried the cheese pizza once - it was stone cold. Pasta bar? They use the same pan and utensils for all guests so there is meat juice in every dish - same with the omelet bar. -- The Lido pizza is terrible, not just for vegetarians, but for everyone. But DH did not find an issue with the pans for pasta and stir-fries. And the staff cooking the stir fries/pasta dishes would rinse the pans with hot water if asked.

 

Lido - no vegetarian sausage available however if you wish to hide away in your room, you can get it through room service. -- we asked for vegetarian sausage several mornings, and got it. There was a wait while it was cooked to order, but it was available.

 

Yes, in the MDR you can preorder a vegetarian meal but it has to be done 24 hours in advance and since you have to know 24 hours in advance what you are in the mood to eat, I assume the meal is frozen. Mmmmm yum - not so much. I will be honest and tell you I did not do the pre-order meal - it may have been good. -- This is absolutely not true. The vegetarian meals you pre-order are cooked fresh on the day there are served. And if you indicate on your reservation that you are a vegetarian, sometimes regular menu choices can be made vegetarian. That happened to DH without even asking. Also, in addition to the standard vegetarian menu to pre-order from, DH was offered both an Indian and Indonesian menu to chose from. You admit you did not take advantage of the pre-order option, so your assumptions are just that. And I know for a fact they are incorrect.

 

I fully admit, in some areas, the vegetarian offerings need improvement. But I found, having to be on the lookout for vegetarian choices for DH, on the cruise it was no harder than being vegetarian at most land-based restaurants in the US, and having indicated on our reservation that he was a vegetarian, it was actually easier in the Main Dining Room. The waiters there bend over backward to please and will do everything they can to make sure you have a satisfying meal.

I am happy your experience was better than mine.

As far as it being the same as restaurants at home - not for me. I live in a metropolitan area where most restaurants have at least a few choices for vegetarians and there are vegetarian restaurants that understand a swish or two of hot water does not stop cross contamination and therefore do not prepare meat in the same space.

I stand by my opinion.

If I'm not mistaken, there is a vegetarian choice on the dinner menu every night.:)

If you went to a restaurant and there was only one entree to choose from night after night, you probably would not rate that restaurant very high or you would stop going.

Same for a restaurant that requires you to order 24 hours in advance for a frozen meal.

The food is part of the hefty price I paid for this cruise. I paid the same amount for food as everyone else on that boat. Why should I get a substandard experience?

Since I cannot get money back for food I did not eat, my only recourse is to report that substandard experience here when asked and to take my vacation dollars elsewhere which I will if I do not see any changes the next time I contemplate Holland America.

Wouldn't that just be a grilled cheese? Or am I missing something?

Nope, you are not missing anything. The menu didn't have grilled cheese so I thought I could order what they were offering with a modification.

Just got back from a cruise on the Ms Noordam.

Honestly, vegetarian choices were scarce or bad. The portabello mushroom sandwich was a small slimy mushroom dwarfed by a huge bun and a heap of their "special sauce".

Usually only one entree choice in the MDR for the vegetarians.

The waiter laughed and I had to repeat myself an additional two times before I could get a tuna melt sandwich - hold the tuna.

Lido deck - I tried the cheese pizza once - it was stone cold. Pasta bar? They use the same pan and utensils for all guests so there is meat juice in every dish - same with the omelet bar.

Lido - no vegetarian sausage available however if you wish to hide away in your room, you can get it through room service.

Yes, in the MDR you can preorder a vegetarian meal but it has to be done 24 hours in advance and since you have to know 24 hours in advance what you are in the mood to eat, I assume the meal is frozen. Mmmmm yum - not so much. I will be honest and tell you I did not do the pre-order meal - it may have been good.

I have only done one other cruise - taken shortly after I became vegetarian. I was blissfully unaware of all the cross contamination taking place. Therefore, Holland America may offer the best vegetarian food service of all the cruise lines. If that is true, it is very sad.

BTW - I did not see a veggie dog at the pool restaurant but if you wish to get laughed at by the staff, go ahead and ask.

I am about to head off to Alaska on the Ms Noordam. Before I go, just a note to thank everyone on this board for their knowledge, great ideas and funny stories I have seen here over the past few months as I planned. I feel well armed with knowledge of what to expect and for that, I am grateful to all of you.

Thank you

Okay, so we purchased our stock yesterday. :)(My DH did it online through his account) so......how will I go about getting my OBC??? Thanks for any advice!

 

Tanya

Go to this site: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit

There is a link on that page that gives you instructions on how to apply for the benefit.

If the ave link does not work, Google "carnival cruise line shareholder benefit" and it should come up at the top of the results.