goddessofstrife

It's been an interesting discussion, Brown-Eyed-Girl. Thanks for starting it. I hope you have a wonderful trip, whichever you choose.

I should add that we travelled Princess on both and liked the service much better on the Elizabeth. The waiters were much friendlier and more helpful, learning what we liked early and steering us off certain dishes with a nod and a wink. On the Mary, there were more of them, and they were generally more formal. That may be what you prefer! In our cabin, we had a lot of trouble getting the beds divided and the bedding right. We had three goes at it before they got it right - and it wasn't an unusual configuration; just twin beds with divided bedding!. Also, on the last morning, when I went out to give the steward a tip, he barely acknowledged the envelope, instead pressing me to say that we could be out of the cabin sooner than the 8.30 deadline. We hate the rush of the last morning, which always makes me feel part of a herd of cattle, and I understand the pressure staff are under, but I found this annoying. This may all be an indication of the general decline of Cunard, but I can only report on our experience, and everyone on the Elizabeth was charming and friendly and helpful.

We loved the Elizabeth. We chose Mary for an Atlantic crossing, because she is built for it, and it was the ship to spend seven port-free days on - plenty of places to explore, and I hadn't seen it all by the time we disembarked. But Elizabeth is our great love. The Grills dining with a view is wonderful, and we actually saw the Mary go past one evening! Elizabeth is a more manageable size, and she is newer and less faded - though the refurb may brighten up the Mary. Elizabeth is a good size for calling at ports and for finding your way around quickly. We were very comfortable and loved her the best! Trying Victoria this year.

I am lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and I find that the cruise ship chefs don’t understand vegetarian protein. Most of them have vegetarian options that feature lashings of cheese. This is okay for a few days, but I start to miss tofu, tempeh, pulses (though you do see the odd chick pea) and balanced protein options (e.g. brown rice and cashews, eaten together). I find myself eating more eggs and MUCH more cheese than I usually do, and I have raised the issue on the last few boats I’ve known.

I have sailed with:

Cunard (QE and QM2) food was delicious, especially the twice-baked goat cheese soufflé on QE, and I did get tofu twice and lentils once; NOTHING for me in specialty French-style restaurants, don’t even bother asking.

HAL (Amsterdam) had pleasant food, one dish per day, largely cheese based; they did at that stage have a Pinnacle Grill option, and I enjoyed that experience.

Silversea (Silver Cloud) was a wonderful experience, where vegetarians have a Day 1 interview with chef and restaurant manager and are told they can request tofu or quinoa with any meal choice; I did so several times, and the experience was a good one. They can’t do enough to make guests happy.

Uniworld (SS Antoinette and River Beatrice): Antoinette was the usual cheese-based single menu option. Beatrice most boring food ever.

Beatrice was far and away the worst experience foodwise – though we loved the ship itself and the staff (generally). The food was vegan and consisted of vegetables stuffed into other vegetables – every night – and salad for lunch. When a kindly waiter asked me, late in the cruise, how the food was, I’m afraid I told him – boring and tasteless and protein-free. Next thing, a large, angry chef arrived at my table, demanding to know what was wrong with his food! My partner was very diplomatic, explaining that his food was consistently creative and delicious, and how sorry he felt for me. We spoke about vegetarian protein, and the chef had tofu on board. He cooked a delicious stir-fry for me the next day. The irony here was that the Captain was vegetarian! I felt so sorry for him, eating stuffed potato or stuffed capsicum night after night. I hope I did him a service.

APT (AMAKaterina, otherwise known as Mstislav Rostropovič) had a vegetarian hot option every night and some interesting starters. Food quality and interestingness dropped off late in the voyage, but this is not unusual; in my experience, food is always more varied and creative early in the trip. Vegetarian choices were largely cheese-based, but the vegetables and what they did with them varied. I’m afraid I filled up on the delicious cakes a few times – there is endless choice for dessertarians!

Thinking of sneaking some tofu on board next trip. I'm certain they won't screen for it!