Any Vegetarian Options? RC-Jewel of the Seas-Alaska

We are taking an Alaskan cruise in July on RC Jewel of the Seas. We are vegetarian, ovo-lacto (egg & cheese). They have steak houses and we need to make sure were covered.

Do any of you recall menu options for us?

Thank you.

Reading your post, I'm not sure if you are specifically looking for vegetarian options in the steakhouse, or in the MDR. RCI has a vegetarian selection marked on each night's dinner menu, but you are not limited to only that one choice; this will help you expand your options, and might help you if you choose to eat in the steakhouse, too (I address it to the needs of vegans, but it also applies to vegetarians):

'Here's something about cruising vegan that I've posted on other threads:

I've had great success as a vegan on Celebrity, Royal, and Carnival.

Here's what you need to do, in order to be very well fed on any cruise line:

- Before your cruise, contact your cruise line's special needs department, and let them know you are a vegetarian (or vegan). Most lines ask that you notify them 30-60 days in advance, but I've given less notice for a last-minute booking. If you used a travel agent, then they can make this contact for you.

- On the day of embarkation, meet with the maitre d'. He or she should have your name on a special list, and will let you know how they will be taking care of you. On Celebrity, I was told that they had already selected the first night's meal for me, and that I would be brought a vegetarian menu to order the next night's dinner for each subsequent night; on Carnival I was brought the regular menu for the next night and the asst maitre d reviewed it with me, letting me know which items could be prepared vegan; Royal kind of winged it- the maitre d asked me what kind of food I liked, and they prepared a special dinner each night based on my preferences. (I like Carnival's method best, because I ate similar food to my table mate's each night, and I felt I had a nice set of choices for each course. Carnival also offered to show me lunch menus in case I wanted to have lunch in the dining room.)

- Anytime you eat at the buffets- for any meal- identify yourself as a vegan to either the maitre d on duty or to any of the station chefs, and ask what you can eat. On every line, I found the chefs practically tripping over themselves to make me something special! Between that and the salad bar (where there is usually at least one bean dish) and fruit selections (where you can also find nuts), I had more than plenty to eat. I was on the Carnival Breeze Trans Atlantic in November, and found the chefs at almost all the stations vegan knowledgeable and friendly, and they usually took out clean cutting boards and knives before I had a chance to ask them to. (Note that at the Mongolian grill, you should ask them to sauté your selection in water, as otherwise they use broth; also only the soy sauce is vegetarian.)

Also- don't assume that a station will have nothing that matches your diet. I had a great sandwich prepared for me at Carnival's deli: a thick giabatta stuffed with all sorts of fresh and pickled vegetables. And, of course, the pizzeria will be happy to prepare a cheeseless pizza topped with vegetables.

- My usual breakfast is fruit and nuts, but on a cruise I treat myself to bread and sometimes peanut butter or jelly. The chefs were happy to tell me which breads were vegan.

In addition to being vegan, I also prefer to avoid sugar and excess fats, and those needs have always been met. I have a standing request to start each meal with a plate of cut vegetables -I ask for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and olives, but you could ask for any favorites (this is in addition to my appetizer), and to end it with melon and berries.

I've been served all sorts of great appetizers and entrees, from Greek to Chinese to Italian to Middle Eastern to Indian- and even American. I've been urged to let the chef prepare a dessert for me, but, except for an occasional baked apple, I prefer to end my meal with fresh fruit.

I know I sound like a cheerleader, but what I'm really trying to say is that with some pre-cruise preparation, and a bit of creativity (and ingenuity) during the cruise, you'll find that the maitre d and the chefs really want to see that you are contentedly well fed - and they are happy to make sure you are.'

[Edited to add: BTW, my travel agent has been told more than once by an RCI rep that they won't accommodate a vegan diet! We think they say that because in their literature, RCI only states that they accommodate vegetarians, but vegan diets aren't mentioned.]

HTH!

Ruth

Ruth - Thank you!!! [/b]More info than I could have wanted. Greatly appreciated for your response. We do not cruise but thought that was the most effective way to see Alaska for the first time with our 7 year old whose friend is going so they can occupy themselves a bit.

I was referring to the ship capability to have menu items across the board. Should have been more specific.