First cruise EVER...Norwegian Jewel...and I'm on a vegan diet. Will I starve?!

[CampbellScot]

Okay I know I won't starve, but I'm a little worried for a lot of reasons. I'm on rather sudden and forced vegan diet b/c of medical issues and allergy testing. This just kind of came up. We are NOT canceling the cruise. So my question is to any Vegan folks out there who are fans of cruising...is it possible to eat vegan without being banished to the salad bar all week? Are there restaurants that do vegan entrees? I'm such a total newbie to cruising. I know NOTHING. I would appreciate any suggestions.

 

:)

[craig-n-carol]

here is a link to a recent thread for the Main Dining Rooms menus, but there will be plenty of choices in the buffet and elsewhere about the ship.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1460766&highlight=new+menu

[che5904]

Sorry, I don't know much about Vegan. But each evening there appeared to be 2 non-meat choices on the MDR menu. One from the menu that changes nightly and one from the Classic menu that stays the same every night.

 

Hope that helps

[ibizasue]

I was on the jade last week and met a few vegans, they said they were very happy with the buffet selection..fruit, vegatables,salads and especially the indian vegan dishes and asian wok cooked to order items. They also said the mdr alizar were very good at suggesting vegan alternatives.

[Kim2629]

Please don't stress about this, you will have a fabulous time! I am a vegan and have been on 4 cruises in the last 4 years (3 on NCL) with two more scheduled in the next year. I have NEVER had a problem on NCL. One piece of advice I have for you is to call NCL or your Travel Agent and ask for your reservation to be tagged as "vegetarian" (they don't have a vegan option). Then, upon boarding or during the first night at dinner, let your server know that you are vegan and would like to speak with the Maitre' D. The Maitre' D will come over to your table and meet with you about all of the options. What they have done in the past for me is bring me the following night's menu and had me make a meal selection and they make it vegan. I'll highlight some of the many things I've eaten on cruises for each meal below so you have an idea:

 

Breakfast - cereals, oatmeal, hash browns, breakfast potatoes, fruit

 

I usually bring some type of protein bar or trail mix with me on board for snacking, as there isn't much for "snacks" for vegans, but I don't often end up eating them because I fill up plenty at meals

 

Lunch - obviously, the salad bar in the buffet is my favorite. There's also plenty of soups, stews (have to be careful for the ones with dairy though), usually some type of potato offering, rice, tons of grilled/steamed veggie options. One of the Main Dining Rooms (Taste on the Epic) had a veggie burger selection at lunch last time we were on board. If you ask in the Main Dining Rooms I bet most ships have veggie burgers on board regardless of whether they are on the menu

 

Dinner - where do I begin! I always do some type of salad to start along with bread (have to be a little careful with dairy - I'm not so strictly vegan that trace amounts of dairy are a problem, not sure your status...). I have found plenty of other vegan appetizers (veggie spring rolls, beet salad, mushroom based dishes, etc.). For meals, there's always a pasta available and they can make the sauce vegan (I've done it), stir frys (the asian restaurant on board has an excellent vegan stir fry), veggie burgers again (you probably have to ask) or anything else they can prepare specially. I've had veggie pizzas without cheese for meals as well in the past. On my last cruise I even had vegetarian (it was vegan too) sushi at the sushi restaurant. For side dishes in the Main Dining Room there are always many options as far as vegetables, potatoes and rice that can all be prepared vegan.

 

Even late night snacking hasn't been a problem - I usually find myself snacking on french fries from the 24 hour restaurant in the late night hours (it is vacation after all).

 

I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy your cruise. Bottom line, don't hesitate to ask to speak with the Maitre' D. I'd recommend bringing a few of your favorite food items on board (have to be packaged and sealed for them to allow it) but things like protein bars, etc. are good to have on hand. I've had a harder time in the ports and off the ships than I've had on board so these are good to have in those situations too.

 

Enjoy :).

[mrsbuddha123]

Trust me you will not starve! My husband is vegan. We were on the Jewel last summer he loved the fresh fruit. He ordered all veggie sides in all dining rooms. Even the specialty restaurants accommodated him. You will have a great time!

[suzequ]

I've found NCL to be very accomodating to diet requests. I'm not vegan, but have very bad dairy allergies. Servers in teh Asian erstaurant remembered my problem ight to night. And on our last cruise a chef came out to be sure everything was fine.

 

You should be fine; enjoy the cruise. :)

[CampbellScot]

Thanks so much everybody for your encouraging responses!!! As I'm new to both cruising and the Vegan diet, I was definitely a little worried. I feel much better about it now. Thank you thank you!!! :)