Kosher meals on Princess

[chamima]

I have an odd question.

Does anyone know if you order Kosher meals on Princess if you get 3 meals a day (or even two) or is it just dinner/

Thanks in advance.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Well...perhaps this is just semantics...but you don't "order" meals.  If you have special dietary needs I suggest you speak to a Dining Room Manager early in your cruise and he can help with meals in the DR.  For other meals...I suspect you are "on your own" as to selecting appropriate meals.  You can always ask a manager if you are in the buffet, or any other restaurant as well.

[brisalta]

For Kosher meals you need to inform Princess prior to your cruise.

Make sure to deal with this well before embarkation day.

The following is from https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/onboard/dining-and-nightlife/

 

 

"

Princess is happy to meet your request for low-sodium, low-fat, low-sugar and vegetarian diets. Visit Cruise Personalizer® to indicate your dietary preferences.

In addition, kosher meals and baby food are available upon advance written request. Any other special diet requests must be authorized in advance by the Princess corporate office.

You or your travel consultant must advise Princess in writing of any special diet, allergies or medical needs. Requests must be received no later than 35 days prior to departure for cruises to Alaska, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama Canal and Coastal Getaways.  For all other cruises, requests must be received no later than 65 days prior to departure.  Once onboard, please check with the Director of Restaurant Operations to confirm your request.

Any special dining requests (name brands, daily food order requests, sample menus, etc.) not related to medical or allergy requirements should be directed to the onboard dining staff and is not handled by our Dietary Office."

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by brisalta

[phroggie]

This is not an authoritative answer, it's just based on something I think I heard somewhere. I'm just posting this in case you don't get a better answer on this forum. You're probably better off Googling sites that are more specific.

 

As far as I know, the heated meals arrive at the table factory packaged and sealed. You need to arrange in advance of sailing (so they can order them) and to coordinate with the MDR. And I would assume that this applies to three meals a day since they gotta feed ya somehow and to keep it simple it's done in one place/deck. (Though guessing from the day that you posted this, you're not asking for yourself. 😉)(A certain line that John Goodman says in the Big Lebowski comes to mind.)(BTW, I would guess that someone kosher AND vegetarian is S.O.L.)

 

The Zim line was completely kosher (with a rabbi on each ship to make sure) but they discovered half a century ago that freight doesn't complain about poor service and discontinued their passenger service.

 

 

 

[1025cruise]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Well...perhaps this is just semantics...but you don't "order" meals.  If you have special dietary needs I suggest you speak to a Dining Room Manager early in your cruise and he can help with meals in the DR.  For other meals...I suspect you are "on your own" as to selecting appropriate meals.  You can always ask a manager if you are in the buffet, or any other restaurant as well.

This is not the case with Kosher meals. They need to be ordered in advanced and are delivered to the ship frozen, and double wrapped for heating.

[chamima]

13 minutes ago, phroggie said:

This is not an authoritative answer, it's just based on something I think I heard somewhere. I'm just posting this in case you don't get a better answer on this forum. You're probably better off Googling sites that are more specific.

 

As far as I know, the heated meals arrive at the table factory packaged and sealed. You need to arrange in advance of sailing (so they can order them) and to coordinate with the MDR. And I would assume that this applies to three meals a day since they gotta feed ya somehow and to keep it simple it's done in one place/deck. (Though guessing from the day that you posted this, you're not asking for yourself. 😉)(A certain line that John Goodman says in the Big Lebowski comes to mind.)(BTW, I would guess that someone kosher AND vegetarian is S.O.L.)

 

The Zim line was completely kosher (with a rabbi on each ship to make sure) but they discovered half a century ago that freight doesn't complain about poor service and discontinued their passenger service.

 

 

 

 

As I posted i did think that asking that question on Shabbat was a little strange. I use electronics (obviously) but do keep Kosher. We have a situation where there is a commitment during Passover and the only way I can see to do it is to be on a cruise so I would need three pre-packaged meals every day. If it were any other week cold cereal for breakfast would be fine, as would cold food for lunch. I know Princess has the pre-packaged dinners if preordered in advance.

I have googled the question and there were no definitive answers. I'll call Princess on Monday but don't expect to get much help  so I was hoping someone on here had personal experience. I have a feeling I'll not be able to fulfill this commitment.

 

***

Edited July 8, 2023 by chamima

[Rick&Jeannie]

47 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

This is not the case with Kosher meals. They need to be ordered in advanced and are delivered to the ship frozen, and double wrapped for heating.

I stand corrected!

[brisalta]

4 hours ago, chamima said:

 

As I posted i did think that asking that question on Shabbat was a little strange. I use electronics (obviously) but do keep Kosher. We have a situation where there is a commitment during Passover and the only way I can see to do it is to be on a cruise so I would need three pre-packaged meals every day. If it were any other week cold cereal for breakfast would be fine, as would cold food for lunch. I know Princess has the pre-packaged dinners if preordered in advance.

I have googled the question and there were no definitive answers. I'll call Princess on Monday but don't expect to get much help  so I was hoping someone on here had personal experience. I have a feeling I'll not be able to fulfill this commitment.

 

***

 

I do not know if this email address is still in use but you can try dietaryrequest@princesscruises.com Maybe someone else can confirm if it still in use.

In addition I do not know if they have suitable wine on board. You may have to take your own for services.

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by brisalta

[cruzsnooze]

How Kosher are you? If strict how can you eat off of a plate that probably at some point had shrimp or pork on it? Will you need paper plates and plastic silverware?  

[brisalta]

14 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

How Kosher are you? If strict how can you eat off of a plate that probably at some point had shrimp or pork on it? Will you need paper plates and plastic silverware?  

 

I suspect dishes and cutlery going through an industrial washing machine/sterilizer may qualify as kosher but a consultation with a rabbi may be necessary to resolve the issue. this is loosely based on something I was taught many decades ago.

 

Plastic flatware may or may not be kosher depending on the release material used in the molds.

Edited July 9, 2023 by brisalta

[1025cruise]

Kosher meals are delivered double wrapped. The initial wrap is removed in the kitchen so the meal can be heated, and then delivered, still wrapped, to the guest along with sealed plastic cutlery. Basically glorified TV dinners.

Unfortunately, I can't answer the question about KFP meals. I don't do Kosher meals, but have seen them served, and haven't cruised over Passover.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Hi @chamima, hope you are well. My only experience with this is sitting next to a young couple for a ten night cruise, and they had a sealed dinner delivered every night. I can’t say it looked better than our food in the main dining room, but this was at least ten years ago and we all know Princess standards have slipped a bit… We didn’t see it but they said they were served kosher meals for breakfast and lunch also. We learned a lot from them that cruise, especially with the standing up and praying and sitting down, then standing again. I suspect that’s how a Catholic Mass looks to non-Catholics. 😉

[Coral]

7 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Hi @chamima, hope you are well. My only experience with this is sitting next to a young couple for a ten night cruise, and they had a sealed dinner delivered every night. I can’t say it looked better than our food in the main dining room, but this was at least ten years ago and we all know Princess standards have slipped a bit… We didn’t see it but they said they were served kosher meals for breakfast and lunch also. We learned a lot from them that cruise, especially with the standing up and praying and sitting down, then standing again. I suspect that’s how a Catholic Mass looks to non-Catholics. 😉

I sat next to a couple on a cruise who had the Kosher meals. They said they were horrible in taste but they were thrilled that they had the option and it allowed for them to cruise so they were not really complaining.

[fabby50]

I have seen cruisers eating kosher meals at lunch (delivered in the packaging).  I noticed that they brought some of their own condiments with them.

[chamima]

32 minutes ago, fabby50 said:

I have seen cruisers eating kosher meals at lunch (delivered in the packaging).  I noticed that they brought some of their own condiments with them.

 

Thank you!!! What condiments  - Ketchup?

[chamima]

56 minutes ago, Coral said:

I sat next to a couple on a cruise who had the Kosher meals. They said they were horrible in taste but they were thrilled that they had the option and it allowed for them to cruise so they were not really complaining.

 

Thanks. I'm not expecting good food - just edible.

[Coral]

37 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

Thanks. I'm not expecting good food - just edible.

This was a long time ago. Maybe they have switched sources since then 🙂 

[SimplyMarvie]

Kosher, yeah. But KfP? I'm super curious about this, so please report back!

 

Are you comfortable with them being heated in a non-kashered kitchen, and whether they'd meet any  requirements for gebrokts, kitniyot, etc? Would you feel the need to clean/remove any chametz from your stateroom? 

 

We ended up traveling for Pesach last year (to country with very, very few other Jews) and it was a weird but good experience -- it was glorious to lock the chametz in the house, hand the keys off, and be done with the whole experience. That said, Passover is my least favorite holiday and I admit that while I cut out leaven, I'm a whiny little urchin about it and not as stringent about the KfP-ness of everything I eat as perhaps I should be. (Or, as my kid once said "You know what else free people do, mom? They eat bagels.")

[chamima]

46 minutes ago, SimplyMarvie said:

Kosher, yeah. But KfP? I'm super curious about this, so please report back!

 

Are you comfortable with them being heated in a non-kashered kitchen, and whether they'd meet any  requirements for gebrokts, kitniyot, etc? Would you feel the need to clean/remove any chametz from your stateroom? 

 

We ended up traveling for Pesach last year (to country with very, very few other Jews) and it was a weird but good experience -- it was glorious to lock the chametz in the house, hand the keys off, and be done with the whole experience. That said, Passover is my least favorite holiday and I admit that while I cut out leaven, I'm a whiny little urchin about it and not as stringent about the KfP-ness of everything I eat as perhaps I should be. (Or, as my kid once said "You know what else free people do, mom? They eat bagels.")

 

 

The caterers that supply the food are Orthodox so I expected the food they supply that week would be KFP but thank you and I will definitely ask that question! 

The food is double wrapped in thick plastic (such that I need to bring scissors to dinner to be able to cut it) so whatever else is in the kitchen doesn't matter. I don't worry about gebrokts and I'm sure those caterers wouldn't use kitniyot. As far as chametz in the stateroom - I 'm not concerned at all about that!

This is definitely getting more complicated.

[joeyancho]

On 7/8/2023 at 9:50 PM, cruzsnooze said:

How Kosher are you? If strict how can you eat off of a plate that probably at some point had shrimp or pork on it? Will you need paper plates and plastic silverware?  

Princess will give you all of that.