Food is the first thing that comes to mind when traveling; especially when cruising. There’s so much (SOOOOO MUCH) food that’s already included in the price, making it hard to resist all of the goodness that are processed carbs, fats & sugars. But don’t’ worry, eating healthy & maintaining your lifestyle while cruising, isn’t impossible. For me, cruises are the least stressful form of travel when it comes to food; but that is if you plan ahead. Most Cruise Ship Agencies will be happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions, this is more likely on international cruise lines; they receive people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds & eating habits.
Here’s what I did & how I did it, on Royal Caribbean International:
- Alert the cruise line as early as possible. I did this two weeks in advance & also made sure that I was listed as one of the plant-based travelers at check-in.
- Bring some pre-packed snacks on board. Snack bars, pre-packed soups, chips, ect.
- The buffet is your best friend for lunch (& sometimes breakfast). Huge salad bar, roasted potatoes, sautéed vegetables, sandwich station, veggie burgers & huge assortments of fresh fruits.
- Bring water with you on the first day & avoid paying $2 a bottle on board.
- If you can’t live without coffee, soy milk is available upon request in the buffet.
- Don’t get scared with the dining room’s main menu. On the first day ask for their special menu; they made me: tofu, fried rice, baked potatoes, sweet & sour soy chicken, different styles of pasta, mushroom soup, veggie onion soup, vegan pancakes(at breakfast, & bowls of strawberries too. I didn’t eat the same thing twice.
- Alcohol. You may want to skip the cocktails with bright colors, since they tend to be very sugary. Good news is, most beer is vegan!
- Not food related: If you’re into exercising, take advantage of the free gym & jogging track; especially on those “at sea” days.
- The sucky part is the lack of plant-based desserts; they only have a platter of fruits & fruit sorbet.
Here are some bad quality pictures (the lighting was terrible, sorry in advance) of my favorite meals on cruise:
buffet: Salad, mushrooms, chickpeas, almonds, raspberry dressing | steamed carrots & broccoli | toasts & roasted potatoes
dining room: pasta with pomodoro
buffet: veggie burger (upon request) with everything from the burger section | ketchup, mustard & sriracha
dining room: vegetable & tofu fried rice
dining room (breakfast): eggless pancakes with peanut butter, banana & berries
johnny rockets: veggie burger with sauteed onions & mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes & mustard | fries & onion rings
dining room: veggie minestrone soup | pitta bread & hummus
dining room: baked potato with butter | sauteed mushrooms | soy meatballs with tortilla chips
dining room: chocolate covered strawberries
