What has been your vegan experience on Carnival?

[petesweet]

Several members of our extended family will perhaps cruise on Fantasy next spring, and they are vegans. On a recent RCCL thread there was great information and even pictures. Hoping our friends on Carnival will share their experiences to set any fears at rest.

 

Thanks.

 

Kathy

[okgirl]

Carnival doesn't do vegan, they do vegetarian though. Your waiter will be able to tell you what dishes (besides the obvious) don't have any animal products in them.

[jlm41]

My wife is a vegetarian and we never had a problem.

 

- Call ahead of time (at least 2 weeks before departure) and let them know of your dietary requirements

- Go for Fixed dinner time in MDR so you get same table and you do not have to explain your requirement

- You can order vegan meals in MDR for dinner ahead of time.

 

There will be plenty of choices in Lido Buffet for breakfast and lunch

[sfo2008]

I would emphasize the point about picking traditional dining, we met a cruiser who had severe dietary restrictions/allergies. But by picking traditional dining she got a TREMENDOUS amount of personal attention from a head waiter each night who started to learn what she could/could not eat and went the extra mile.

[Qudas]

I've been vegan for over 10 years. The steps needed are to make the special needs dept know of your food allergies before you sail. Then verify with the Maitre'd the day you board to make sure you have fixed dining and are in the system for special meals. Finally let your waiter know the first evening, as despite all you have done, he may not know. He will get the dining room hostess to work with you to order/modify meals that do not contain meat, eggs, or dairy.

 

Be careful on the buffet. Many items are made with chicken stock.. I got sick eating red beans and rice once....

 

Have some ideas or suggestions of what you want to eat and they typically can do it.. otherwise it is a lot of pasta and red sauce.. you can ask for tofu or bean dishes to make sure you are getting protein, otherwise they many not given you any. The Indian entrees are typically very good, especially if you ask for chickpeas or lentil courses. Ask for nuts to be added to salads, etc...

[crewsweeper]

Carnival does an exemplary job with vegan diets, and all special needs diets. They can prepare a variety of dishes. These are best consumed in the MDR. Vegans can eat well on the Lido, but need to do their own recon as to what fits their definition of vegan. However, I would suggest that the vegans in your group bring their own powdered protein mixes and other supplements. I seem to recall that soy milk is available on board, but could be in error. As a "special needs" however, I think they can bring soy or almond or rice milk in the non-refrigerated soft boxes. It may count as part of the soft drinks/water allotment. Check with the PVP or Carnival special needs department to verify. I also suggest that they may wish to tone down their adherence to the eco-political/socio-religious agendas behind this diet and be open to dishes that may not be 100% orthodox vegan in content or cooking process, especially at venues away from the MDR.

[Pasco08]

Carnival doesnt do vegan......

[petesweet]

I'm getting conflicting reports here (Carnival does vegan well/Carnival doesn't do vegan), but I have learned important things, nonetheless. Thanks for the responses.

 

Kathy

[Justsyd]

Here's a blog post about a great Vegan experience on Carnival.

[pseudoswede]

I'm getting conflicting reports here (Carnival does vegan well/Carnival doesn't do vegan), but I have learned important things, nonetheless. Thanks for the responses.

 

Miss Swede has allergies to dairy, eggs, and nuts. Thus, she needs her food prepared vegan-style--except she loves almost all kinds of meat. Having pored over this board for the past two weeks, it appears that Carnival (and almost all other mass-market cruiselines) do vegetarian meals well, but they (with perhaps the exception of Disney) are still struggling to load, prepare and serve ingredients/foods which would meet vegan requirements.

[pseudoswede]

Here's a blog post about a great Vegan experience on Carnival.

 

Very good read. However, she admits, "And I'm not totally sure how vegan everything else was, but I just ate it and hoped for the best.".

 

If you go through her breakfast and lunch blog post (last paragraph), you'll see that she's okay if the food is possibly sauteed in butter or if the bread contains eggs. Either of those two situations can send Miss Swede into anaphylatic shock. In reality, she's not "don't ask, don't tell", she is "see no evil, hear no evil".

[SadieN]

Check out this thread-

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1025615&highlight=vegan

[frito58]

My Daughter is a vegatarian and came home Quite happy. But I do know there is a big differce in Vegans . She was very concerned when she left thinking she would have to eat the same old thing every night but was very happy with all of the choices . I think the only thing she eats that a vegan wouldnt eat is eggs and I guess anything made with eggs , so NO warm chocolate melting cake for a vegan :(:(:( sorry

[raylene5]

I'm a vegetarian and I thought Carnival did a great job on their vegetarian options. But Vegan is much much different. As another poster said, speak to the Maitre 'd ahead of time and your waiter. It's tough though because most of these cooks, servers, etc. are from foreign countries and may not have a good idea of what "vegan" really means. I wouldn't let it keep me from cruising but they can't expect the kind of food they might get at a local vegan-friendly restaurant either. Good luck :)

[okgirl]

Isn't all the pasta made with eggs though? So that would pose a problem for my step sister and she is very strict vegan and animal rights activist.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It is a fun cruise

[frito58]

Isn't all the pasta made with eggs though? So that would pose a problem for my step sister and she is very strict vegan and animal rights activist.

 

Oh Bummer if thats true she may have a problem. :(:(

[pseudoswede]

Isn't all the pasta made with eggs though? So that would pose a problem for my step sister and she is very strict vegan and animal rights activist.

 

Most commercial pasta brands are not made with egg--one I know that contains egg is a certain line made by Barilla. Only freshly-made pasta is made with egg.

 

As I've said in another thread, I cannot fathom why Carnival cannot disclose the brand (and ingredient list) of the pasta that is boarded onto their ships until we are on the ship. RCCL was the same way, and we were initially told all of their pastas contained egg (but it turned out it didn't).

[petesweet]

Great Information. Thanks to you all.

 

Our family members would tolerate the small amounts of animal product in the menu as long as there were things they could enjoy with careful selection.

 

I myself am just ALMOST a vegetarian, but I'm on vacation.:)

[Tapi]

We have friends who are strict vegans. They sailed on the Glory a few months ago and they said that the experience with the food was horrendous.

 

First, they booked through a PVP who assured them that their vegan diet would be accommodated. On the ship, they made sure that the crew knew that they were vegans, not just vegetarian. They would inquire about specific ingredients, and again and again they would be reassured that the food they were eating was vegan.

 

Yet, they started getting ill after eating some of these "vegan" dishes, even landing them in the medical center. Upon further scrutiny, they learned that pretty much nothing they had been eating was vegan. They spent the rest of the week eating pre packaged foods, and items that they purchased ashore after their experience.

 

They wrote a letter to Carnival describing their experience. It's been a few months and they still haven't received a reply. Needless to say, they won't be cruising on Carnival again any time soon, or ever!

[pseudoswede]

Upon further scrutiny, they learned that pretty much nothing they had been eating was vegan.

 

Can you please elaborate how the dishes didn't meet vegan requirements?

[Tapi]

Can you please elaborate how the dishes didn't meet vegan requirements?

 

they became vegan because of dairy product allergies, which most likely is what made them ill, but they also mentioned animal based broths and honey used as a sweetener

[australian_girl]

I try to eat vegan too. I was on the Sensation earlier this year and had no problems eating vegetarian. But I think eating vegan on a cruise ship is tough!

[Colorado Kat]

The fruit soups are delicious, but most probably have milk/creme in them. The Indian meals are vegan, I think. Pasta is always available. The salads are tasty.

 

I am just regular vegetarian, and sometimes have problems finding foods that aren't made with chicken stock, even though some tell me they are vegetarian.

 

For vegetarians, I usually order the cheese plate (from dessert menu) as part of my meal, so I get protein.