Vegetarian On Viking River

[RynoWally]

My wife and I are contemplating going on a Viking River cruise (Zurich Paris) in late March assuming we are able. The only thing I am concerned with would be the food. My wife is a vegetarian and really enjoys Indian food as well. We have been spoiled on Ocean cruises with Viking and HAL the past 5 years. Are there plenty of vegetarian options available when on a Viking River cruise? She is fine with any dairy and eggs, I don't think breakfast and lunch would be a problem from what I have read on the boards here, the concern lies more with dinners. Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

[Bake apple]

We have cruised with Viking on three occasions and while I am not a strict vegetarian it is my preferred choice.  There were very good vegetarian options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and not just rice or pasta dishes which can often be all there is!! On our second cruise (Grand European) I happened to speak with the chef, when he did his evening visit to each table, about the great choices. He asked me to meet with him anytime to review other options he could offer. I asked for eggplant parmesan and got it. Yum.

 

Although I do eat fish or chicken, I had no problem selecting from the menus. The only time I was disappointed was during German Night where there was a lot of meats, bratwurst  and sausages etc. (my DH was in heaven). My fault, I should have spoken to the waiter or chef the day before. Not much of a deal breaker on a 14-day cruise all the same!! 🙂  If you notify Viking before you cruise they will contact you once on board to ensure you are well taken care of I believe. 

[Peregrina651]

On 1/7/2022 at 2:53 PM, Bake apple said:

We have cruised with Viking on three occasions and while I am not a strict vegetarian it is my preferred choice.  There were very good vegetarian options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and not just rice or pasta dishes which can often be all there is!! On our second cruise (Grand European) I happened to speak with the chef, when he did his evening visit to each table, about the great choices. He asked me to meet with him anytime to review other options he could offer. I asked for eggplant parmesan and got it. Yum.

 

Although I do eat fish or chicken, I had no problem selecting from the menus. The only time I was disappointed was during German Night where there was a lot of meats, bratwurst  and sausages etc. (my DH was in heaven). My fault, I should have spoken to the waiter or chef the day before. Not much of a deal breaker on a 14-day cruise all the same!! 🙂  If you notify Viking before you cruise they will contact you once on board to ensure you are well taken care of I believe. 

 

Yes, let them know before you cruise and then, sit down with the chef when you board to make sure that he knows what your limitations are. This is more important on the river cruises than ocean because there isn't room for a huge variety on board a river ship. They need to plan in advance.  The chef on board is your best friend. His job is to keep you happy and healthy. 

 

BTW, this applies to all restricted diets: food allergies, celiac, vegetarian, low salt, low fat, etc.

[jrkstl]

Greetings.

Thought that I'd add my 2 cents...

 

The husband and I are both long time vegetarians. On our 5 Viking river cruises, we've not really had any issues regarding the lack of vegetarian options. Typically once the staff knows that you're vegetarian, they will go out of their way to make sure that you have options. Only one cruise was a bit shaky in this area, but they eventually got it. It was probably the ship's second sailing of the year, and I don't think that they were quite up to speed yet for the season.

 

I would, however, recommend that if you are on any excursions that include a meal (optional excursion or included excursion) please make the Viking staff know that you want/need the vegetarian option. Periodically, not everyone gets the message, so it's always good to be certain - especially since on most occasions the guide will call ahead to the restaurant on the same day to give a head count, etc. 

 

One interesting example - on our Passage to Eastern Europe cruise in 2019 - we were a tad concerned as we had read a review or two from prior years where the writer mentioned that there was some confusion about what exactly constituted vegetarian options, especially in the more rural parts of the tour. I'm happy to report that the day we had an included lunch in Arbanasi, Bulgaria it was handled like clockwork, and better than many places here in the states 🙂  You most definitely WON'T go hungry!

 

ENJOY!!

 

Jeff

 

 

 

 

[Peregrina651]

Following up on things. Here is what the Viking River FAQ has to say about special dietary requirements. It doesn't specifically mention vegetarian, but, imho, it should, therefore, I have no trouble suggesting that you pretend it does. 😉

 

Can you accommodate my dietary requirements?

In most cases, we can. Every meal has vegetarian options and the chefs will make reasonable efforts to accommodate special requests. Guests requiring special meals (low salt, diabetic, gluten-free or low cholesterol) should alert us 90 days prior to departure over the phone at 1-877-668-4546 (1-877-66VIKING) or online on the Dietary Restrictions page in your My Viking Journey account. Guests should also inform the Maître d’ when on board.

While we take steps to minimize the risk of cross contamination, we cannot guarantee an allergen-free kitchen.