Guide to Vegetarian Eating on NCL

[YVRteacher]

Every so often a thread pops up here where someone is asking for advice regarding vegetarian food on NCL so I wrote this guide based on my experiences.  Back in 2010 when we first started cruising we researched the cruise lines and selected NCL for their Freestyle Dining and ability to meet my needs as a vegetarian.  At the time of writing I have close to 40 cruises on NCL on 11 different ships.  

 

Disclaimer: NCL menus evolve so there will be changes in the future.  This information is current as of April 2023.

I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian meaning I do eat eggs and limited dairy.  If you eat a special diet you can tell your travel agent or cruise consultant to register that on your booking.  There is a form to complete titled “Guest Special Needs Access Form.”  You will receive an email in advance as well as a letter in your cabin from the Special Needs Access Desk on board.  If you choose you can meet with the Special Diets Coordinator on the first day and they will go over your options in each restaurant.  At one time I was (incorrectly) diagnosed as celiac and needed to eat gluten free vegetarian and meeting with the special diets coordinator was extremely helpful.  That was the cruise where I learned about the gluten free English muffins for breakfast. Yum!

 

Non-Dairy Milk/Milk Alternatives 

NCL has unsweetened oat milk, unsweetened almond milk and unsweetened soy milk.  Sometimes they have rice milk. If you don’t see it at the buffet ask the crew member at the cereal station.  Sometimes the dairy alternatives are kept in a tub on ice, sometimes they are behind the counter and sometimes they are in 250mL cartons next to the regular milk.  

Starbucks lists soy, almond and oat milk but they often don’t have them available.

 

General Tips

Prior to the pandemic NCL identified their food in the buffet with a green stripe underneath the words if the food was vegetarian and a red stripe if the food was not vegetarian.  On the 5 cruises I did in 2022 this was not happening so I needed to ask.  Often the crew member did not know but they always went to check with a chef.  Some items are obviously vegetarian while items like soup are not.  Most of NCL’s hot soups are made with beef or chicken stock so ask before you eat.  If you have a soup you love you can arrange with either the special diets coordinator or the maître d to have that soup made without meat stock.

NCL has veggie burgers on every ship.  They are mushroom and grain-based, not soy-based.  They are cooked from frozen so take a little bit of time.  You can request veggie burgers at the buffet where they are cooking hamburgers (I always ask the person doing the cooking to use utensils that have not touched meat) in the main dining rooms, in the Haven and in O’Sheehan’s/The Local.  NCL does not have vegetarian hot dogs despite my many requests.

 

Breakfast

NCL has many options for vegetarians for breakfast and limited options for vegans.  In the main dining rooms, the buffet and the Haven restaurant you can have omelets, oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancakes, waffles, yoghurt parfaits, melon, fruit, granola, eggs Benedict florentine, eggs Benedict with no meat, eggs any way you like them and pastries galore.  The Haven has delicious avocado toast.  The main dining rooms have an egg and avocado wrap.

 

At O’Sheehans and The Local  you can order the English Breakfast or the American Breakfast without ham, bacon or sausage.  The baked beans are cooked in tomato sauce and do not contain pork or lard.  Other menu items vegetarians may enjoy include oatmeal, French toast, buttermilk pancakes, fruit salad, vegetable omelet or cheese omelet.  Lots of choices! 

 

If you like Indian food, you are in for a treat! NCL always has vegetarian Indian food for lunch and dinner in the buffet. The flavours are heavenly, the naan is fluffy, the pappadum are crunchy and light, the raita is delicious and I’m salivating as I write.  On the larger ships there is an Indian station for breakfast as well.  On all ships except the Bliss I have successfully ordered and enjoyed Indian food in both the Haven and the main dining rooms. 

 

Main Dining Rooms for Dinner

The main dining rooms have three cheese baked ziti as the constant vegetarian item and one other vegetarian item that rotates.  There are 21 different vegetarian main courses from which the head chef can choose and the daily selection will typically be one of the following: pad Thai, eggplant parmigiana, gnocchi with pesto sauce, spaghetti puttanesca, burritos, fettuccini Alfredo, rigatoni primavera or mushroom ravioli.  If you prefer you may order as many salads and appetizers as you want.  I often create a vegetarian meal this way.  When dining with the officers in the main dining room my preference is to pre-arrange Indian food.

 

O’Sheehan’s/The Local

This is not your best option for vegetarian choices.  The people with whom I cruise enjoy a meal or two at O’Sheehan’s or the Local so I just make the best of it.  On most ships O’Sheehan’s is not located next to a main dining room or the buffet so they are not always able to prepare off-menu items.  I have had waiters say no to veggie burgers and have ended up requesting to speak with the restaurant manager to get one.  I have also ordered a burger without the meat so basically a cheese, lettuce and tomato sandwich.  Sometimes the spinach and artichoke dip is edible and sometimes it’s like soup.  There are a few carb-based options like pretzel rolls or nachos and you can order a salad without meat.  It won’t be spectacular but it will usually be quick. The desserts are usually good.  If you have a Glacier Blue drink it will be so strong you won’t care what else you ordered!

 

Asian Restaurant (these have different names depending on the ship)

From the entire menu, there are 4 items for vegetarians: harvest spring rolls, wakame salad, shojin vegetable roll and vegetable fried rice.  They will also make you a bowl of noodles with vegetables.  I go for the hot sake then head to the Garden Cafe after eating here to get a real meal.  On a ship that has a sushi bar, you could order a veggie roll, a cucumber roll or an avocado roll.  However, they will usually charge you for a California roll.

 

Specialty Dining

 

Le Bistro

Appetizers: there are no vegetarian appetizers on the menu.

Salad: Salade d’Endive or Cromesquis de Chèvre (these goat cheese croquettes are my favourite item at Le Bistro!)

Soup: the Soupe aux Quatre Champignons can be made in advance without chicken broth and it is amazing.  You will need to arrange this the day before with the maître d.

 

Entrée: the only item that is vegetarian is the Napoléon de Légumes.  I used to like it but I think I’ve had it too many times and it doesn’t appeal to me anymore.  I hate portobello mushrooms so always pull that out.  Sometimes I order a plate of all the different vegetable sides from the other dishes, sometimes I order a bowl of lentils and sometimes I pre-arrange for Indian food.  We quite often eat with officers at Le Bistro and I always meet with the maître d the day before to arrange food that I will like.

 

Los Lobos

If you are going to eat at Los Lobos touch base with the maître d ahead of time because the beans contain lard and the rice is made with chicken stock.  They will cook your beans separately without lard.  In my opinion Los Lobos has the most options for vegetarians.

 

Sharing Plates and Appetizers at Los Lobos: do yourself a favour and order the tableside guacamole! You could also order the fondue without sausage or the nachos.  The three-cheese quesadillas are excellent and are large enough to be a meal.

 

Salads

Both the Betabel and the Nopales are vegetarian and both are delightful.

 

Mains 

Choices include the quesadillas from the appetizer section, the three Rajas and Crema tacos, poblano relleno or a burrito without the meat.  I love the tacos but can only eat two so only order two.

 

Sides: all the sides can be made vegetarian.  Order the beans without lard and the Mexican rice without chicken stock.  The other sides are vegetable-based.  I highly recommend the elotes and never eat in Los Lobos without savouring this delicious Mexican street corn.

 

Moderno

Don’t avoid Moderno if you are a vegetarian! The salad bar is wonderful and is the best place to get a cucumber roll if you are craving Japanese food and you are on a ship without Food Republic.  The sides are delicious as are the desserts and a meal from the salad bar is going to give you large selection of vegetarian options.  My favourite NCL GM always advises guests that Moderno is the best value of all NCL restaurants.

 

Ocean Blue

Eat the bread!  Trust me!

 

Appetizers: there are no vegetarian appetizers.

 

Salad: 

Like Cagney’s there is an iceberg wedge that can be ordered without the bacon bits.  Even better is the roasted beet salad.  The presentation is beautiful and will make you feel fancy.

 

Mains: the Roasted Cauliflower Steak tastes as heavenly as it smells.  People around you will ask what you ordered then return the next night and order it.  If you like cauliflower and Moroccan spices you are in for a treat.  I always order a half portion.  Allow 25 minutes for preparation.

 

Sides: all the sides at Ocean Blue are vegetarian.  I love the asparagus.

 

My favourite of all NCL desserts is the Vanilla Cheesecake in a Jar and I always have it delivered to the cabin for later or for breakfast the next day.

 

Teppanyaki

Before you dine in Teppanyaki touch base with the maître d and let them know you are vegetarian.  Your food will be cooked on a separate grill behind the scenes so that it doesn’t come into contact with the beef, chicken and seafood on the grill.  The Teppanyaki chef will make garlic fried rice and a stack of grilled vegetables for everyone at the table and these are prepared on a cleaned grill before the meat and seafood are cooked.  Chicken stock is added to the garlic fried rice but they will make you an individual bowl in the back kitchen made without meat stock.  You will need to let your server know.  Both dipping sauces are vegetarian.

 

Appetizers

Miso soup and seaweed are given to each guest.  The seaweed salad is vegetarian but the miso soup contains dashi which is made from dried fish.

 

Entrées

Your two options are Vegetable Yaki Udon and Vegetable Teriyaki.  

 

Cagney’s

What’s on the menu that doesn’t contain meat or seafood?  The sides!  You could order the wedge salad without the bacon bits or the beefsteak tomato salad.  The Caesar salad contains anchovies in the dressing so that isn’t an option.  

You may think Cagney’s isn’t a great option if you are vegetarian but you can absolutely enjoy a fabulous meal here.  You just need to meet with the maître d in advance (give them at least one day’s notice.) If you are on a ship that has both a Cagney’s and a Moderno you are in luck because the maître d will let you eat at the Moderno salad bar.  If you prefer, the chef at Cagney’s can prepare a base of fire roasted tomatoes topped with polenta, plantain and grilled vegetables.  It is delicious!

 

Sides at Cagney’s include baked potato, potatoes au gratin, truffle Parmesan fries, onion rings, grilled zucchini, creamed spinach, steamed broccoli, sautéed mushrooms and barley risotto.

 

Food Republic

At first glance the menu for Food Republic does not appear too vegetarian-friendly.  However, once you get ahold of the ordering tablet you can customize.  The rolls can be made without seafood. The Pad Thai is amazing without the oyster sauce, the dumplings are delicious and the desserts are divine.  You could also get the salad without the steak but I’m not choosing salad when I can have rum cake.

 

La Cucina

Antipasti: if you want a plate of cheese, marinated vegetables and olives let the maître d know in advance.  These plates are typically prepared with sliced meats so you want to have a plate without the meat.  Other options for appetizers include mozzarella caprese, insalata mista, Insalata Di Rucola E Grana (arugula salad) and Insalata Con Pere, Noci E Gorgonzola.  I always order the caprese and the Insalata mista.

 

Pizzas

In my opinion the pizza is better in the Garden Cafe than it is in La Cucina.  However, if you’re at La Cucina and are craving soggy pizza there are two options: Margherita and vegetable.

 

Pasta and Risotto: 

Gnocchi in pesto sauce or fettuccini Alfredo with mushrooms or wild mushroom risotto is on the menu.  You will need to preorder the risotto to ensure it does not contain chicken stock.  Since I order two small salads I always order a half portion of pasta.  

 

Onda 

I like the food at Onda but do not like how close the tables are to each other.  To start, your waiter will bring you a plate with different kinds of bread.  One of the breads contains meat so if you don’t like your food to touch meat ask for a bread basket with no meat.

 

Appetizers: Market salad, Burrata and tomato or creamy polenta with mushrooms.  All are good.

 

Pizza: same as La Cucina (margherita or vegetable)

 

Pasta: spaghetti with tomato sauce or spinach and ricotta mezzalune (both are really good and are small portions.)

 

Secondi: there are no vegetarian entrées other than the pasta on the menu but you could order the rosemary lentils (order in advance so they make them without chicken stock) and add sides from the Contorni list or from other entrees.  

 

Contorni (sides)

All the sides are vegetarian as long as you pre-order the lentils.  Other sides are fingerling potatoes, wilted spinach, fancy mushrooms or roasted carrots with tahini.  All are really good with the carrots being excellent.

 

The Haven

Eating in the Haven restaurant for lunch or dinner gives limited vegetarian menu options. For lunch the choices are mushroom flatbread, crudités with pesto or spaghetti squash with tomato sauce.  I have ordered the Brie burger without the meat, French fries with an avocado, a grilled cheese sandwich and Indian food.  I’ve also gone to the Garden Cafe and made a plate of food to bring to the Haven.  Your server and Maître d will be very accommodating but it is to your advantage to let them know ahead of time when you will be dining in the Haven for lunch and dinner.  For dinner the only vegetarian entree is the spinach and egg yolk raviolo which is one large pasta pocket with runny egg inside.  I can’t eat it.  Work with the Maître d’ and they will arrange food you like.  The green Goddess salad and the desserts are worth it.    

 

Haven and Suites Snacks

If you are staying in the Haven or a Penthouse (such as the 2 bedroom non-Haven suites on the Jewel-class ships) you will have treats and snacks delivered daily.  These may include cookies, crackers and cheese, petite fours, crudités, sandwiches and finger sandwiches.  Usually on a one-week cruise 2-3 days will include little bite size sandwiches with meat and shrimp and BLTs.  One time we received shrimp cocktail.  If you don’t want the meat or fish delivered to your cabin tell your butler on the first day and they will make alternate arrangements.  

 

If I haven’t described a restaurant here it means I haven’t eaten at that restaurant.  Please add to this thread if you have additional advice, tips and favourite vegetarian items.

[Monica887]

This is fantastic - thank you!

I haven't been in NCL since prepandemic. I'm disappointed to hear that the buffet isn't labeled anymore. It was my biggest complaint about my last 2 cruises on different cruise lines since I'm used to NCLs labels. 

 

I have my first Haven booked so the Haven tips are helpful. And I booked Moderno for the first time, which I've always avoided before. I've also never thought to order the Bistro soup in advance - I'm definitely going to try that! I'm also just tired of the Napoleon there. It's good enough but it's been on the menu for at least 15 years as the only veg choice.

 

I also find the MDR carb heavy but not bad (Lots of pasta and risotto). RCCL had amazing sounding vegan options - tofu, quinoa, grains, unique veggies... But they all ended up bland and plain. 

 

Open to any tips specific to Haven - any snacks you liked or dining room requests. I want to make the most of the Haven experience and also feel like my food isn't an afterthought. 

[Rusty Shacklefjord]

This is wonderful. I didn’t realize they could make so many things without chicken stock, if given advance notice. When is the best time to approach the maitre d assuming the restaurants open at 5:30 pm? Before opening at 3? 4? Also, I’m still on the fence about Moderno. Maybe they will let me have peek at the salad bar before committing to dining there. Thank you!

[Happycrafter123]

I'm curious about how things work with the special diets and coordinator-- last trip I just worked around things to the best as I could, but this time I had completed the online form for upcoming cruises for Celiac, and hubby is worried about the hassle factor/how much it will slow down service etc. dealing with them on my diet stuff versus just self selecting things...any feedback on your experiences.

[Skjhoward]

I am forever grateful to you. I am diabetic, lactose intolerant, and celiac.  

And, I just booked a 13 day Transatlantic leaving June 3rd.  

Now I know who to talk to, when, where, and what to ask for.  

Thank you!!!

[YVRteacher]

39 minutes ago, Happycrafter123 said:

I'm curious about how things work with the special diets and coordinator-- last trip I just worked around things to the best as I could, but this time I had completed the online form for upcoming cruises for Celiac, and hubby is worried about the hassle factor/how much it will slow down service etc. dealing with them on my diet stuff versus just self selecting things...any feedback on your experiences.

Hi!  Given the seriousness of Celiac disease, I recommend meeting with the Special Diets Coordinator.  It was worth it for me and I learned so much.  This was on the Breakaway and once I had the initial meeting I didn’t need to meet with them again because I knew the ingredients, how to order and how to adapt.  The person was incredibly well prepared, had a spreadsheet of every meal in every restaurant and it made me so much more comfortable.  My meeting was on embarkation day before we left port so it didn’t disrupt any activities.

[YVRteacher]

6 minutes ago, Skjhoward said:

I am forever grateful to you. I am diabetic, lactose intolerant, and celiac.  

And, I just booked a 13 day Transatlantic leaving June 3rd.  

Now I know who to talk to, when, where, and what to ask for.  

Thank you!!!

Please ask any questions.  I’m happy to help.  

[YVRteacher]

@Skjhoward do you need to refrigerate any of your medications?  If so please ask your room attendant not to lock the fridge on the last night. 

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, Rusty Shacklefjord said:

This is wonderful. I didn’t realize they could make so many things without chicken stock, if given advance notice. When is the best time to approach the maitre d assuming the restaurants open at 5:30 pm? Before opening at 3? 4? Also, I’m still on the fence about Moderno. Maybe they will let me have peek at the salad bar before committing to dining there. Thank you!

You can definitely look at the Moderno salad bar.  The Sugarcane Mojito bar is in Moderno on the Jewel so as you work your way through the delicious mojito menu you can see the salad bar.  It has an amazing selection: couscous salad with cranberries, three bean salad, roasted vegetables (asparagus, peppers, zucchini) delicious cheeses, traditional green salad items, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, potato salad, pickled vegetables, sushi rolls, roasted beets, tabouli and so much more.  It is one of the few places vegetarians can get protein for dinner.

 

You can set up a meeting time with the maître d by talking to the host of the restaurant. Sometimes it’s a quick meeting where they will come to your table if you’re eating there earlier in the week and if you are new to NCL or this is your first time eating at a certain restaurant your meeting will be longer and more detailed.

[MNcruisingcouple]

10 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

I'm curious about how things work with the special diets and coordinator-- last trip I just worked around things to the best as I could, but this time I had completed the online form for upcoming cruises for Celiac, and hubby is worried about the hassle factor/how much it will slow down service etc. dealing with them on my diet stuff versus just self selecting things...any feedback on your experiences.

 

I've traveled on three cruises with my SIL who has celiac, and they took wonderful care of her.  She met with the maitre d on embarkation day and was given examples of the alternatives that they had available.  

Also, each evening she pre-ordered for the next evening.  By doing that, the separate kitchen can be prepared, and it doesn't slow down service for the rest of the table.

[Ladyshopper23]

A great guide.

Just a couple of things for people to be careful of if you're vegetarian. Parmesan cheese is not generally vegetarian - it's made with animal rennet. In Europe in order to be called parmesan it HAS to be made in the traditional way which is using animal rennet. Most cruise lines (not just NCL) don't seem to be aware of this, and consistently advertise dishes with parmesan in as vegetarian, when they're not. 

I did discuss this with the special diets co-ordinator on our cruise in November (I'm also coeliac as well as vegetarian). He told me that the parmesan onboard was likely to be traditional parmesan rather than a hard cheese alternative, so I ended up actually listing it as an allergy to be certain I wasn't given it.

A lot of the desserts contain gelatine, which again, is not vegetarian. You can get vegetarian alternatives, but I had to make sure I mentioned this when placing our orders for the next day through the special diets co-ordinator. Anything that is mousse of jelly based is not likely to be vegetarian, and any cakes that have what I call a 'shiny top' are also likely to have gelatine in the topping.

 

For Moderno as a vegetarian - we ate there on the Star in November, as I didn't want my husband to miss out (he is also coeliac like me, but not vegetarian). After discussing this with the special diet co-ordinator the night before (he would bring the menus each night to order for the next day) he actually suggested I order a dish from the main dining room menu, which was brought up to me and I had alongside the salad bar.

 

For anyone that is coeliac on here (or celiac as you Americans call it!), I write a blog for all our cruising adventures concentrating just on the eating experience. The link is is my profile if you click on it, and I'm about halfway through writing up the NCL one from November (I have some health issues so am always quite slow getting them written up). Definitely fill in the special access needs form (you can Google this if you can't find it), as it helps them know how many people there are going to be onboard requiring things like gluten-free bread and pasta. On our 2 week cruise, a lot of things started running out in the second week, and I suspect a lot of people who eat gluten-free don't know that they should be letting NCL know.

 

[Skjhoward]

11 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

@Skjhoward do you need to refrigerate any of your medications?  If so please ask your room attendant not to lock the fridge on the last night. 

Thank you. Yes my meds are kept in frig.

[Skjhoward]

11 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Hi!  Given the seriousness of Celiac disease, I recommend meeting with the Special Diets Coordinator.  It was worth it for me and I learned so much.  This was on the Breakaway and once I had the initial meeting I didn’t need to meet with them again because I knew the ingredients, how to order and how to adapt.  The person was incredibly well prepared, had a spreadsheet of every meal in every restaurant and it made me so much more comfortable.  My meeting was on embarkation day before we left port so it didn’t disrupt any activities.

Ty so much.

[SeaShark]

Just to share, when I was on the Prima in January, I inquired about vegetarian meals. I was told that there was a vegetarian menu for the MDRs. The only "trick" to it was that you had to order on one day (with the Hostess) what you wanted to eat the next day...then, that meal would be available to you when you arrived.

 

Here is a pic of the menu

 

[Rivercat]

This is incredibly helpful! Just based on videos and pics of the menus I had expected to be eating Indian at the buffet for pretty much every meal 😄

[Ladyshopper23]

23 hours ago, SeaShark said:

Just to share, when I was on the Prima in January, I inquired about vegetarian meals. I was told that there was a vegetarian menu for the MDRs. The only "trick" to it was that you had to order on one day (with the Hostess) what you wanted to eat the next day...then, that meal would be available to you when you arrived.

 

Here is a pic of the menu

 

I wonder if they have this on all the ships? Will try and find out when I'm on Getaway in October. Looks like a lot of those could easily be gluten-free too, so would be ideal for me.

[YVRteacher]

They do not. This vegetarian menu is only offered on the Prima which has a set dining room menu rather than a (up to) 21-day rotating menu. NCL is gathering data on the cost effectiveness of the set dining menu as well as passenger feedback with the intent to implement fleet-wide. If this happens then the vegetarian menu will also be available on each ship.

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

They do not. This vegetarian menu is only offered on the Prima which has a set dining room menu rather than a (up to) 21-day rotating menu. NCL is gathering data on the cost effectiveness of the set dining menu as well as passenger feedback with the intent to implement fleet-wide. If this happens then the vegetarian menu will also be available on each ship.

We will be on the Prima this summer and have to remember this option. We don't eat meat, but do eat fish. That makes the fixed menu have far less choices, but a vegetarian menu would add to the choices.

 

I do believe I have read on these boards that to use this menu you have to order a day in advance. Correct?

[SeaShark]

11 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I do believe I have read on these boards that to use this menu you have to order a day in advance. Correct?

 

Correct. That was mentioned in post #14 of this thread.

[stellarose33]

thanks for this list

[jrt.mom]

This is very helpful. I agree that Cagney's doesn't sound vegetarian friendly but I have had some great meals there made up entirely of side dishes while my traveling companion ate cow.

[stellarose33]

get two meals- a vegetarian (eat fish)- which two do you all suggest?