Vegan options on NCL?

[librahi]

My wife and I are looking to cruise in northern Europe in June or July and have heard many mixed reviews of which lines offer the best options for vegan meals. I am 6'1" and weight 170 pounds, but I eat like I weight 300 pounds, always have (even before becoming vegan 4 years ago). Anyway, I need options and not just salad, potatoes, fruit, pasta.... Anyone that can help, it would be very appreciated! Does NCL offer good options or take care of vegans?

[njhorseman]

My wife and I are looking to cruise in northern Europe in June or July and have heard many mixed reviews of which lines offer the best options for vegan meals. I am 6'1" and weight 170 pounds, but I eat like I weight 300 pounds, always have (even before becoming vegan 4 years ago). Anyway, I need options and not just salad, potatoes, fruit, pasta.... Anyone that can help, it would be very appreciated! Does NCL offer good options or take care of vegans?

 

While I can't speak to the menus on European cruises, the NCL cruises we have been on recently in the US have had a pretty good selection for vegans. This is particularly true in the buffet, primarily because they seem to have a good selection of Indian food.

 

The main dining rooms usually have a vegetarian entree...but it is not always vegan.

[drm93]

please forgive me for being "stupid",but what exactly does "vegan" mean?

[njhorseman]

please forgive me for being "stupid",but what exactly does "vegan" mean?

 

 

Vegans don't consume animal products of any kind. (As opposed to vegetarians, many of whom consume dairy products, and some even eggs.)

[drm93]

hmmmm....never heard the term until recently. So what's left to eat......not much huh? I could never do it :p

[librahi]

hmmmm....never heard the term until recently. So what's left to eat......not much huh? I could never do it :p

 

just about anything you can imagine. all veggies, tofu, seitan, tempeh, chick peas (hummus), beans, nuts, etc. etc. it's actually very easy except when there are ignorant people who don't know what they are doing. you learn to realize many people don't know so you have to be very careful....

[drm93]

I don't even recognize a couple of those foods you mentioned. So if you don't mind me asking....what is the reason for eating "vegan"? Is it a "health" reason,or "religious" or just personal preference....just wondering!

[njhorseman]

I don't even recognize a couple of those foods you mentioned. So if you don't mind me asking....what is the reason for eating "vegan"? Is it a "health" reason,or "religious" or just personal preference....just wondering!

 

 

One of the great things about the Internet is that you can always "google" words or terms you don't know and learn about them!

 

You could be a vegan for any of the reasons you mention.

 

By the way, I'm not a vegan, but my daughter-in-law is, so I've educated myself about it.

[drm93]

guess I'll check out google :)

[librahi]

guess I'll check out google :)

 

setian is made from wheat gluten and takes the place of chicken or beef, just has that texture.

 

tempeh is made from rice or grains and is the same. it's not my favorite but they have tempeh bacon that's very good.

 

as for my reasons, it's for animals. i love animals and learned a lot about factory farms and made the switch from meat eating to vegan in 3 weeks, never faultering. if your heart is in it, it's easy. after that, my health has been off the charts amazing and it has become just another benefit and reason i do it.

[librahi]

guess I'll check out google :)

 

figure it out? :) any more thoughts from anyone? thank you!

[Giantfan13]

We are not vegans, but we are vegitarians in the sense. At home we only eat Kosher meat, but when we travel, we do not eat meat of any kind. WE do eat fish though, at least ones that go with Kosher dietary laws (no shellfish etc of any kind). We always have plenty to eat on the menu as there is always a vegetarian dish, a pasta dish, and a fish entree. I would assume you do not eat fish, so that would eliminate that. But there is always a nice salad selection, along with a fruit appetizer and there is usually some vegetarian soup base with no meat. Desserts should not be any problem either. People ask us how we enjoy eating on a cruise when we are so limited, and I tell them as long as I walk away from the table feeling full, I am happy. I ahve never been dissappointed yet.

I cannot speak for the buffet, as we rarely ever partake in it.

[dinna1]

Librahi,

I've been a vegetarian for the last 26 years, "converted" in one day & never looked back. And yes, it was very easy to do being it comes from the heart. Nice to know someone else doing it for the same reason, usually people look at me as if I'm from a nother planet.

[Ms belp]

setian is made from wheat gluten and takes the place of chicken or beef, just has that texture.

 

tempeh is made from rice or grains and is the same. it's not my favorite but they have tempeh bacon that's very good.

 

as for my reasons, it's for animals. i love animals and learned a lot about factory farms and made the switch from meat eating to vegan in 3 weeks, never faultering. if your heart is in it, it's easy. after that, my health has been off the charts amazing and it has become just another benefit and reason i do it.

 

There are certain meats that I won't eat (like Bambi) or veal. That being said, I'm from Texas and I gotta have my beef. It's what's for dinner.

[njhorseman]

There are certain meats that I won't eat (like Bambi) or veal. That being said, I'm from Texas and I gotta have my beef. It's what's for dinner.

 

Thanks for spamming (pun intended) the thread. :D

[Ms belp]

Thanks for spamming (pun intended) the thread. :D

 

Okay, venison, veal and spam...forget about it. They actually have spam cooking contests down here at the State Fair. They make deserts with that stuff, yuck. I think.:) Let's let Mikey try it.:D

[bulgargirl]

Whoever said the Indian food is often vegan is correct. And there is an Indian food station at the buffet every lunch and dinner.

 

There are pasta stations at the buffet every lunch and there are vegan options for the pasta. The italian restaurants also usually have something vegan.

 

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian. But I eat tons of cheese. I've never noticed any meat replacement products other than tofu occasionally. But there are lots of bread and potato type products that don't always come with cheese or eggs like hashbrowns in the morning. Wow, I'm thinking about it and I really am a carb freak.

 

You can order peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from room service for late night snacks.

 

And don't forget - beer is vegan! :)

[mailbroad]

The Indian menu items are delicious! Both the Sky and the Jewel, which I sailed on recently, had hummus and taboule on the salad bar. There was rice (white and brown) at the Asian food station on the Jewel.

Speak to the maitre d' on the first day at the main dining rooms.

[macdadsjaw]

I am a vegetarian, and was vegan for a few years. Its going to be tough to find a lot of variety. Almost all the indian selections had a cream base, they didnt have soy milk on the Pearl when I was on there. They had vegetarian meals at the main dining room, some I think were vegan or could be made vegan.

 

FYI, a lot of beer isnt vegan. Google it to find out why if interested.

[luddite]

A LOT of beer isn't vegan. But then of course, I don't care:)

There is no such thing as soy milk. Milk comes from mammals.

[librahi]

A LOT of beer isn't vegan. But then of course, I don't care:)

There is no such thing as soy milk. Milk comes from mammals.

 

thanks to all that felt the desire to jump in and make idiotic comments, typical. well, not completely idiotic, but i don't find every post with meat as a discussion and post pictures of the lives those animals all went through to get on your plate, or what your body turns into from all that you're putting into your body, do i? sorry, felt the urge.... but seriously, i do it cause i believe in it, so why does it bother you? i'm trying to do something good in the world and i get crap for it. ugh.

 

also, thank you very much to the contributions that were helpful. it's nice to know it's not as hard as it seems it might be.

[monteman]

thanks to all that felt the desire to jump in and make idiotic comments, typical. well, not completely idiotic, but i don't find every post with meat as a discussion and post pictures of the lives those animals all went through to get on your plate, or what your body turns into from all that you're putting into your body, do i? sorry, felt the urge.... but seriously, i do it cause i believe in it, so why does it bother you? i'm trying to do something good in the world and i get crap for it. ugh.

 

also, thank you very much to the contributions that were helpful. it's nice to know it's not as hard as it seems it might be.

 

I certainly can respect your choice. And I know how tiresome it can be to always have to explain it, defend it, rationalize it to a lot of people. My DH is a vegetarian (no meat or seafood), but once a year or so (like on a cruise) he'll have beef. I am mostly a vegetarian but eat chicken and some seafood. I've reached a point where I just don't really expend a lot of energy trying to explain it! We all have our reasons and preferances when it comes to food, period. And probably very few of us are particularly logical where food is concerned. We just ... eat what we eat.

 

Simple curiosity is one thing, but I am asked over and over again by people who aren't vegetarians WHY my husband is. And--since I only eat chicken (meat-wise)-- why I am! I eat CHICKEN, how can I be a vegetarian?! :confused: I do see the humor in it all (sometimes), though. :D People are funny creatures.

[luddite]

Please note: I made no disparaging comment regarding anyone's choice of diet. It is not widely known that many kinds of beer are not vegan-friendly. I drink a lot of different kinds of beer, so I'm in that loop.

 

There is no soy milk, it is soy juice. Semantics, but still.....

[monteman]

Please note: I made no disparaging comment regarding anyone's choice of diet. It is not widely known that many kinds of beer are not vegan-friendly. I drink a lot of different kinds of beer, so I'm in that loop.

 

There is no soy milk, it is soy juice. Semantics, but still.....

 

I'm into semantics--editing is part of my job, so I noticed that too. :D I didn't realize some/most beer has animal product in it. I would never have known that! I wonder if my DH knows ...

[newmexicoNita]

hmmmm....never heard the term until recently. So what's left to eat......not much huh? I could never do it :p

 

neither could I but I guess many do. Only vegetable oils can be used in cooking and obviously no eggs even in cooking or baking.

 

We have a friend who has a daughter that is a vegetarian and considers herself a vegan but doesn't always question every single thing she eats.

 

to the OP,

 

Yes, NCL does a good job, as for the Indian food station at the buffet I am not sure if it is true vegan or not. I do know the cruise line does its best, of course there will not be a lot of choices which I am sure you do run into often..It is not easy to offer huge selections when there are not a pretty goodly size of people requesting them..

 

Nita