Vegetarian Choices at Restaurants on Norwegian Dawn

[Redbird54]

Can anyone tell me what are the best restaurant choices for vegetarians on the Norwegian Dawn. My girls are not vegans but they don't eat animal proteins.

 

Thanks.

[SaySumthing]

I think the whole fleet uses the same menu (I'm sure someone will point out if I am incorrect).

 

I believe that each restaurant offers a vegetarian selection at lunch and dinner. There are also always a selection of soups, salads and appetizers at each meal, some of which are also vegetarian.

[njhorseman]

I think the whole fleet uses the same menu (I'm sure someone will point out if I am incorrect).

 

I believe that each restaurant offers a vegetarian selection at lunch and dinner. There are also always a selection of soups, salads and appetizers at each meal, some of which are also vegetarian.

 

 

Right now the Dawn has an experimental menu that is different from those used elsewhere in the fleet. The two main dining rooms, Venetian and Aqua now have different mernus, but the same menu is used every night of the cruise in each. In addition there is one nightly chef's special. One thing that I immediately noticed on the experimental menus was the loss of vegetarian options. In the past there was a different vegetarian dish offered every night. Now that is no longer the case. In the past the Dawn had a good selection of Indian food available in the buffet, and many of those dishes were vegetarian. Perhaps they still do.

[Geobugs]

Can someone else confirm the loss of the vegetarian options at the main dining rooms? This will be a great disappointment as we are booked on the Dawn.

[2Cruise4Ever]

The Dawn's new menus have plenty of vegetarian choices:

 

 

In fact, all restaurants have vegetarian choices.

 

And, the Garden Cafe always has an amazing salad bar. Your girls will not lack in food choices...

[Ontheotherhand]

Plenty? It seems like the two free dining rooms only have 1 vegetarian entree each at lunch and dinner, meaning after 2 days it is likely one would have sampled all the vegetarian offerings at those restaurants for the week since the menus are not varied from day to day.

[njhorseman]

Plenty? It seems like the two free dining rooms only have 1 vegetarian entree each at lunch and dinner, meaning after 2 days it is likely one would have sampled all the vegetarian offerings at those restaurants for the week since the menus are not varied from day to day.

 

Correct. They used to have a different vegetarian option every day. Now at dinner you have an eggplant, roasted peppers and pasta dish in the Venetian and something described as "veggie mac and cheese" in Aqua. That's it for the entire week.

[2Cruise4Ever]

Correct. They used to have a different vegetarian option every day. Now at dinner you have an eggplant, roasted peppers and pasta dish in the Venetian and something described as "veggie mac and cheese" in Aqua. That's it for the entire week.

 

Well, don't forget the specialty restaurants. And, also I could make an entire meal of nothing but appetizers. Salads, soups, sides.... all veggie. Mix and match. Most vegetarians I know are well familiar with limited offerings and can be very creative. Also, the Executive Chef on board the Dawn is very versitile and takes special requests (especially if NCL knows about it ahead of time).

[veggie59]

You can also request special items to be prepared. I am a vegetarian...and a very fussy one. I do not like what some think of as vegetarian food; tofu, eggplant, hummus.....yuck. I talked to the head waiter and maitred when I first arrive on the cruise...and even emailed ahead of time. I had a standing order each night for salad made a certain way, pasta with marinara, baked potatos, fruit plate..etc. Then when I arrived at dinner I could pick a couple of those items depending on what might also be on the regular menu for the night. Our cruise in March on the Jewel....they actually showed me the weeks worth of menus ahead of time so I could give them some ideas. Also, there is usually a sherbet or sorbet that they may want for dessert in the dining rooms. They dont always have it listed on the menu......just ask. There are good sandwich stations on some ships at the buffet. I made cheese sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, onions...etc...for lunch. There is also pizza. Good luck.

[njhorseman]

Well, don't forget the specialty restaurants. And, also I could make an entire meal of nothing but appetizers. Salads, soups, sides.... all veggie. Mix and match. Most vegetarians I know are well familiar with limited offerings and can be very creative. Also, the Executive Chef on board the Dawn is very versitile and takes special requests (especially if NCL knows about it ahead of time).

 

 

I am intentionally ignoring the specialty restaurants because why should a passenger have to pay an additional charge to satisfy their dietary requirements?

 

Why should you have to cobble together bits and pieces when in the past there was a good selection available right on the main menu?

 

Besides...those salads and sides don't change all week either, so your choices are still limited.

 

My daughter-in-law is a vegan, so I'm well versed in the ins and outs of satisfying dietary needs in restaurants.

[njhorseman]

You can also request special items to be prepared. I am a vegetarian...and a very fussy one. I do not like what some think of as vegetarian food; tofu, eggplant, hummus.....yuck. I talked to the head waiter and maitred when I first arrive on the cruise...and even emailed ahead of time. I had a standing order each night for salad made a certain way, pasta with marinara, baked potatos, fruit plate..etc. Then when I arrived at dinner I could pick a couple of those items depending on what might also be on the regular menu for the night. Our cruise in March on the Jewel....they actually showed me the weeks worth of menus ahead of time so I could give them some ideas. Also, there is usually a sherbet or sorbet that they may want for dessert in the dining rooms. They dont always have it listed on the menu......just ask. There are good sandwich stations on some ships at the buffet. I made cheese sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, onions...etc...for lunch. There is also pizza. Good luck.

 

 

You were on the Jewel, which uses the standard NCL menus. The OP asked about the Dawn, which currently does not use the standard NCL menus and clearly offers far less choice for vegetarians and vegans than they did before.

[Geobugs]

I hope the experiment ends this year. I am sailing the Dawn on 1/1/2010. Two vegetarian entrees all week long is not what I expected. I am used to a new vegetarian option every lunch and dinner. But if that is the case then, I wonder if I could order the other entrees minus the animal parts.

[2Cruise4Ever]

Just like veggie59 said, just because the menus on the Dawn have changed, doesn't mean the special requests are ignored. When you book the cruise, you are asked if there are any specialty dietary needs. Just tell them "yes" and request what you want. The chef will do whatever he/she can to accommodate your needs. I have been on other lines and asked for something specific and been told "no." I've never had a request denied on the Dawn.

[2Cruise4Ever]

I hope the experiment ends this year. I am sailing the Dawn on 1/1/2010. Two vegetarian entrees all week long is not what I expected. I am used to a new vegetarian option every lunch and dinner. But if that is the case then, I wonder if I could order the other entrees minus the animal parts.

 

Yep, that shouldn't be a problem. I took a look at all the menus and can come up with a number of possibilities. Aqua has 3 different salads, 2 appetizers, a soup, and 1 main course. And, Venetian has 1 appetizer, 4 salads, 1 soup, 1 main. I'd be happy mixing and matching any of them for different combinations. Even the Salmon dish in Venetian without the salmon looks good. Yum!!! And, not to mention the Garden Cafe: awesome salady bar, soups, pasta bar, pizza. Oh, speaking of pizza, room service is always available. 3 salads, 2 pizzas, and a couple of sandwiches to choose from. At least knowing ahead of time what is being served, I can plan my week accordingly and not worry about missing something in the meantime.

 

I'll admit, I was one big skeptic when I first heard about these new menus. But, the more I think about it, the more it's growing on me. I'll let you know in less than 2 weeks!

[Redbird54]

Thanks everyone.

[veggie59]

You were on the Jewel, which uses the standard NCL menus. The OP asked about the Dawn, which currently does not use the standard NCL menus and clearly offers far less choice for vegetarians and vegans than they did before.

 

Ummmm....if you read my post....I had special requests for my meals. Not very much came off the menu. It would not have mattered which menu was being offered.

[billie5]

I have an even stricter dietary requirement than a vegetarian, or even a vegan. Absolutely no animal protein and also absolutely no added oil (vegetable or not). For what it is worth, this is the incredibly successful cardiac diet which was developed (or more correctly, experimented) at the Cleveland Clinic: google Caldwell Esselstyn for details.

 

I always request my own diet dishes from the maitre d' or head waiter the night before, and so far the chef has always responded: vegetable curry, gazpacho, pastas with whatever vegetables the chef has at hand (but no oil), etc. I often get ideas from the buffet on earlier days. Toward the end of the cruise, the chef understands what I need and sometimes comes up with his own creations. And, indeed, I often ask for sorbet for dessert.

 

I will be on the Dawn on the last week of November, and have no fear that my dietary restrictions will be met.

 

Bill

[njhorseman]

Ummmm....if you read my post....I had special requests for my meals. Not very much came off the menu. It would not have mattered which menu was being offered.

 

 

I read your post and understood it. Here's what you said that led to my response: " Our cruise in March on the Jewel....they actually showed me the weeks worth of menus ahead of time so I could give them some ideas."

 

Someone on the Dawn won't be able to see a week's worth of different menus to get ideas because there is only one menu for the week in each dining room on the Dawn. Looking at that lone menu, which has only a single vegetarian entree is not likely to generate a lot of ideas. That puts the passenger on the Dawn in a different position than you were in.

[veggie59]

I read your post and understood it. Here's what you said that led to my response: " Our cruise in March on the Jewel....they actually showed me the weeks worth of menus ahead of time so I could give them some ideas."

 

Someone on the Dawn won't be able to see a week's worth of different menus to get ideas because there is only one menu for the week in each dining room on the Dawn. Looking at that lone menu, which has only a single vegetarian entree is not likely to generate a lot of ideas. That puts the passenger on the Dawn in a different position than you were in.

 

Yes......but the ideas are based on having something OTHER than what is on the menu. So...after looking at the menus I saw that I would not have any choices there.....so then the head waiter and myself came up with ideas for my meals.

[VonChap]

I am allergic to gluten and almost all my meals on NCL are "special requests". They can be very creative--that's why we continue to sail with NCL. The other cruise lines were not helpful. Email the Special Needs Department at least 2 weeks before you leave on your cruise and let them know that you have special food requests. If you let them know, they will have a letter waiting for you in your cabin as to who you should call on board to create some menus.

[billie5]

I am surprised that others write about not having much cooperation from other cruise lines. Since my absurd but necessary diet began, I have sailed with Princess and Celebrity, and they have been equally cooperative, as compared to NCL, in coming up with alternative menus.

 

Bill