Vegans and vegetarians rejoice! Several cruise lines now offer exciting plant-based options more widely onboard their ships, so you don’t have to worry about not having enough food to choose from during your cruise. In most cases, the main dining rooms and specialty restaurants on these cruise lines will have a good selection of vegetarian and vegan foods on their menus and don’t even require making a special request to the kitchen staff or bringing your own food.
Here is our list of the best cruises for vegans and vegetarians
Oceania Cruises
Already known for its great cuisine, this is our top choice for vegan & vegetarian cruisers, thanks to a generous expansion of now over 200 plant-based dishes on its menus. Oceania Cruises’ range of plant-based cuisines spans the globe, including Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian, Malaysian, and more. You will readily be able to find new and exciting vegan options such as pad Thai, Korean Kimchi soup, tortilla Espanola, vegan truffle mac & cheese, Hawaii Poke Bowl, Impossible burgers, ice cream, and carrot cake in Oceania Cruises’ Grand Dining Room aboard all ships, as well as plant-based dishes at the ship’s specialty restaurants. Breakfast options include banana-oatmeal pancakes with berries & maple syrup, avocado toast on Rustic Farmer’s bread, & Green Apple Muesli with Pistachios. A juice bar serving cold-pressed juices and smoothies can also be found aboard Oceania’s largest ships, Marina and Riviera. Here is a sample from Oceania Cruises vegan menu.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
This luxury cruise line also added more than 200 vegan dishes last summer. “Plant-based cuisine appeals to a broad audience of luxury travelers,” Klotz said. “This is an emerging, modern specialty cuisine that allows our guests to enjoy more flavorful foods that are in harmony with their current tastes and pushes the boundaries on Regent’s acclaimed culinary creativity and imagination.” Breakfast options include banana oat pancakes, chickpea pancakes, & Cashew yogurts with fruit & granola. Lunch and dinner options include Impossible cheeseburger served with Voilife’s Just Like cheddar, Osaka Power Bowl, and Vietnamese summer rolls. Browse Regent Cruises, to learn more about this luxury cruise line.
Holland America
Holland America Line is another vegetarian-friendly cruise line, with plenty of options in its main dining room and specialty dining venues. In addition to a great salad bar with endless plant-based foods to choose from, Holland America also has a crepe station with different fillings, vegetable stir-fry, Quinoa & Cashew Nut salad, vegetable spring rolls, Asian noodle soup, black bean burgers, vegetable jambalaya, and pasta dishes. Room service options include salads, cheese & fruit & a Caprese panini. The cruise line also serves Indian vegetarian food, but it does need to be ordered 24 hours in advance.
Carnival Cruise Line
Another mainstream cruise line with a good assortment of vegetarian-friendly dishes is Carnival Cruise Line. The main dining rooms on all of its ships always feature at least one vegetarian meal, such as zucchini and eggplant parmigiana or chickpea biscuits, and you can order a veggie burger at Guy’s Burger Joint. Carnival also has delicious vegetarian pizza that you can now get delivered anywhere to you onboard its ships. Indian vegetarian cuisine is also available with 2 weeks’ advance notice.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean has recently expanded its selection of vegan food, with plant-based foods now available in all of its main dining rooms and the Windjammer Cafe. Dishes include vegan spaghetti Bolognese, Orzo pasta stew with green vegetables, and stuffed portobello mushrooms. Please note that this rotating seven-day vegan menu is currently only found in the main dining room.
Celebrity Cruises
Another great vegan and vegetarian-friendly cruise line is Celebrity Cruises. All of Celebrity Cruises’ main dining rooms now feature separate vegetarian menus, in addition to vegetarian-friendly pasta bars, pizza buffets, and veggie stir-fry stations. Specialty restaurants will also cater to vegetarians, although options may be limited. On select Celebrity ships, the specialty dining experience Le Petit Chef also has its own separate vegetarian menu.
Virgin Voyages Cruises
The Scarlet Lady, Virgin Voyages cruise first ship, states that they have a “vegetarian forward focus,” which will limit its use of plastic by not providing single-use plastic items like straws, bottles, and condiment packs. As to dining menus, we will update the post once more information becomes available.
In closing, cruise lines are making great strides in offering more plant-based foods on their menus; however, some vegans still may find they have limited options on most cruises. If you have any questions or special requests, be sure to speak with your cruise line’s special needs department or travel agent to make arrangements prior to your cruise.
