Cruises can be amazing as a holiday experience and with so many out there, it can be hard to pick one. With any dietary requirements, it used to be difficult to be able to eat out. However, now though, you have a lot more acceptance for all types of dietary requirements but here are some tips when you’re booking a cruise as a vegan.
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Choose Your Cruise Liner Wisely
As much as things have changed when it comes to people’s diets. There are still going to be companies that are better at providing the food you are after than with others. With cruise liners, it’s important to choose them wisely as a vegan. It’s a good idea to see what they have available in terms of their food options whilst on their website. If they don’t seem to have a lot of information, it may be wise to ring them up and tell them you are vegan. They may be able to talk you through the vegan options that usually feature on the ship. Remember that as you’re on a cruise, you can’t easily hope off to nip to your local shops and buy vegan-friendly food. So it’s good to be prepared about what’s available. Some cruise lines may be able to provide a lot more vegan options and may even have specialist chefs who produce entire sections of vegan food. It also depends on how many vegans they may normally have during the cruise. Some cruise liners might have more vegans because they cater to those who are meat-free. If the food is therefore meat-free, a lot of the meals they provide will either be dairy or plant-based.
Plan Ahead
There’s definitely an advantage to planning ahead when it comes to the meals. If there are going to be certain points at which they provide vegan food, then you want to be sure that you’re at the front of the line to get it. Even meat-eaters and vegetarians will want to try the vegan diet and if the food is limited, then you want to be able to take priority. You may be able to plan ahead some of the meals that you have while you’re on board and with a cruise, you could be specific in what meals you want prepared each night. If you’re one of the only few vegans going, the cruise ship might make the extra accommodations to ensure that you are happy with the food you are being provided. After all, it is part of the whole experience of going on a cruise. However, these cruise ships aren’t going to know what you want unless you tell them. Unfortunately they’re not mind readers so ensure you’ve put some plans into action to ensure you’re being well fed whilst on board.
It might be worth getting to know the chefs on board a bit better because they often come out to say hello to guests. If you’re able to get to know them whilst aboard the ship and to mention you’re vegan, they may try making some more tailored foods that will suit your palette. It’s definitely something worth asking for because if you don’t ask then you don’t get!
Stock Up On Snacks
As much as cruise liners will accommodate vegan food, there might not be a huge selection for you to choose from and if you’ve done no extra research or planning, then it could be a little disheartening to realize you’ve got the same meal every day for the next week or two. So, it’s definitely handy to have yourself stocked up on snacks. Unlike flying, you’ve got a bit more scope on what food you can bring on board a ship. The snacks that are usually served on cruises are likely to be very limited, so the more of your home comforts that you can bring, the better. Throw in any biscuits that you like to have with your hot beverages and stock a load of chocolate and sweet treats so you can have the luxury of a chocolate on your pillow when you arrive. These snacks can be something you can keep in your room until needed or you can take them with you when you’re out and about, exploring different locations away from the ship. There’s plenty of snacks available to try from Vegan Liftz.
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Know Your Vegan Hotspots Abroad
When it comes to stepping off the ship, there will be plenty for you to see and do. And like your cruise ship food service, you want to know that there’s plenty of vegan options whilst you’re staying within the holiday locations that the ship drops you off at. There are plenty of apps and online resources that connect you with all the local restaurants and cafes around that area that you’re traveling to so that you are able to book a few tables here and there in order to get the best vegan food. Knowing these vegan hotspots ahead of time is going to help you plan your day a lot better. You don’t have to be aimlessly wandering around for hours trying to find a suitable place to eat and that caters to you.
Remember Your Bathroom Bits
And finally, in terms of living a vegan lifestyle, you want to ensure that you’ve bought all your bathroom bits with you because not all the bathroom supplies that you usually get with holiday accommodation is going to be vegan-friendly and unlike food, there’s likely going to be less chance of having vegan-bases bathroom products in your room. So it’s always going to be best to bring these items with you to save you the hassle of having to try and find them in the cruise shopping areas or on land in another country.
Booking onto a cruise as a vegan is a lot less stressful and frustrating than it once was. However, it’s always a good idea to be prepared.