Going on a cruise -- worried about what to eat (is that possible?)

[Guest guest]

Hi Angela, Certainly different things work for different people, and certainly

my approach will not appeal to all.

 

I would do what you have already mentioned -- contact the cruise line and

ask detailed questions about food.

 

My next thought would be to work out some food to bring along myself.

I don't have a stock answer here -- I consider space and weight and

inconvenience and whether there is a fridge where I'm going and so on.

But I have probably brought or bought food on the majority of vacations

and trips I've gone on in the last 10 years. I suppose I could try to

" get by " on just what's on offer, but I wouldn't want to rely on that in

a constrained situation like a cruise ship. Sometimes I have brought

" just a little " food, other times lots. I've stayed in lots of places that

have a kitchen or a fridge, and even in a hotel room, I tend to have

sort of a " produce market " set up in my room.

 

Anyway, for a cruise I might bring at least a few things that " travel

well " like oatmeal and rice cakes and canned soup. I also have an

electric hot pot that works well for SIMPLE SMALL cooking in a

hotel room. This would be harder with several people, but not out

of the question. I would think about whether to bring it along.

 

Some things are more important to bring -- consider bringing salad

dressing, for example, if you want something that is fat free and not

sweetened a lot. For me, tea bags are certainly called for -- they

are small and light-weight and having tea that I prefer is nice, especially

when I'll likely have less other food/drink choices than I'm used to.

If you eat things like dried fruit or " energy " bars or nuts at home,

these all travel well, and may not be available unless you bring them.

 

Depending on your own preferences and limits, canned foods may or

may not be a good " backup " . It's not be most favorite food, but yet

I'm certainly happy to have a stash on hand as a backup plan.

Canned veg chili is okay with me, and I eat canned beets anyway,

and I'll eat canned corn if I'm hungry.

 

After asking the cruise line about food and thinking about what food

could I bring myself to eat, I'd also consider the kinds of things others

have brought up about talking to the staff.

 

I'm also likely to wonder how much food issues may affect my

enjoyment of the cruise and social issues -- I've never been on a cruise,

but stories of cruises seem to have a lot of food in them, so I have

an impression that giant buffet spreads are an important part of

" cruise culture " . Hopefully there will be plenty of recreation and

entertainment that suits you so that you'll be fulfilled and happy

via distractions other than food...... which makes the spreads or

rich food less of an issue (for me). If a lot of the entertainment

that I want to go to is going to involve food, I'm going to need to

consider that.

 

best,

Moria

 

 

>My family and I are going on a cruise in early Spring, and I'm getting

>a little worried about what will be available for me to eat. Yes, I

>know there will be fruit and maybe lots of salad stuff... but I also

>know cruises are notorious for having rich foods as their standard

>fare. I want to feel satisfied and not get too distracted/frustrat ed by

>the lack of options.

>

>I am planning to call the cruise line and let them know I'm eating fat

>free vegan... besides that, do any of you have any recos?

>

>Thanks for your advice.

>

>Angela

[Guest guest]

I've never been on a cruise. Moria mentioned bringing along canned soup. If your room will have a coffee maker, you could also take along Dr. McDougall's dry cups of soup. They'd be much lighter in your luggage. You could heat up water for them in the coffee maker. I, too, would think that a large part of the cruise experience is the mealtimes. So I'd only bring the soups and such as a backup. The best advice to consult with the appropriate people once on board has already been mentioned. My experience with restaurants is that they are willing to accommodate health needs if they are clear about them. I would think that it'd be the same with the cruise line. They WANT your business. So should accommodate

you. It helps to have a list of foods you CAN eat and mentioned what is definitely out. The list can be as short as: all fruits, all vegetables, all legumes and all grains. Not allowed--animal products and OIL. You can add additional foods within those categories if you absolutely refuse to eat them. I've heard of people giving the chefs that list and telling them to be creative. They've ended up with awesome dishes. I've never actually had to resort to a list for my own needs. However, when one of my daughter's developed food allergies, we did create such a list. At one restaurant we had the owner come out to discuss her numerous allergies. He ended up fixing a unique dish just for her. Naturally, we left a huge tip. Bon Voyage,MarthaMoria Merriweather <moriam Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 12:11:33 AM Going on a cruise -- worried about what to eat (is that possible?)

 

Hi Angela, Certainly different things work for different people, and certainly

my approach will not appeal to all...

 

Anyway, for a cruise I might bring at least a few things that "travel

well" like oatmeal and rice cakes and canned soup. I also have an

electric hot pot that works well for SIMPLE SMALL cooking in a

hotel room. This would be harder with several people, but not out

of the question. I would think about whether to bring it along.

 

Some things are more important to bring -- consider bringing salad

dressing, for example, if you want something that is fat free and not

sweetened a lot...

 

After asking the cruise line about food and thinking about what food

could I bring myself to eat, I'd also consider the kinds of things others

have brought up about talking to the staff.

 

I'm also likely to wonder how much food issues may affect my

enjoyment of the cruise and social issues -- I've never been on a cruise,

but stories of cruises seem to have a lot of food in them, so I have

an impression that giant buffet spreads are an important part of

"cruise culture". Hopefully there will be plenty of recreation and

entertainment that suits you so that you'll be fulfilled and happy

via distractions other than food...... which makes the spreads or

rich food less of an issue (for me). If a lot of the entertainment

that I want to go to is going to involve food, I'm going to need to

consider that.

 

best,

Moria

 

>My family and I are going on a cruise in early Spring, and I'm getting

>a little worried about what will be available for me to eat. Yes, I

>know there will be fruit and maybe lots of salad stuff... but I also

>know cruises are notorious for having rich foods as their standard

>fare. I want to feel satisfied and not get too distracted/frustrat ed by

>the lack of options.

>

>I am planning to call the cruise line and let them know I'm eating fat

>free vegan... besides that, do any of you have any recos?

>

>Thanks for your advice.

>

>Angela

[Guest guest]

angelapaulweis wrote:

 

 

My family and I are going on a cruise in early Spring, and I'm

getting

a little worried about what will be available for me to eat. Yes, I

know there will be fruit and maybe lots of salad stuff... but I also

know cruises are notorious for having rich foods as their standard

fare. I want to feel satisfied and not get too distracted/frustrated

by

the lack of options.

 

I am planning to call the cruise line and let them know I'm eating fat

free vegan... besides that, do any of you have any recos?

 

Thanks for your advice.

 

Angela

 

 

 

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Angela,

 

I believe, you need to advise the cruise line six (6) weeks in advance

of your meal preferences. As a back up, I would reconfirm with them

three (3) weeks prior.

 

Over all, even if you need to, you can forward to them several recipies

to consider that you enjoy.

 

As well, most likely the night before you will be able to request a

specific type of meal, as for the most part they will possibly have

tofu on the ship so that will not be a problem.

 

Have fun and send us a post card from each port! Just kidding about

the post card...

 

SamuelS