My husband and I live in South Florida so cruising is an easy vacation for us. At least once a year we go on a 7 day Cruise with my parents, brother and sister-in-law. We have three vegetarians and three are not. Eating on a cruise was always challenging until we figured out a plan of attack.
My sister-in-law, Maria, has Celiac so she can not have any and I mean ANY gluten. She is vegan and gluten-free. So the first thing we do when we get to the dining room for dinner is make our waiter and head waiter aware of our special needs. Most cruise lines offer gluten-free and vegetarian dishes but they are not usually aware that most patients diagnosed with Celiac also have dairy issues.
Recently we went on two cruises 6 weeks apart. We learned a few things on these cruises with the help of two wonderful people who work for Royal Caribbean. Our headwaiter, Emil was aiming to please and our waiter, Julieta was extremely helpful. On the first cruise I had the vegetarian suggestion on the menu and didn’t feel so good after eating it. I always suffer extreme water retention on cruises. Emil suggested that the chef could cook me something special, whatever I wanted. I asked for sauteéd vegetables and they brought me the best meal I ever ate on a cruise ship. Perfectly sauteéd vegetables, a large assortment. I had that meal with a slight variation every night and never felt bloated or uncomfortable. They brought Maria a very similar dish but designed to her taste. My husband ate the vegetarian dish on the menu almost every night but if he didn’t like what they were offering he asked for a vegetarian Indian entree.
Every night Emil showed us the menu for the next night so we could put in our order. Thank you Emil! Six weeks later we were back on the same ship and Emil and Julieta were waiting for us outside the dining room. What a greeting!
So we had dinner solved, what about breakfast and lunch? Most cruise ships have at least one dinning room/buffet that has healthier choices. On Royal Caribbean they have the Solarium Bistro. It’s a healthy buffet. Choices for breakfast are eggs with grilled veggies or a high fiber cereal. And lots of fruit during breakfast and lunch. We usually have a beautiful salad for lunch with oil and balsamic vinegar. Maria ate breakfast and lunch through room service. Julieta arranged a gluten-free meal delivered especially for her.
So whatever your needs are…don’t be afraid to ask. Your health is too important to slack during vacations. Eat healthy, exercise (the cruise ships have gyms) and enjoy your cruise vacation.
P.S. I didn’t see the gym at all this vacation. We’re not all perfect. My husband maintained his fitness regime throughout the cruise.
