SteelersNationVA

2 questions. Are the black bean burgers vegan? Do the have them on all ships? Asking specifically about Radiance.

Did you talk to the head waiter?

Great idea. I messaged RC customer service. Maybe they will do it. They already have the recipes in a database.

Thank you for your comments. We are sailing next summer. A lot can change. We are a family of 7. 2 are vegans and 2 are vegetarians. We will go with the flow and be prepared with supplements if it is a disaster. We will talk to guest relations in advance and the head waiter on the 1st day. I still do not understand why they can’t label the food in the Windjammer as being Vegan and Vegetarian. They label gluten free.

We are in a 2 BR Owners Suite. DD & Fiancée are in a balcony. If we order room service dinner, what is to stop her from eating as she is also a care giver for her disabled adult siblings?

We are in a 2 BR Owners Suite. DD & Fiancée are in a balcony. If we order room service dinner, what is to stop her from eating as she is also a care giver for her disabled adult siblings?

Is this trip all the way to Carcross worth the time? Do you take the train round trip or one way with the bus the other way? If you take the bus in the other direction, which way is best to take the train? How comfortable are the buses? We are going in early July 2024 if this makes a difference. TIA

Hello again. I have seen that RC has made some changes to the menus. I was sure that the menus would evolve before we cruise in July 2024 to Alaska. I see they dropped the tofu tacos (really bad feedback - what were they thinking?). Have the vegan options improved? We are going on the cruise for the ports and scenery. But food is still important. Thanks in advance.

Congratulations. My DD and DBF will be getting married 2 weeks before the cruise. This was a long planned family vacation that now coincides with their wedding. Both are vegans. Not getting into menu here, they will survive. Can we arrange a special vegan cake either sent to their cabin or for dinner. By the way the rest of the clan is staying in a 2 BR Owners Suite. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

We are sailing on Radiance OTS in July 2024. If we arrive in Seward early enough in the day, can we drop off our luggage and then explore Seward as long as we get back in time for boarding? There are 7 of us and plan on booking a private van from Anchorage to Seward. This should be cheaper than the bus or train.

Our family is taking our 1st cruise and going to Alaska. DW, DD1 + Fiancé + triplets who will be 27 and have disabilities. We will spend a week in Alaska going up to Denali before the cruise. Lots of stuff to plan. Places to hike and things to see. Anyone else going?

We have hiked in "remote" trails in the Tetons and Yellowstone and carried bear spray. Park Rangers did not require it but strongly encouraged it and provided training. We are going up to Denali and other parts for a week and will carry it. We will hike in ports like Skagway and Ketchikan. Hiking with "a million of your best friends" is not our idea of adventure. Do we we need bear spray if we are hiking on our own? Can we turn in the bear spray for safe keeping when we embark and retrieve it at the ports and then hand it back when we get back on? We want to follow the rules, but also be safe when hiking. Thanks in advance.

The US FDA requires all restaurants to have available information on common ingredients. Since most RC ships port in the US they should have to comply. Just ask.

Thank you all for your honest feedback. On Facebook pages (RC Dining) if you criticize the food you are a picky eater and on the vegan page everyone hates the new menu. I am skeptical. We are going to Alaska on Radiance July, 2024. 4 of the 7 are vegan or vegetarian. DW hates eggplant and portabella mushrooms. That is 3 of the 7 vegan entrees she will not eat. Since they will not allow any substitutions, what do we do? Can my DW order an appetizer and just a plate of vegetables of the day? Or does this fall into the mandate of NO SUBSTITUTIONS? The vegan menu is extremely limiting. Why not include a daily vegan Indian Curry with the same sauce as the curry of the day? Plenty of options for the rest of us (our 2 sons and me). Our sons will be 27 and eat a lot. DS2 will often have 3 - 4 helpings at dinner and burns off every calorie and is under weight He has Autism and ADHD . If they can order only 1 entre at a time, the waiter will be wearing out the carpet going back to the kitchen. The consistency of the food is a huge concern. I want my food hot. This is a food safety issue as well as taste. 2 servings of the same dish do not always taste the same when served at the same time. Staffing and supply chain issues are real. But quality is a management and training issue. Don't blame the wait staff. I have messaged RC. Hope it helps. I also spoke with my travel agent who indicated she would talk to her contacts at RC. There is more to a vacation than food, but come on man.

There has been lots of feedback regarding the new menu - both positive and negative. As someone who eats meat (less and less beef), chicken, and seafood in addition to fruits and vegetables, it is fine. I will find plenty of options. 4 of 7 in my family are vegan. The options are almost non-existent. 1 choice and that is it. The feedback I have read are that they are not nutritionally balanced all the way to inedible. One Vegan entre includes honey which is not plant based - how rude. Nobody has raved about the quality of the vegan choices on Facebook or this board. Since one can not order off menu, a vegan is stuck with bad food, the Windjammer with no labels of what is vegan and what is not or suck it up. It appears that the vegan options were an afterthought and not even considered as an integral part of the menu themes. There are hundreds of vegan cook books, thousands of plant based restaurants, and hundreds of celebrity chefs who focus on plant based cuisine. BUY ONE OF THE COOKBOOKS, EAT AT PLANT BASED RESTAURANTS, OR HIRE ONE ONE OF THE CELEBRETY CHEFS AS AN ADVISOR. IT DOESN'T APPEAR THIS WAS DONE FOR THE VEGAN PORTION OF THE MENU. The regional themes are great. There are excellent vegan options within these themes. The French have savory vegan tarts. The Caribbean Islands and England have lots of vegan curries. Plant based diets are a growing part of the US and global population, especially among those who are younger and have disposable incomes. As prices of food have increased and health issues become more in the news, even meat eaters have migrated to eating more vegetables and plant based meals. The demand is there if the options are appealing. I hope this part of the menu will be upgraded by the time we sail to Alaska in July 2024. We booked this cruise thinking that there was a separate vegan menu. I knew this change, but come on man. No choices? @Matt does RC even read posts like this to get feedback or is it a waste of hot air?

What about ships that do not have Coastal Kitchen like Radiance OS?

I can order from Panera, drive from my office (10 minutes), and the hot items are hot. It can work. This was being done pre-pandemic. If the RCL app doesn't work and that inhibits the customer experience, they need to hire folks to fix it. Or is time not the issue, that the only issue is food cost. Do not BS the customer.

Is the issue time (takes the kitchen too long to prepare the larger menu), food quality (can only do so many things really well), or food costs (too much waste in the kitchen having a long menu that changes daily)?

If every fast food restaurant can get it, I am sure the developers on RCL can do it or they can buy the software and configure to fit the RCL app.

If RC wants to speed up the time it takes to dine, give those an option of pre-ordering their dinner. Once they sit down the appetizer comes out, when the appetizer is served, the entrée is finished, same with the desert. In and out. We all have learned to order our dinner on apps and pick it up. If that is what folks want at home, give them that option on vacation, but don't limit the experience for others. Those that want a traditional dining experience, can have a traditional hour, hour and half to 2 hours to leisurely dine and talk.

We are going to Alaska in July 2024. We are doing a self guided land-based tour + the cruise from Seward. We selected a travel agent who could do both. I was very impressed with her background and understanding as I have never planned such a huge vacation. We also have adult children with disabilities. She was cool with meeting our needs. So the cruises to Alaska were getting released last week. Where was she. Ireland on a long delayed vacation. Kathy Geiger from MEI Travel made sure our needs were met while she was out of the country. HUGE shout out to Kathy. I am even more confident that when we need her while in Alaska, she will be there for us. Thank you.

I wonder how many special requests there are with such a limited menu. I assume special requests take longer to prepare than extra items already on the menu. Or is RCL trying to cut costs by making it more inconvenient to ask for accommodations and special requests?

Are your responses based on the new updated menu policy or the old menu?

I am new to cruising. So I will ask some dumb questions. Can you still order more than 1 appetizer without an extra charge? Same with a 2nd entrée or desert? Can you still order off menu for a garden salad? or plate of just sides as your main entrée? DW is vegetarian and does not like certain things. Can you still request plain pasta with tomato sauce? Some kids (and adults) are picky eaters. Are the lobster tails the size of large shrimp or real lobster tails from a 1 pound lobster? We are sailing on Radiance in a suite to Alaska. Ship has no Coastal Kitchen. Is there an alternative restaurant for suites? I get it if this is to cut costs or control food waste. Just be honest. Thanks in advance.

This may explain some of the issues with food quality. Hiring that many people requires huge investment in training. Not everyone gets the training perfect on day 1. In any job, there is a learning curve.