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Vegan Options


Quilter620

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It is getting close to 45 days before my sailing. If I would like to order from the MDR vegan menu, do I need to contact Royal Caribbean, or is the menu availableto anyone who would like it? Is non-dairy milk available in the Windjammer or MDR. I emailed Royal Caribbean several days ago with the same questions and never heard back.

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When you stop by the MDR after boarding to check the location of your table (highly recommended by many on these boards) you can inform them that you would like to have the vegan menu provided at your table each evening. If it's not there on the first night, just ask your waiter for it.

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4 hours ago, Coinich said:

Great info on MDR.

Can I add to this by asking - does anyone know if Izumi, Jamies, or Chops has a Vegan menu option?   (Sailing on Mariner in April)  And how is the Windjammer situated for vegan diners?

I would like to add our experience when ordering vegan in the MDR. The first night was slow, but the food was delicious. Before we left, we were presented with the next evening's menu and were asked to select our options. Selecting the next evening's options continued each night of our cruise. Also, our food continued to not be in sync with the non-vegan meals, but it wasn't a big deal for our group.

I have not seen any vegan menu's outside of the MDR. For Izumi, we were able to enjoy edamame as an appetizer and the chef prepared vegetable sushi for us. It was not on the menu, but he seemed familiar with the request. For Jamie's, they offer a limited amount of vegetarian items that we were able to customize to our taste. Honestly, I would not recommend Chops. We went there for lunch (had The Key) and they were unable to provide us anything outside of a couple of sides. It is a steakhouse so I'm not surprised.

We like eating in the Windjammer as they do have a variety of items available. Not everything is clearly labeled or even labeled correctly so if you are in doubt, ask one of the chefs and they are happy to provide guidance on your options. If you want a veggie patty, just ask at the burger station. If they have them available, they will cook them fresh upon request.

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On 1/15/2020 at 7:31 PM, Quilter620 said:

Is non-dairy milk available in the Windjammer or MDR.

Yes in the Windjammer. Each coffee station lately has cartons of almond milk and I think soy milk (might be coconut). The coffee shops on the ships also have these options available, in addition to lactose-free milk. I believe the reason that the coffee stations in WJ do not have the lactose-free option is because the cartons are left out in the open with just some ice, and that's probably not good enough for the regular lactose-free milk. Almond and coconut milk are non-perishable and able to handle warmer temps better, so they're OK to leave out even if opened.

For the other question from @Coinich, I'm going to ping @monorailmedic as he's our resident expert on all vegan ship matters, along with being in charge of the kale dip. ?

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/17/2020 at 12:29 PM, Coinich said:

Great info on MDR.

Can I add to this by asking - does anyone know if Izumi, Jamies, or Chops has a Vegan menu option?   (Sailing on Mariner in April)  And how is the Windjammer situated for vegan diners?

I've never specifically asked about a seperate vegan menu in specialty restaurants on RCI, but I can't tell you I've not seen any of them present a separate lacto-ovo menu (like the MDR does), so I'm going to say no.  That said, you can of course leverage the standard plant-based options in other venues, and you'll find mixed success in special requests from specialty restaurants.  They've always been accommodating, but depending on the chef, manager, etc, the level of creativity can vary quite a bit.  I'd consider having a chat there a day befor eyou plan to dine to then see, based on what they can offer, if you feel it will be worth it to you.

Sorry for the terribly long delay on my response.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello all - I first discussed plant based options on this blog last September when RC released the new vegan menu in the MDR.  The experience then on Majesty was top notch. They treated us like everyone else ordering at the same time and getting our food timed with the regular menu.  The food was spectacular and resulted in the tables next to us wanting to know what we were eating. 

Those high expectations were not met on Empress terms of the vegan menu. The first two nights the food was a half hour behind and they asked us to order the night before.  It may seem reasonable but does change the whole dynamic. Hard to explain plus it didn't speed up service with us still be served way late. In addition, the same menu items from the earlier cruise were not created in the same way and were not nearly as good. 

Long story short, the incredible wait staff noticed and got Richard, the MDR manager involved. The next five nights were a treat. Richard made suggestions of plant based possibilities from both the regular,  vegan menu, and other off menu items. He insisted on serving us each night. Even the head chef, Karl came out one night to find out how the vegan menu could be improved. (honestly, that was a bit intimidating)

My final plant based advice on Empress is just ask.  Empress, being small with limited space do have milk substitutes, veggie burgers, etc out on the buffet so you just need to request them. Everyone was happy to get the options for you.  

To be clear, the Empress of the Seas didn't disappoint anywhere else and was simply magical. Certainly, the smallest ship with the biggest heart!

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just wondering why a person eating from the Vegan menu has to be singled out and has to order the night before. If they have the menu, they should be able to prepare it the same way.  Just wondering why?  Is my daughter less special than me who like meat?  What if I want to order from the Vegan menu, will my food come out late.  Great step to have a Vegan menu.  But come on man. 

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29 minutes ago, SteelersNationVA said:

Just wondering why a person eating from the Vegan menu has to be singled out and has to order the night before.

It's anyone who needs any modifications. I used to have gluten issue - I had to pick the night before. My food came out when everyone else's did.

 

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17 hours ago, ellcee said:

It's anyone who needs any modifications. I used to have gluten issue - I had to pick the night before. My food came out when everyone else's did.

 

Then why have a separate vegan menu if the kitchen can not produce orders on the menu at the time.  Then there is no change and the company is not Vegan friendly.

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6 minutes ago, SteelersNationVA said:

Then why have a separate vegan menu if the kitchen can not produce orders on the menu at the time.  Then there is no change and the company is not Vegan friendly.

To let Vegan cruisers know since the vegan lifestyle is a bigger thing than before. I can't speak to orders not coming out it time if you order same night, hopefully someone else can. I think we see things differently, the people I know were pretty happy about it, happy about options. I've found the MDR very open to requests and wanting to please. I was on one where a friend of mine had a health issue that prevented him from eating normally. The MDR went out of their way to find options every night, even offering to blend his spaghetti one night.

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1 hour ago, SteelersNationVA said:

Then why have a separate vegan menu if the kitchen can not produce orders on the menu at the time.  Then there is no change and the company is not Vegan friendly.

A lot of the food served in the MDR requires prep time.  They have an idea based on history of how much to make for the MDR menu items that are in regular rotation.  The vegan menu is relatively new so they may not have as good of an idea of how many of each item to prepare for.  Ordering the day before allows them to make sure they have enough prepped.  It isn't a perfect system but it's better than having no options at all like they used to.

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  • 1 year later...

Can I get an update for 2021 vegan options in MDR and specialty restaurants... I see some menus already show veg options on the regular menu and I'm sure you can talk to the head waiter at MDR ahead of time (available upon request). Anyone have a copy of the vegan menu?

But wondering if my plant-based friends have any favorite dishes to request?  I'll be on Jewel - so my options are Chops, Giovanni's and Izumi and MDR. 

#vegan #vegetarian #plant-based

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16 minutes ago, D Alt said:

Anyone have a copy of the vegan menu?

If you go into the Royal Caribbean app and select a sailing when you go to the Main Dining Room menu the vegan menu is listed at the very bottom before the wine list starts..right after the kids menu as you're scrolling through.

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