Royal Caribbean Cruises Just Launched a 3-Course Vegan Menu

Royal Caribbean Cruises Just Launched a 3-Course Vegan Menu

Cruise line Royal Caribbean now offers a vegan menu in its main dining rooms.

Royal Caribbean’s Windjammer buffet has offered plant-based food for some time, but this marks the cruise line’s first vegan dining room option.

The new vegan menu features edamame-stuffed portobello mushrooms, vegan spaghetti bolognese, and orzo pasta stew with green vegetables.

Those with a sweet tooth can order the vegan toffee cheesecake with dark chocolate and a peanut butter crust.

Vegan Food on Cruises

Royal Caribbean Cruises Just Launched a 3-Course Vegan Menu
Vegan food is becoming more popular on cruise ships.

Virgin Voyages, the cruise line under the Virgin Group name, announced it would add more plant-based food options in a bid to boost its sustainability.

The Scarlet Lady is Virgin Voyages’ first cruise ship. The 110,000-tonne vessel, which will carry 2,750 guests, will ditch the conventional buffet typically found on cruise ships. Instead, it will offer more than 20 restaurants, lounges, and casual eateries with made-to-order menus.

“In doing this, we’re cutting back on waste, drastically lowering our energy usage and emissions, and setting up Scarlet Lady to be the future of sustainable sea travel,” Virgin told cruise industry publication Cruise Radio last year.

As well as a “vegetarian forward” focus, the ship will limit its use of plastic by not providing single-use plastic items like straws, bottles, and condiment packs.

“By eliminating bottled water alone we will prevent more than 2 million plastic bottles from entering the waste stream annually per ship. Our team has made great strides to reduce standard disposable items typically used in food and beverage and hotel operations,” a spokesperson for Virgin told LIVEKINDLY, adding that it has reduced its essential plastic products from 46 to 16.

Luxury cruise company Oceania launched vegan menus on all of its six ships last year, making it one of the most vegan-friendly cruise lines out there.

The new menu features more than 200 plant-based options including cuisines like Mexican, Thai, Indian, Italian, and Korea.

All-vegan cruises are also becoming popular. Cruises serving only plant-based food set sail from Canada and Australia last year. The Australian cruise, called The Whole Connection, offered a “transformational ‘retreat style’ holiday” which included yoga, meditation, cooking classes, and live entertainment. Guests could enjoy swimming pools, spas, a fitness centre, a cinema, karaoke, and games rooms.