Summer Cruise

I just returned from an amazing nearly month-long vacation visiting parts of Norway, Scotland, England, Ireland and Iceland. We traveled by train, cruise ship, car and foot. We walked over 100 miles during our vacation, which explains my need for new shoes!

When we planned our trip, one of our biggest concerns was food. Our little travel group included my son, Michael, who is gluten-intolerant, his partner, Beth (she and Michael are both vegetarians), my husband, Dave, an omnivore, and me—who is vegan and also gluten-intolerant.

Fortunately for Dave and me, both Michael and Beth have traveled extensively and know how to find really great places to eat which align with their dietary needs. Beth has developed a great strategy for planning where to eat when visiting different cities. I will share some of her tips in a future article, but for now, I want to focus on our dining experience on our cruise ship, Azamara.

This is my second cruise with Azamara. Last year, I visited several Greek islands and Istanbul, Türkiye with Michael and Beth. When they first suggested a cruise, I balked at the idea. All I could envision was one of those giant floating “cities” with loud, partying travelers—not my idea of a relaxing vacation. However, Azamara is a different cruise line. A small company with only four ships in its fleet, Azamara prides itself on providing its passengers with a luxurious but casual experience. Their ships accommodate only 700 passengers, and the areas on deck are spacious, uncrowded and quiet. Most of the passengers are 50+ adults and there are very few children onboard.

Besides the amazing ports we visited, my favorite part of both cruises was the food! Azamara deliciously accommodated all of our dietary needs.

The ship has three restaurants: two specialty ones (which charge extra for meals)—Aqualina, an Italian restaurant, and Prime C, a steakhouse—and Discoveries, the elegant main dining venue where we ate, which is included in the cruise package. In addition to their regular menu which offers vegetarian options, Azamara has a separate vegan menu each evening with plant-based dishes and desserts similar to what appears on the main menu. The menu changes each day, so there are always new and interesting dishes from which to choose.

This year, Azamara made a small change to how they accommodate their passengers with specific dietary needs. At the start of our cruise, we were invited to meet with the head waiter who carefully took note of our all our dietary needs. The staff was then made aware of our dietary preferences. This was much appreciated when one evening, our server intervened before I received a dish which contained gluten which had accidentally been omitted from the menu.

For breakfast, we ate at The Windows Café, a buffet which always included vegan and gluten-free foods. Some of their breakfast offerings included Beyond Meat sausage and bacon, chia pudding, assorted vegetable and potato dishes, and fruit. I was never hungry! The Windows Café was also open for dinner, and occasionally we dined there when we wanted a less formal meal. Their dinner offerings were usually themed—French, Asian, Indian—always with plenty of vegan options.

Although we usually ate lunch in port, the ship offered food from lunch through dinner at The Patio, a poolside grill with burgers, wraps, fries, and nachos, but unfortunately, few vegan options.

Here is a sample of one of Discoveries’ vegan menus: