With dietary requirements on the rise, whether it’s down to lifestyle choice or medical need, how can agents reassure passengers? Russell Higham reports
Let’s be honest: the opportunity to eat pretty much whatever you want, when you want – and as much of it as you want – is a large part of the appeal behind a cruise holiday.
But for the increasing number of passengers with dietary requirements, eating on board a cruise ship can be a real worry. How much of what’s on offer will they be able to eat? Will there be appetising meat-free alternatives? Can they be sure that an ingredient they’re allergic to won’t be hiding in any of the dishes they’re served? Fears like these can put some would-be customers off altogether, especially if they’ve never cruised before.
More than 2.5 million people in the UK have a food allergy or intolerance. And 4.5% of the population – just over three million adults, according to the Vegetarian Society – are already following a meat-free diet, with many thousands more saying they intend to try a vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian regime.
So how can you convince these clients to book, and feel confident that they’ll enjoy the dining part of their cruise as much as any other guest?
Inform the cruise line in advance
It’s important to let the cruise line know early that the client has dietary requirements, especially if they’re medical. Marella Cruises suggests that once on board, the client should speak to the restaurant team as soon as possible to confirm everything’s in place to meet their needs.
Sitting at the same table, or at least in the same area of the restaurant each time, helps to build a relationship with the waiting staff and means they’re more likely to remember dietary requirements and alert the guest to dishes that may not be suitable. If travelling with a child who has a food allergy or intolerance, it’s important to let the children’s activities or kids’ club leader know as well, in case any snacks or treats are handed out.
Seabourn equips all its customer-facing crew with digital tablets loaded with information about each guest’s dietary needs, so that whichever restaurant they visit, everyone working there will know if they should be avoiding a certain ingredient. This includes the chefs working in the galley preparing the food – if a guest orders a dish that contains traces of nuts, for example, they know exactly who ordered it and can alert them if they have an allergy.
Ask about special dietary options
As for catering for vegan guests, SeaDream Yacht Club is a pioneer in the alternative cuisine movement, having implemented the first raw foods menu at sea more than a decade ago. Over time, the company has expanded its cuisine to offer vegan dishes on every menu.
Its culinary team has undergone extensive training in plant-based cooking and sourcing ingredients to ensure gourmet vegan options are prepared with just as much attention to taste and nutrition as non-vegan dishes. Highlights include lentil bolognese with gluten-free chickpea pasta and tofu cakes on sautéed courgette with mint and basil sauce.
Another yacht operator, Windstar Cruises, partners with the US National Health Association to offer a vegan menu on all six of the small-ship line’s vessels. The offerings are not only plant-based but also prepared without added salt, oil and sugar. They are also all gluten-free, which is no small point considering that more than 10% of the UK population have cut gluten out of their diet altogether.
Avalon Waterways, meanwhile, has recruited Karl and Leo Wrenkh – who run Austria’s premier vegetarian restaurant and cookery school Wrenkh, in Vienna – to create its Avalon Fresh menu. This offers not only healthy but also highly appetising vegetarian dishes – as well as vegan, low-calorie, low-fat, high-fibre, low-cholesterol, high-energy and allergy-free options – at breakfast, lunch and dinner. How does pineapple cucumber salad with coriander and lime sound, followed by pumpkin-saffron quinoa with grilled bok choy or mushroom schnitzel and parsley potatoes?
Whatever their dietary requirements are, first-time passengers and seasoned cruisers have plenty of reason to put their fears aside and book with confidence. After all, everyone deserves the chance to say ‘bon appetit’ as well as ‘bon voyage’.
