4 Cruises for the Seafaring Vegan

Kristin | On 13, Jan 2014

THIS IS A GUEST POST BY GABY LUCIUS

Travelling can be stressful, and can sometimes be perceived as more challenging depending on dietary and lifestyle choices. Over the years, I’ve become a bit of a traveling-while-staying-healthy-and-true-to-my-veganhood savant (if I may say so myself). I have learned that if I get creative I can really find foods that I can eat anywhere, and I try really hard not to let local cuisines prevent me from visiting a new place or experiencing a new culture. Cruises, however, definitely seemed more daunting (if they don’t accommodate my needs on board, I can’t just hop off and hit a farmer’s market!) Here are some cruises that I have researched or experienced that are uber-vegan friendly and will hopefully encourage you to leave dry land and hit the seven seas, regardless of your diet.

1. Holistic Holiday’s Seven Day Vegan Cruise

This is more than just a relaxing cruise (although there is plenty of relaxation to be had, never fear!). Holistic Holiday At Sea focuses on more than just cuisine to create a vegan holiday—they also offer over 120 educational lectures and classes while you’re aboard as a way of promoting healthy living and healthy habits. They cover everything from fitness (yoga and Pilates) to cooking classes and meditation. Of course, their menu is entirely vegan—a macrobiotic smorgasbord for your pallet’s pleasure.

2. The Cruise to Nassau by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

The folks at Royal Caribbean do the best job at making sure there are vegan cuisine options during their luxury cruises even though they do not necessarily advertise as being “vegan.” In fact, the kitchen staff in so friendly that they’ve even made me special desserts so that I didn’t have to live on sorbet alone to satisfy my sweet cravings. Fancy AND delicious are my two favorite things.

3. Maple Leaf Adventure’s Cruise

These cruises offer particularly awesome travel destinations (umm, the Galapagos, anyone?!), and the trips are almost always multi-day trips with a personal feel. The food prepared certainly won’t be the stuff of a culinary nightmare: all food (including snacks) is prepared on board by a chef. It’s as beautifully presented as it is delicious. And the President and Senior Captain is a vegetarian, which may at least partially encourage the line’s consciousness of different guest’s dietary needs.

4. Sanctuary Retreats

Sanctuary Retreats specializes in trips that allow you to trek with gorillas, take lavish river tours, walk with elephants in Botswana, and take a number of other crazy, adventurous opportunities that most travel companies can’t (or don’t) provide. These trips are perfect for those who want luxury in the wilderness, and their cruises tour primarily around Africa.

Living vegan should not keep you in a pocket of the world. There are always ways to get creative about travelling without sacrificing meals be it on land or by sea, so get out there and have yourself an adventure.

Gaby Lucius likes to spend her time traveling the world with her long-suffering husband, Mike. Thankfully, their mutual love for food has kept their marriage alive over the years.