Royal Caribbean is the latest line to launch its own plant-based menus in yet another milestone for the rise of vegan food on cruise ships.
Surf and turf and burgers will give way to endamame-stuffed Portobello mushrooms, vegan spaghetti bolognese and orzo pasta stew on ships sailing out of Australia.
The move follows the adoption or vegan menus by Oceania and Regent Seven Seas ships.
“At Royal Caribbean, we’re always looking at how to raise the bar of our dining offerings,” Linken D’Souza, Vice President of Food and Beverage at Royal Caribbean International said.
“As the number of people and families adopting a vegan lifestyle continues to grow, we wanted to formalize our vegan offerings in a dedicated menu (available upon request in the Main Dining Room) where guests can explore options and choose their dish—it’s all part of the dining experience.”
Mr D’Souza told Cruise Passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas earlier this year that the company had been working on a vegan platform for some time to meet high demand.
“We’ve bought a dietician on board recently to bring these things to the fore,” he said. “Plant based food is interesting and I would say we will focus on vegan.”
Mr D’Souza is not a vegan himself.
He also told Cruise Passenger he recently hired a minivan and tested 14 to 15 BBQ restaurants in Austin, Texas, before creating the BBQ offering on board the Oasis of the Seas.
He tested the sauce and the meat by building a BBQ in the parking lot of the company’s HQ to test the sauces and meat on the staff.
Mr D’Souza has a truly international palate. He was born in Dubai to Indian parents of Portuguese decent, spent most of his life in the Middle East, and then attended university in Switzerland.
