If you have dietary restrictions, you’ll be happy to know that the Virgin Voyage cruise ships are totally accommodating of all dietary issues. If you have been holding up on making a booking because of food concerns and not being able to find a cruise for vegans and vegetarians, then you will enjoy learning about how they can accommodate you.
My wife has a lot of them. Even before we boarded the ship, she was asked what her dietary restrictions were. They added that information to her personal profile. Very helpful if you’re looking for a cruise for vegans.
From the time you board the ship, your profile will tell the crew about your needs. So, whenever she showed up at a restaurant, they had her profile on file.
Additionally, the waiter or waitress immediately asks about your dietary restrictions and then tells you how they can accommodate you.
All of the menus on the ship tell you if an item is vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free. They also say whether an item can be customized to your needs. The restaurants and dishes below were from our Virgin Voyages’ Fire & Sunset Soirees cruise to the Bahamas.
Helful tips from virgin voyages
Virgin Voyages says every eatery on board offers at least one vegetarian dish, and many now include vegan or plant‑based choices too. This means even casual spots and bars on a cruise for vegans have food that works with those diets. You can also ask the crew for special requests or allergy accommodations before and during your voyage.
Virgin’s 24‑hour room service and The Galley (the food hall) have vegan‑friendly items like salads, fruit, plant‑based burgers, miso udon, and snacks. These are easy, flexible options on a cruise for vegans when you want something between main meals.
THE TEST KITCHEN
Our first night on the ship, we had a reservation at The Test Kitchen. It was a beautiful restaurant with an open prep kitchen. The idea behind The Test Kitchen is that every few days they ‘test’ out a new menu, so when you arrive at your table, you see a small menu with six different courses that will be served. This dining spot adds real variety, which matters on a cruise for vegans.
Typically, restaurants with pre-chosen menus are not great for my wife and her dietary restrictions. But this meal was unbelievable and totally accommodating for her. A cruise for vegans makes it easier to travel without stressing over food.
The main entrée for this meal was venison or Beef. However, she is also a pescatarian. So, even though the entrée choices for the evening were both meat offerings, they customized an entrée for her with Scallops. She loves scallops, so she was thrilled with their suggestion. They made her a beautiful entrée of six large scallops. To accommodate her no-dairy restriction, they cooked the scallops in olive oil instead of butter. The scallops were cooked perfectly and were moist and tender.
The next course was a blue cheese mousse, which she also could not eat. The chef quickly made her a vegetable tort. It was beautiful and tasted just as delicious. Most of the vegetables were roasted, but it also included some pickled squash. The combination of tastes was amazing. Restaurants like this help set the standard for a modern cruise for vegans.
The dessert that evening was chocolate ganache, and since she is allergic to chocolate, the chef prepared a beautiful bowl of fresh berries for her.
Having just boarded the ship that afternoon, she was so impressed with their ability to accommodate her diet. Choosing a cruise for vegans does not mean plant-based meals are always available.
RAZZLE DAZZLE
Another restaurant aboard the ship was Razzle Dazzle. We went there for breakfast for several days in a row because we enjoyed it so much. The menu included items like ‘Nutty gazpacho’ and “Watermelon & sesame cream” as appetizers. Both were dairy-free, and all items were labeled vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.
The watermelon and cream dish was inventive, looked amazing, and tasted delicious. They also had main dishes, including an acai bowl, wild mushroom frittata (v) (gf), and a malted buckwheat waffle (v). She had the acai bowl one day and the Razzle Dazzle Breakfast, which was (v) (gf) with scrambled eggs, roasted mushrooms, and Yukon gold potatoes. This restaurant is a strong reason this ship works so well for vegans.
They even had the most incredible vegan, gluten-free blueberry cheesecake with a pistachio crust! She claimed it was truly one of the best desserts she has ever had. Finding a cruise for vegans and vegetarians that includes this attention to detail is hard to find. Options like this make a cruise for vegans feel easy and well planned.
We were so impressed with Virgin Voyage’s attention to detail and consideration of my wife’s diet restrictions. When it came to finding a cruise for vegans and vegetarians, they exceeded our expectations.
It was a pleasure to visit their incredible restaurants, knowing she was completely taken care of and didn’t have to worry about finding a meal she could enjoy. This is important for first-time travelers. Instead, we focused on enjoying our meals and the overall dining experience. Dining experiences like this show how far a cruise for vegans has come.
