Carnival Cruise Line has been renovating and revitalizing its main dining room menus in recent months, and now additional new changes will bring more vegan options across the fleet.
The new vegan main dining room menu is already available onboard one Carnival ship, and is planned to be rolled out to the rest of the fleet by the end of 2023.
New Vegan Menu Onboard Carnival Ships
Carnival Cruise Line is adding more plant-based menu items to the main dining rooms with the introduction of a fully vegan menu.
Not only will this provide more delicious dishes for those who prefer vegan choices, but will also facilitate ordering as well as preparation to ensure no cross-contamination with animal products.
The new vegan menus include appetizers, entrees, and desserts, all of which are entirely vegan. When proteins are featured in the dishes, they are plant-based meat substitutes as appropriate.
“Plant-based food options are a rising preference on our ships just as they are on land, and so the new dishes we’re introducing are a direct response to that shift,” said Richard Morse, senior vice president of food and beverage at Carnival Cruise Line.
Carnival Cruise Line has always offered featured vegetarian selections, but not every vegetarian choice is also vegan. While vegetarians may still eat some animal products such as diary, eggs, or certain proteins depending on their preferences and dietary needs, vegan diets are more strict and eliminate all animal products.
“Our skilled chefs work to accommodate all dietary needs and preferences but building on our vegan offerings and emphasizing them with specific menus will help to make ordering easier in the dining room and preparation more efficient in the galley,” said Morse.
The new menu offers delicious options for all courses, starting with a “Hawaiian Salmon Poke” featuring plant-based salmon and refreshing fruits and vegetables such as edamame, mango, and cucumber.
Guests can also enjoy “Stuffed Mushrooms” with plant-based cheeses and spinach, or a hearty “Spaghetti Carbonara” with vegan bacon and spices, available as an appetizer or entrée selection.
For entrees, key highlights of the new vegan menu include “Grilled Tofu Steak” with a Hasselback potato and mixed vegetables, “Baked Vegetable Au Gratin” with a vegetable medley sprinkled with plant-based cheeses in a vol-au-vent presentation, and “Eggplant Cutlet a la Parmigiana” topped with rustic tomatoes, pesto, and basil.
Decadent desserts can also be part of every vegan meal. The “Key Lime Velvet Cake” combines refreshing lime, raspberry, and strawberry for a deliciously sweet finish.
Chocolate lovers won’t be able to resist the “Dutch Double Chocolate Pave” of layered cake and buttercream frosting, while coffee aficionados will want to indulge in the “Cappuccino Pot de Creme” with cinnamon creme chantilly topped with glazed nut crumbles.
When Will the Vegan Menu Debut?
The new vegan menu offerings have already debuted aboard Carnival Magic and Carnival Dream with great success.
“It’s been tested on two ships with our vegan guests and the reports are nothing but glowingly positive,” said John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador.
Guest response indicates a great deal of excitement for the new menu, not only from those who follow a vegan diet by choice or medical necessity, but also by guests who are simply interested in the opportunity to try new foods or add more plant-based options into their diet, even if they still regularly eat meat.
Carnival Magic has already debuted the entire new vegan menu, while Carnival Dream is already beginning the rollout, and by the end of September, the new offerings will be available aboard Carnival Valor, Carnival Radiance, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Panorama, and Mardi Gras.
Next up, the vegan menu will appear on additional ships: Carnival Celebration, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Glory, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Vista, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Sunshine, and Carnival Elation will all offer these choices by the end of October.
Read Also: Carnival Confirms Fleetwide New Dining Room Menu Rollout Dates
Finally, Carnival Paradise and Carnival Spirit will debut the new menus in November, and by the end of the year, vegan guests will have more options aboard Carnival Legend, Carnival Venezia, and the upcoming Carnival Jubilee.
Exact dates for the vegan menu rollout on individual ships have not been confirmed, and will likely depend on ensuring all supplies are available and each ship’s culinary staff is trained on the proper preparation and handling of the vegan items.
