Eating delicious vegan food is unquestionably one of the best parts of cruising with us on the Holistic Holiday at Sea vegan cruise (HHAS). Our HHAS menu is entirely vegan and almost all dishes are made from scratch using high quality whole foods. Much of our food is organic. In foods that are not available in organic, we emphasize non-GMO.
Curious about specific meals and how the dining works? We’ve created this cheat sheet to help guide you.
A quick note before we begin: There are other people on the ship who aren’t a part of the HHAS vegan group, and MSC Cruises offers these guests a regular menu. There are also people in our group that aren’t 100% vegan. The MSC meals and our vegan meals are prepared separately. Those who want non-vegan food can ask the server for the regular MSC Cruises menu.
Breakfast and Lunch
For breakfast and lunch, people have the option of going to the buffet or going to the specified main dining room for a waiter-served meal. Breakfast is served from 7:30-9:00am. Lunch on sea days is 11:30am-1:30pm. Lunch on port days is 12:00-4:00pm in the buffet.
In general, the typical breakfast choices in the vegan section of the ship’s buffet include dishes from our HHAS dining room menu, such as miso soup, porridge, greens and some daily specials like scrambled tofu, plus several vegan dishes prepared by MSC chefs, such as breakfast frittatas, potatoes and other veggies, beans, grits, oatmeal, and fruit. The typical lunch choices in the vegan section of the ship’s buffet are items from our HHAS five-course dining room menu as well as a variety of vegan dishes prepared by MSC chefs, which may include Indian or other ethnic dishes, pasta dishes, rice, beans, veggies, salads, and fruits.
During breakfast and lunch, a few tables are set aside in each dining room for vegan-only dining. Only items from the HHAS vegan menu may be ordered in these areas. Look for the designated vegan only tables as you enter the dining room or ask the maître d’ for directions.
Dinner
For dinner, the HHAS group fills both of the main dining rooms at the 6 pm seating. The other guests on board do not attend this meal. Our full vegan dinner is only served in the dining rooms at the 6 pm seating. Craving a late night snack? After dinner, there is vegan pizza in the buffet. During the parties and socials, which typically begin around 10 pm, there may be vegan pizza, vegan ice cream, or vegan hors d’oeuvres.
Dessert
We don’t use any processed cane sugar, honey, or artificial sweeteners in our meals. Most of the desserts are made with either rice syrup or maple syrup, or a combination of the two. For people who do not want any concentrated sweeteners, including maple syrup and rice syrup, fruit is almost always an option for dessert.
Gluten-Free and Allergies
Almost all of our dishes are gluten-free, and when gluten is in the meal, it’s clearly marked on the menu, and a gluten-free option is almost always available. We also have a vegan menu option with no added oil.
If you have food allergies or are curious about the ingredients, please check the ingredients lists that are posted at the entrance to our dining room for each meal.
How Seating Works
Our group has open seating in the dining room, which means that people can sit where they like. For those looking to meet other singles, we have “singles only” tables. Look for these designated tables as you enter the dining room or ask the maître d’ for directions.
Questions?
If you have questions about the meal options or dining in general, email info@holisticholidayatsea.com or call us toll-free (within the US): 1-800-496-0989 or Ph: 1-828-749-1959.
