Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas vegan menu review
Many thanks to Mike & Nicole, for submitting this Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas’ vegan menu review. They sailed on Anthem from her homeport Southampton, in September 2021. Check out their own blog for many more cruise reviews!
Sanna
We booked this cruise on Anthem of the Seas having read about Royal Caribbean cruise line’s vegan-friendly approach onboard their fleet of ships. There can often be a big difference between what is being claimed to what you experience in real life but on this occasion, the claims were totally justified. The vegan menus in the MDR offered not only some quite creative and nutritious options but delivered too with some absolutely delicious tasting dishes.
Windjammer buffet on arrival
Normally the first thing we do when first get onboard, is head for the buffet as embarkation more often than not coincides with lunchtime, on this cruise and with onboard social distancing measures being implemented, after washing our hands, we were shown to a table from where we were free to visit the servery’s but not actually serve ourselves, there was always a crew member on hand to dispense whatever you asked for. (this has since changed back to self-service as usual – Sanna)
At this point, Nicole approached the manager of The Windjammer to discuss her options and was met with a very favourable response. After showing her several options available that day she selected a Chickpea stew with garlic rice and spring rolls, they even made her a special dessert of soya cream whip with strawberry coulis. This great start was replicated many times during the week and there were always options available coupled with knowledgeable servers on hand to advise. Not everything was labelled and a little knowledge and common sense, maybe followed by a question, could often provide a favourable result.
Vegan evening menu in Anthem of the Seas’ MDR
Our first visit to the dining room that evening also provided a very positive experience, a vegan menu was provided with something for each course.
Although we had MyTime dining, we elected to retain the same waiting team as they would be very aware of Nicole’s dietary requirements. Even to the extent of only bringing to the table only suitable bread with the offer of margarine or balsamic vinegar & olive oil. This then prompted us to ask if there was any hummus to spread over it, not only did it appear the following evening but it was also accompanied by an olive tapenade, with both ever-present for the rest of the cruise.
The restaurant manager also played his part by bringing out the following evening’s menu for viewing prior to our departure from the MDR.
Breakfast service
On several mornings we took breakfast in the MDR, on our first visit Nicole enjoyed scrambled tofu but from then on enjoyed porridge oats made with water, with poured oat milk over that, then added sugar, cinnamon and raisins and finally a nice selection of berries to top it off.
The restaurant manager even organised for us to have the scrambled tofu in the Windjammer one morning after Nicole’s yoga session finished after the MDR had closed. It just emphasises the importance of good communication with the servers, and their managers, if you want to get the most out of the vegan dining experience onboard.
Photos of vegan menu choice from Anthem of the Seas’ MDR
I have to admit we often forgot to take pictures of the amazing-looking dishes before tucking in – so I can’t illustrate a full week of meals. I think the simplest way of sharing this information is to break it down by each day and show the menu to illustrate the other choices available.
Other venues outside MDR and the Windjammer
Other areas of the ship where food was available that we either used or noticed were Sorrento’s pizza where there was a vegan pizza available (with vegan cheese). When we eventually got around to ordering one, they had run out of the vegan cheese so we took it without. The reason given was lack of supplies which given the current supply issues on land is understandable.
Café Two70 Bistro, is an area are the back of the ship which had coffees with soya milk, there were also a few items to eat such as breakfast items & salads.
Due to the number of passengers onboard, the Solarium Bistro wasn’t open so we were not able to check what was available there.
We disembarked the ship after a week and were completely bowled over by the service and approach by Royal Caribbean and the crew of Anthem of the Seas.
Finally, some consideration must be given to the fact that this cruise only sailed at 20% capacity so some items mentioned could well have been enhanced however, it certainly won’t prevent us from taking another Royal Caribbean cruise.
Mike & Nicole from Wansbrough Cruise Blog
It is so wonderful to see actual vegan MDR menus, and I am pleased Nicole found it relatively easy to find vegan meals on Anthem of the Seas. Royal Caribbean are certainly leading by providing separate menu instead of varied quality ‘chef’s choice’ meals provided in the past. You can see my dissappointing selection from 2016 here. Good to see much improvement!
Sanna
