Eating kosher Lunch/Dinner on a cruise

The number one thing people seem to do on a cruise is eat (well and maybe drink). When cruising kosher its no different than any other form of travel, you can’t eat what everyone else is. Unlike some other places however, cruises cater really well to kosher food.

Basic lunch/dinner food

Just like on an airplane the main option for food is a frozen meal that they warm for you. All the food comes double wrapped and heated, typically in the oven. There are typically about 6 meat options, 1-2 pareve options, and about 3 dairy options. I will go into more detail on these in a future post, and go more into detail by cruise line, but I do not want to have this post get too long.

One tip that they might not tell you, there is no limit on how many they let you order. Feel free to order 2 or 3 meals on the first night so you can try a variety and learn how filling they are, and then adjust from there. If you and your spouse each order 3 meals, you should be able to try the entire meat list that first night, so you know what to expect and what you want to order at different times.

Other food options

Breakfast is an entirely different ballgame, so I will leave that for a separate post, but keep in mind you are not limited to only the frozen meals. On your first day the wait staff will gladly take you into the kitchen and show you everything, and you can look at what has a hechsher and what does not.

Typically, you will find most breads on the ship are kosher. When in the main dining hall, you can request them to warm your bread double wrapped in the oven, and they will, and they will bring it to you uncut. The OU states that all extra virgin olive oil is kosher (https://oukosher.org/passover/guidelines/food-items/extra-virgin-olive-oil/) so feel free to use whatever they provide with the bread for this.

If you want a salad, they will work with whatever you want. They can triple wash everything while you are standing there and add anything you want, and either cut it with a plastic knife, or leave it whole for you. There are so many options of what you can do; just ask and they will be happy to accommodate your wishes.

The one last common thing to order is fresh salmon. Once again, the OU states that all salmon is kosher (https://oukosher.org/blog/consumer-kosher/can-skinless-salmon-assumed-kosher/) and therefore can be consumed on the ship. The same does not apply to other fish, but salmon is ok. They will cut off the end piece with a plastic knife and leave you with a clean piece that they can cook for you. They will double wrap the salmon with whatever you want. We will often have this with potatoes or vegetables and fresh herbs for flavor. You might be sick of fish by the end of the trip, but it’s a great fresh option.

Dessert

Your dessert options will vary by cruise and cruise line, just like everything else. There are a few things to think about however if dessert is something important to you.

Most cruise ships have soft serve ice cream available 24 hours a day. On your first day just ask a staff member and they can show you the mixes, so you can see if they are kosher. Typically, they are, but I have seen instances where they are not. The same rule applies to hard ice cream in the dining hall, it typically is kosher, but when you are having dinner that first night your waiter can assist you and help you figure it out.

Typically, along with your kosher dinner options there are kosher desserts. This process will vary just like everything else. Sometimes the kosher desserts are on a different their own section and you can chose which dessert you want each night. Other times, more like a TV dinner, its just a section in the tray of food they warmed for you.

What to do first

When you first get on board, I would recommend finding out what time the maitre’d will be starting to meet with people, usually its between 1-2 depending on the cruise. You should aim to get there 15 minutes early and line up because they get busy, fast. When you meet with the maitre’d I suggest having two different topics with them.

If you have an assigned dining time there is a pretty good chance that you will be assigned a table with a bunch of random people. Typically I like to request a private table. They go fast so being early to have this conversation is key.

Next you will want to let them know what you want for dinner, whether you are doing an assigned dinner time or flexible. Since the kosher food comes frozen it can take 45+ minutes to heat your food, depending on how many kosher people are on your cruise. By placing your order first they can make sure it is ready with minimal wait when you come to dinner. They will also make sure that they have paper plates and plastic utensils waiting for you, in place of the trief stuff.

You may want to take a picture of the menu of kosher food, because you will need to decide what you want the night before. After that first night’s dinner they will ask you about all your meals for the next day, so having a photo of the options will make that process easier for you.