Kosher Cruiser

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Although I have never been on a cruise ship during Passover, many cruise lines do make accommodations. I have spoken to several cruise lines to learn about their Passover accommodations. Although none of these cruise lines' Sedarim appears to work for an Orthodox Jew, I am providing a summary of my findings here. Several lines do offer kosher for Passover food however. Offerings by cruise line Carnival will offer Kosher for Passover food provided by their kosher caterer, upon request, which must be received 60 days in advance. A Sedar is only offered on board if a rabbi contacts the cruise line to lead it on a volunteer basis.  (read more at: Keeping kosher on Carnival ) Celebrity stated there is a Sedar on board. The person I spoke with was unaware of who leads it or if they have only 1 or 2 Sedars. No information available on Passover food as well.  (read more at: Keeping kosher on Celebrity ) Costa makes no kosher food accommodations and makes no spe...

Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line Kosher Caterer: Weberman's Traditional Foods of Miami, Florida certified by OK Meals offered: All meals come double wrapped and come frozen. Food can be ordered from either the buffet or in the main dining hall, but the cruise line recommends the main dining hall, with orders placed the day before. Meat: Roasted chicken breast with sweet noodle kugel and carrot tzimmis Pot roast with kishka and vegetable  souffle Turkey schnitzel with sweet potato fries and spinach croquettes Salmon with white rice and green beans Stuffed cabbage with barley Steak with mashed potatoes Grilled chicken leg with risotto and spinach kugel Dairy: Vegetable lasagna Pareve: Snapper with potato and carrots Notice needed for Kosher meals: Carnival requests 60 days notice. Accommodations up to 2 weeks prior to the cruise, for North American cruises, can be made based on availability. How are the warmed: ...

As I mentioned in my last post ( Anytime vs Assigned time dining ), assigned time dining has two options, either 6pm or 8pm (give or take a few minutes depending on your cruise line). When doing assigned time dining I suggest seeing the maitre’d your first day on the ship in order to request a private table, otherwise you may be assigned a group table. These group tables will include non-kosher consumers eating food you cannot eat. If like me, you have chosen the assigned dining time, you now need to choose which dining time you want, and once you choose, you are stuck with it. You cannot decide to do 6pm some times and 8pm other times.  The first day your checked luggage may not arrive in your room until after the early dining time, so be sure you are comfortable eating in what you wore on to the ship if you choose early. Evaluating your situation Here are the factors to consider when deciding. Ship’s itinerary – The days at sea, where you are not at port, are...

Traditionally cruise ships offered 2 different dining options for dinner, either assigned or buffet. The assigned dining was either around 6pm or 8pm. However, in recent years, most cruise lines have begun allowing the main dining hall dinner either by assigned time or anytime dining (each cruise line calls this something different, so I am using “assigned time” and “anytime” dining as a generic term). Although your situation may warrant a different conclusion, I feel any kosher diner would benefit more from an assigned time than anytime dining. Anytime dining When choosing anytime, you go to your assigned dining hall during the diner period; typically approximately 5-8pm. Advantages The advantage of this is the flexibility. If there is a late port day or an early show, you can go at a different time, and not allow diner to be the reason you miss something you wanted to do. For example, if you have a 6pm dinner you would never be able to make a 6:30 show. Many peo...

One thing that may surprise most people is that when they book a cruise it may not cover gratuities, which is the major source of income for many employees on the ship. The cruise line does not usually pay the people that help you in the dining rooms and in your stateroom; you pay them, separately. Gratuities are automatically charged to your room on a per person and per day basis. So for example, if there are 4 people in your cabin and you go on a 7 day cruise, the current Carnival rate would mean you would be charged $391.72 at the end of your trip. This can be even larger in a suite or on another cruise line, so be mindful of this. Most cruise lines give you the option of either paying these gratuities in advance or having it added to your on board account. How much do they are Here is a breakdown oh what cruise lines charge. Obviously there are many more, but I just wanted to give you a summary for your benefit of understanding the differences. In addition the below...

Cruise Line: Cunard Line Kosher Caterer: Hermolis & Co. from England and is certified by Kedassia Meals offered: All meals come double wrapped and frozen. A menu will be sent upon request and needs to be sent back 6 weeks prior to sailing. I have attached below the menu that I received upon calling Cunard. As indicated, you can only order 2 meals per day, which consists of 1 entrée and 1 soup. They make no guarantees as to the availability of kosher food available for breakfast. Beginning October 12, 2018 fresh kosher meat is available on ships, which can be cooked fresh, based on the request of the passenger. Meaning they will have it there for you and can request they cook it double wrapped for you. Notice needed for Kosher meals: All requests must be made and returned 6 weeks prior to departure. Any requests later than 6 weeks will not be honored. Request can be made by phone or by emailing cunardonboardservices@cunard.com How are the warmed: ...