Upmarket boutique line Windstar Cruises will soon introduce a vegan menu on all six of its cruise ships. The menu was created in partnership with a national health organization following increased demand from the line’s cruise guests, said Windstar.
Windstar Cruises, operator of a fleet of all-suite and sailing yachts, plans to roll out a full, plant-based and gluten-free vegan menu that expands the line’s traditional meat and vegetarian offerings, the line announced on March 14. The vegan entrees, sides and even smoothies were created with assistance from the National Health Association.
According to the line, its culinary team has started training on the new menu items, with the launch scheduled fleet-wide in June 2023.
Some of the new vegan offerings will feature breakfast smoothies, main courses like Veggie Enchiladas with Black Bean and Cilantro Sauce as well as Penne Rigate Pasta, with Crisp Vegetables and Espelette Pepper Sauce. For a vegan dessert, how about Tahini Brownies with Fresh Strawberries?
Windstar Cruises’ Director of Hotel Operations Peter Tobler said, ”The National Health Association points out that vegetarian and vegan diets are not always healthy, and for meals to be truly health-promoting, they also need to be minimally processed and prepared.”
Tobler added: “We’ve seen an increased demand for whole-food, plant-based dishes from our customers, and we’re really excited to work with the NHA to bring them something that’s nutritious and delicious. As a side benefit, plant-based foods also reduce our environmental footprint – a major goal of Windstar’s – allowing us to tread more lightly on this planet.”
Cruisers Looking For Healthy Choices
Windstar Cruises said that the new menu followed the line’s hosting of several groups that wanted plant-based food choices — a segment of cruisers that has grown since the start of the pandemic.
Travel advisor (and former open heart recovery nurse) Lisa McCarl has booked several of those groups on Windstar Cruises’ ships and believes there is great demand for healthy travel options.
Said Lisa McCarl, “More people are changing the way they eat to prevent and reverse diet-related disease. Why not make it easy for them to continue that healthy lifestyle while sailing on the trip of a lifetime? Windstar is doing a phenomenal job in making healthy cruising a reality.”
Several other cruise lines also are embracing the growing popularity of vegan menus. Royal Caribbean in December 2022, revealed it was including vegan entrees in a revamp of its cuisine offerings that was being tested onboard Symphony of the Seas. The cruise line said that every night’s menu would soon include beef, chicken, fish and vegan entrees in a program that would be rolled out fleetwide in early 2023.
Virgin Voyages offers vegan dishes in its Razzle Dazzle restaurant onboard its two ships, Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady, and MSC Cruises’ serves vegan cuisine at Indochine, an eatery onboard MSC Virtuosa. On Carnival Cruise Line, vegan burgers are on the menu at Guy’s Burger Joint venues fleetwide.
Windstar Cruises said that Wanda Huberman, executive director of the National Health Association, has been working with the line’s culinary team and sharing her expertise as the Windstar Cruises’ staff developed recipes in line with the organization’s standards.
Wanda Huberman said, “The Windstar culinary team has knocked it out of the park in executing the specific requirements of our meals. Every meal is absolutely delicious and served in a beautiful presentation with so much variety that no one will leave a meal feeling hungry or less than satisfied.”
The National Health Association itself is sponsoring several group cruises aboard Windstar ships in 2023 and 2024 for cruisers seeking a plant-based cuisine experience.
Windstar Cruises’ ships accommodate between 148 and 342 guests, and offer global itineraries. Its fleet consists of Wind Surf, Wind Star, Wind Spirit, Star Pride, Star Breeze and Star Legend.
