Vegan on a Carnival Cruise

My family went on a Carnival Cruise on the Inspiration over spring break. I had been on a Carnival Cruise before and they were great about making me vegan food, so I wasn't worried. The first night of the cruise, I spoke to the dining room staff member that handles all special meals. I was thrilled to find out that they were willing to make their daily vegetarian entree dairy-free with advance notice. Here are some of the meals I had:

Zucchini and Eggplant with Tomato Sauce. Simple but good.
Black Bean Enchiladas with Salsa and Guacamole.
Poblano Pepper stuffed with Potato and Corn.
Channa Masala, Mattar Aloo, Spiced Basmati Rice. This was the best.

One night, my brother commented that my food looked like it was more about presentation than the actual food. I assured him it was yummy, too. Overall, I was impressed and I never left hungry. I got two appetizers every night: Salad with Balsamic, and a Tropical Fruit Plate. For dessert, another fruit plate. The fruit was always ripe and sweet, but it was always the same: cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, and sometimes pineapple or watermelon. Maybe half a strawberry, or two blueberries. One night, there was some papaya. That was exciting. I probably ate $10 worth of fruit every day. Mmm.

They also gave me a little glass of soy milk every night. I just wanted a little for my coffee, but a whole glass is cool, too. I also got soy milk to go with my cereal and coffee when I ate breakfast in the dining room. A couple times, I got a soy latte from the on-ship cafe, but that costs extra.

Every day, they had four fancy vegetarian salads for lunch at the salad bar. Usually two of them would be dairy-free. but it was hard to tell. I wish they had been labeled. I recall a Cabbage and Roasted Beet Salad dressed with a fancy vinegar being particularly tasty. There wasn't much else for lunch, though. I'd usually have a big salad with some beans and oil and vinegar, fruit, and another salad. Fiber is good!

Overall, I really enjoyed the food. I just wish there had been some sort of dessert. I realize now that maybe I could have requested a simple soy chocolate pudding. On a previous Carnival Cruise, I was given a soy vanilla pudding with cherries every night. It was always very firm and jiggly and, looking back, I am now semi-convinced that they served me a soy-based gelatin pudding. So, I was kind of afraid to ask.