Worrying about what you’re going to eat can ruin a cruise before it even starts. If you have special dietary requirements, the idea of buffets without labels and set menus with limited choices is enough to make you think twice about booking at all.
I’m vegan and I’ve sailed with Ambassador Cruise Line twice now. The difference between my first cruise and my most recent one was huge. Since launching in 2021, this cruise line has massively improved how they handle dietary requirements.
On my latest trip, they were so confident in how they handle food allergies, intolerances and religious and ethical food preferences, that they even invited me to have a look around the kitchen so I could see exactly how my food was prepared.
And that’s why I can now say this with confidence… If you need a cruise line that actually takes dietary requirements seriously, Ambassador has quietly become one of the best out there.
Why food is the biggest worry for people with dietary requirements
As you’ll know if you have dietary requirements, food is not a small detail on holiday. A lack of suitable things to eat can really ruin your trip. Before I started cruising, I’d been to several all-inclusive resorts where I had to survive on plain salad, chips and bread!
It can happen on cruises too. It’s so frustrating to stand in front of a buffet full of beautiful food, but with no labels, and nobody keen to help you find out whether you can eat any of it or not.
For vegans and vegetarians, if we eat the wrong thing by mistake, it’s not the end of the world – although it can certainly be upsetting. But for people with allergies, mistakes can be life-threatening. So its vital that cruise lines get it right.
What Ambassador used to be like
When I first sailed with Ambassador Cruise Line, they were not bad for special diets, but they weren’t exactly amazing either. You usually had to ask for things in advance. Options existed, but they felt a bit bolted on rather than built into the experience.
The crew were kind and tried to help, but they did occasionally serve me the wrong thing. It was clear that they were trying, but there was some room for improvement.
What changed and why it matters
Between my first and second cruise, something clearly shifted. Ambassador didn’t just add more options, they changed the way they handle food for people with dietary requirements.
One of the smartest things they introduced was using different coloured plates for special meals. Vegan food is served on a blue plate, rather than the standard white plates that most guests get. I haven’t seen any other cruise line do this.
It means that food for guests with dietary needs is instantly recognisable in the kitchen and in the dining room, so there’s zero chance of it being mixed up with someone else’s dish.
In the restaurant, my waiter would always place my plate down and say, “This is the vegan option,” so I was never in any doubt. It sounds small, but it is huge. It shows there is a system, not just good intentions.
Sometimes, my food would even come with a little wooden sign in it, so there could be no doubt that it was the right one! I love this!
What I saw when I looked around the galley
Being invited into the galley was a real eye-opener. It showed how seriously Ambassador takes food safety.
I was thrilled to see a dedicated vegetarian section of the kitchen, completely separate from the rest. All the chopping boards and knives were colour coded, so there was no risk of anything being used for the wrong type of food.
I also saw demonstration plates already set up with special diet meals, so the chefs and waiters could see exactly how each dish should look when it went out, massively reducing the chance of serving the wrong plate to someone.
On the walls, there were posters about food allergens and handling procedures. It felt organised, professional and calm, which is exactly what you want when you are trusting someone else to cook your food.
What else Ambassador does for guests with dietary requirements
This level of care isn’t just in the kitchen. When you get on board, if you’ve submitted dietary info in advance, you’ll receive a letter in your cabin inviting you to meet with the chef and the restaurant manager to go through your needs.
Menus are clearly labelled with allergens, and the buffet is too. Even the room service menus have allergy labels and options to suit everyone. This is pretty rare to see on a cruise in my experience.
My vegan experience on Ambassador
As a vegan, this was honestly one of my best cruise experiences so far. On my first sailing, I managed, but on my second I genuinely enjoyed every meal.
I keep a list of the best cruise lines for vegans and I update it each time I cruise. I was able to move Ambassador Cruise Line up to the number two spot!
Number one is SeaDream Yacht Club, but it would be very hard to compete with them. The ships have just 100 guests and a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1. Plus, the owners are vegans and also own a chain of vegan restaurants. It’s a high bar!
I absolutely loved the food on Ambassador Cruise Line. On many other cruises I’ve been on, the starter and dessert can seem like an afterthought of plain salad and lemon sorbet. But on Ambience, every course was made with care and attention.
The crew remembered my name and what I needed and made sure I was looked after every day.
Gluten-free and allergy guests say the same
I was not the only one feeling this. I spoke to other guests who had gluten-free and allergy requirements, and they were saying the same thing.
They felt listened to. They felt safe. They felt confident eating on board without constantly checking and double-checking every plate.
That peace of mind is priceless when you’re on holiday!
How to get the best experience if you have dietary requirements
To get the most out of any cruise, including Ambassador, there are a few simple things that help.
Tell them your dietary requirements when you book. Go to your dietary meeting and speak to the restaurant manager on the first day.
Don’t be afraid to explain exactly what you need. Once they know, they genuinely do everything they can to make sure you are happy.
In the dining room, you can ask to see the menu for the following day. Make sure that there’s a dish that you like. If there isn’t, let them know and they will suggest alternatives for you.
Also, it’s often worth asking if there’s anything available that’s not on the menu. Most cruise ships have secret menu items that they don’t tell you about. For example, you can almost always get a vegetable curry or a jacket potato with cheese and salad in any cruise ship main dining room.
Who Ambassador Cruise Line is best for
Ambassador cruises are perfect if you want a relaxed, classic cruise where you feel looked after. It is especially good for anyone who can’t just eat anything off a buffet and needs a bit more care and attention.
If food has ever made you nervous about cruising, this is a line worth considering.
Ambassador does not shout about how good they are for special diets, but they should. From my own experience, they have gone from being decent to being absolutely brilliant.
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Great article on Ambassador, and am reading this whilst on an Island Princess cruise through the Panama Canal. Our experience could not be more different to yours on Ambassador. Poor labelling in the buffet, staff (including chefs) ignorant of food content, pork meals placed under the Veggie/Vegan sections, very little knowledge of what gelatin is, also mis-understanding of what vegatarian is, cakes that we could have eaten, we were initially told they weren’t veggie, only to find out 6 days later that they were. In the main dining rooms, none of the menus had veggie/vegan labels, and when we showed this to a Senior Officer, she looked very embarrassed! As you say, this can have a significant effect on whether you enjoy your holiday, and use that cruise line again. We was even told by Senior Catering Staff member that as there weren’t many of us, these minor faults didn’t really mean that much in the grand scheme of things! We complained but were told that changes were very difficult because they have to act corporately, not independently. Needless to say we won’t be going with Princess again.