Ms Veganastic vs Star Cruise Gemini
- msveganastic
- May 13, 2019
- 5 min read
Is Star Cruise Gemini a vegan's friend or foe?
Since I could remember my mother had always wanted to go on a cruise, however, life got in the way. Do not get me wrong, my mother and my family had gone on many holidays but, we had never had gone on a cruise. After my mother had multiple cancer scares and cyst removals, I thought it was high time that she got her dream of going on a cruise. I researched for months trying to find cruises, but I could not decide upon one. Finally, a friend of mine told me that her family had just gone on a cruise and they went with Star Cruise Gemini. Taking that my mother's health was not 100% and that the cruise does have a lot of seniors travelling on it, I thought it would be the best option as our first cruise. Weeks later, even though my tickets were booked, and my bags were packed, the fear of whether I would get vegan options still filled my mind. I knew that the cruise would definitely have vegetarian options as it stated so on their website, but vegan options were a whole different ball game so, I did what any other vegan would do, I packed some vegan friendly snacks and braved the journey ahead!
I was pleasantly surprised to find that aboard Star Cruise Gemini there are three restaurants that one can dine at free of charge; Mariners, Dynasty and Bella Vista. Thus, you can fill your tummies during their breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper hours. I was also thrilled that vegetarians and vegans get served at their table.
The first day my mother and I decided to just have lunch and dinner. Our lunch at the Mariners restaurant was a rushed one, as we had decided to wait to eat after the welcome gathering which only gave us 30 minutes to have lunch before the lunch hour was over. The waiters and the manager unfortunately, did not hide the fact that we were not pleased about having to serve us for the last 30 minutes. The food was average, passable I guess, we were served rice, dhal, chappati, palak paneer and aloo gobi mattar. My mom being a vegetarian could have everything however, I as a vegan, could only have the rice, dhal and aloo gobi mattar as they assured me that those did not contain ghee, cream or milk. Honestly, I cannot quiet tell if it was their attitude that made the food feel average or if it was the food itself, but my mom and I decided that we would not dine at Mariners unless we had no other option. For dinner we went to Dynasty. I was truly blown away by their service. The food was delicious and the staff were friendly. It was truly a 360 degree turn from our lunch experience. Dynasty served us a light clear soup, sweet and sour gluten, mixed vegetables, curry puffs and hot gandum (made with coconut milk) for dinner. The spread on our table made us feel like queens and what I loved was that I could have everything except the curry puff, which honestly with all the other food on the table was not a major let down. I was actually happy that my mom could have my share of the curry puffs so that I could take a little more of the dishes. Thanks to Dynasty I slept like a queen.
Our second day started with breakfast at Bella Vista. They had an amazing arrangement of breakfast options and their staff could answer all my vegan related questions which made me feel at ease. I had baked beans, hash browns, fruits and black coffee. It was a perfect start to our day. As we went along participating in as many cruise activities as we could, our tummies started to rumble for lunch. We decided to go to Dynasty since our dinner experience was great. Unfortunately, they were so busy due to the rush that we had to wait over 30 minutes for food. Once again we were served a great array of food, but we had to rush through it, literally finish lunch in 10 minutes as we had to be at a certain area for our shore excursion in Phuket. I must say due to the rush and the panic of missing our tour, I cannot remember if I enjoyed the food, but I can tell you that we had a different type of clear soup, mixed vegetable, samosa and rice which they said were all vegan friendly and it kept us full during our Phuket tour. When we returned to the cruise ship at 9:30pm, my mother and I were starving. The only restaurant that was still serving supper was Mariners. Although we were a bit hesitant to go there, our stomachs took over our minds and led us there. We were served rice, dhal and fried potatoes. The food was good, nothing over the top in terms of Indian dining but it had the right amount of spice and flavor. Everything they served us was safe for vegans and I was content with that.
Day three called for another breakfast at my oh so favorite Bella Vista, where I enjoyed the baked beans, potato wedges, fruits, coffee and juice. It was delicious and a happy start to my cruising day. Having learnt our lesson from the day before, my mom and I were the fourth in line for lunch service. This time we were able to enjoy lunch for a full 20 minutes. Lunch was a small bowl of clear soup, rice, tofu, mixed vegetables and fried fu chok. The meal literally blew my mind and took me to vegan heaven. I did not know who prepared my food but I loved them for making simple dishes with so much flavor. With such an amazing lunch, we headed back to Dynasty for dinner. For dinner we had another type of soup, a plate of mixed vegetables, stir fried gluten, fruits and samosa. Once again I could only bless whoever was cooking these amazing meals for us, because it was delicious, so delicious that even after an hour of dancing we could not think of putting another mouthful of food into our bodies.
The last and final hours of our trip was spent having breakfast at Bella Vista. I had corn, baked beans, hash browns, fruits, coffee and juice. As I sipped on my coffee and watched us approach Port Klang, I could only think about how glad I was that I booked this trip. As a vegan, I was truly surprised at how full I was after every meal. It made me happy knowing that I could write a blog about all the great things I ate aboard this cruise. I am truly thankful to all the staff members aboard the Star Cruise Gemini and I hope that some day I have the opportunity to sail on their cruise again.
So in the case of Star Cruise Gemini vs Ms. Veganastic... Star Cruise Gemini won hands down and there is no denying it. So I guess, it's time for this vegan foodie to accept her defeat and find the next travel destination to explore vegan options. So till then, keep it green, keep it veganastic!
#ms.veganastic #foodgloriousood #foodporn #malaysianvegan #veganastic #veganlicious #cruetlyfree #StarCruiseGemini #StarCruise
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