P And O Cruise D510 On Adonia 9th - 29th May 2015

I have done more than 28 cruises with P&O Cruises all as a vegan passenger and although there have been a few hiccups along the way over the years, in the main the experience has been good, very good and this time excellent, so I thought it was about time I wrote a review.

Prior to my cruise I contacted the diet reservations team to ask if they could get me almond milk instead of soya milk, which I have developed an intolerance to.   I was very impressed with how quickly Karen responded back, giving me a choice of almond milks including my favourite Alpro.  She asked how many cartons I would like and placed my order and said the almond milk would be on board when I embarked, she was right the milk was brought to our cabin on the first sea day after departure.   When you book the cruise you are asked about dietary requirements as P&O cater for every type of diet, as they have a dedicated diet chef on board, who prepares everything from scratch for each passenger.   This is pretty impressive as on this cruise diet chef Ezle was catering for 80 passengers on his own on first and second sitting.

A Head Waiter, in my case Shilish,  looks after you the entire cruise and each evening gives you both the lunch and dinner menus for the following day, alongwith the vegetarian menu (there are a couple of vegetarian menus which are rotated throughout the cruise).  You can choose/adapt dishes from any of the menus and in some instances I just made up a dish and Ezle kindly made it for me.

Breakfasts on board are easy, there is a wide choice of fresh and dried fruits, cereals, bread rolls, toast and although I did not have them this time, they also carry soya yogurts onboard for those that want them.   Satya looking after us in our cabin liased with Ezle who made to order mushrooms and tomatoes as a hot breakfast option for me on many mornings.   I am not a big eater at lunchtime because I like to be hungry for my dinner, but lunches can also be organised with Shilish to eat in the restaurant or you can ask any of the staff whether lunch options available in the buffet are vegan.   I did sometimes have a baked potato with ratatouille and salad for lunch or vegetarian paella and many a time I could not resist good old french fries and made "chip butties"!!!

We also wanted to dine in the alternative Italian dining venue Sorrento, so after perusing the menus, Satya had a word with the Restaurant Manager there and they organised a vegan menu for me on two occasions.

I had so many lovely dishes including vegan curries, which I asked for extra hot, as I am a proper chilli head and Ezle certainly starred in the curry department, they were delicious.   I cannot list all the dishes here but below is an example with photos in list order:-

Tofu fish fingers, chips and mushy peas
Harissa couscous, aubergine caviar, wilted spinach, palm hearts and tomato concasse
Shepherds pie with red cabbage
Bean hotpot with vegetables
Cabbage cannelloni filled with mint pea puree with balsamic reduction
Timbale of potato, aubergine, courgette with a rasaman tomato sauce
Spicy tofu and vegetable stirfry with rice
Smoky butterbean cassoulet with chargrilled bread and dill pickle
Vegan sushi with sweet chilli dipping sauce
Avocado and warm tomato bruschetta with rocket
Aubergine croquettes with guacamole
Polenta cakes with tomato sauce
Chargrilled courgettes, white bean houmous and tomato salsa
Vegetable curry, rice and chapatis

I also had many different soups like chilled potato, gazpacho, sweet potato all made specially, some lovely starter salads and sometimes melon if I felt like something light.  I am not a big dessert fan and chef would have been happy to make me anything if possible,  but even so I still managed caramelised pineapple, flambeed fruits, Swedish Glace ice-cream or sorbet. 

Many of the vegetarian menu dishes I have had many times, but Ezle's versions were some of the best and his interpretation of dishes I asked for off the main menus, like the tofu fish and chips were absolutely spot on.

P&O Cruises also list on their website, which wines are vegan friendly which is fantastic and I hope they extend the range in future.

I met Ezle just before we came home, it was only his second cruise as diet chef and I was his first vegan passenger, so he did a stunning job.   He obviously has a good knowledge of what a vegan diet is and I was very impressed and look forward to cruising with P&O again as a vegan dietary passenger.