Editor's Note: This article was last updated on Jan. 31, 2024.
Do your cruise clients have health and wellness on the mind? If so, they’ll be pleased to see that cruise ships are incorporating a number of top wellness trends into their offerings. If travelers are loving pickleball at home, for example, they can now play onboard select vessels. And if they’re vegan, more lines are catering to their dietary needs.
Here’s what to know as these two trends make their way to the seas and rivers.
Where to Play Pickleball on the Water
Celebrity Cruises is one of the ocean lines that’s jumped on the pickleball bandwagon, offering the hybrid tennis, badminton and ping-pong sport on the bulk of its ships. On Celebrity’s Edge-class vessels, clients can play pickleball at the upper Rooftop Garden; on Solstice-class ships, play happens on the Sports Deck on Deck 15; and on Millennium-class boats, you’ll find players hitting balls on the Sports Court at Deck 12. Guests are invited to bring their own equipment onboard, or they can utilize the pickleball net, paddles and balls provided on the ships.
AmaWaterways has introduced pickleball to river cruising onboard AmaMagna, taking advantage of the ship’s double-wide size. The full-size court is located on the riverboat’s forward sun deck, nestled behind the wheelhouse and ahead of the level’s other alfresco activities and venues, including a swimming pool. Offering pickleball is yet another way the brand shows its dedication to wellness, adding to its many other health offerings. These include a spa, gym, shoreside-use bicycles, hiking and biking tours, fitness classes led by a dedicated wellness host, a juice bar and vegan menus — more on that below.
Expanded Vegan Menus From AmaWaterways, Azamara, Celebrity and Princess
“Plant-based meals are the future,” said Kristin Karst, co-founder and executive vice president of AmaWaterways.
Karst and AmaWaterways are standing behind that statement, offering an incredible array of options within the line’s exceptional dining experience. As demand for vegan food has increased, so too has the number of vegan choices offered by AmaWaterways. Available dishes may include oven-roasted eggplant bruschetta with herbs; a slow-braised vegetable stew with portobello mushrooms, carrots and cauliflower; grilled cauliflower and sweet potato with lemon salsa verde, cherry tomatoes, beans and broccoli; and desserts such as a nut-crusted pumpkin mousse infused with dates.
AmaWaterways‘ vegan dessert options include nut-crusted pumpkin mousse infused with dates.
Credit: 2024 AmaWaterwaysCelebrity, too, has vegan cruisers in mind. The ocean line’s latest ship, Celebrity Ascent, offers vegan items at Eden restaurant, which serves a special seven-course, plant-based tasting menu. Dishes may include items such as golden beet-tomato ceviche, ajo blanco panna cotta, roasted and glazed celeriac steak and dry rose petals masala curry.
“Each dish features ingredients that have been sourced from their place of origin and presented in the most natural state,” Celebrity shared in a statement. Organic and vegan wine pairings are also available onboard.
Rounding out the latest players to raise the bar on their vegan offerings is Princess Cruises, which has seven menu rotations available in the main dining room fleet-wide.
“Our dedication to delivering unforgettable culinary experiences continues to evolve with current trends, including the desire for more vegan offerings,” said Sami Kohen, vice president of food and beverage for Princess Cruises. “Our new plant-based dinner menus offer our vegan guests an extraordinary culinary journey, while providing reassurance and peace of mind with dishes they know meet their lifestyle preferences.”
Appetizers, salads, soups, pastas and entrees made without any animal products extend to starters of black beans on toast with tomato and avocado; roasted pears with dried apricots and pistachios; and Baja-style cauliflower tacos. Salad options include French potato salad with Dijon mustard and fine herbs; green goddess salad with tofu; and endive, beet and pear slaw. Creamy white bean, chickpea noodle, and roasted eggplant and tomato soups are available. Clients can also expect vegan entrees such as fettuccine with walnut sauce, penne with red pepper pesto, stir-fried portobellos with soy-maple sauce, plant-based shepherd’s pie and ratatouille.
Princess guests can request vegan options before embarkation using the Cruise Personalizer, via their travel agent or by calling the line directly. They can also make their request once they’re onboard.
Additionally, on Azamara, vegan menu items are available in the line’s specialty Mediterranean and steakhouse restaurants. In Aqualina, offerings include Tartare di Not Tonno con Avocado (watermelon tuna, Haas avocado, roasted pistachio, baby arugula and lemon oil) and Rotoli di Lasagne alla Melanzane (eggplant lasagna rolls stuffed with roasted bell pepper tapenade Italian couscous and vegan Pecorino Romano). And at Prime C, clients can choose Chili Sin Carne (grilled zucchini, vegan chili with Beyond meat, rice, grilled corn, spicy enchilada sauce) and Korean Fried Cauliflower.
