Indian Food On Cruises

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I see this mentioned often, when people want a treat or something new from the MDR, that Indian food can be a special request.

Is Indian food that much of a treat to most cruisers? Is it something that is not readily available to most cruisers on land? There are at least 3 Indian restaurants with a 5 mile radius of my house, all of which are on delivery Apps as well. Indian restaurants and take away places are just as accessible as Chinese and burger / fast food places here in Ireland and in UK. While I love Indian food, when I'm on a cruise its not something I would think to special request as I can get it at home.

 

[gismo1554]

The reason its available is because its a staple in the staff restaurant onboard. They have a high proportion of staff that enjoy this food and also quite a few Indian chefs so that makes it easy for them to offer as an option. They can only really cook things they have the ingredients for and as Indian food is rarely on any of the menus on DCL its a good alternative. In the US especially Indian food is not big like it is over here

 

[Cheburashka]

There are at least 3 Indian restaurants with a 5 mile radius of my house, all of which are on delivery Apps as well. Indian restaurants and take away places are just as accessible as Chinese and burger / fast food places here in Ireland and in UK. While I love Indian food, when I'm on a cruise its not something I would think to special request as I can get it at home.

No, there is not that kind of availability here in most of the U.S.

It's also a treat simply because it's good, and because its flavor profile is different from most of what DCL serves. After a few days of eating cruise line meat and potatoes, it's nice to get to have some Indian food.

 

[cvjw]

Plenty of Indian food around me. I have never asked for any on a Disney cruise and have zero interest in receiving any. We like the food in the MDRs.

 

[Bonnie1222]

We have some restaurants near us, but not very convenient to get to so we don't go very often.

After just completing my 10th cruise on the Fantasy the menu is well... getting pretty boring. The same stuff every cruise. Don't get me wrong - I like the food very much and think they do a good job but I wish there could be more variety with menu changes every couple years.

WTS a few years ago the table next to us was an Indian family and they had the most amazing looking dishes every night. We inquired about it with our Head Server and he offered to bring us some to try each night with dinner. It was deliscious. So next cruise, we did it again. Last November a group of 12 of us went on the Fantasy and DH and I ordered an appetizer from the menu and only ate whatever Indian dishes were available for dinner each night. We really enjoyed it and it was a nice change. The Thursday night the head chef actually came out to meet us because he was so shocked that was all we were eating and he wanted to know why (he was from India). We told him that we don't get it a lot at home and really enjoyed it. The last night he gave us appetizers as well to try.

On our cruise last week on the Fantasy, what we did was ask for a small portion of the Indian dish of the day to have with the dinners we ordered. Some nights it was one dish, others 2 different dishes. One night I wasn't thrilled with the choices for dinner on the menu so I only got the Indian dish only.

 

[clh2]

Very interesting! if I want indian food, I probably need to drive 45 minutes. i can’t even get a pizza delivered to our house, let alone a more specialized cuisine. Will keep this in mind as a good option!

 

[holula]

I’m from the UK but love Indian food and I agree that the menus are getting boring after several cruises.

I’ve not asked for Indian food yet and likely won’t on my next cruise, as it’s on the Wish, but in future it’s definitely something I’d ask about. I love it when they have the Indian buffet in Cabanas.

 

[xiphoid76]

My mom asked our waiter where he was from and they started talking about India and the food and then he brought out some of the Indian food on board for the staff. It was delicious!! We have been on almost 30 Disney cruises and at times get a little board with the regular menus so we have asked for Indian food a few times - it really is great.
I have lived in all over the USA in smaller/mid sized cities and it is rare to find Indian food anywhere near us so it really is a treat. Now in East Tennessee and no Indian food in sight

 

[john7994]

Unsurprisingly, at least for the U.S., it isn’t Ireland. With a landmass of well over 3M square miles and ~50M people living in so-called non-urban areas (~20% of the population) - it would stand to reason accessibility to ethnic/national specific cultural food choices would be limited.

Given suburban sprawl likely being attached to Urban cluster counts - the number of those unserved by easily accessible ethnic/national cultural food choices is probably higher as some posters seem to indicate. This doesn’t even take into account the number of actual food venues available, or immigration population penetration in a given area (unlike the UK - given the historical relationship between the UK and India). South Asian Indian population in the U.S. is ~4.5M.

 

[Disneychick13]

My mom asked our waiter where he was from and they started talking about India and the food and then he brought out some of the Indian food on board for the staff. It was delicious!! We have been on almost 30 Disney cruises and at times get a little board with the regular menus so we have asked for Indian food a few times - it really is great.
I have lived in all over the USA in smaller/mid sized cities and it is rare to find Indian food anywhere near us so it really is a treat. Now in East Tennessee and no Indian food in sight

That happened to us too on a DCL cruise and it was such a nice treat!

I’ve always lived in big cities so it’s easy to forget that a lot of people that live in smaller cities or more rural areas just don’t have the diverse selection of food that others kind of take for granted.

 

[Stormypetrel]

I live in the city and scrolling through door dash now there’s well over a dozen Indian restaurants that will deliver to me. I wouldn’t say it’s rare or anything. But it’s not quite the same here as like burgers or Chinese takeout like you’re describing in the UK. It’s definitely more expensive, a “treat” as you say. pre-pandemic, before every restaurant started offering takeout, getting Indian food was definitely more of a sit down restaurant experience.
This is how it is in my city. Other cities might have different clusters of immigrant populations. DC, where I live, is known for its high population of Ethiopian and Salvadoran immigrants. Tons of Ethiopian food here even though it’s a pretty rare cuisine to find elsewhere, and it’s actually hard to find authentic Mexican food here as most Latin restaurants have a Salvadoran flaire. Every city in the U.S. will be a little different.

 

[BStieers]

It is also nice for those of us that would prefer a few more vegetarian options to be able to ask for it, or in those MDRs where the flavors aren't really to our taste.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I don't think of it as a treat (I have plenty of access at home) but it sure is a nice change from the repetition of the MDR food on longer cruises.

For some folks that live in more rural areas, it may be a treat for them.

 

[Sykes]

I suspect people would be less excited about Indian food on board if DCL changed their menus more often than once a decade.

 

[tvguy]

No, there is not that kind of availability here in most of the U.S.

It's also a treat simply because it's good, and because its flavor profile is different from most of what DCL serves. After a few days of eating cruise line meat and potatoes, it's nice to get to have some Indian food.

Depends where you are in the U.S. I have six Indian restaurants within two miles of my house here in California. So in my case, yes, it can be that available.

 

[tvguy]

I see this mentioned often, when people want a treat or something new from the MDR, that Indian food can be a special request.

Is Indian food that much of a treat to most cruisers? Is it something that is not readily available to most cruisers on land? There are at least 3 Indian restaurants with a 5 mile radius of my house, all of which are on delivery Apps as well. Indian restaurants and take away places are just as accessible as Chinese and burger / fast food places here in Ireland and in UK. While I love Indian food, when I'm on a cruise its not something I would think to special request as I can get it at home.

For us, meals on cruises are a chance to try things we don't normally order at a restaurant at home, and if you don't like it, order another entree at no additional cost. I can't think of anything I have seen on a cruise restaurant menu that I can't get at home, but there are items that I generally don't have often at home. Lobster, escargot, Baked Alaska are all available around here, I just don't order them often at home.

 

[Kwami]

Depends where you are in the U.S. I have six Indian restaurants within two miles of my house here in California. So in my case, yes, it can be that available.

Yeah, and this is probably true for most urban areas in the US. I remember being surprised the first time I visited Tuscaloosa, AL because they had Indian restaurants. Tyler, TX didn't have one until about five years ago, but they've got one now. Where I grew up, there are now at least six Indian restaurants less than 20 minutes away. Where I currently live, there are more than a dozen.

 

[DisneyConvert]

Good topic.
Here in NJ, Indian-Americans and various Indian cuisines (vegetarian, Tandoori, etc.) abound. Not that "exotic" for us, but very flavorful --- Consider that the search for a better route to obtain delicious Asian spices, led to discovery of North America.

Also less expensive ingredients than big cuts of meat, or fancy fresh vegetable/fruits in many Western dishes, while aligning with tastes of not just Indian, but also Malaysian, and Indonesian crew.

Interestingly, on our recent NCL cruise, they had Indian specialities on the buffet every day. FWIW, while quite edible, they weren't better than most NJ Indian restaurants.

 

[tvguy]

Yeah, and this is probably true for most urban areas in the US. I remember being surprised the first time I visited Tuscaloosa, AL because they had Indian restaurants. Tyler, TX didn't have one until about five years ago, but they've got one now. Where I grew up, there are now at least six Indian restaurants less than 20 minutes away. Where I currently live, there are more than a dozen.

My favorite restaurant experience was in Dodsland, Saskatchewan, Canada (population 215). Had lunch at a Chinese restaurant. They only served one thing. A hamburger patty with french fries!. And it was pretty pricey until you got the food and the hamburger patty covered the entire plate, and the fries were on a side plate. Their customers are mostly hard working farmers who want a hearty meal!

 

[Kwami]

By the way, Disney usually has at least one "Indian Day" at Cabanas for lunch on 7-night cruises. I don't know if they do it for shorter cruises. There's also an Indian entrée on the Pixar Day at Sea menu. They sometimes have biryani at the poolside quick service restaurant. That's probably about it.