What can you expect from kosher cruises?

One Trip Advisor user wrote about his experience back in August with one our kosher summer cruises. Keep reading if you're curious about how our kosher cruises compare to any ole regular cruise:

"I wanted to make a post with the kosher cruiser in mind. This was our first cruise and our first kosher cruise, but it was a different enough and fantastic enough experience that I felt I had to post about it. The cost is roughly double the cost of the same cruise, but we felt it was worth every penny.

We sailed on the Norwegian Pearl from Seattle to Alaska, August 14-21, 2011. Usually in a cruise or airplane situation, ordering kosher food means that you get airline food wrapped in foil - nothing to write home about. Kosherica had 300 people in their group, and rented out part of one of the dining rooms (the Indigo). The had five mashgiachs (kosher supervisors) working on board around the clock to make sure that all food was prepared in an kosher way (glatt kosher, pas yisroel, cholov yisroel, etc. etc.).

The variety of food was phenomenal, with breakfast and lunch as buffets and dinner with a menu and served by wait staff. There were several solid entrees available at every meal, and meals included items like lamb shawarma, beef ribs, sushi, and chocolate pecan pie. Of course on Shabbos (the Sabbath) we had cholent (stew) and kishke (stuffed sausage). These foods were as good as any kosher restaurant I have ever eaten at (ribs even as good as La Gondola in Los Angeles).

It was a "comedy cruise" theme, with Yisroel Campbell (had a hit off-Broadway show), who I thought was very funny, but I am not sure he was the right match for all of the crowd. Rabbi Moshe Bryski was the scholar in residence (Chabad of Conejo Valley, California), whom I also liked very much, and I believe that he was universally well-received.

For Glacier watching they had a separate viewing area, and a farewell barbecue for the group. There was daf yomi (daily Talmud study) and davening (daily prayers) and lectures from Rabbi Bryski nearly every day. The chevra (community / group) was mostly people from the greater NYC area, with the next largest groups being from Montreal and Florida.

This is obviously a niche - you need to really want kosher food and be willing to pay significantly for the difference. We found the service, organization, and quality at the top of our traveling experiences and would highly recommend it. I also have to hand it to Norwegian, as the staff was clearly well aware of the many rules and customs involved."

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