A reader recently recommended doing a story about eating healthy on a cruise, which I plan to do, but came across this story in the meantime. The ship in the article appears to be one of the Disney ships, the first cruise line that comes to my mind when thinking of luxury. The authors state that they were on a luxury liner. For some odd reason, I was expecting them to be on one of the Cunard Queens. The ship doesn’t matter as tips for maintaining weight during a cruise apply to all cruise lines. Too bad that several courses of action that help with the battle of the bulge were omitted.
Suggestion #1 from the article is a good one and basically states that you may customize your meals. Suggestion #2 on the other hand recommends kissing up to the maître d’ and the dining steward so that they can order special meals for you. Cruise lines are great about doing such things, but what will happen when hundreds of passengers decide to befriend the maître d’ and ask him to create special meals?
Our Excellent Servers on the Celebrity Millennium
Tip #3 advises portion control. Gosh ,never thought of that one. And being served nuts, cheese or salmon puffs with cocktails? Hmmm, guess it is time for me to sail with Disney. Item #4 recommending eating at regular hours also makes sense, but the comment about cold omelets, soggy tacos and fatty hamburgers (are hamburgers only fatty if served outside regular dining times?) takes it a bit too far. Perhaps the description of distasteful food is some sort of reverse psychology. Once again, I mention that I haven’t sailed with Disney, but usually omelets are prepared upon request at an omelet station. Tacos are usually a self-serve, self-build option. The tacos aren’t pre-made, so can’t get soggy, but again, maybe Disney does things differently. According to the authors, room service is just an excuse to eat congealed food. Now that’s an excuse that I am sure most cruisers are waiting to take advantage of. Don’t forget, if you got in good with the maître d’, he’ll send you some freshly picked vegetables with recently slaughtered meat cooked to your liking, directly to your stateroom.
Chocolate Buffet in the Garden Café on NCL Dawn
Finally, the last tip reiterates mixing and matching foods, which allows for using points in a personal manner. Sounds like Disney holds their gala dessert buffet around the pool. I wonder if anything there gets soggy? I am relieved to know – not being a WW person- that chocolate covered strawberries and marzipan are good choices for dessert.
Next time, as the aforementioned reader requested, I will offer my personal suggestions for healthy dining and weight maintenance during a cruise.
Sail Away
Reminds me of what people used to think cruising was for: “the newly wed, over fed and nearly dead”. Anyone who has been on a cruise in the last 5 years will know that is no longer the case. Like any holiday it’s easy to overindulge and ignore your better judgement and get stuck in with eating and drinking more than you normally would. Let’s face it, most people do choose to take advantage of the full board nature of a cruise holiday. But if your sensible at the dinner table and work off your meal with a brisk walk in the sea air or a trip to the gym, there is no reason why a cruise holiday should throw your diet overboard. After all, exploring all those destinations will totally burn off the calories.