Much is said about the fabulous food you’ll find on your cruise. If you have cruised before you know how true that can be. Surely, most of us do not have an executive chef standing by in our kitchens 24 hours a day to create a little masterpiece for us. But you sure do on your cruise! There are two schools of thought about cruising and food.
Some people vow to not gain weight and are pretty much successful about it. They use the stairs instead of the elevator, get up early to walk the deck of the ship in the morning, participate in activities, go to the well-equipped exercise area and more. If you’re a walker, there’s nothing quite like doing it on your ship at sea. Indeed, taking the stairs is way more exercise than standing in the elevator and you don’t have to wait for them. If you have a regular exercise routine, there is no reason you can’t stick with it and enjoy the really different experience a cruise offers. There are menu options for just about every concern and they are good too.
Some people go a different direction, vowing to not be concerned about what they eat. Many may gain weight but lose it quickly when they get home. Many don’t care since they have been waiting for this so long and truly want to get the most out of it. For them, there are plenty of options for enjoying a wide variety of cuisine on the cruise. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are served either on the ships buffet or in the dining room. Most ships have specialty restaurants for an even more upscale dining experience. Oh and what an experience those can be. In the Specialty restaurants and on Formal Nights in the dining room, the culinary staff puts its best foot forward.
Personally I fall somewhere in the middle of both as I think many do. I often start out doing the stairs instead of the elevator and that works for a while. Soon though that turns into using the stairs going down but not up. Lisa and I walk every morning at home. I do try to do that at sea and it is a really great change of scenery. That usually lasts for a day or two then the allure of being early to the breakfast buffet for my first breakfast overpowers the exercise urge. In the dining room I try to make responsible choices until something comes along that I would not normally have at home. That strategy pretty much dooms the healthy approach. All in all I do usually gain some weight on a cruise and it takes a couple weeks to get back to normal after. Knowing this I always bring along some clothes that might be size or two larger than normal.
It did not take me long to realize that every cruise is indeed the “cruise of a lifetime”. Each is different and unique. After each one I feel a little different. It took me a while to realize that really getting into the whole experience was the key to getting the most out of a cruise. So enjoy the food as much as you can. It’s one ingredient in the recipe that makes for a great cruise experience and brings you back refreshed and renewed
