I am pleased to say that I gained very little weight after 19 days eating onboard the Island Princess. We sailed from Fort Lauderdale through the Panama Canal and up to Vancouver. If you have never been on a Princess Cruise ship before, I am here to tell you the food is expertly prepared, appetising, and flavorful. The fear of gaining weight is real, but the choice was still my own.
Gluttonous, continuous eating onboard is possible, and sadly, I think it was the goal of a few of the passengers. We, however, opted to stick to three meals a day (plus morning coffee and an occasional afternoon tea). With few exceptions, all food is included in the cost of the cruise. The Island Princess had three themed restaurants that had a cover charge, plus passengers pay additional for espresso coffee drinks, soft drinks, bottled water, and alcohol.
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My best tips for eating healthy on a cruise ship are below, but first, let me tempt you with a bit of food porn:
This scallop meal is one of my favourite dinners. I know my photos are heavy on seafood, as that is what I like. There are meat, chicken, and vegetarian options on the cruise ship menus.
Although not on the menu, I frequently requested a side of vegetables. Eating healthy on a cruise is always an available option.
We were greeted in our cabin with beautiful flowers, chocolate covered strawberries, and champagne.
I can’t always stick to the diet.
I know, I am a bit of a coffee snob. Therefore I opted to purchase a coffee card that gave me a discounted price for 15 espresso coffees during the cruise. This is a cafe-latte. If you are like me, remember to ask for it in a glass mug, or it will come in a takeaway container.
One of the daily lunch options is handmade pizza at the Italian restaurant that charges a cover at dinner. There is no extra charge for this, and it is as good as it looks.
This meat pie is served at a British Pub speciality restaurants, but with no extra charge at lunchtime. On the pub menu are also traditional items like fish and chips or bangers and mash.
Healthy eating onboard is always an option. I started most mornings with a fruit plate. This one is a bit more elaborate than most as it was served in a speciality dining room that normally offers breakfast only to those passengers with suites.
We opted to try dinner at Sabatini’s speciality restaurant (cover charge). Antipasto started our meal, which was a called “Trattoria,” a tapas style meal offering small samples of a huge variety of foods.
The antipasto above was followed by hot appetisers, pasta, a lobster tail dinner, and then these three mini desserts. The handmade attention to every detail and delicate flavours makes this meal worth the extra money.
Mouthwatering and blissful, paella on the Island Princess perfectly matched my memories from our home exchange in Spain.
Room service is available 24/7. This cheese tray also arrived with a plate of individually wrapped crackers.
On average there are 24,000 meals prepared daily. We took a galley tour and were pleased to see the kitchens are immaculate with stainless steel walls and ceilings.
As we passed through the Caribbean some of the cruise ship menus reflected the local cuisine.
The sweet tray at afternoon tea. There are also finger sandwiches, cookies and my favourite – the fresh, hot scones served with jam and cream.
Are you wondering, how I cruised for 19 days, without gaining too much weight?
Sorry to say it, there is no secret, it’s the same as everyday life. Calories in versus calories out.
Best tips for eating healthy on a cruise
- Order a side of steamed vegetables with your dinner, even if it is not on listed on the cruise ship menu, they will make it for you.
- Similarly, order a plate of fresh fruit with your breakfast.
- Drink water, rather than soda throughout the day.
- If you don’t want to gain weight on the ship, you need to make healthy choices and get some exercise. The latter is easier, as there is both a gym and a walking track.
- Join some of the active onboard options like Zumba, line dancing, ballroom dancing, swimming pools, basketball court, and a 5K breast cancer walk.
- Personally, I upped my daily walking goal, striving for 15,000 steps per day on Fitbit Alta HR
PS: If you are also an adventurous eater in ports, be sure to carry Travel Insurance.
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*For our Canadian and US travellers, unfortunately, due to financial services laws, we cannot provide a discount. This promotional code cannot be used with any other discount offer, including World Nomads Members’ discount for travel insurance policyholders.
Tempted? Could enjoy 19 days eating onboard without gaining weight? Would you eat less, exercise more, or just worry about it when you get home?
Disclaimer: In addition to VIP treatment onboard the Island Princess we were provided with many complimentary extras, including speciality dining. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
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Good article! We went on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate our 45th anniversary (almost at 51 now) and I didn’t gain any weight at all. I didn’t conscioulsy try not to but I just wasn’t interested in eating all the time, especially the junk that was readily available. I did enjoy my daily latte though. 🙂
Impressive that you didn’t gain weight without any special efforts.
Had to drop in to read this article! My husband and I have only been on one cruise and we had lost a good amount of weight before getting to the ship. Even with all my good intentions, the food was so good and all those buffets round the clock – we totally lost it! Next time…I plan to be much more intentional about eating in moderation and getting exercise. And there is so many options to exercise that there’s no excuse not to!
Well at least you pre-dieted, so if you weren’t careful, you probably were not any bigger than before you started.
When I travel, I don’t usually gain weight and don’t tend to watch what I eat. The walking keeps all of that in check I have to worry when I get back to my regular semester routine, and it’s easier to eat junk food then cook a meal. (Although, I’m working on that!). I’m not so sure how I would do on a cruise with all those temptations. All of the dishes you’ve posted here are drool worthy. I would have to make a plan, and part of that would be to make the ships walking track my best friend. I’d also get in some swimming. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, too, so I can see myself opting for the coffee card.
Having a plan before you get on is the easiest way to succeed. If you can stick to it amongst all the temptations.
I waited to read your post last becasue it looked so enticing 🙂
Hmmmm…. I think I’d have to up my exercise intake so that I could splurge. I am a coffee snob too. 😀 I love that you said that. What a fun post, but now I am hungry. 😀
So glad you found me over at my blog.
Lisa at Life Thur the Lens
LOL – yes this one should come with a warning, it will make you hungry.
So funny to see a food porn post, with that title! Actually all very sensible things you have to say, brilliant tips for travellers, as it can be hard! Thank you!
http://coombecottagesandco.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/wordless-wednesday-failing-at-nailing.html
Thanks E, and glad you enjoyed a bit of food porn today.
I am super tempted indeed, Rhonda..everything looks sooo good 🙂
Dare I tell you, it is . . . everything is delicious, and should you happen to order something that isn’t to your preferences, they will take it back and get you something else.
You did well!
http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2016/06/bea-year-of-adult-coloring-books.html
Thanks Deb. And I enjoyed the food, never going hungry.
This made me miss my fitbit flex as it died down on me! And now I am feeling that I am carrying more weight than usual.
This is such a lovely series. The food looks gorgeous!
I love my fitbit. I am on my second one, as they don’t do well in the washing machine.