Cruises Getting Healthy? When Were They Not?

by Lisa P | More from this Blogger

14 Feb 2008 05:58 PM

My husband and I were married on a cruise. It was a fantastic all-inclusive getaway. I remember that the biggest attraction for certain Baby Boomers in our party was the 24-hour food service. If food was being served, they had to be there. It didn't matter if it was breakfast or a midnight buffet. (If we missed a meal, they felt it was important to tell us everything that we missed at the following meal.)

Now cruise lines are trying to make things healthier for their passengers. They're hoping to lure health-conscious baby boomers (not my parents) and others who fear being trapped at sea with a 24-hour pizza bar.

Royal Caribbean Cruises has introduced the "Vitality" program which includes healthier meals and exercise. Carnival Cruise Lines offers lighter dishes with nutritional information on their menus. Crystal Cruises are making fresh fruits and whole grains larger players in the buffet line.

Mimi Weisband, a spokeswoman for Crystal Cruises says "We're hoping it will dispel the myth that a cruise experience is just about overeating." Personally, I found that there were far too many fun activities I wanted to do and sights to see for me to focus on when and where the next all-you-can-eat buffet was being served.

The meals that we had were balanced, healthy and delicious. Healthy options were everywhere. You could choose the molten chocolate cake or some other rich dessert or a fruit and cheese plate for dessert. Extra servings were always available, whether you wanted extra salad or cheesecake.

Having cruised before the new wave of healthier cruising, I honestly believe that the only threat to a cruise passenger's waistline is their own self control or lack thereof. If you eat all three meals in the dining room, eat at a midnight buffet, eat whenever you pass a fast food or snack station and then order room service when you finally roll into your cabin then you're going to be a diet disappointment whether you're eating pizza and ice cream or broccoli and grilled chicken. Exercise a little self discipline and any cruise can be healthy for you. Heck, if you exercise enough self discipline in your food choices you may even lose weight!

Related Blogs:

Body-for-Life Foods

Body-for-Life Workouts

Body-for-Life and Weight Loss

Are you subscribed to the Families.com Weight Loss Blog? With the click of a button, you can receive an email notification anytime a new blog is posted in the Families.com Weight Loss Blog! Just look to the right of this blog and find the subscription center (it looks just like this picture). Click on "Subscribe via Email". You'll be instantly subscribed and the email address that you registered at Families.com with will receive an instant notification whenever we post a new Weight Loss Blog! Don't miss a thing - subscribe now!

Learn more about Lisa P

Lisa used to be a freelance writer and Community Manager for Families.com, but she has finally made the jump to novelist.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger