Can you survive the famous cruise ship buffet?

A cruise is a chance to eat well, but it can be about avoiding the volume. Given the selection of food and all the sweets and treats, how do you not put on weight? here are two contrasting typical buffets.

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It is all about choice, control, and walking the stairs. It starts before you get up, from 0630 hours there is at least one choice of cooked fish, meat, endless eggs …. so how do you choose you eggs in the morning?

Psychologists suggest that those who like the perfect un-split yoke are probably the self type, but it is not about looks it is about colour. The darker the yoke the better the egg. The lighter and more bright yellow the egg, the less nutritious. The yoke is just FAT, the white is the protein. Weight lifters and bodybuilders eat maybe 20 eggs a day, but ONLY the white. The small eggs on many cruise ships don’t have a great deal of white. But, who can not eat the yoke?

For best skin and heart, maybe just kippers! Kippers are on alternate days with haddock in the buffet but always on the restaurant menu for breakfast at P&O. Health freaks will have a white egg omelette, or kippers and avoid bread.

But the buffet is all day, it moves from breakfast into lunch, into tea, buns, cakes and scones, then dinner and evening supper until the night ends. Self-control is not easy, especially with the puddings, but it is essential if you do not want to add the pounds. It is an idea to try new things or eat things you don’t often get the chance to at home. One way is to avoid the buffet completely. The served breakfast is a treat and you get to meet new people as it is not normally a fixed table. The evening meal is worth dressing up for (most restaurants will require a contractual dress code for the restaurant). It is worth noting that if you prefer not to dress the buffet is your main eating place and the premium paid restaurants may be open to you, but the waiter service restaurant may not. Should you want to try those, you might like to pack something that will allow you in. The buffet morning, noon and night can become a bit repetitive.

The Doris Visits page on dress code, why, how and should I?

Buffet means everything is there, from gluten-free, vegetarian, low sugar to meat and puddings. Many have beer and spirit waiters, some have cruise card self serve pumps, the Oceana is one of the nicest buffet areas and it has a bar. Some ships have other places that are also deal included eat areas for lunch. The Queen Vic has the pub grub, the Ocean has Le Jardin on deck 8.

Tea and coffee are in an area of vending machine drinks dispensers, and the tea is made with tea bags in paper wraps (so no one else can have handled yours) and hot water which is not quite scolding hot. We take the milk in a separate glass as the tea needs longer to stew at just under boiling. Here there can be a queue on day-one as people get used to the system. You will be required to gel your hands-on entry to any food area. It is advisable if you have touched stair rails or door handles, bugs on ships can be vicious. Stair rails are the most feared.

The easy fitness work out on most ships at 7 am is a great place to meet people, and using the stairs helps as a norm. But it is hard not to enjoy the fair of food. Join your favourite ship’s chat group and give us your rundown of avoiding the extra inches.

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Aurora Ship Tour  Azura Ship Tour  Britannia Ship Tour  Arcadia Ship Tour  Oceana Ship Tour

You may have seen the author on a ship giving an after-dinner speech or a lecture, his page is here. Stuart St Paul – click here  

Essentials – cruise travel labels and our cruise crime novels – oh, and the seasickness bands.

The Port guides here on Doris Visits are a great way to remember your cruise and share with your friends. ATHENS METRO ATHENS ICE CREAM ATHENS GUIDE ATHENS HORSE+CARRIAGE ATHENS PLAKA CRETE GUIDE THE VERY SPECIAL RHODES ROME DUBROVNIK ZADAR VENICE NIGHT SAIL AWAY

The mystery thrillers are a whole new way to experience cruising. You may not have been to the ports in the novels, you certainly won’t have been to the parts of the ship they use. All the cruise crime novels will make you feel like you are in the adventure and on the ship – dodge the bullets and stay out of the romance. Ship and cruise accurate, the novels are a great way for new cruisers to discover a ship too. Please share the Amazon link. .CRUISE SHIP HEIST https://amzn.to/2GKQBIp

QUESTION: If I travel and I am more than 24 weeks pregnant am I technically un-insured and liable for all the bills?

ANSWER: Check with your insurance company and lawyer before you travel, but it appears all the companies say no travel.

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