I don’t know about you but when I go on a cruise it really is all about the food.  Everything centers around eating.  Which dining time you have decides which show you will go to, what time you return from shore excursions and what time you have to get back to your cabin to get ready. 

You have an endless amount of choices of where and what to eat on a ship.  Should we eat by the pool? The Buffet?  One of the Specialty Restaurants they have on board?  And of course late night buffets and room service.  Cookies and milk at midnight?  Good grief.

Well since I have just lost a considerable amount of weight the thought of going on a cruise right now is a little scary.  Is there a secret way to not gain weight while cruising but still enjoy yourself?  Absolutely!

Now I am not a diet guru or a nutritionist.  I am just a travel agent who loves to cruise.  No offense to anyone but we travel agents tend to be a little overweight.  Lots of work and lots of travel will do that.  So before you use these tips you should check with your doctor.  Okay that said these are my best Healthy Cruise Tips:

1. Plan out where you are going to eat ahead of time.  Planning and cruising go hand in hand.  Your cruise will always go better with a plan for your day so while you are doing that take some time to plan where you are going to eat each meal.   Even if your family or travel companions don’t want to eat healthy you still can.  For breakfast or lunch grab what you want and meet back at a central location.  If my family wants pizza or a burger by the pool for lunch I will run to the buffet, although walking is better for me since I tend to be clumsy, grab some fruit, veggies and a healthy sandwich or piece of fish.  Done.  A healthy choice I don’t have to feel guilty about.

2. When I go to the buffet I load up on the fruit and non starchy veggies first.  Then I leave a small spot for protein and maybe a starch.  Less room means less bad choices. 

3. At the buffet use the smaller plate.  Let’s be serious.  Nobody needs the platter they put out there.  It could feed 3 people easily!  I use the smaller salad plate by the salad bar.  No guilt there.

4. Do not plan to go back for second at the buffet.  Get what you want the first time.  Take your time checking out the buffet and don’t just jump in line to get food.  It isn’t going anywhere.  Trust me.  If you want a dessert after your meal they always have sugar free options available.  I love the sugar free vanilla frozen yogurt with fruit or a little bit of whipped cream.  Not bad, really!

5. Save the alcohol for dinner.  Some people like a drink by the pool or in the Casino.  Alcohol has a lot of calories.  Also drinking makes it easier to make bad ordering choices.  Order first so you make good choices

6. Plan to share.  I know my clients and travel companions like the fact that they can order more that one Entrée.  Yes, you are definitely getting your moneys worth but you are also getting more than your share of calories worth.  At your table plan to share your entrees so everyone gets a taste but you don’t over eat.  Yum!

7. Plan some activity everyday.  I go to the gym, walk, shoot hoops with the kids, rock climb.  Anything is better than nothing, really the sky is the limit on a cruise ship because they have so many options.  One hour of activity a day will make all the difference.

Happy, Healthy Cruising

Check out this video about the new Carnival Magic!  Looks great!

Probably would have the opposite response... but it made me laugh! http://huff.to/pYBOSM

If you are a first time cruiser you are bound to have questions.  We all did.  Here are some tips to help you make some important decisions for you first cruise. 

Cruise lines: how do you choose?  The best way to do that is based on who is going.  For a family I recommend Royal Caribbean, hands down they are the cruise line that will have something for all ages.  Are you traveling in a group?  Where does everyone want to go?  Itinerary is probably most important.  Do some research and decide where you want to go based on what time of year you are planning to travel.  If you are going as couple you should probably choose based on your age and what the cruise line has to offer as far as activities.  Do you want a nice spa with a thermal suite?  Do you want a cruise that has cooking or wine classes?  Do you like to go dancing at night?  These are all things to research for you trip.    

Staterooms: how do you choose a stateroom?  Now I know everyone says they are not going to spend a lot of time in their room so who cares what kind they get?  I care!  I am sorry but for me I am not going to enjoy cruising in a closet.  No windows, no balcony, really?  I don’t think so.  You are on the ocean and you want to see it.  And you don’t want to see it necessarily squished up against strangers.  If you are going to cruise you should feel , hear and smell the ocean breeze.  It is part of the experience.  For me nothing less than a balcony will do.  If you are traveling with kids, spring for the closet across the way to put them in.  It will do wonders for your relationship.  Trust me.

Shore Excursions:  do you or don’t you go on them while you are on your cruise.  Well here is the thing, shore excursions over all are a great adventure.  I am not saying they always end up perfect or go the way you plan but more than likely either way you will have some stories to tell when you get home.  Honestly for every cruise I have been on when I have done shore excursions, that cruise was better.  Walking around the town and shopping is okay but a shore excursion will make you feel like you are part of the culture.  You are learning something you wouldn’t if you just walked around and shopped.  I am not saying do one in every port.  Just most ports.  Take a break and walk around the town of the port that has the best shopping.  Do some research.  See what everyone else liked doing there.  Take an excursion.  Have an adventure.  

Dining:  Lots of people want to know early, late or my time dining?  Which is best?  Well in all honesty it is different for every cruise and for every person.  Early is great if you don’t have a lot of late port stops or you plan to get back on the ship by 3 or 4.  Also if you want to catch the early show and do some of the other night life like dancing or the piano bar, start early.  Late is good if you are going to be in port late and are going to be just going to the show and going to bed because you are going to be up early to go into port.  Now the difference between my time and traditional is a little bit of a different question.  If you like meeting new people at dinner and dining with them for the rest of your cruise.  Traditional is the way to go.  The thing with My Time Dining is you may have to wait.  If you aren’t traveling with a large group and you just want to eat when you want for the whole cruise My time dining is the way to go.  If you are with a group but you want a different time than the traditional dining My Time is a great option.  Make a reservation for your group first thing in the morning so you don’t have a long wait.

 I am going to give you a bit of a trick to My Time Dining with a group.  You don’t have to make a reservation everyday.  The first full day on your cruise call to make your reservation for My Time Dining when they open in the morning.  When you go to dinner that night if you like your table, your wait staff and the time you are eating go to the Maitre ‘d before you leave and tell him how much you loved it and ask if you can keep that table and time for the rest of the cruise.  He will do it for you and you don’t have to think about it again.  If you didn’t care for it, do it again the next night and if it is better keep it! 

My last biggest tip for first time cruisers is this, use a travel agent!  You knew that was coming, right? I know I have a biased opinion because I am one but here is the thing, we are an underused resource.  Travel Agent services are free. We travel, a lot.  We have knowledge of the itinerary, cruise lines, ships, shore excursions and ports.  I do hours of research for my clients to make sure they get the vacation of their dreams.  I want you to come back happy, relaxed and wanting to take another vacation!  All the questions you have can be answered with a phone call.  You can tell your travel agent where you want to go and then go back to what your were doing. 

The last tip:  Enjoy your cruise!

For more info and updates follow me on Twitter @ElenaDillon

This is a great deal!  Especially since now is the time to be booking your summer cruise to Alaska.

 Check out the article here:

http://tinyurl.com/4ztdjvm