7 Day Cruise

My honeymoon is a 7 day cruise to alaska :)  Im leaving on sunday the 19th.  Im very excited, and also a bit morried about weight gain.

I KNOW that I shouldnt be as strict as I am at home, but I also dont want to use this trip as an excuse to stuff myself.  I would really like to have a happy medium.  Im already planning on using the great workout room they have (exercise helps my stress and anxiety SO MUCH so I will be working out everyday for that too, not just weight loss) and using the stairs instead of the elevators (I heard they are very slow, anhyway)

Anyway, I was just hoping to hear some advice from other people who have gone on cruises or just any vacation, to help me stay out of the "im on vacation so I can eat whatever I want" mindset.  Its a princess cruise if that helps.

THANK YOU in advance

I have never been on a cruise, but I wanted to say congratulations on your marriage and I hope y'all have a great time! I have heard Alaskan cruises are beautiful and so fun.

Congratulations on getting married. 

Never been on a cruise, but I went to an all inclusive resort.  I didn't do so well because we drank a lot of rum punch, but before I ate a meal I always had a dinner salad and a large water, which helped me resist (or at least not overeat) the less healthy parts of the meal.

I have been on 4 cruises and believe me, even though there will be food around at all times, you can have some very healthy meals! Most lines ( I have been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean) have a baked or grilled fish every day, baked chicken, and wonderful salads to choose from. Also, since food is usually offered around the clock, you shouldn't feel like you have to stuff yourself at any one time, just eat small meals throughout the day and you will be fine.

Also, if you are eating in the dining room each day, they offer many selections so pick the one that seems to fit your needs.

Have a great time (Alaska is going to be our next cruise!)

I have been on a bunch of cruises! I was not dieting except the last one, last fall, but it is not that hard. There are lots of healthy options on cruises! Breakfast and lunch are easy, you do not have to go to the formal dining room. There is usually an "alternative foods" bar that you can get healthy options at, and there will almost certainly be buffet-style meals with fresh fruit and such. For dinner, portions are not too big (they are trying to save money, after all) and you can make special requests if you need to. The waiters will bend over backwards for you. When I was 8 I remember I didn't like a lot of the menu so the waiter would always bring me cucumber salad and a huge bowl of spinach, no matter what was on the menu, because he knew I liked it (what can I say, I was a weird kid, but how I was overweight eating cucumbers and spinach all the time I will never know!).

The downfalls are the extra meals (midnight buffets, ice cream socials, etc.) and the near-constant availability of food, especially during "at sea" days, but if you are conscious of your intake you will not have a problem.

OH and dessert - but they also are small, and often don't taste as good as they look.

There are lots of opportunities for exercise - if you take the stairs all the time you will get plenty between that and going from one end of the ship to the other (it seems like everything is on opposite ends of the ship!), all day long. Then there is the exercise room, the pool, the outside deck that you can walk or jog around while enjoying the beautiful scenery, and, of course, the dance floors.

That said, it's only 7 days and it's your honeymoon! Let loose a little! Enjoy the excursions and the beautiful surroundings, I am so jealous!

i went on a cruise last year and will be going on another one soon.  I have to say the food was amazing....but i think as long as you exercize you should be okay!! Have a great time!

Hi Congrats to you!  I actually just went on a cruise last week for 4 nights 5 days to the Bahamas ahhh this time last week I was enjoying myself ahhhh lol.  And although I was a bad girl for indulging, they do have healthy selections I was on Royal Carribean and I'm sure Princess will be the same.  Also it's great that they offer gyms...I did not take advantage of that, so now this week I'm paying for it, but enjoy yourself, I did.

I went on a cruise this summer (to alaska as well incidently) and don't worry!  You do not automatically gain weight.  Within one week after the cruise, I was actually a pound less than when I started.  Here are some guidelines:

-Fill up on fruits and veggies,and choose low-fat options whenever available (such as egg-white omlettes, fat-free dressing, broth-based soups, whole wheat bread, etc etc)

-Don't feel inclined to finish ANYTHING!  Remember, there is ALWAYS more where it came from, so feel free not to stuff yourself.

-Keep active.  Stairs are wonderful, as is the gym.

-I'd stay away from alcohol, but I'm too young to drink anyway, so that is more of a personal decision.  But I did buy a diet-coke-cup with free refills, and used it whenever I felt the munchies.

-The portions (at dinner) are small, but still, don't feel inclined to eat it all.

 -All the food, whether its healthy or not, is extremely good.  Therefore, just focus on the healthy stuff!

I cruised on a Disney cruise last winter and was amazed at all the food choices - including healthy ones.  There were lighter choices for all the courses in the dining rooms - including fruit or sugar-free desserts - and there were healthy options available throughout the day as well.  Also, if you are like me, you get more exercise on vacations as well, so that helps as well - enjoy your cruise and congratulations!

I went on a cruise and I didn't eat as much as I thought I would.  I was also worried.  I stayed so busy that I didn't really think about the buffett food.  In the dining room it was easy to choose a lite meal.  Just enjoy yourself and I bet you won't worry about the food. 

Also congrats on getting married!

I've cruised and there was a workout facility.  I liked walking on the treadmill right at the front of the boat.  I did this during huge swells (you have to hold on to the treadmill).  One man did fly off backwards and was taken away on a stretcher.  It just adds drama to your workout, LOL.

There will be plenty of healthy choices to eat.  I cheated a bit, but didn't come back with a weight gain.  I didn't go to every meal served, and every buffet.  I tried to stay on regular eating routine.  

 I had a lot more desserts than usual, that was the big difference, and I had sweet breads one morning at breakfast.  I bet I had bacon or sausage each morning, but not a lot.  They didn't have morning star or turkey bacon I usually have.  But there were healthful choices and I took into consideration what I ate at each meal.

When I ate in the dining room I usually got a good dessert, but the buffets had a lot of stuff that looked good, but I'd have a taste and it wouldn't be as good as I thought it might be.  That helped.  I shared with my son.  Maybe you could share with your hubby when you have a dessert.  The low-calorie cakes were pretty good and they were small servings, not huge slices. 

We did a lot of walking on our excursions so that helped.  You can tell your waiter that you are on a restricted diet and he can have your fish prepared special for you (without butter). You can have dressings on the side and any sauces on the side as well.   

Good luck with not gaining on the cruise. But mostly just enjoy the time with your hubby.  Congratulations on the marriage.

Oh just a word to the wise...

I got rooked into doing a spa treatment that would "shrink inches off of my body".  It was very expensive and they did measurements before and after to reveal how much smaller I was, LOL.  But my before and after pics of my bum in my swimsuit taken by my mom and my son looked exactly the same. 

The treatment was kind of like a facial for my thighs, abdomen and buttocks.  The only thing that shrunk was my bank account.  But I was thinking what a wonderful souvenir that would be to come home with a smaller bum.  LOL.

I also did the teeth whitening and it was not very successful either.  I spent $1000 in spa treatments.

Also, I signed up for spin class on the boat.  I had no idea how hard that is and I was really big at the time and out of shape.  I got in there and guess what?  I am the only guest taking the class along with all the really fit dancers.  I felt like a real fat @zz.  I also had a souvenir bruise on my bum to go home with. LOL