Being on a cruise for the last week has been a great on so many accounts. I can’t complain about getting away from the everyday grind and not having anything to worry about as well as being able to get up whenever I wanted to. It also didn’t hurt that I was on a cruise through the Caribbean that made stops in the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Life can’t get much better than that!

Another great thing about being on a cruise is the food. Anyone that has been on a cruise, whether it is in the Caribbean or somewhere else, will gush over the amounts of food and the quality of food that you will find on a cruise. Unfortunately after a week on the ship I’ve come to realize that the amount and quality of food is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Because I am a fun-loving person I am going to start off with the good – food is everywhere and free. I’m not sure I have ever met someone who doesn’t love food, I know I sure do. No matter what you have a hankering for you can go find it somewhere on the ship. There are numerous buffets, a couple of coffee shops, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, a steakhouse, a sushi joint, Johnny Rockets to take care of that fast food fix, and a pizza place, just to name a few. Being in the Caribbean while having all that at your disposal for free…how can you go wrong?

But you can go wrong and it doesn’t take very long. As I sat on the ship and had a jolly good time indulging in some foods that I typically don’t eat on a daily basis (I could eat ice cream and only ice cream every day for the rest of my life and have no issues with it) while simultaneously watching other vacationers indulge, I realized our idea of indulging was a little bit different. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought some of these people hadn’t had a meal in months and didn’t expect to have another one in the upcoming months.

As sad as it is, I would say that maybe 85% or so, and that may low, were stuffing their faces at all hours of the day. They were hitting up the coffee shop in the morning for a coffee and a couple pastries before showering and then making their way to one of the restaurants for breakfast. They’d then make a stop at the buffet for lunch, making at least two or three trips back and forth before calling it quits on the meal. Dinner would come around and people would have a nice, hearty dinner at one of the restaurants and make sure to wash it down with a piece of cake or some other dessert they would see floating around on the dessert cart. Finally, as the night was upon us most would make their way back to one of the coffee shops (a little caffeine before hitting the bars and gambling the night away won’t hurt anyone) for some more pastries and coffee or over to Ben & Jerry’s for some ice cream. And don’t forget about all the finger food or slices of pizza people are eating throughout the day while walking around the ship.

Repeat this process 7 days in a row. Kinda gross, yet the majority of people didn’t seem to have much of an issue with it.

A little bloated after a day of food on a cruise

What you see most of these people doing on a cruise ship isn’t just indulging, its gluttony. I realize that a lot of the foods people are eating aren’t at their disposal whenever they want it in their everyday lives – there is something to be said for convenience.

I also realize that the food is all free which makes grabbing those pastries with your coffee before breakfast or that Ben & Jerry’s ice cream after a long day of eating a little easier. But there is no reason to eat like its Thanksgiving every single day for an entire week.

While on vacation have a great time and indulge in foods that you don’t typically eat. I personally made a trip to Ben & Jerry’s almost every day (I told you I love ice cream). What I didn’t do was stuff my face every chance I had, I instead decided to pick and choose my spots. There is nothing wrong with grabbing a slice of pizza, just don’t grab a slice of pizza six times a day.

I made sure to stop by daily

Moral of the story is this: moderation is the key – you can have anything you want but you just can’t have everything you want.