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You’re going on a cruise for the food, right?! š
Not all of the food offerings and specialty restaurants are the same on every cruise ship.
Despite what many people think (and say), it is quite possible to eat healthy when you’re on a cruise. But, there are certainly many temptations, which may not make you want to. š You’re on vacation after all with lots of food options that you don’t get back home!
And now, here are some of those temptations! Not all of them are healthy, but there are a couple of healthy cruise food options listed. Remember, everything in moderation. š
Note that food options and menus do change, so not everything listed here may be available on your cruise.
Now these are a few places and/or foods to consider seeking out and trying when you’re on a Carnival cruise!
what to wear on a cruise – what NOT to bring on a cruiseĀ – how to prevent seasickness
DIY (kind of) soft tacos at BlueIguana Cantina
This is a burrito and taco place. You get to decide what you want in your burrito as it gets made! (Think Mexican grill restaurants like Chipotle or Qdoba style.) This place is typically open for breakfast and lunch.
Here’s a different way of trying out some (stuffed!) tacos:
Head to the buffet line and grab a bowl. Get a spoon too while you’re at it!
Get in line for the BlueIguana Cantina burritos.
Hand the burrito guy your bowl and tell him that you want to make an open burrito. They won’t have any bowls to give you since they wrap all the ingredients in theĀ burritos, so that’s why you’ll want to take your own bowl.
Request what you want! Recommended to add: Rice, black beans, corn, guacamole. (Lots of guacamole.)
Next, get in line for the BlueIguana Cantina tacos. (Burritos and tacos are separate lines.)
Ask for 3 soft tacos with chicken. If you prefer to go vegetarian, just ask for the taco shells. The taco shells will be freshly made so will be nice and warm (and soft!).
Stop by the toppings bar to add some sliced onions, sour cream, and shredded cheese to your burrito bowl.
Now comes the fun part!
Take your seat! Preferably by the window so you can take in the ocean view or port view as you eat. š
In the burrito bowl, add in the chicken, and then mix together all the ingredients.
Place a portion of the mixed ingredients into each of the taco shells.
Then… ENJOY!
What’s the difference between eating it as a burrito and eating it as tacos?! Well, it just tastes better with the soft taco shells. š
Does this sound likeĀ too much work for you on vacation? š Okay, or you could go with the traditional burrito or tacos, and that works too and it’s minimal work. You just stand in line, ask for what you want, and that’s that! That will also get you a delicious meal. š
Eating at the BlueIguana Cantina is a pretty healthy option on a Carnival cruise, as long as you don’t eat too much of it! The burritos are big, so it’s quite easy to eat a lot in one sitting!
Pictures of the BlueIguana Cantina here.
Side note!
See about the best shoes for hiking in Hawaii and what to wear snorkeling in Hawaii! And for Hawaii vacation ideas, see the best things to do in Waikiki that will give you Hawaii vibes!
DIY (kind of) fresh mozzarella pesto sandwich at the lido buffet
The great thing about cruising is all the different foods you can have that you don’t eat on an everyday basis back at home!
Fresh mozzarella cheese is so good, and you can get it on the cruise too!
Find it on sea day mornings or around lunch in the buffet dining areas on the lido deck alongside salads like the Greek salad and Mediterranean salad.
Make it into a sandwich by adding a few extra steps:
Head to the buffet line, grab a plate, and find the ciabatta bread, or similar type bread.
Head over to the salad area and find the fresh mozzarella. The mozzarella is in a pesto mixture, and there are the fresh mozzarella slices and tomato slices lined up alternately.
Grab a bowl and get the mozzarella and tomato slices.
Find a seat! See if you can get a table outside on the open deck where you can enjoy views of the open water with the sea breeze!
Now you’ve got your bread and you’ve got what goes in between the bread slices, so make yourself a delicious fresh mozzarella pesto sandwich! Try at least 2 mozzarella slices and 2 tomato slices per sandwich. Alternate the cheese and tomato like it was on display!
ENJOY!
DIY (kind of) ice cream concoction
This is somewhat of a plain snack, but still, so good!
On sea day afternoons, you may be able to find ice cream available staffed with a server at the sea dayĀ dessert kiosk.
The way it’s typically served is by making the ice cream scoops into an animal with a few extra snacks on top.
If this sounds good to you, get the ice cream animal! Kind of like how they make animals out of towels (towel animals), they also make animals out of ice cream (so we’ll call them ice cream animals).
Another delicious option is vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup!
Once again, it requires a few extra steps. š
There may be chocolate syrup served in the buffet line to go along with cake or some other dessert.
But we’re not going to use the chocolate syrup for cake, we’re going to use it for ice cream!
You can scoop the chocolate syrup with a ladle so you can add lots of it to your ice cream!
Grab a bowl from the buffet line. The ice cream scooperĀ uses a plate to serve the ice cream animal, which is why you’ll want to grab a bowl from elsewhere.
Head to the ice cream scooper and ask for a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream only in your bowl.
Then head to the buffet line to where the chocolate syrup is and pour (lots of) chocolate syrup onto your ice cream.
Then… ENJOY!
There is soft serve ice cream available 24/7.
But the scooped ice cream is a luxury item compared to the machine ice cream, especially when it comes with the chocolate syrup. š
If you can’t find the scooped ice cream around, get some vanilla ice cream from the self-serve machine instead, so you can get in on that chocolate syrup action!
Note that there is frozen yogurt and there is ice cream available at the machines, and there is a difference in taste! Ice cream tastes better. š
More cruise dining options: Non-DIY food places
Okay, so that is the end of the suggestions for the food that require extra work.
Next, here are some places to stand in line, tell them what you want, and out comes your freshly made food within minutes! š
CheckĀ hereĀ to see if yourĀ Carnival cruise ship offersĀ any particular dining option.
Mongolian Wok
You’ll get in line, grab a bowl, and then add the vegetables you want to your bowl.
You then will get to the spot where you hand your bowl to the wok guys.
It’s at this point where you’ll tell them what type of meat or seafood you would like to add to your dish, as well as what type of sauce you want to add.
There will be a list of what’s available once you get to this point.
There is oil added to this meal, but generally speaking, this is a pretty healthy option for cruise food. Although it’s also easy to eat a ton here too!
Pictures of the Mongolian Wok here.
Guy’s Burgers
If you want to make your heart happy, you really should avoid eating here every day. A burger at Guy’s Burger Joint can make your heart hurt… really. š
But of course, you need to try it at least once to see what all the buzz is about.
And it is a good burger. There are a few different ways you can order the burger, from plain to loaded up with toppings.
There is also a separate toppings bar so you can add a few extras too. Your burger will come with fries if you want some fries with it.
Pictures of Guy’s Burgers here.
Pizza 24/7
You’ll find pizza on all Carnival cruises.
This is worth a mention just because some first-timeĀ cruisers aren’t aware of it.
There have been people standing in line at the pizza place after a few days of the cruise have passed who say they had no idea the pizza place existed and was open all the time.
Talk about crazy! š
There really aren’t very many late-night food options on a Carnival cruise ship, but pizza is one of them!
Pictures of the pizza place here.
Ice cream 24/7
As mentioned earlier, ice cream is the other option that you can get any time, although you may have to walk a little to find a working soft serve machine.
When it’s not busy around the cruise ship, like when most people have retired for the night, some machines get shut down.
Even more dining options and food to eat on a Carnival cruise
To explore all the dining options a Carnival cruise as to offer, see here!
Things to maybe pack for your cruise!
Now, here are some things that you just may want to add to yourĀ cruise packing list!
- This caseĀ so you can take pristine underwater pictures or pool pictures! (Itās cheap!)
- This pouchĀ so you donāt have to worry about leaving valuables on the beach
- These tag holdersĀ so you donāt end up with lost luggage on the cruise ship!
- These packing cubesĀ so you can find your stuff once on the cruise
- These types of beach shoesĀ so you donāt have to worry about hidden rocks under the sand at any of the cruise ports
- This type of beach bagĀ thatāll help you dry things out so you can be ready for the next beach day!
- For your beach outfits, take a look atā¦
- These swimsuits and cover-upsĀ for women
- This swimwearĀ for plus-size women
- These swimsuitsĀ for men!
- Cruise formal:Ā And here are ideas for your cruise outfits for formal night!
- Seasickness:Ā And here are ideas for snacks and wearables to prevent seasickness
- Snorkeling:Ā What to wear snorkeling
HAPPY CRUISE EATING!
Pin this page to reference later!
More cruise tips:
āĀ What to wear for cruise formal night
ā Do you need a passport for a cruise?
ā Do you needĀ cruise travel insurance?
āĀ What NOT to bring on a cruise
ā How to prevent cruise luggage from getting lost on the cruise ship
āĀ How to prevent seasickness
ā Cruise portĀ things to do: Nassau near portĀ / San JuanĀ near port / Cozumel excursions
Cruise tips on Pinterest: Follow the Cruise Travel board!
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š Here are things you must consider packing!
- Swimsuit or swimming shirt aka rash guard
- rash guard: swim set for women and swim shirt for men
- Water shoes
- Waterproof phone case (so you can capture pictures of fishies underwater!)
- cheapo phone case OR waterproof camera
- I also have this "camera" wrist float to attach to my cheapo waterproof phone case so my phone won't sink to the bottom of the ocean in case I somehow let go of it. (Mine does stay afloat - test this for yourself before completely trusting it!)
- Swimming goggles or snorkeling mask set
- Reef-safe(r) sunscreen
- lightweight travel towel:
- walking sandals:
I also don't go snorkeling without a personal swim float buoy. Not only does it help to keep me visible, but it makes for a perfect way to rest out in deeper water! Oh, and it also serves as a dry bag so I can take stuff into the water with me.
Another way I have taken valuables into the water with me is to wear a travel money belt that I don't mind getting wet with salt water (it's not waterproof but I have several so I just use one of them) and then I put things in a ziplock freezer bag, and put that freezer bag in the money belt.
There are also designated waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
see more:
- What to wear hiking
- What to wear snorkeling