Cruising equals gluttony – that’s a well worn cliché often wheeled out by those wanting to perpetuate old myths about holidays at sea with bored passengers spending the whole time gorging on all the freely available munchies.
I can’t deny that on board ship there’s ample opportunity for a virtual 24-hour blow out and I’ve witnessed some pretty unpleasant examples of onboard over-eating, and not just on American ships.
After all, most ships provide easily more than double the normal three square meals a day when mid-morning snacks, afternoon tea and cakes and midnight buffets are all part of the daily routine at sea. And that’s even before you take in the pizzas, hot dogs and ice cream around the pool.
No wonder, you may think, cruise companies are so keen nowadays to promote their health and exercise facilities with extensive gyms to help sweat off all those additional calories.
I have no doubt that the allure of all-in dining is one of the determining factors for many people when they choose to cruise. After all, the cost of eating in the main restaurants and extensive buffets on board is all covered in the tickets price, so why not enjoy it?
My suspicions have now been confirmed with the results of a poll of British cruise passengers which found that more than half think a cruise line’s overall reputation for quality cuisine would affect their choice of cruise.
An overwhelming majority of 97% said dining was important or very important as part of the overall ambiance on a cruise ship.
And, surprise, surprise, more than half of those surveyed admitted that they would eat more than normal and put on weight during a cruise holiday.
So it seems that the diet well and truly goes out of the porthole as soon as we step on board our cruise ship.
The lure of five course dinners and the temptation of scrumptious snacks from the many food outlets can be just too much.
Yet tastes have changed over the years and this is reflected in the cuisine served up on board.
Healthy options are widely available as are speciality restaurants which more than match their Michelin-starred rivals ashore.
Celebrity chefs have been attracted onto ships, overseeing on board dining that reflects their ample reputations.
The same online poll found that James Martin (Ocean Village) was top choice of celebrity cruise chef followed by Marco Pierre White and Gary Rhodes (both P&O Cruises).
This tradition is being maintained by P&O Cruises on its new ship Azura which will feature an Indian fine dining restaurant created by another Michelin starred chef, Atul Kochhar when it is launched in April next year.
If fact, the company has gone so far as to describe Azura as a ‘foodie friendly’ ship, obviously keen to tap into what it believes is a desire for passengers to treat themselves to plush meals when on holiday, although I’m not entirely convinced that people will be prepared to pay a supplement for what is, in effect, a twiddly curry.
However, this focus on food appears to be paying dividends as Cunard Line was voted top for food followed by P&O Cruises then Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises in the survey by CruiseCritic.co.uk.
The study went on to find that more than half (53%) of British cruise passengers would use a gourmet specialist restaurant as an alternative to the main dining rooms at least once or twice during a week’s cruise.
Although buffet style dining has become increasingly available, 60% of people said that traditional silver service was their favourite type of dining on board a cruise ship.
So it appears that cruise cuisine can tip the balance in favour of one line over another when it comes to choosing a particular cruise.
Pound for pound there’s obviously a lot to be said for munching your way around the Med – just how many actually stick to their exercise regimes at the same time remains open to debate.
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