Sailing and fasting-I know it sounds like an oxymoron. When you think of cruising you think of entertainment, fun and food! So, I asked myself, “Can I do all this on a cruise while on a restrictive eating plan?”
Well, I put it to the test. I recently sailed aboard the Celebrity Solstice on a Mexican Rivera cruise. As a Travel Advisor, it’s important to know the products you sell inside and out to best advise your clients about what the cruise line offers and whether it is suited to their needs. Celebrity Cruises is a new cruise line for our company, World Travel Agency LLC. So, we took advantage of their Learning at Sea program to get first-hand experience and education about Celebrity Cruises and the Solstice.
Prior to the actual sailing, we were required to complete an in-depth self-paced certification learning program. This extensive certification served as great reinforcement to what we were being taught in the classroom onboard during “At Sea” days. My overall takeaway is that Celebrity is a wonderful product line with varying accommodations for a wide spectrum of travelers. With Celebrity, you’ll be experiencing a signature luxury vacation while traveling in good company.
So now that you have a little background, let me address my concern before taking this cruise; “Could I have a fulfilling dining experience onboard without blowing my eating program?” My eating program required intermittent fasting, while eating only between the hours of 10 am to 6 pm. Nothing before 10 or after 6pm. I must admit I had one obstacle on class days since class started at 10 am (keep in mind that should not be a problem for someone just cruising and not taking travel agent training while onboard).
I found that the Oceanview Café was my best option for breakfast and lunch because it operated during
times that coincided with my eating plan and had a large variety of delicious and nutritious foods that fell within the boundaries of my eating program. Ahh…a place for me!
Dinner was a little bit challenging because my eating plan required having my last meal before 6pm and most of the dinner venues didn’t open until 6 pm. Initially I thought my only choices were to go without dinner or change my eating window. I had already put too much time into the program and was committed to staying on course. As luck would have it, while perusing the Celebrity’s wonderful App, I discovered that the Grand Epernay Restaurant opened at 5:30 pm. Not only were the meals delicious, but the service was also impeccable. I told the maître d’ and my waiter my eating parameters and they were most attentive to seeing they were met. The food always arrived well before my 6:00 pm eating curfew and all meals were beautifully presented and as tasty as could be. I was very impressed! You can take my word for it, it you are traveling with any type of dietary constraints or concerns, you won’t feel deprived or feel like you must missing out on the FOOD part of sailing fun because there are options and Celebrity will work with you to address your specific needs.
Can you sail on Celebrity Cruise while on a restrictive meal programs…ABSOLUTELY! If you are looking for a great value cruise, I highly recommend Celebrity Cruises they are family friendly and service a wide variety of travelers.
Happy Sailing!
