Battling food fatigue on a 20- day cruise?

Even during a 7-night cruise there is some feeling of sameness to the dinner menus. This is not just from the left side of the menu, the appetizers and "classics," but also from a degree of similarity on the right side. For example, if you had roast prime rib of beef one night, you may not want roast sirloin of beef two night later, since they are more similar than different. (On the other hand, if you really wanted the prime rib a second time, the sirloin may be a disappointment.)

Thus, although the exact same dish may not be repeated, it's possible that other dishes may seem a lot like it. To my recollection, this was even more the case with the desserts, where one might be structurally similar to another but with a different main flavor.

It didn't bother me during a 7-night cruise, and I ate in the MDR every evening but one (the night I went to Cirque Dreams). For my next 7-night booking I've chosen the specialty dining offer. Eating in the buffet would also introduce variety, although I don't like the setting very much. I do suggest eating lunch on shore whenever you can. Perhaps it will be wonderful, and if it isn't, it may help you to appreciate the MDR menu.

We sailed twice now on 14 days and one was a b2b and the menu repeated it's self. We dined in the main dinning room and the buffet and never got bored. We like to sit outside and the buffet allows us to do this. We always eat once while in port as well and this allows us to vary the choices as well. On at sea days we skip breakfast all together and this keeps the calorie count down. We also eat at the other on board restaurants. Enjoy the Cruise lots of variety, for me not going to the main dinning room all the time has made all the difference as that gets boring. Sitting on the deck eating and watching the ocean and sunset is what makes me happy.

I wish I could feel your pain but back in the day when I was on those seven month naval deployments I only wish we could go to the specialty restaurants,even for a surcharge.

Life is good now, my friends, enjoy it. :)

While we don't have "food fatigue" on longer cruises (20 days +), have to admit we are always sort of happy to get home to "home cooked" food! :D

For cruises of such a length the focus should change. Being more concerned about have a healthy calorie amount with the right macronutrients.

For one week one can over indulge and enjoy the special occasions. For three weeks the focus should be on healthy eating. Just a question of the right mindset.

Couldn't agree with this more! We have learned: no farmer's breakfasts, and make every effort to exercise enough so you will actually feel hungry when it is time for the next meal.

My wife and I did a 14 day on the BA back in February. We are both pretty healthy eaters, she more than me. After the first 7-8 days it was a little tough. By day 12 she was ready to jump ship Lol

I say go with someone who will appreciate being able to go on vacation for 20 days and not complain about the horrible torture of some of the food starting to feel similar.

It's amazing the things people take for granted and choose to complain about.

We just did 27 days on the Bliss - we got tired of the entertainment, and I like to limit the time in the casino, so we did a couple of nights as a Progressive dinner

 

Appys at Ocean Blue because hubby likes oysters

main at Food Republic or Haven

Dessert at Coco's, Haven or Q

 

this might help your hubby's food fatigue

What a fabulous idea!

Couldn't agree with this more! We have learned: no farmer's breakfasts, and make every effort to exercise enough so you will actually feel hungry when it is time for the next meal.

The buffet is the easiest place to "eat healthy". You take exactly what you want and as much as you want. On NCL, I could go way more than 20 days and never repeat, there are so many options. And then, off to the gym so I can indulge in "some not as healthy" options. We did a 14 day on the BA in Feb, I ate "like a healthy pig", put on maybe 5 lbs and they came off in couple of days (must have been water).

Couldn't agree with this more! We have learned: no farmer's breakfasts, and make every effort to exercise enough so you will actually feel hungry when it is time for the next meal.

Totally agree. I stick to my usual oatmeal and fruit every morning, and treat myself to eggs and bacon once a week. Lunch is usually a salad or fruit and yogurt. Then, I confess, to thoroughly enjoying my dinner, complete with desert! 😈

Remember: beer is liquid bread... and they have lots of beers too!

we didnt get bored on our 14 day, but man our waistlines took a beating.

i can usually come back from a 7 day sail with no weight gain. i gained 5 lbs on our 14 day sail. :-(

Food Fatigue! That' a new one for me! Every cruise I've been on, including some 14 day PC cruises, one of my biggest complaints was, "I just didn't have enough time to try all the food available! So much that I never even got to!" Different restaurants, each with many different menu items to choose from. I guess if you do limit your interest in food to just a basic few food types, maybe. But a cruise is about do it all...something you can't do at home.

Depends on how many meals/courses he eats a day.

I’ve seen people eat the menu at a seating. Sadly.

Just got off a 9 day cruise to Alaska (longest one for us). I had no problem with the length of the cruise and food service, but my hubby got tired of the "sameness" of the food onboard. So much so that he is questioning our 20-day Panama Canal cruise.

 

Question for those who have cruises longer than a week-- how did you battle food fatigue? We ate off ship and speciality restaurants but still felt like a dorm experience at the end.

 

I need some strategies/assurances to convince my hubby to go on the Panama cruise.

 

Thank you!

 

 

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Just came home from a 7 day cruise on getaway and I agree 100% with your husband. I was so sick of the food and we even had 3 specialty restaurants included. The buffet was the same thing day after day. Nothing new was added save for a few different carved meats and hot entrees. I was not impressed with the food. Celebrity has much better food.

Our longest cruise was 28 days and we usually sail no less than 21 days at a time. I can honestly say I have never gotten food "fatigue" but then again we are not picky eaters and will try anything. Not many foods that we do not like. I guess if one is picky then they might get tired of the food but there are so many options that one could eat something different everyday.

One of things I hate about sailing Carnival was they went to a comfort menu. I can get fried chicken, meatloaf and a pork chop at home, I sure don't want it when I cruise.

NCL has a different buffet theme every night on cruises, Seafood one night, Rotisserie another, etc. Try that instead of the MDR all of the time. Also, try the specialty restaurants.

Just came home from a 7 day cruise on getaway and I agree 100% with your husband. I was so sick of the food and we even had 3 specialty restaurants included. The buffet was the same thing day after day. Nothing new was added save for a few different carved meats and hot entrees. I was not impressed with the food. Celebrity has much better food.

You must be kidding. Did you try something other than the buffet or speciality restaurants? We liked the food on the Getaway and never suffered from the newest first world ailment “Food Fatigue”

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I did a B2B on the Gem in 2010, and I remember on the first week, I'd sometimes have a hard time deciding what to eat in the main dining room because there were so many choices (no, I don't order two entrees because I don't like to waste food). But then I thought - "hey, I can try that dish next week!" But the menu did not repeat the next week, much to my disappointment.

I don't always care for the entrees offered, and am thankful that I can always preview the menu and dine elsewhere if I don't care for the menu that evening. I've never gotten bored with the offerings, though.

I did a 12-day cruise (with Carnival) in 2005 and I do remember feeling a general fatigue with the whole dining room routine, though. There was a stronger push to dress well for dinner, and then we'd sit through the multiple courses. It's a delight and a novelty for a few days, but after the first week or so, I longed for something different. Lucky for me, my aunt and uncle were on the same cruise, and I broke away from my friends to join them for dinner in the buffet one night.

After cruising with NCL, I went back to a Disney ship (I work for Disney and can get discounts) and felt very restricted: "you will eat at this time, with these people, in this restaurant, with this menu." I understand why Disney does what they do, but I much prefer the Freestyle approach.

You must be kidding. Did you try something other than the buffet or speciality restaurants? We liked the food on the Getaway and never suffered from the newest first world ailment “Food Fatigue”

 

 

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Yes. Osheehans, Cagney, cirque show, ocean blue. The food quality was not amazing in my opinion. The food in the Haven was much better

We haven't been on any B2Bs, but we'll be on our longest cruise January 2018, a 22 nighter on a HAL ship. We've pre-purchased a few specialty dining meals (3 steakhouse, 1 Italian), we'll have some lunches in various ports, and we plan to alternate venues (MDR, specialty, buffet or room service) mostly based on how we feel each night. Some afternoons, I could easily see us picking up a burger and fries for an early dinner. Others, it will be the MDR experience.

I found a fellow CC'er who posted menus from the same cruise Jan 2018. I didn't see any repeats, but agree with one poster who said "types" repeat, like prime rib one night and steak 2 nights later. We looked the menus over to figure out which nights we might prefer to enjoy our specialty meals, LOL, AND which nights we want to be in the MDR so I don't miss my beloved coconut ice cream, mmmmmm! I've also told my husband that we're going out to breakfast each Monday on the cruise! I think that will be a nice change from room service continental, and the MDR breakfast menu has several things I'd like to try.

Fun topic, I'm enjoying reading. I can't say we've suffered food fatigue, but we've definitely wished for a "simple meal" a time or two on longer cruises. That's usually when we either order a sandwich from room service, or go to the buffet and get some soup and salad.

Re-reading a few of the posts on this topic, I agree with the poster regarding how picky one is. I could maybe see my brother suffering from food fatigue on a cruise, as he's pretty picky and won't touch seafood, avocados, mushrooms, sour cream, etc., etc., etc..I think he's missing out, but as long as he can get a burger and fries, he's happy! It takes all kinds, eh? <wink>

Best wishes!

We haven't been on any B2Bs, but we'll be on our longest cruise January 2018, a 22 nighter on a HAL ship. We've pre-purchased a few specialty dining meals (3 steakhouse, 1 Italian), we'll have some lunches in various ports, and we plan to alternate venues (MDR, specialty, buffet or room service) mostly based on how we feel each night. Some afternoons, I could easily see us picking up a burger and fries for an early dinner. Others, it will be the MDR experience.

 

 

 

I found a fellow CC'er who posted menus from the same cruise Jan 2018. I didn't see any repeats, but agree with one poster who said "types" repeat, like prime rib one night and steak 2 nights later. We looked the menus over to figure out which nights we might prefer to enjoy our specialty meals, LOL, AND which nights we want to be in the MDR so I don't miss my beloved coconut ice cream, mmmmmm! I've also told my husband that we're going out to breakfast each Monday on the cruise! I think that will be a nice change from room service continental, and the MDR breakfast menu has several things I'd like to try.

 

 

 

Fun topic, I'm enjoying reading. I can't say we've suffered food fatigue, but we've definitely wished for a "simple meal" a time or two on longer cruises. That's usually when we either order a sandwich from room service, or go to the buffet and get some soup and salad.

 

 

 

Re-reading a few of the posts on this topic, I agree with the poster regarding how picky one is. I could maybe see my brother suffering from food fatigue on a cruise, as he's pretty picky and won't touch seafood, avocados, mushrooms, sour cream, etc., etc., etc..I think he's missing out, but as long as he can get a burger and fries, he's happy! It takes all kinds, eh? <wink>

 

 

 

Best wishes!

It’s not just the variety it’s the preparation of many of the foods. That’s what becomes stale. At a certain point you’re just kind of over it and want to get back to your favorite home dish or restaurant. They use an absolute TON of butter, salt, sugar in ratios most people would never use at home. And of course it is delicious [emoji39] but it all starts to wear you out. I guess I need a longer cruise to test my breaking point 🤷*♀️

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Food and Taste is so subjective. I eat mostly organic at home( in Socal) and I don't eat BEEF. I was sick of all the food on my latest cruise( NCL Getaway) after 2 days.