Planning to go on a cruise? One of the best things about cruising is the wide range of dining options, from the cruise buffet to afternoon tea to the multi course sit down dinner. With so much tempting food, it’s easy to overeat! You want to try it all! Here are some tactics for navigating the cruise buffet so that you can fully enjoy the experience without overeating.
Cruise Buffet Tactics
Scope it Out
The first thing to do when you’re at a cruise buffet is to scope it out! Instead of piling food on your plate right away, go around the buffet and check out every station. Familiarize yourself with the layout so you can decide what to get.
Make sure you go around the buffet, it’s easy to miss out on food stations since they can vary from one side to the other. There might be an Asian station on one side and a Mexican food station on the other, so don’t assume both sides are the same! Take a complete tour to get a sense of what the buffet has to offer.
Portion Control
Don’t get too much of each item during your first round at the cruise buffet. It’s best to take small portions of each item so you can sample it. The objective of the first round is to sample the food, so you know what is good. Portion control is key!
Just take a piece or a small spoonful of each dish, no matter how delicious it may look. Sometimes, appearances can be deceiving, and the dish turns out to be a dud.
You don’t want to waste food, or worse, fill up on one thing because you got too much of it. You can always go back for more! Remember, portion control is the key to avoiding overeating at cruise buffets!
Don’t be Hodge Podge
For the best cruise buffet experience, it’s best to stick to one food category per plate. For example, do a seafood plate, an Asian plate, or a brunch plate.
Avoid mixing different types of food on one plate because it leads to clashing flavors and mixed-up sauces. Not only is it unappealing, but you also don’t get to enjoy the food because you can’t taste it as it is.
By keeping similar types of foods together, you ensure that the flavor combinations make sense and that everything tastes great together without becoming a jumble of mixed flavors.
Don’t Eat too Much Carbs
The worst thing you can do at a cruise buffet is to load up on carbs. Avoid eating too much carbs such as pasta, bread, and rice. It will fill you up right away!
A good cruise buffet strategy is to limit your carb intake- either avoid it or eat just a little bit of it. For example, I always skip the bread from the buffet. I also only get a small scoop of pasta or rice, just to taste it!
If you’re eyeing a sandwich, it’s best to go easy on the bread by making an open-faced sandwich and not eating one side of it.
Don’t Overload on Drinks
Another thing that can fill you up and ruin your cruise buffet experience is getting too full from drinks. Keep your drink consumption in moderation, especially carbonated drinks like seltzers and sodas.
Carbonated drink is known to give you the sensation of fullness. The last thing you want is to be too full from soda and not have room for food at the buffet on your cruise. Keep your drink consumption in check to enjoy your cruise buffet experience fully. Check out: 10 Food I’ll Never Eat at a Cruise Buffet
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