12 Foods You Should Always Avoid Ordering on a Cruise
Exploring new destinations on a cruise ship allows travelers to enjoy onboard dining as part of their adventure. However, the abundance of dining choices on cruises can cause travelers to ignore possible issues that might ruin their vacation. Food allergens, alongside hygiene issues, make certain menu selections inadvisable during cruise experiences.
Avoid raw seafood and other highly perishable foods on cruises unless you’re eating at a restaurant noted for its exceptional freshness and proper food handling. Cruise ships follow strict safety standards, but improper storage or handling of items such as sushi and oysters can elevate foodborne illness risks. Additionally, be cautious with buffet spreads. The wide selection of buffet items means that food exposed for too long will decline in quality.
Cruise lines typically provide unique accommodations for passengers with dietary restrictions to ensure that every meal they eat is safe and pleasurable. Smart dining choices will help you fully enjoy every moment of your cruise experience!
Buffet Items Sitting Out
While buffet-style dining offers convenience, it becomes dangerous because exposed food turns into a breeding ground for bacteria over time. Cruise ships enforce strict hygiene policies, but food remains hazardous when exposed to warm temperatures or when multiple passengers handle it.
Choose freshly prepared items or select made-to-order options from specialty counters to guarantee your meal remains hygienic and adequately prepared.
Undercooked Seafood
Seafood platters taste great when fresh, but consuming raw or undercooked seafood, such as oysters or sushi, from buffet tables can cause foodborne illnesses.
Spreading food incorrectly or mishandling it during preparation could disrupt your digestive system and vacation plans. Pro Tip: Craving sushi? Visit the specialty sushi bar onboard for freshly prepared sushi instead of taking it from the buffet line.
Unwashed Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and unwashed vegetables can carry dangerous bacteria or pesticide residues. High standards exist for produce aboard cruise lines, but the handling of the food before it reaches the ship remains uncertain.
To minimize contamination risks, choose fruits with peels, such as bananas and oranges, and select cooked vegetables as a safer alternative.
Excessive Desserts
Cruise ships attract attention with lavish dessert selections, including giant cakes and endless ice cream stations. Desserts frequently serve up numerous calories and sugar while providing minimal nutritional benefits, which results in feelings of lethargy and bloatedness.
Indulge in treats occasionally, but for balance, make fresh fruit desserts your go-to option. Reserve your appetite for unique events, including the Captain’s Dinner!
Cream-Based Sauces
Creamy pasta and rich sauces taste tremendous, but contain high fat and calories that can upset your stomach in turbulent waters.
Buffet environments risk spoilage for cream-based sauces that remain unrefrigerated for extended periods. Choose tomato-based or broth-based sauces because they offer a lighter, more manageable option for your stomach.
Fried Foods
The aroma of fried chicken or French fries from the grill may lure you, yet fried foods contain unhealthy fats. The ship’s movement combined with this will lead to severe digestive problems. You should moderate fried foods and complement them with nutrient-rich dishes such as salads or roasted vegetables.
Mystery Meat
People lose interest in exotic food options when encountering unidentified “mystery meat,” which could include overly processed burgers or strange meat cuts served on deck grills because of their uncertain quality and origin. The ship’s reputable venues, prioritizing high-quality meat cuts, such as the fine-dining steakhouse, should be your dining destination.
Tap Water
Cruise lines usually process and purify tap water for safety, but travelers with sensitive digestive systems may still feel uneasy about it. The mineral levels in desalinated water can change, which may upset people who have never consumed it. For safety, travelers should choose bottled water, which ships provide quickly.
Ice Cubes
Ice cubes can cause discomfort for people with sensitive stomachs, just as tap water might. Water used in ice cubes undergoing desalination could contain foreign pathogens and minerals that your body might struggle to process. Choose beverages without ice or ask for bottled drinks to eliminate exposure to potential pathogens.
Unpasteurized Dairy
Milk and specific cheese varieties that haven’t undergone pasteurization can contain harmful bacteria that pose a risk to people with sensitive stomachs.
Although Listeria contamination occurs infrequently, it remains an unwanted risk during ocean voyages. Ensure the ship’s staff verifies that all dairy products have been pasteurized. If unsure about food safety, choose shelf-stable options such as almond or soy milk.
Self-Serve Ice Cream
Although soft-serve machines are a popular cruise tradition, they frequently face hygiene challenges because of improper use by different passengers. Communal spaces become breeding grounds for germs, which spread rapidly in these environments. Select staffed dessert counters or specialized ice cream shops onboard for fresh, premium ice cream service.
Pre-Cut Fruits
Pre-cut fruits appear to be a healthy snack option, yet they rapidly lose nutritional value following the slicing process. Without proper storage methods, pre-cut fruits become susceptible to bacterial contamination.
To minimize contact with potential contaminants, choose fruits you can peel yourself, such as apples, bananas, and oranges.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
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