Eating low carb is possible on a cruise? Here are my 12 best tips to help you navigate the food options on a cruise! This post was first published in 2018 and now it's updated for 2024!
Low Carb Keto Cruising
If you're new to low carb eating or a keto lifestyle and taking a vacation on any cruise line, it can certainly feel overwhelming wondering if you can really pull it off successfully.
I've tackled the cruise ship and won! You most certainly can enjoy yourself without blowing your low carb diet or keto diet!
When you're on a weight loss mission it can feel impossible to be able to stick to your goals when vacationing. I thought so too, but after having successfully managed staying within sugar free options and low carb and keto food choices, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.
In fact, I found lots of options for special low carb foods, I was astonished and grateful that so many cruises are offering better choices.
My first cruise was back in 2017 with Royal Caribbean on the Anthem of the Seas roundtrip to 5 different islands for our 20th wedding anniversary. Then we took our kids on their first cruise in 2018 to Mexico, and Jamaica.
In 2019 we went on a European cruise with Celebrity to take my parents back to Italy to see my dads nephew he hadn't seen in 38 years! We also went to Malta, and France, it was more about the major attractions than the bells and whistles on that ship.
Our recent last cruise was 2023 for my youngest son graduating high school. We went on the Norwegian cruise line to Bermuda. The beauty of that trip was that we didn't have to fly since we got on the ship in New York.
Flying prices have increased and with a family of 5 we were happy we didn't have that extra cost. We just paid for the car to be parked for the week, much less expensive.
With each cruise we've been on, I've found making the best choices for my gluten free, keto lifestyle go easier and easier as I learned to pass on foods that I knew who make me sick and not feel well on the ship. I hope to take another cruise next year, just with my hubby with Norwegian for an Alaska cruise, which has been a dream of our for years!
Here are my tips and tricks to have a great time while staying the course of your sugar free, low carb life style or ketogenic diet!
Tip Number 1 Avoid the Buffet and Eat in Main Dining
I know this is a tough one to swallow because you're on vacation and most likely traveling with others. BUT if you are like me and have a really hard time with portion control, the buffets will be torture.
It's not to say, you can't make it work though because you can, it's just all about your mindset going into it.
On my first cruise I was quite prepared for the huge selection of food choices and it was so extremely hard for me to eat a small amount for breakfast when everyone had an enormous amount of food on their plate.
Typically at home I don't even eat breakfast. But if you can handle it there are plenty of options, like eggs, poached, fried, hard boiled and a ton of meat options like bacon, sausage, and ham.
So for me a great tip is to order from the main dining room at least for one meal a day, instead of tackle the buffet for every meal. I found on sea days, the lunch options weren't as difficult to manage with lighter options.
When in doubt I always choose a salad or look for the cheese plate and deli meats.
Tip Number 2 Avoid the Dressings and Sauces
Be careful of all the sauces, dips and dressings offered, as many contain seed oils that are inflammatory and many contain a high amount of sugar using high fructose corn syrup.
When you spike your blood sugar, you can bet a craving for sweets, carbs and just wanting to eat more and more will come.
Extra virgin olive oil and vinegar is your best bet for a salad.
Tip Number 3 Fill up on Protein
For dinner in the buffet, your best bet for pure protein that isn't coated in breading or tossed in a sauce is to head to the carving station. Often each cruise line has a carving station with roast beef, ham, chicken and prime rib.
Best breakfast options would be to fill up on plenty of protein like eggs, sausage, or bacon.
The breakfast buffet is probably one of the easier buffets to eat low carb since they often include lots of egg options and fresh fruit. Avoid the pancakes, waffles, breads and you'll be off to a great start.
Tip Number 4 Speak to the head waiter
I found it was very easy to speak to the head waiter to share my needs with my diet and I just asked for what I didn't want on my plate. They are so accommodating and truly want to meet your needs.
Every meal in the dining room consisted of some starchy type side. I simply asked at dinner for them to remove the potato or pasta or rice and replace with more vegetables.
It worked fine, they had no issues doing that for me. I added butter to most things and was completely satisfied. And it was real dairy butter, no fake butter substitutes for me!
On some cruise lines they even have a special low carb menu, since a low-carb diet is so popular now.
Tip Number 5 AVOID the Sugary Drinks
Whether you enjoy alcohol or not, many of the fruity drinks are loaded with simple syrup and a high amount of sugar based drinks have more calories, carbs and sugar then a dessert.
I avoided them like the plague as much as I was tempted to try a Pina Colada I avoided it. Why? Because I know for me, once the taste of sugar hits my lips, I'm never satisfied and always crave another and the next day and so on. It's a cycle I don't want to ever repeat.
If you do want some alcoholic drinks, they aren't out of the question. You could enjoy some diet coke and rum or I always choose Tito's vodka with Sprite Zero. Be careful with Grey Goose vodka if you're gluten free.
I learned the hard way and was very sick from just a small amount in my seltzer as I later found out it is 100% derived from wheat! I had no idea until after I was sick all night. I am very sensitive so being careful, especially on vacation is important to me. Not worth it to be sick you can't enjoy yourself!
Tip Number 6 AVOID Sugar Free Sweet Treats
I found most of the sugar free desserts were still heavy on white flour as a base, things like cake and pie, and so being gluten free those were not options for me. The only sugar free dessert I felt comfortable indulging in was the custard and mousse type recipes.
Most likely they were using artificial sweetener to sweeten these but when you don't want to feel deprived during the vacation a few sugar free desserts with artificial sweeteners like that were fine for me.
At home of course I use natural sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit and allulose.
I'd rather fit into some pretty vacation clothes and forgo dessert! This pretty dress was picked out from my stylist from Stitchfix and it was so comfortable!
Below are the Caribbean colored pants and those were comfy too!
Tip Number 7 Find the Fitness Center on Sea days
Best thing not only for your body, but for your mental health is movement and exercise. Especially helpful if you aren't getting off the ship for a day or more before the next ports of call!
Take a walk on the track or around the cruise floors if it's raining. I would actually also recommend weighing yourself on their scale at the start of your trip.
It will make you accountable to the food choices you are making during the week and plan to weight yourself on the last day. Being aware of your actions and holding yourself accountable is key to being happy not regretful when you get home from your trip.
Tip Number 8 Get Some SUNSHINE
Wake up early for the sunrise and breath the fresh ocean air!
Maybe you won't make it for the sunrise, but if you can get some early morning light in your eyes to set your circadian rhythm, you will even sleep better.
You will be less likely to indulge in a lot of sugar with a good nights sleep too. The first night of a cruise can be exciting and you may overdue it or just stay up later than you would at home.
Tip Number 9 Bring Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Blocking the artificial lights after sunset helps you sleep better.
Since you most likely will be staying up late on your cruise and catching a show or hitting the bar, these glasses can help you regulate your circadian rhythm and not throw off your sleep to get the most of your vacation.
Tip 10 Get Motion Sickness Bands
If you have time to order on Amazon before heading out, one of the best things I bought myself and my kids was to invest in some motion sickness bands.
They work on the pressure points on your wrist. They don't hurt and they don't make you tired since it's not medicine like dramamine.
Try a new food you've never had before! This is Burrata pic below and it's a cheese kind of like mozzarella but a little bit looser in texture, less formed and it is fantastic!
Tip Number 11 Eating by the Pool
Low carb food options are few and far between by the pool. Things like pizza, ice cream and fries are not a good idea if you don't want to crave all the things.
Your best option by the pool could be ordering a couple of hot dogs, no bun or a burger no bun.
Tip #12 RELAX and ACCEPT
Obviously, eating away from home will increase the amount of food you typically eat in a day. This is normal, you just can't control everything.
Some days you may eat a lot more than normal, but remember it is a vacation and you don't have to cook or clean up so BONUS!
Just do the best you can to stick to your low-carb lifestyle. You may certainly gain a few pounds, which mostly will be water weight.
But you know how to do this. You know to get back on track and you most certainly will lose those extra few pounds within 1-2 weeks of getting strict again.
Do something you've never done before! I went on a tubing excursion! I was so scared, but it ended up being wonderful to share these memories with my family!
I had hoped to not gain any weight while on this trip, but sadly I gained 4 pounds. It wasn't that I ate anything I shouldn't but I just ate more than my body needs.
In the first week home I lost 3 pounds and the second week home I was back to what I was when we had left for the trip. I don't regret a minute of it, it was a wonderful vacation to remember with my family!
Get back on track after a vacation with these 12 tips! Try my 5 day Sugar Detox challenge for a quick start!
Hope my experience will help you feel more confident when it comes to low carb eating while on vacation! It's not always easy but it is doable and you can do it when you set your mind to it!
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