Strange anti-cruise comment

[Dengail]

Our family really enjoys trying many different things on a cruise and we encourage our kids to try a lot of new things-thats what cruises are for-experiences...so I dread being seated with "judgemental" types that would frown on our dinners. I always hope to have a table by ourselves so we don't have to deal with it. I've requested them but usually we get seated with others. Truthfully, it's just been a fear so far, not reality because our tablemates are just as piggy as we are usually!

[The Monocled Mutineer]

If you order it (or select it from a buffet) no one should be bothered if you order 20 dishes or your plate is piled high.

 

So long as you eat it!

 

Dislike seeing food going in the bin. The latecomer to a buffet may miss out on a favourite item.

[arcanium]

Whenever I encounter people as judgmental as the one's we're discussing (and have encountered) here, I simply thank my lucky stars that I'm not perfect enough to be accepted by them. Who'd want the burden of that kind of company?

 

Yeah, I'm on the large side right now. Working on it, thanks for asking. But I find that remarks made aloud tend to come from two groups: Little children who don't know any better, or mentally ill adults who can't help themselves. So if someone wants to put themselves into the childish or mental illness categories, that's their business.

[usgoobers5]

I am always surprised at what some people will complain about. I am a BIG girl and the rest of my family are very, very thin. I would feel uncomfortable ordering more then one entree. But I certainly wouldn't let those around me dictate my eating habits! If I waited the whole year to cruise and eat lobster then I should be able to eat as many as I desire. I am pretty sure those who order more then one entree or ten deserts are still not short changing the rest of those on the cruise! It has been my experience that there is always enough food on a cruise to go around. I have never had them tell us they ran out of anything because the fat lady at the next table ordered three! People need to lighten up and if people being gluttons repulses you then cruising is definitely not your cup of tea!:D ;)

[swtpnk]

I 'LOVE GOOD FOOD'. Im not a little gal, not a BIG gal. But, when DH and I are on a cruise, we love to eat....NOT to take advantage of everything, but only the foods we LIKE....

 

One thing that bothers me is, in the restaurant, if you want another lobster, lets say, the waiter will bring you a whole plate of the entree. NOT just the lobster. THAT bothers me. Soooo, I do feel I should not waste it, but eat it...

 

My faves on a cruise.... Escargot, Creme Brulee, and the Macadamia nut cookies that i cant find anymore on NCL ships...My first taste of those were on the NORWAY.. just outstanding cookies.. I couldnt wait till our next NCL cruise to get those cookies.. sad to say, I havent found them again. :( Some of us DO have our favorite foods we look forward to on a cruise.. I DO!!! :D

 

Let others be, let them enjoy. We dont eat like this any other time. Its vacation. Just dont take advantage of a good thing, there are others that love to eat too, leave some for them also and dont waste. NOT to mention all of those that loose their money and go home more than broke from the Casino!! OR the ones that drink too much, yes, they are paying extra for that, but its still the same thing.

 

Ya'll have a great time on your vacation now, ya hear??

swtpnk :)

[Travelitis]

This is not something I've ever talked about, but the gluttony on a cruise can be a bit offputting. I don't mean everyone who overeats is a glutton. I'm talking about those people who can't be bothered to make a 2nd trip to the buffet, so they pile it so high it's like a science fair project. The other gluttony I don't care for is excessive waste. If you take a bit of your chocolate pecan pie and find it has all the taste of styrofoam, then, by all means toss it. However, if you stack the plate high then take 3 bites and are done, you need to recalibrate your eyes to actually fit your stomach. I had a friend who would embarrass me at a buffet by piling ridiculous portions on her and her son's plate, knowing they'd eat less than half. It's that "getting what I paid for" mentality still.

[arcanium]

Forget it. Some people...

[dakwriter]

I am much more concerned with and disgusted by people who drink too much, as I often witnessed on my first cruise last month. The consequences of imbibing too much alcohol reach far beyond that person's stomach. In one instance, my DH & I actually had to rescue one young woman from an elevator where she was being held against her will by two drunken men she didn't know. She was most grateful for our assistance.

 

Would that the bartenders on the ship would do more to limit the intake of those who drink to excess, but my guess is the cruiseline makes too much money from the bars to encourage them to do so.

[sandy l]

We leave on our cruise in 2 weeks, Liberty of the Seas. When I go out to dinner(normally), I order something I know I like because I don't want to not like it. Well, one thing I like about a cruise is that I can try lots of different things and not worry about being hungry when I am done. I am going to try every dish that sounds interesting to me. I don't get the chance to do that otherwise. Am I a glutton, am I overweight? NO! Does that matter? NO! Just because I am a size 4, that doesn't give me any more leeway than someone overweight if they want to try something different. If I like it and I am not too full, I will eat all of it, because I can. We try not to waste food. We stop ordering when we are full. I often order 2/3 appetizers, a salad, an entree or 2 and dessert. I encourage my kids to do the same. I don't cook like that and they may like something new. On our last cruise with our kids, they fell in love with escargot...haven't had it in 2 years. It is the opportunity to try things out of the ordinary. I am looking forward to enjoying my dinners. I certainly hope there is no one on our cruise judging me or my family but if they are that is their problem. It is just one part of our vacation that we truly enjoy.

[marmi]

I think that people who do not like to see other people eat, should ask a table for two, that way one can stop the other.

 

twice we cruise with religious man, one was the catholic priest of the ship and nothing stop him to order wine and sharing it with all the table

the second time, was a minister with his wife, they said they diet before the cruise, just to eat all they want at diner and they did order all the desserts every night and sometimes to plates.

 

By the way they played ball in the pool every day, even when we had some rough sea, I'm sure, they tried to loose the calories that way.

[gianna01]

My dh and I LOVE food and we order everything that sounds good off the menu And we share everything!! We never order more then one of the same item because then we wouldnt have room for something different. Yes we eat Alot on the cruise but we never gain weight on the cruises which amazes me!! So yes I usually order a couple of apps or more, 2 soups, a couple of entrees or more and a couple of desserts. SOOOO WHAT!!!!!!

 

If someone ordered 2 dinners that should not offend people but if they were eating like a pig stuffing food in their mouths getting food all over their faces instead of eating with manners then thats what should offend people!!

 

Now, I wonder if people that are offended by 2 dinner plates go only to the buffet once? Dont the majority of the people go up to the buffet more then once?? That is more then one plate isnt it???? So why would they get upset with 2 dinner plates?? I never saw dinner plates on a cruise overflowing with food.

 

Besides I am too busy enjoying the company of my dh and friends and food then to worry about how much everyone is eating around me!!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

It's odd that the woman who was disgusted with how much people ate on the cruise did not mention seeing passengers drink to much, smoke too much, stay up too late, sleep too much, spend too much on tours, jewelry, shopping sprees, gamble too much in the casino, stay in Grand Suites when a Deck Two inside cabin would be "good enough", etc.

 

Why is overeating her hot button issue? Just because she may eat only one serving does not necessarily make her a saint either. Trouble is, her excesses may not be as visible as someone who piles food on their Windjammer plate or asks a waiter for two entrees.

[Geckospot]

Usually people who comment publicly about things like that are just insecure and trying to make themselves feel better. A cruise is an epicurean utopia..if she didn't realize that she is in the wrong place.

[shops54]

I'm so glad to have found this thread! Until now we've always cruised with family and the waiter soon learned that I liked to free wheel it - couple appetizers, two soups - maybe no main course but always two desserts. This cruise it's only hubby and me and we thought we'd sit at a table of 6 to spice things up. Now I'm not so sure. I love to sample!! The cruise is 6 weeks away and I've already checked the menus and been dreaming about all the new and wonderful foods to try. Will the others at my table laugh at me or be horrified? Maybe we should change to a table for 2?!!

[WinnieinWA]

... when you see folks at self-serve "pile the plate high" and then leave most of it uneaten!

 

Take what you want but eat what you take should be a realistic guideline.

[arcanium]

Just off RCL's Majesty of the Seas. It was a wonderful cruise.

 

One morning, during breakfast, in the Windjammer Cafe I noticed one lady giving me the "How dare you be fat and eat in public" look. When you're overweight, you know that look.

 

Anyway, not here to cry in my coffee about it. I just had to note that her plate was piled four inches high with every deep-fried, cholesterol-laden piece of sausage, bacon, hash browns, corned beef hash and croissants, and she was sporting a second plate with a mountain of breakfast pastries.

 

I had a plate of fresh fruit, smoked salmon and a single muffin.

 

The moral of the story: Food police live in glass houses, and if they don't watch what's on their plates, pretty soon their fat judgmental butts won't have much room to gawk.

[Meredith22]

I'm so glad to have found this thread! Until now we've always cruised with family and the waiter soon learned that I liked to free wheel it - couple appetizers, two soups - maybe no main course but always two desserts. This cruise it's only hubby and me and we thought we'd sit at a table of 6 to spice things up. Now I'm not so sure. I love to sample!! The cruise is 6 weeks away and I've already checked the menus and been dreaming about all the new and wonderful foods to try. Will the others at my table laugh at me or be horrified? Maybe we should change to a table for 2?!!

My DH & I just got off Carnival Glory today. We had a table for two in the dining room and it wasn't other passengers that questioned our food choices but our head waiter! Because we found that most of the food was not to our liking neither of us ate very much and we both felt as if we were being criticized for it by our waiter every single night, as in "What? No appetizer or salad again?" I tell you, I really got sick of hearing that. I don't like to eat to please the wait staff and didn't appreciate feeling as if we had to explain ourselves every night, as in "No. I had salad for lunch." or "No, I'm just not that hungry tonight." I don't even want to think of what the waiter's comments or questions might have been had we ordered multiples of anything. And even when I was in a mood for, say, salmon, the waiter would tell me things like "Oh, you wouldn't like that because it doesn't have any sauce on it." As if he was familiar with my personal preferences! (I happen to abhor sauces, actually.) In addition, if my DH or I didn't order one of the courses we had to wait until all the big tables around us had finished the course(s) we had skipped before we could receive our entrees.:( So last night we couldn't stand facing that waiter one more time and opted out of the dining room for the informal Lido deck restaurant instead. The food wasn't as varied or as fancy, but at least we could see what looked as if it might be good, received our food quickly on the buffet line and never heard a single word of criticism or question from any of the staff. We could also have gone back for seconds on anything we wanted and no one would have even noticed let alone said anything about it. The moral of the story is to keep your options open. If one dining venue doesn't suit your tastes or feel good to you, don't be afraid to try another. Cruising is all about what is relaxing and fun for YOU.:cool:

 

I also must mention that not all cruise ships are created equal. The main dining room food on our September cruise aboard Carnival Legend was superb and the wait staff fantastic. They were SO unconcerned about whatever we wanted to order, never questioning our choices at all and not once were we made to wait for others to finish their meals before being serving ours. I could have eaten there for months and felt quite satisfied.:)

[booklady26]

Just off RCL's Majesty of the Seas. It was a wonderful cruise.

 

One morning, during breakfast, in the Windjammer Cafe I noticed one lady giving me the "How dare you be fat and eat in public" look. When you're overweight, you know that look.

 

Anyway, not here to cry in my coffee about it. I just had to note that her plate was piled four inches high with every deep-fried, cholesterol-laden piece of sausage, bacon, hash browns, corned beef hash and croissants, and she was sporting a second plate with a mountain of breakfast pastries.

 

I had a plate of fresh fruit, smoked salmon and a single muffin.

 

The moral of the story: Food police live in glass houses, and if they don't watch what's on their plates, pretty soon their fat judgmental butts won't have much room to gawk.

 

 

Arcanium - Having lived my enire life battling the scale, I hear you loud and clear.

 

My husband, on the other hand, hasn't had a weight problem since the day he was born. I always tell him that if he turned sideways, he'd be invisible.

 

But guess who orders every course and 2 or more entrees and makes several trips up to the buffet line (and eats it all unless he really doesn't like it) while the other one goes for more modest portions of fruits, veggies and fish???

 

Both of us love food, but if I ate like he did I'd weigh 500 pounds!

[MMW37]

I'm a picky eater - am I being judged every time I don't finish what's on my plate? If I ask for the rarest possible steak, and they bring me a well done one again, I don't eat it (I've learned by now not to bother with red meat it in the dining room on Carnival). If the waiter swears that the kitchen can do something for me, and they can't, I don't eat the food. I occasionally get a second app, or a soup and a salad, or even a second entree every once in a while. Usually that's because I want to make sure I there's something I actually enjoy. I've also gotten the guilt trip from waiters when I don't like something, and I wind up apologizing for not liking the food. I'm sorry, I lived in New Orleans for too long and now I'm spoiled when it comes to food!

[sultan_sfo]

I hope you do this in EVERY restaurant in which you eat and not only on cruises!

 

I'm a picky eater - am I being judged every time I don't finish what's on my plate? If I ask for the rarest possible steak, and they bring me a well done one again, I don't eat it (I've learned by now not to bother with red meat it in the dining room on Carnival). If the waiter swears that the kitchen can do something for me, and they can't, I don't eat the food. I occasionally get a second app, or a soup and a salad, or even a second entree every once in a while. Usually that's because I want to make sure I there's something I actually enjoy. I've also gotten the guilt trip from waiters when I don't like something, and I wind up apologizing for not liking the food. I'm sorry, I lived in New Orleans for too long and now I'm spoiled when it comes to food!

[Luckysll]

Both my Stepmother and Aunt ate very little. Didn't matter if it was at home, in a restaurant, on a cruise, whatever...they didn't eat much. In fact, if the family went out to a brunch (say for Mothers Day or Easter), they didn't like it because they felt they never got their money's worth for the cost vs what they actually ate.

 

I travelled with my Aunt quite a bit over the years (she passed away in 2005 and wasn't able to travel at all from about 1999 on). Unfortunately, she was someone who DID notice how much other people were eating and was very vocal about commenting. If I ate dessert, she would look at it and say "that'll add the pounds on" or some such remark. She was always making fun of "fat" people and "look at the load on that plate", etc. I never enjoyed meal time when I was with her, but I also never had the nerve to tell her to stop making those comments.

 

Now, I travel mostly solo and enjoy what I eat (and how much of it I eat). And I would NEVER judge someone by the amount on their plate because I've been on the receiving end and it's not fun.

[Sashalanda]

While sometimes I have been amazed how much a person can eat...it has never turned me off of eating but bad manners has. I can't stand a person to make lots of noise eating or having their mouth open while eating. It grosses me out and I guess that comes from my dad always eating that way our whole life. No amount of scolding from my mom or us would get him to stop. A dear friend of mine will occasionally do that while eating and I know the first time she did it, she glanced up just in time to see my face. I know I had that jaw dropped appalled look...I was shocked lol. Sad I know but I can't help it much as I try not to let that stuff bother me. I love for ppl to enjoy their food as I do too.

[Madchen]

The only thing that bothers me is when you go to a Disney hotel and pay concierge level, and you go in the lounge for the free snacks and see a family with tons of kids loading up likes it's their meal. Because then they don't have enough chocolate-dipped strawberries for the other guests. :rolleyes:

 

I'm just about to go on my first cruise, and am taking a late dinner. I could see being a little irritated if the stuff I want to eat isn't available because people ordered doubles or triples of it in the dinner servings before me. :(

 

That said -- I honestly don't care what people eat! I love to see people enjoy food. Who could be repulsed by the amount of food another is eating? Don't look! They're on vacation, let them eat whatever they want. I don't like judgmental people. Who the heck are these people that watch what other people are eating and judge if their portion matches their size? What does it matter? When I was 23 I could eat two eggplant parm subs and a tub of fries and not gain an ounce. These days I pick at food and I'm 20 lbs overweight. It's no one's business but mine.

 

I never notice what other people are doing. The only thing that would bug me is people touching food at a buffet that other passengers are going to eat.

 

Yeah, I hate seeing food thrown out. I'll admit I've done it before and my little girl does it all the time because her eyes are bigger than her stomach. But we're working on that. I'm hoping to taste both the Bitter and Blanc and the Chocolate Melting Cake, even if it means I have to order two desserts one night. :p I'll probably only eat maybe a third of both because I can't handle much sugar at once. That will be sad to throw out. :(

[Jsipes]

Who cares?????? Life is short.....so enjoy :) :)

[Gathina]

I hear you. I feel the same way also about people who chew gum with their mouth open. Disgusting!

 

I don't care how much people eat..it's when people are slovenly and greedy about it that is annoying.

 

If someone has health or weight issues and loads up like there is no tomorrow, they lose their right to complain about their weight or their health. To each his own.

 

 

While sometimes I have been amazed how much a person can eat...it has never turned me off of eating but bad manners has. I can't stand a person to make lots of noise eating or having their mouth open while eating. It grosses me out and I guess that comes from my dad always eating that way our whole life. No amount of scolding from my mom or us would get him to stop. A dear friend of mine will occasionally do that while eating and I know the first time she did it, she glanced up just in time to see my face. I know I had that jaw dropped appalled look...I was shocked lol. Sad I know but I can't help it much as I try not to let that stuff bother me. I love for ppl to enjoy their food as I do too.