When you think about a cruise, what do you think of? The exotic ports of call? The glamorous night life? The immense bulk of the vessel itself? What about the food? Somewhere in your "top 5," you surely think about the food. And for good reason. They serve up a ton of it: formal dining, casual dining, room service, the infamous midnight buffet. The following facts and figures come from the Celebrity Cruise company, and they represent average consumption for one of Celebrity's cruises.
Decadent Dining Somewhere between the early seating dinner, main seating dinner, casual buffet, and the other meals and snacks served on board, a cruise ship dishes up 38,000 pounds of beef, 14,000 pounds of chicken, and 16,000 pounds of fish. But let's not forget about some of the other meat, including 3,000 pounds of pork, 2,800 pounds of lamb, 2,000 pounds of turkey, and 1,800 pounds of veal. If that's not enough to give you indigestion, you'll want to partake in some of the 45,000 pounds of fresh vegetables (that doesn't include the 2,500 pounds of potatoes), and maybe a little pilaf from some of those 2,500 pounds of rice.
Dessert? Oh, no, I couldn't! Well, OK, maybe just one of those 1,600 pounds of cookies. Makes you wonder how many cookies are in a pound. I'm guessing at least 30, so that totals some 48,000 cookies. It's a good thing the average cruise goes through over 4,000 gallons of milk! If you'd like something a little more elaborate for dessert, I'm sure they can whip it up, with the 4,200 pounds of sugar they go through. Or keep it simple and just have a scoop or two of those 900 pounds of ice cream.
Ninety-nine Bottles Of Beer On The Wall Ninety-nine? Try 8,000 bottles and cans. That's how much beer the average cruise serves up, along with 2,700 bottles of wine (that doesn't count the 200 bottles of champagne -- that's a lotta corks popping!) Yes, alcohol is a big part of many cruisers experience. After all, there are so many tempting bars and clubs on the ship, plus those handsome waiters who seem to descend on you with brimming trays every time you relax into a deck chair. And no one has to drive home, so why not?
It's easy to see how they might go through 180 bottles of vodka, 150 bottles of rum, 140 bottles of whiskey, and 120 bottles of gin. And let's not forget those 250 bottles of assorted liqueurs.
Does all of that give you a bit of a headache? Not to worry, you can have a cup of coffee from the 600 pounds that will be brewed on your cruise, or dunk one of those 9,880 tea bags in a nice, hot cup of water. Cream? Sure, you and your fellow cruisers will go through 1,800 quarts, so you might as well have some in your coffee or tea.
Bountiful Breakfasts If you survive the night of dining, dancing, and drinking, you might want to join your fellow passengers for a spot of breakfast. Over 1,000 dozen fresh eggs are consumed on the average Celebrity cruise. But, wait! That doesn't count the 10,000 pounds of frozen eggs that also work their way into the week's food chain! Would you like some of those 1,200 pounds of sausage on the side?
Maybe you'd rather keep it simple -- a little fruit and cereal? Don't be shy about the fruit; they'll serve up 50,000 pounds of fresh fruit during your cruise, as well as 1,500 pounds of cereal. And if you want just a little toast and jelly, there's over 300 pounds of jelly, so go for it.
Shake A Leg! Fortunately, cruise ships offer many opportunities to work off some of those excesses. Whether you take advantage of the ship's exercise facilities (which usually include some sort of exercise equipment, aerobic classes, and a deck on which walking/jogging is encouraged), enroll in active shore excursions, or simply dance the night away, you can find a way to make a little room for the midnight buffet.
Sally O'Neal lives and writes in Washington State. She has cruised the Caribbean and Alaska, and recently returned from her second mini-cruise out of Seattle to Vancouver/Victoria and Nanaimo, British Columbia.