I’ve spent 21 months of my life living on cruise ships as a performer, and an additional 3 months (and counting!) as partner on board*. All on Holland American Line ships.
* My fiancé, Jeremy himself, is an officer onboard. A perk is that I get to sail with him for free. But it comes at the cost of not seeing each other for long stretches of time.
For me, living in a floating hotel is total normal. But it’s been brought to my attention that it is in fact not…. So, I thought I’d start a series offering an insider’s perspective on what it’s like living on a cruise ship!
For the first “episode”, I’ll be covering food (naturally.)
So let’s dive into….
“What’s the food like when living on a cruise ship?”
First things first, each line and each ship will offer different dining options. Each line also has different rules as to what venues employees can dine at. Holland America Line allows all cast members to eat everywhere, but there are some lines that make cast pay for the Lido. Others that only allow that privilege to singers (because the singers always get everything… I’m not bitter…).
I am currently on the Zaandam, so I’ll give you the rundown for this specific ship.
Dining Option #1: The Lido Buffet.
“Lido” means “open air swimming pool”, and most ships will have their buffet on the Lido Deck. I’ve been on 5 different Holland America Line ships, and the food at the Lido is consistently quite good!
I’m a sucker for a good breakfast. The Lido on the Zaandam has the following breakfast stations:
- Yogurt, fruit, and granola
- Eggs Benedict station
- English breakfast station
- Two Basic Hot Lines on Either Side of the Lido: this is where you can get pancakes, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, French toast, and made to order eggs. At one end, there is a toasting station with bread, bagels, and English muffins. At the other end, there are sweet breads and pastries. Somewhere in the middle there are cold cuts and cheeses.
- Omelet station
- Waffle and Crepe Station
What Do I Eat for Breakfast?
For the bulk of my time on ships, my breakfast looked the same every morning. I’d get 4 hardboiled eggs from the hot line (I’d only eat 1 or 2 of the yolks), a mix of veggies from the omelet station, and a toasted English muffin.
Now, I’m in an oatmeal phase. I get a bowl of hot oats with almonds and cinnamon, then add a scoop of protein powder along with a spoon of peanut butter.
If I’m feeling groovy, I’ll opt for an omelet. On some ships, the omelet line is nightmarishly long. The Zaandam is smaller and the Lido is hardly ever busy, making the omelet station more appealing.
For a guide to breakfast, check out my reel below!
1 thought on “Living on a Cruise Ship: What in the Heck Do You Eat?!”
well, there is a good deal of choice