Cruise ships promise endless buffets and world-class dining, but some menu choices can turn your dream vacation into a nightmare. While cruise kitchens follow strict safety protocols, certain foods carry higher risks when thousands of people are packed together on a floating vessel. From spicy dishes that wreak havoc on already queasy stomachs to buffet items that sit under heat lamps for hours, knowing what to avoid can save your trip from disaster.
Spicy foods will destroy your stomach
That tikka masala and those salsa-drenched tacos look tempting, but spicy food on a cruise ship is asking for trouble. When your body is already adjusting to life on the ocean, adding capsaicin from hot peppers into the mix creates a perfect storm for digestive disaster. Chili oil, cayenne, jalapeños, and hot sauces can irritate your stomach lining and trigger acid reflux, heartburn, and unwanted bathroom emergencies. The last thing anyone wants during their vacation is being stuck in a tiny cruise ship bathroom while missing out on port excursions and poolside relaxation.
Cruise ships cook for thousands of people at once, which means spice levels can be wildly inconsistent. A dish marked “mild” might still pack serious heat, and even people with high spice tolerance can get caught off guard. Spicy food also increases sweating, which leads to faster dehydration – especially dangerous when you’re spending time in the sun, swimming, or drinking alcohol throughout the day. On a ship in the middle of the ocean, there’s no quick trip to the pharmacy for relief when things go wrong.
Buffet scrambled eggs are usually fake
Those fluffy yellow mounds of scrambled eggs at the breakfast buffet aren’t what they seem. Most cruise ships use powdered eggs instead of fresh ones because they’re easier to store and transport in the limited space of a ship’s kitchen. When you’re feeding up to 7,600 passengers like Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, efficiency trumps quality. These reconstituted eggs have a rubbery texture and bland taste that will leave you disappointed and wishing you’d made a different breakfast choice.
Instead of settling for powdered eggs from the buffet, head to one of the ship’s restaurants and order a made-to-order omelet or other fresh egg dishes. The extra time and effort will be worth it when you get real eggs that actually taste like eggs. Many cruise ships offer excellent breakfast restaurants where chefs prepare eggs to order, giving you the protein-packed start to your day that you’re craving without the artificial disappointment.
Heavy and fatty foods make seasickness worse
Cheeseburgers, creamy pasta dishes, loaded pizza, and bacon-wrapped everything might look delicious, but these heavy, fatty foods are your stomach’s worst enemy on a cruise. High-fat foods take much longer to digest and can cause indigestion, nausea, bloating, and general stomach pain. When your body is already trying to adjust to the constant motion of the ship, adding difficult-to-digest foods creates a recipe for misery. Nobody wants to spend their expensive vacation lying in bed with an upset stomach or missing out on activities because they feel too sick to move.
This doesn’t mean avoiding these foods completely – just be smart about portion control. Instead of loading up on fatty foods that will weigh you down, choose lighter options like grilled chicken, fish, or vegetables. Save the indulgent dishes for when you’re back on solid ground and your stomach isn’t dealing with the additional challenge of motion sickness. Your body will thank you when you’re able to enjoy all the ship’s amenities instead of being stuck in your room feeling terrible.
Buffet food sits out way too long
Cruise ship buffets might be convenient, but they’re also risky. Food sits under heat lamps or over ice for hours, giving bacteria plenty of time to multiply and food quality to decline. Even with proper temperature controls, there are hundreds of opportunities for contamination as passengers serve themselves with unwashed hands, accidentally cough over the food, or use the same serving utensil for different dishes. The longer food sits out, the more dangerous it becomes, regardless of how appetizing it looks.
If you do eat at the buffet, try to choose dishes that have just been brought out from the kitchen. Look for full serving trays rather than nearly empty ones that have been sitting out for who knows how long. Always wash or sanitize your hands after serving yourself, and avoid items like raw fish that should never sit out at room temperature. When possible, opt for the ship’s restaurants where food is made to order and goes straight from the kitchen to your plate.
Self-serve ice cream spreads germs everywhere
Those soft-serve ice cream machines that kids (and adults) love so much are basically germ factories. Unlike staff members who follow strict handwashing protocols and wear gloves, regular passengers grab cones and operate machines with whatever is on their hands. Children are especially problematic because they touch everything and aren’t always the best at hand hygiene. One person with unwashed hands can contaminate the entire ice cream station, spreading germs to everyone who uses it afterward.
Carnival, Disney, and other cruise lines offer these self-serve machines because they’re convenient and popular, but many passengers have complained about the hygiene issues and asked for staff-served options instead. If you can’t resist the ice cream temptation, thoroughly wash and sanitize your hands both before and after using the machine. Better yet, look for ice cream served by staff members at specialty restaurants or order from room service where it’s prepared in a more controlled environment.
Communal condiment bottles are gross
Ketchup, mustard, and other condiment bottles that sit on tables or at condiment stations get handled by hundreds of people every day. Think about how many unwashed hands touch those bottles, and how many people might be fighting off colds or other illnesses while using them. Cross-contamination happens easily when the same bottles are used by person after person without any cleaning in between. Even if you’re not normally a germaphobe, cruise ships pack thousands of people into a relatively small space where germs spread quickly.
Ask your server for single-serving packets instead of using communal condiments whenever possible. If packets aren’t available, sanitize your hands thoroughly after handling shared bottles and before touching your food. It might seem overly cautious, but getting sick on a cruise ruins the entire vacation and there’s limited medical care available in the middle of the ocean. A little extra caution with condiments can save you from spending your vacation in bed instead of enjoying everything you paid for.
Sushi from the buffet is dangerous
Raw fish requires perfect storage, handling, and preparation to be safe, and buffet sushi rarely meets those standards. Even when cruise kitchens follow proper protocols for temperature and preparation, buffet sushi gets contaminated by other passengers who leave germs on serving surfaces and utensils. Raw fish that sits out too long or gets exposed to improper temperatures becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria that can cause serious food poisoning. Getting violently ill from bad sushi while trapped on a ship in the middle of the ocean is a nightmare scenario.
If you’re craving sushi on your cruise, skip the buffet completely and head to one of the ship’s specialty restaurants where it’s made to order. Many cruise lines now offer high-end sushi restaurants like Kaiseki on Silversea or Tamarind on select Holland America ships. These restaurants have trained sushi chefs, proper storage facilities, and make each roll fresh when you order it. The extra cost is worth it when you consider the alternative of spending your vacation sick from contaminated buffet sushi.
Raw oysters and shellfish are risky bets
Oysters, raw shrimp, ceviche, and other uncooked seafood can harbor dangerous bacteria like salmonella, E.coli, and listeria even under the best circumstances. On a cruise ship where these items might sit out longer than ideal or be handled by multiple people, the risks multiply significantly. Raw shellfish are among the most common causes of food poisoning, and getting sick from bad oysters while you’re stuck on a ship with limited medical facilities is a vacation-ending disaster waiting to happen.
Stick to cooked seafood options like steamed mussels, grilled shrimp, or seafood stews where high cooking temperatures kill harmful bacteria. Cooking food to 149 degrees Fahrenheit is enough to eliminate foodborne bacteria and make it safe to eat. If you’re already dealing with motion sickness from being on the ship, adding food poisoning from raw shellfish creates a miserable combination that will ruin your entire trip. Save the raw oysters for a reputable restaurant on dry land where you have access to proper medical care if something goes wrong.
Raw fruits and vegetables get contaminated easily
Fresh salads and cut fruit might seem like healthy choices, but raw produce carries significant risks on cruise ships. Fruits and vegetables can contain harmful bacteria from the farm where they were grown, and they can pick up additional contamination through poor washing, dirty utensils, or cross-contamination during preparation. When hundreds of people are serving themselves from the same salad bar, there are countless opportunities for someone to sneeze, cough, or touch items with unwashed hands before putting them back.
The “Boil It, Cook It, Peel It, or Forget It” rule applies perfectly to cruise dining. Choose cooked vegetables instead of raw salads, and stick to fruits like oranges or bananas that you can peel yourself. This way you’re not consuming the potentially contaminated exterior of the fruit. While cruise kitchens have strict protocols for cleaning produce, other passengers can easily contaminate items at self-serve stations. Cooked vegetables are just as nutritious and much safer when you’re surrounded by thousands of other people in a confined space.
Smart cruise dining means choosing foods that won’t ruin your expensive vacation with illness or discomfort. Stick to freshly prepared, cooked dishes from restaurants rather than items that have been sitting out or handled by countless other passengers. Your stomach will stay happy, and you’ll actually get to enjoy all the activities and excursions you paid for instead of being stuck in your room feeling miserable.
