The Disney Dream - Staying Healthy on a Cruise!

Last month I had the honor of going on the Inaugural cruise of the newest Disney Cruise Line Ship - The Disney Dream. I have so many pictures, video, etc that I just have been procrastinating posting. But I procrastinate no more. I promise I’ll blog about all of the wonderful things that I experienced but first I’ll talk about health!

When people think about cruises, the first thing to come to mind is usually the many food options on a ship. Food is pretty much available 24/7 on cruise ships and The Disney Dream was no exception. So, how do you continue to eat “healthy” when there are so many options? Well, I’ll let you know what I did. 

For lunch the first day I chose high protein seafood and salad. There were other options, like burgers and fries, cheesy sandwiches but I steered clear of that area. I hit up the seafood counter because I love seafood and I also know that eating protein would keep me full and it isn’t highly caloric. Since I was on a vacation I also made a decision - I’d either have a drink or a dessert with meals. Extra calories yes but I truly believe in everything in moderation. I had a GREAT mojito, just one, and savored it!

For dinner I dined at one of the many restaurants on The Dream. What I appreciated about The Dream is that the menus highlight the healthy options. When given the choice, I decided on a healthy option. I’m not going to lie, I also had dessert, serious dessert - I tried a little of everything! The verdict? Delicious!

For breakfast I stuck with fruits, yogurt and/or oatmeal. I kept my belly full and was ready for the day. But in addition to the eating healthy, I also took advantage of the many physical activities both on and off the ship. After touring the gym, I decided to take the spinning class that was offered the following morning. I woke up early and joined the 45 minute class. 

It was absolutely amazing! I haven’t taken a spinning class in forever so it was perfect. But my other options were to run on the treadmill - with a beautiful view of the Bahamas or even better, to run around the ship on the track! Because I don’t have a gym membership I chose the gym and sadly the following day it rained so I couldn’t use the outdoor track. 

After my morning workout I hit the beach. I swam, chased my son around and even ventured out to the Pirate slide. It was a workout to get to the slide because you have to swim about 200 yards to get there. The ride was worth it and like a big kid I went back for more!  After spending time on the beach I played with my son in the family pool, took him up on the kids slide and watched him frolick in Nemo’s Reef play area. I also rode the AquaDuck, the onboard “water coaster” I did that twice too! Once by myself and another time with my friend Colleen of Classy Mommy. 

In the evening I had the chance to hit the clubs - The Dream has an entire floor dedicated to entertainment! Dancing certainly would have burned calories but I decided to take it easy and watch Tron (with Whoopi Goldberg) in 3D at the best movie theater I’ve ever been in!

As you can see, cruises certainly afford opportunities to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And since I’m not one to just lay back and relax when on vacation, I look at it as an opportunity to get my body moving, try new and interesting cuisine and just enjoy myself. The key is everything in moderation, don’t over indulge and you could possibly leave the cruise lighter than when you got on!

I’ll be talking more about the Disney Dream in the upcoming weeks! Suffice it to say, we LOVED IT!

Disclosure: My personal travel and accommodations were covered by Disney but as usual all of the opinions are 100% my own!