Yes, right, you are going to say, after reading the topic of this post. Most people think that there is no such thing as a healthy cruise. When we think about cruising we think of endless buffet lines and chocoholic midnight buffets. But it’s possible! I did it! I am happy to report that not a pound was gained during my latest one week Caribbean cruise. So, this is how I did it.

1. I ate healthy (well, if you don’t count two peaces of tiramisu I had one night). NCL actually has a contract with Cooking Light magazine and to my delight they had plenty on healthy options. One of the dining options actually included a restaurant that served a complete menu from Cooking Light magazine (calories, carbs, fat grams and all actually included on the menu). Of course I could not torture my poor husband and son to eat during their entire vacation in the healthy restaurant, but… regular restaurant and a buffet also included one healthy option of an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. So I was in my glory. Most days the food from the Cooking Light menu was excellent. I was only disappointed once during lunch on the day at sea, but I just replaced with a healthy salad from the salad bar. Amazingly enough, salad bar did not have any low fat or fat free dressings (which I would not eat anyway, G-d only knows what kind of chemicals are in there), but olive oil and vinegar was available, which is my number one choice anyway.
2. I exercised everyday. Sun has very nice gym on board (small, but had all of the necessary equipment). Additionally, NCL offers classes in a specially designated studio which is very spacious, some for an additional fee. More specifically, every morning at 7:30 AM Morning Stretch Class was offered for no extra fees, which I did not attend. Most of the days, a free Aerobics class was offered as well. I actually attended one during one of the days at sea. The instructor was good, the music was good, but the class was a little short (about 30 minutes versus the usual hour at my gym on shore). Spinning, yoga, and pilates classes were also offered for an additional fees of $10 per class or a flat fee of $70 for an unlimited number of classes. I also did not attend since my latest craze is BodyPump and Zumba. Finally, there were two running tracks on Sun, a shorter one on the 13th floor and a longer one on the 6th floor. Three and a half loops on the 6th floor made it a mile long run. So every morning I ran with the ocean breeze in my face and a sight of a beautiful Caribbean island that our ship was approaching. It was just great!
3. I chose activities that burned a lot of calories. I recall reading somewhere that dancing burns about 600 calories an hour, so we danced almost every night. During one of the sea days, my son and I participated in a Scavenger Hunt contest that required running around the entire ship. We walked a lot on every island. Finally, don’t forget the swimming we did every single day.

Healthy cruising is possible, doable, and actually enjoyable.

Wow, the Sun sounds great - it was the ship we booked for our recent Hawaiian cruise (Nov 07)but NCL changed her itinery and we had to transfer to Pride of Aloha.
Aloha's menu's weren't as healthy as yours - there was always one sugar-free desert but that was it. Friends of ours even gave NCLA a full years notice of their vegetarian requirements and were assured that they would be catered for! However, Aloha's staff knew nothing about their diet and no soya or quorn was loaded for them. A helpful member of galley staff even advised them that the vegetarian option on each menu was cooked in the same area as, and with the same utensils as the meat-options! They had to live off salad/toast/ceral until for the first few days until the Maitre-D finally assumed responsibility and requested our friends to advise him of their meal choices 24hrs in advance (they were still unsure as to whether it would be 100% vegetarian though!!).
Dissapointingly Aloha didn't have the usual Chocolate Lovers Feast or a Gala Buffet and it was very easy to forgo the 24hr buffet on the lenai!
I recall a previous cruise on either Celebrity or Royal Carribean having a few sugar-free or low-fat choices, but the Sun really sounds great for anyone hoping to have a brill holiday without putting on much or any weight.
Aloha does have excellent fitness equipment - much larger than NCL Dream (Baltic cruise June 07). Unfortunately their fitness instructor had recently left so there were no additional classes or individual instruction available.

I am not a vegetarian, so this was not a concern for me, but I can completely understand how upset someone might be in the similar situation as your friends. Sun actually had vegetarian option in the main dinning room and in the buffet. The buffet vegetarian option consisted mainly of Indian cuisine and it was very tasty. One night the buffet actually had quinoa salad. I am not sure if this was prepared according to the vegetarian requirements.

For me cruising is always a healthy option....I move more, walking on deck is a BREEZE, really the breeze you get on the jogging/walking path is fantastic. I sit behind a desk all day, so cruising is a delight in ALL ways. And yes dancing is terrific, and I do not go to clubs at home anymore. A couple Macarenas and a few line dances, do the trick. Plus the ships are huge, and ya gotta walk. I am NOT a skinny girl, but I have never, NEVER in 18 cruises gained a pound, and usually lose a few. Now don't hate on me, believe me if you saw me at the Champagne Bar, I'll be SMILING and still end up losing.

Good for you! I have actually become health conscious about 8 months ago (and lost 46 lb in the process). My prior cruises always included major “see food” diet, so this was a completely new experience for me and I was so worried about it. But it was a success

I have Diabetes Type II and never have a problem cruising....Lots of veggies, sugar-free and then I just watch the portion size...You don't have to be a member of the "Clean Plate Club"....but then of course...I do snatch a cream puff here and there....:-) Moderation, Moderation....Happy Cruising and a healthy one.

Bob E