Question:
I am going on a 5-day cruise 8 wks. post op and have several questions

1.) What can I do about food? Doc says I will be just beginning to introduce some foods at that time. Don't want to risk "dumping", etc. on vacation...so, what can I eat/drink that will be safe? 2.) I have cruised before and always needed Dramamine for motion sickness. Will I still be able to take it? Will I be even more susceptible to motion sickness now? 3.) Has anyone cruised w/Carnival and availed themselves of their "Nautica Spa" menu choices while on board? 4.) Do cruise lines usually cater to diabetics? Can use any and all suggestions on how to enjoy this 5-day cruise --- and no, postponing the cruise is not an option? God Bless.    — Theresa P. (posted on November 13, 2001)

November 13, 2001
I was on a Carnival Cruise (Loved the Destiny ship. I will tell you NOT to worry about food. They have something for EVERYONE to the point that there are SUGAR FREE desserts at the buffet (where we did lunch). They have Soups that are GREAT and the Nautica Spa items are outstanding as well! As for the diabetic issue. I did not have to deal with that as I am not diabetic but MY guess is that they will cater to your needs as long as you are upfront about it. In the dining room it is much like a restaurant. Order what fits your needs. We were there with my 7 month old at the time and though HE needed pureed food at his age, they were more than willing to serve it pureed. (though in the buffet, I got him soft foods and brought the food grinder with us for "just in case". Enjoy the cruise!!!
   — blank first name B.

November 13, 2001
Hi, My DH and I went to Alaska via Princess Cruiselines. I was 6 mos postop and had motion sickness for one day. I did take dramimine and it helped a lot. The food service is great and they have so many choices, you will have no problem with the food. The sugarfree desserts are fantastic and the elegant way they are presented makes them more desirable than the real stuff. I tasted a lot of things like Cherries Jubilee but knew when to stop so I wouldn't get sick. By the way, with all the walking and exercise I got I did not gain an oz! Believe it or not, my normal sized hubby gained 19 lbs! Of course he lost it within a couple of weeks later. Have a ball! Where are you going? Our cruise was for 7 days and it is sad when it ends. I could cruise forever! We had a private balcony off from our suite and it was worth every penny extra to have that. Try to get a room with a balcony!
   — Marilyn C.

November 13, 2001
Rather than take the Dramamine, ask your doctor for a script for "the patch", he'll know the one. My 80 year old mother-in-law loves to cruise and gets motion sickness real bad. Our dear doctor gives her a script for a patch that you wear behind your ear and it works very well at keeping the motion sickness away. She loves it!!! Also mention to the cruise ship that you recently had gastric surgery, and that there are certain eating limitations & restrictions, you might get a credit towards your next cruise or other perk since you will not be eating the normal adult portion! Just like when we go to restraunts and ask for a child's portion, I guess we should ask for a child's fair here too. I'm going to ask when we book our next cruise!
   — Sue F.

November 13, 2001
Hi Theresa, I can offer some advice because in August (at 3 months post-op) I went on the Carnival Victory for a 5 day cruise to Nova Scotia. It ws great, just my mom and I(her treat, no husband's or kiddies!)Anyway, my mom joked that she has never been on a cruise and lost weight before as she did on this one because she was with me! The Nautica Spa menu is great! It is on the menu every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You don't need to do anything special ahead of time. My waitress was so very helpful, she would even help me tailor the Nautica Spa menu to suit my requests to make it more personalized for me. Basically what it consists of is lower fat, calorie and carbohydrate selections that you can mix and match. For example, they might offer a seafood dinner very similar to one of the regular entrees, but cooked helthier. They always have an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert available for each Nautica Spa meal. One thing I found was that I didn't always need to select from that menu, like one night there was lobster tails available from the regular menu, so I ordered that but ordered the salad from the Nautica Spa. They will go out of their way to do whatever makes you happy. Also, the Nautica Spa selections will list the calories, fat, etc. right on the menu under the selections so you can really see what you are getting. Oh, they don't really advertise this on the menu, but we were told by our waitress that they had home made sugar free/fat free ice cream that was home made on the ship. Normally they don't offer it every day, but my mom and I asked for it and any time we did they gave it to us. It was absolutely delicious, so make sure you ask for it. I found that the desserts on the Nautica spa menu had too many calories and sugars for me so the ice cream was a wonderful treat. One more piece of advice, don't be afraid of the midnight buffets, I would go and eat some fresh fruit, which they always have, and maybe some fresh veggies and shrimp. There is always going to be something you can eat, just make wise choices and you will do fine. Take advantage of the gym as well, I worked out every morning and I lost 4 pounds when I got home and weighed, and never felt hungry or cheated in any way. Enjoy, and if you have any more questions at all feel free to email me, my address is on my profile. Have a great cruise!
   — Vicki K.