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A Healthy Cruise on Carnival's Ecstasy

© Rita Cook

Last week I left for a cruise that was scheduled before the events of September 11. While I was somewhat reticent about taking the big Carnival Cruise ship Ecstasy, I nevertheless decided that I wouldn't be doing anyone any good if I stayed at home.

I didn't have to fly since I live in Los Angeles and the ship leaves from the LA port. In fact, Ecstasy only recently moved her home to Los Angeles in May offering both three and four night cruises.

The three-night cruises leave Friday and travel to Ensenada, Mexico with one day at sea. The four-night cruise offers stops in Catalina and Ensenada and one full day at sea. While security was tight and the television in my room was on throughout my entire four-night/five-day trip, I still managed to enjoy just getting away for a few days.

On this trip I had decided that I would continue a diet that I had started three weeks earlier. A diet on a cruise, how do you do that? Well, fortunately Carnival is very health conscious and, while I didn't manage to lose any weight, I was thrilled with the fact that I didn't gain any either.

The Ecstasy holds 2,052 passengers and that's alot of mouths to feed. Calculate the fact that at least a few of those 2,052 passengers are trying to eat healthy and you have the perfect formula with Carnival's "Nautica Spa" food choices.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus in the dining room list the number of calories each Nautica Spa dish adds up to and the choices are as good or better than the other menu items. Most of the food I ordered was from the Nautica Spa menu, however I couldn't pass up the Pumpkin Soup or the Navy Bean Soup and a lunch of baby back ribs with baked beans definitely wasn't the spa choice. But hey, I didn't gain any weight. Nautica Spa desserts were good too, from cheesecake to pumpkin pie, I never left the table feeling cheated or unsatisfied.

Carnival ships offer workout facilities with state-of-the-art equipment and on the top deck of the Ecstasy I took advantage of the Olympic jogging track. I walked a mile every day in the cool ocean air (not to mention taking the stairs instead of the elevator). Who could ask for more?

Okay, so vacations and cruises aren't supposed to be about dieting and exercise. However, in this world of hustle, bustle and hurry along, sometimes good food and exercise to ease the mind are the best vacation treats of all. For me, the cruise was "Ecstasy" because Carnival has figured out how to do it all just right.

Captain's Table - Captain Antonino Allegretti

The copyright of the article A Healthy Cruise on Carnival's Ecstasy in Cruise Vacations is owned by Rita Cook. Permission to republish A Healthy Cruise on Carnival's Ecstasy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.