17 Cruise Foods Worth Skipping, Even for Free

A handful of dishes at the buffet and in the dining room aren't worth the plate space, and a few can leave you bloated or queasy, if you don't know what to avoid.

Ilana of Life Well Cruised sorted through the foods and drinks to pass on after more than 50 cruises.

The standards of cleanliness on a cruise ship are high, so none of this is about safety alone. It's about quality, bloating, and knowing where the better option sits.

Here's what you need to know...

1. Buffet Drip Coffee

Without a drink package, you'll likely end up with the buffet drip coffee. It tends to be weaker than a hotel continental breakfast pour.

Some lines do it better than others, but for a stronger cup you're better off with a drink package or the specialty coffee counter.

2. Buffet Scrambled Eggs

Buffet scrambled eggs are often made from a powdered or liquid mix, not fresh, which leaves them watery and bland.

3. Buffet Bacon

Buffet bacon tends to run dry, flaky, clumpy, and thin. For better slices, order breakfast in the dining room. The carving station's freshly sliced ham is another tasty swap.

4. Buffet Heat-Lamp Pizza

The pizza sitting under buffet heat lamps has bland dough and bland cheese. A few lines do far better.

Princess' poolside pizza and its Alfredo's or GiGi's spots, MSC's takeout-style pizza, and Carnival's own style are all worth seeking out, though Carnival's usually comes with a line.

5. Condiments Left on the Table

Ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper left on buffet tables get handled by a lot of people, and they don't appear to be wiped down every time a table clears. Skip them if you can.

6. Dining Room Dinner Rolls

The rolls aren't bad, just simple, and one tends to turn into two or three. The cheesy bread at Crown Grill on Princess is the exception worth the calories.

7. Dining Room Chicken

Chicken ordered in the dining room is almost always dry, so it's worth steering around on the menu. The other dining room mains tend to reward you more.

8. Onion Soup

Onion soup tends to underwhelm. The cream of mushroom soup, on Celebrity, Carnival, and elsewhere, is the better bowl.

9. Very Spicy Foods and Beans

Chilies, beans, and anything likely to make you gassy only add to the bloating most cruisers already feel from eating and drinking more than they do at home.

10. Self-Serve Soft Ice Cream

Self-serve soft ice cream on the pool or Lido deck gets touched by a lot of hands, especially kids straight out of the pool.

If you see a mess, skip it. Crew-served soft serve, the machine inside the buffet, or the homemade hard ice cream several lines carry are safer bets.

11. Pre-Made Burgers and Hot Dogs

The burgers and hot dogs sitting in buffet warming trays come with dry buns and a little grease. The poolside grill makes a fresher burger, chicken burger, or hot dog.

12. French Fries as a Snack

Fries are fine with a burger. For an afternoon snack, the buffet often puts out nachos with fresh salsa around 3 or 4 p.m., and fresh fruit is there too.

13. Cut Fruit in Port

Pre-cut fruit from port food stands can carry bacteria.

14. Private Island Lunch

Private island beach barbecues offer limited variety, sometimes paid food trucks, and often flies and bees. Heading back to the ship gets you more variety and an hour of air conditioning.

15. Frozen Cocktails

Piña coladas, mango daiquiris, and Miami Vices are usually made from pre-made mixes loaded with sugar, calories, and hidden sodium. Pineapple juice with coconut rum is a lighter stand-in.

16. Buffet Sushi

Buffet sushi is safe but can come dry or picked over. Go when it first opens, or visit the sushi restaurant for better quality.

17. A Heavy Breakfast Before a Tender Port

Tender rides run 10 to 20 minutes with some movement, and many people feel queasy. Keep breakfast light before an early tender.