You’ve probably heard this statistic: The average person gains a pound a day while on a cruise. I’m no math genius, but I have a hard time imagining someone gaining 124 pounds in four months during a World Cruise!

On a typical weeklong cruise (or maybe even a 10- or 14-day cruise, maybe this adage has some merit. I mean, people do like to eat while cruising! And, why not? The variety of breakfast breads alone would take over a week to sample, even if you were munching on multiple varieties every morning. It seems that on a “regular” cruise, everyone wants to make the most of every minute of every day. Whether it’s lounging around the pool, drinking beer all day, attending all the production shows, becoming a master at trivia, etc, cruise passengers do it with gusto.

We’ve spent a lot of days cruising the Caribbean and have watched people eat piles of bacon (in one sitting), donuts by the dozen (hey, they’re free), and three hot dogs for lunch. Then there are those who have the “drink package,” a nifty little marketing gimmick that enables the cruise line to charge a hefty sum so guests don’t have to worry about the cost of drinks (since they already paid for them). Typically this includes about 15 drinks a day (alcohol and specialty coffees and other drinks). The cruise ship accountants are hoping that you won’t reach the 15-drink limit—and the bargain-hunting passengers want to prove them wrong. One pound a day, at this point, might seem within reach if you add all that up.

One a world cruise, however, it’s different. The same food is available but the “I’ve only got a week” mentality seems absent. If you miss a favorite appetizer in the main dining room, for example, you don’t panic because you know it will most likely show up again in a few weeks.

On sea days, we try to get to the Lido before 7 a.m., both so we have time to eat and digest before we hit the pickleball courts at 8—and also so we have a shot at grabbing “our” table before the Table Swipers swoop down to claim it as “their” table. (Right now, we’re running about a 50 percent success rate.) The usual breakfast fare for me is yogurt with fruit or oatmeal and a piece (or two) of rye toast. (The rye on board is ridiculously good. I really can’t figure this out.) Once a week or so I order two eggs over medium on a piece of (you guessed it) rye toast.

Lunch can be a challenge because we are often hungry after several hours of pickleball, but we try to remember that dinner starts promptly at 5 p.m., so we don’t really need to eat a lot. I tend to rotate between a tuna fish sandwich with cheese, mayo, and lots of mustard and a small handful of chips with ketchup, or a stop at the Asian corner for some kind of fried rice. Periodically, I head to the salad station for a made-to-order salad with lots of honey mustard dressing, which is just about as insanely good as the breakfast rye toast.

Dinner in the Main Dining Room is a bit of an event so we don’t rush this. First of course is the greeting from our fabulous dining stewards. We usually eat the three courses offered (appetizer, main and dessert), but sometimes we go rogue and do things a little differently. Last night for example, I ordered the grilled pineapple with whipped ricotta and dates, but I ordered a double portion because I really love grilled pineapple. Rather than order a main dish, however, I chose the coconut shrimp appetizer, but asked for some veggies and potatoes to go with it. I finished the meal with cherry crisp and ice cream (two scoops, or “double” as our head dining steward says). I’ve gotten soup as my main a couple of times. And a few days ago, I asked for the chicken breast and vegetables without the chicken breast. The bottom line is, over all, I think we’re eating relatively normally. At least enough to ensure we won’t end our world cruise with a 124-pound weight gain!

All this sounds rather disciplined, I know, but, rest assured, if the chocolate lava cake calls my name, I have absolutely no hesitation in answering the call.

Virginia Wolf said, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” I think, perhaps, Virginia Wolf might have enjoyed the food offered on a World Cruise.