I took another couple on a cruise - and it was kind of a disaster

My wife and I booked Wonder of the Seas with another couple thinking it would be a fun short getaway. Nothing crazy, just a few days at sea with people we already knew. On paper it sounded easy. In reality it turned into one of those trips where you're constantly aware that the other people aren't really there with you. The husband had decided to start a diet right before we left. He's pretty out of shape and normally doesn't watch what he eats at all. Most of the time he just eats whatever's in front of him. But of course he picks the week of a cruise to get serious. From the first day he was picky about every single thing on his plate. Nothing was right. The portions were too big. The sauces were too heavy. He wanted modifications on stuff that wasn't really set up for modifications. I get wanting to be healthier. That's fine. But starting a restrictive diet on a short vacation you're probably never going to take again feels like bad timing to me. Just wait until you're home. The cruise is going to end either way. Because of the diet he spent the whole sailing monitoring what his wife ate. She's a little overweight but nothing extreme. Still, he kept telling her to stop eating or suggested "healthier" options every time she reached for something. It wasn't subtle either. You could feel the tension. She just wanted to enjoy the trip like a normal person on a cruise. He treated every meal like it was a negotiation. Watching it got old fast. Nobody wants to be the couple sitting there while one person lectures the other about food on vacation. On top of all that he's a workaholic who couldn't turn it off. He never made it to breakfast because he was working every morning. I barely saw him at lunch either. He's the type who loves bars and happy hours. He'll talk about them all day. But we never once sat down at a bar and had a few drinks. He was either locked in his cabin working or sticking to his diet plan. The rest of us would be out on the ship and he was nowhere. It made the whole group thing feel off. You're supposed to be hanging out together. Instead it felt like he was on a different cruise. I had been thinking about inviting them on another sailing, this time on an Icon class ship. Then I really looked at what those ships have for included food and changed my mind. There's so much more available that you don't pay extra for. The 24 hour Pearl Cafe is simply amazing. It's way better than the Promenade Cafe or Park Cafe. You can actually get decent sandwiches, pastries, and other stuff any time of day or night without feeling like you're settling. Basecamp has those smash burgers that people talk about, even if they're now only one beef patty instead of two. Then there's the Aquadome Marketplace. That place is something else. You walk in and it's a whole food hall with different stations making things fresh. Crepes, anyone? On top of the regular Main Dining Room, the Windjammer, El Loco Fresh, and everything else that's already included. Even the Windjammer Buffet feels better on an Icon class ship, especially if you're on one of the newer ones in the fleet. The variety and quality are simply higher. After the Wonder trip I realized there's no point bringing people along if they're not actually going to be present and able to enjoy it. On an Icon class ship the included food is one of the big draws. If someone is going to spend the whole time dieting, policing what their wife eats, and working instead of hanging out, they're going to miss most of what makes the ship special. I'd rather go with people who want to be there. If you're thinking about taking another couple with you on a cruise, pay attention to whether they can actually relax and participate. A short vacation isn't the time for a new strict diet or nonstop work. Some people just aren't built for group cruises no matter how well you know them... Have you ever taken friends or another couple on a cruise and it turned into a mess for reasons like this? What do you look for when you're deciding who to invite? And if you've been on an Icon class ship, do you agree that the included food better than what you get on other classes? Would you still take someone along if you already knew they were going to be checked out the whole time? Drop your stories or opinions below. I'm curious what other people have run into.