If you’ve cruised, you know, and if you
haven’t cruised yet, you’ve heard: the food on a cruise is delicious,
plentiful, and available 24 hours a day. It’s hard to resist, but why should
you? All of your cruise ship dining, with the exception of some specialty
restaurants, is included in your fare.
And, don’t let the fear of coming home
with some extra pounds keep you from cruising. The vast majority of ships are
equipped with excellent fitness facilities: some are as cutting edge as any you
can find on land.
On Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships,
the fitness center is all about location: it’s top-deck forward, which provides
fantastic views. Three spacious tiers of activity include free weights and
weight machines; stationary bikes, treadmills and ellipticals; and a variety of
fitness classes, including TRX suspension training. Oasis Class ships also have
Gravity machines, which condition the body through Pilates and resistance
training, and Kinesis walls, which use a pulley system. For a really fun
workout, visit the ship’s climbing wall, ice skating rink, surf simulator or
roller rink (on Quantum Class ships).
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway Class
ships offer 45-minute indoor cycling classes from Flywheel Sports to get your
heart pumping. These bikes provide an upper-body workout, too, through the
weighted bars attached to each bike. Norwegian also offers classes in the
stretching and strengthening techniques used by the Rockettes, godmothers of
the Norwegian Breakaway;
high-intensity boxing classes; and an extensive Zumba dance fitness program. If
you’d rather be outside, visit the top deck and try to master the more than 40
obstacles on the ropes course.
Windstar’s luxury yachts and small ships
offer a different kind of fitness experience through their incredible water
sports platforms. When open, these mini-marinas provide you with direct access
to the sea. You can use a variety of floating mats, windsurfing boards,
snorkeling equipment, kayaks and skiffs. The ship’s crew will even take you
water skiing. While in port, you can also borrow one of the ship’s bikes to get
some exercise while exploring on shore.
Check with Anita, your Cruise Holidays
personal cruise expert, to select a ship that has the kind of fitness
facilities and classes you want, then sail away to an active vacation (along with
a trip to the midnight buffet!).
