Once upon a time, taking a cruise meant lounging and eating,eating and lounging, with perhaps a bout of shuffleboard if energypermitted.
Forget about it. With 40 percent of today's cruise passengersage 40 and younger, and older customers increasingly concerned abouthealth and fitness, most lines have set up active programs afloat.These range from easy activities like walking laps on board to suchexuberant offerings as biking down a volcano slope in Hawaii orcanoeing in Alaska.
Virtually every ship has some kind of gym and spa, but allcertainly are not created equal. A so-called fitness facility couldbe a little room with some rusty equipment and a floor for sit-ups.Or it could be a 12,000-square-foot extravaganza of equipment,aerobics classes, saunas, whirlpools and massage rooms. If workingout at sea is of prime interest, be sure to ask specifics about thefacilities on any ship you're considering.
Here are some innovative programs afloat. In most cases, theshore excursions cost extra - from $20 for a few hours of snorkelingto $100 for a bike trip down a volcano. Ask ahead.
American Hawaii packs an array of vigorous activities into itsseven-day trips out of Honolulu, which operate year-round.
The 800-passenger Independence and Constitution call at threeHawaiian islands. On Maui, you can bicycle (fast) down Mt.Haleakala, a dormant volcano, or wind-surf the island's legendarywaves; on Kauai there's kayaking; on the Big Island of Hawaii,there's golf. Snorkeling and scuba diving are offered at severalports.
Aboard the sister ships, the large fitness center has all thelatest exercise equipment. There are aerobics classes every morning,a jogging deck, two fresh-water pools and hula lessons.
Princess is one of the most ambitious entries in the activitysweeps, with its Sports Ashore program. For example, on itsseven-day southern Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan, the1,400-passenger Star Princess offers horseback riding in San Juan;golf in Martinique; golf and sailing on Barbados, St. Maarten, andSt. Thomas; and, on the Grenadine island of Mayreau, a full day ofsports and games, including water-skiing and volleyball. There'ssnorkeling and diving at many ports.
The line's New Waves program offers scuba certification on allCaribbean itineraries. Passengers get shipboard classes and pooltraining, then go on dives out of most ports.
On board, the state-of-the-art gym takes up much of the lowerdeck. There's an equipment room with Kaiser 300 machines, an aerobicworkout room, aerobics classes throughout the day, pool aerobics, andplenty of trainers around to help passengers develop individualizedwork-out plans.
Club Med and action are synonymous. Ditto for the Club's386-passenger cruising village, Club Med 1, which makes weeklongCaribbean voyages out of Martinique. (Club Med 2 is scheduled toenter service in the South Pacific in December.)
The five-masted sailing vessel's main claim to fame is its largesports platform, which drops open from the stern, converting the backof the boat into a floating marina. Out come sailboards, sailboats,water skis, snorkel and scuba gear (for certified divers only), and ahost of other nautical toys. Passengers never need to go to shore toget wet and wild. Nor must they sign up at any activities desk.They just meander down from their chaises and get the next equipmentavailable.
The best view aboard is from the top-deck fitness center, whichhas floor-to-ceiling windows, equipment galore, and lots of bouncyaerobics classes. The gym is open 24 hours a day to suit even themost exuberant fitness buff.
Carnival packs plenty of activities into even its three-dayBahamas jaunt out of Miami. First off, the 2,600-passenger Fantasyhas the largest fitness center afloat: 12,000 square feet of exerciserooms (with 35 machines), aerobics space, whirlpools, saunas andmassage rooms.
During the ship's call at Nassau, passengers can buy a golfpackage at the Cable Beach Gold Club, or play tennis or racquetballat the Riviera Hotel, next to the Crystal Palace. There's also ascuba trip to a sunken ship. Underwater photography is excellent.Snorkelers can book a boat trip to a designated underwater park witha large live coral reef.
Holland America caters mostly to older travelers on itsseven-day summer Alaska cruises, but passengers have been keen on theline's Explorer and Adventurer shore excursions.
Options on the 1,214-passenger Noordam include canoeing in a20-person boat with a Native American guide in Ketchikan; a naturecruise and hike in Sitka; a helicopter tour and glacier walk out ofJuneau, and salmon fishing in Ketchikan and Sitka. Excursions may bebooked separately or as part of one package.
Royal Caribbean gives customers a good workout on its seven-daytrips aboard the 2,600 passenger Majesty of the Seas sailing fromMiami.
There's snorkeling and scuba diving on Grand Cayman Island, andoff Cozumel, Mexico; climbing Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios,Jamaica, and a host of water and beach sports (volleyball, kayaking,snorkeling, tug-of-war) on CocoCay in the Bahamas chain. Theon-board spa and gym is huge.
Judi Dash's Active Traveler column will appear regularly in theSun-Times.
