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Travel

Ship shape

In spite of decadent opportunities to eat and lounge, many cruise lines offer active, healthful options for continuing or renewed fitness.

By JANET GROENE
Published October 8, 2006

[Times photo: Stefaie Boyar]

Fitness facilities are standard amenities on virtually every cruise ship nowadays. Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas offers a full-size boxing ring for guests to unleash their inner aggression.

Taking a cruise is a satisfying way to beat workaday malaise. How perfect if you can turn over a new leaf at the same time by quitting smoking or shedding a few pounds.

Whether your goal is weight loss, toning, muscle building, a mental or physical makeover or simply stress-busting, a cruise can provide a controlled environment, the best equipment and professional guidance.

It's true that cruises offer temptations. Oh boy, do they offer temptations, especially by way of the all-you-can-eat buffet. However, they also offer a relaxed, nurturing atmosphere that gives you a chance to be the person you're longing to be: active, interesting, interested, discerning at the table and relentless in pursuit of the good life.

You can even order up special food if you like, low-sodium, low-fat, low-carb, whatever. Cruise chefs love the challenge, but unless you have food allergies there's no reason. At meal time, choose just what you want from the buffet or from a menu that offers regular, spa and heart-healthy options. As a pampered guest you don't worry about shopping, cost, leftovers or complicated recipes. It's all about taste, presentation and a total dining experience that allows you to feast royally on tasty, healthful foods.

Work out as often as you please, using the most modern fitness equipment in a bright room filled with other edgy, active health seekers. Sigh blissfully through spa treatments that leave you taut and tingling. You're at sea with a crew of chefs, dieticians, fitness experts and spa gurus who will hear your personal SOS and speed to the rescue.

"Fitness cruises are good for the body both inside and out," says Kari Eide, author of The Fit Traveler: Senior Edition Publishers Design Group, thefitnessboutique.com, $17.95. "They typically offer healthful food options to nourish the body. Physically they allow you to stick to the workout routine you already have, or inspire you to try something new with the diverse activities available on board ship. (A cruise) also provides the opportunity to start a new fitness routine . . . away from the distractions of everyday life."

"I've cruised only once but one thing that stands out in my mind was the fact that you can order as much as you want for dinner - prime rib, lobster tails and so on," says Lauren Swann, a dietitian whose Web site is www.foodfactswork.com. "Food is delicious and dining is five-star. My recommendations are: (1) Remember that you have more than one night to sample all the goodies in the dining room. Sharing with others at the table is a good way to taste without being tempted to eat too much. (2) All-day eating is available but choices (hot dogs, burgers) aren't that great. Just because it's there, you don't have to eat unwisely."

Of course the experts also warn that a cruise doesn't guarantee a lifestyle change. "Taking a health cruise is not a bad idea, but don't forget that a vacation is still a vacation," says Charles Stuart Platkin, columnist, author and founder of www.dietdetective.com.

"When we're on holiday we typically consume more and exercise less. Even if a health cruise helps kick-start a get-in-shape program for some people, it's probably not going to last. The diet season begins with the New Year, but we all know that most diets fail (over time). Going on a cruise will probably not get you on the road to fitness until you have . . . a real plan, using the cruise as a starting point."

One way to create a plan as Platkin recommends is to start early. See your doctor, personal trainer and/or dietician. Have a goal and know how to reach it safely. Read up on the regimen you plan to follow so you'll know the dos and don'ts of Pilates, yoga, the South Beach diet or whatever. Buffets are loaded with right foods and no-nos depending on your diet. Know the difference.

If you're out of condition, start easing into fitness routines as soon as possible, so you can participate in on-board classes without freezing up the first day. Then take advantage of all the perks and choices that the cruise line offers such as ordering a certain diet (usually two or four weeks in advance) and early booking of shore excursions and spa treatments.

Janet Groene is a writer based in Dowling Park. Her latest books, "Personal Paradise: Florida" and "Personal Paradise: Caribbean" are published by Open Road. Send questions or comments to janetgroene@yahoo.com.

ACTIVE CRUISES

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES offers unique adventures on its Belize itineraries. Tube through a cave, tube down the Sibun River or take a rugged, 45-minute hike in the rain forest.

CELEBRITY CRUISES takes guests to the treetops of St. Martin, through 200-year-old mango and mahogany trees filled with exotic bird life. The course incorporates zip lines, rope swings and suspension bridges.

CRYSTAL CRUISES' Mediterranean passengers can drive a Formula 1 race car on and off course at Monte Carlo.

CUNARD's Queen Elizabeth II offers rafting excursions through Chilean fjords.

DISNEY has a private island in the Bahamas where guides take hikers for a 40-minute nature walk to explore island history, geology and nature.

HOLLAND AMERICA's many ships offer Off the Beaten Path tours. You might take a photo safari in Croatia, kayak Costa Rica, go bird watching in Panama or explore a nature reserve on the line's private island in the Bahamas.

MSC takes scuba divers to Roatan Island off Honduras to explore a coral reef and see sharks.

NORWEGIAN COASTAL VOYAGES goes to Antarctica and Chilean fjords where you can hike around penguin colonies and explore Punta Arenas, the southernmost city on the planet. Summer cruises explore the picturesque fjords of Norway, with plenty of time ashore for hiking steep hills.

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE gives passengers a chance to heli-hike in Maui, where you'll fly over the rain forest, land, then hike to the world's largest dormant volcano.

PRINCESS' canopy tours take adventurers flying on zip lines through the treetops of rain forests in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Hawaii's Kauai and Maui islands, Ketchikan, Alaska, Jamaica, Belize and Costa Rica.

RADISSON SEVEN SEAS offers rock climbs in Corsica with expert guides. In safety harnesses, scale ridges and rock faces along the Via Ferrata, the Iron Way.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN does Klondike rock climbing and rappelling in White Pass, Alaska, where you'll set foot on a retreating glacier. The line has climbing tour options for all skill levels.

SEABOURN offers mountain biking on the French Riviera through colorful villages and vineyards.

SILVERSEA offers kayaking in Vietnam. In a two-person canoe or kayak you'll see a fishing village and scores of caves and grottoes.

WINDSTAR offers an all-day float down the Corobici River in Costa Rica. Paddlers see chattering monkeys and a wealth of bird life.

- JANET GROENE

ON THE MENU

All major cruise lines will accommodate special diets with advance notice. However, cruisers will find healthy, appealing choices on regular menus. On Cunard ships look for the Golden Door selections, and on Royal Caribbean look for the Shipshape Menu. Royal Viking has a low-calorie menu and Holland America and Windstar offer spa cuisine. Dolphin Hellas Cruises presents a senior menu filled with choices that are low in fat, sodium and cholesterol. - JANET GROENE

[Last modified October 6, 2006, 11:58:33]