Cruises are often thought of as indulgent, relaxing vacations – and that’s true! But you can also still definitely maintain your fitness routine while sailing the seas.
In fact, I’ve found I’m often more active on the ship than I am at home, simply because there are less demands of everyday life to tackle. Instead, you’ve got the whole day to schedule how you please.
Here are some practical fitness hacks – from your avid cruiser, running coach, and trainer! – to help you stay fit and active during your time on the ship.
1. Use the track!
This is probably my favorite way to stay active when I cruise. Every Carnival ship I’ve been on has had a track (typically on Deck 12), and most other lines do too. You can run or walk on the track, and it’s just beautiful to be up there early in the morning while the sun is rising. Some mornings I like an intense run, and others I prefer grabbing a coffee, listening to a podcast, and just walking.
A few helpful tips to keep in mind:
- Once the sun is out in the Caribbean or other warm-weather locations, you’ll be feeling hot-hot-hot up on that track. Be sure to stay hydrated while running. Consider using electrolyte drinks or tabs if you’re going to be running up there for a while. Know that you may have to slow your pace a bit compared to running at home.
- Be mindful of other people. On the ships I’ve been on, there are usually the same handful of 10-15 people up on the track early morning. It has never been overly crowded. But everyone has different paces, so just make sure to stay to your right unless you’re passing someone on the left.
- The humidity at night and overnight showers can often cause the track to be slick some mornings. Be careful not to slip.
- Use the track early in the morning, in the evening, or while in port. During the peak times of the day, especially on sea days, it fills up with people just walking from one side of the ship to the other and can be hard to navigate through the crowds.
- Your GPS watch won’t accurately track distance due to the ships movement, so run (or walk) by time or laps instead.
2. Hit the gym.
The gyms on most cruise ships are surprisingly nice. Most have newer equipment and ample space. There is often a range of different cardio machines, strength equipment, and free weights. You should be able to structure a great workout for yourself regardless of your goals using the equipment on board.
The hubby and I will often use the gym on the ship for some type of squat, push, pull, and core exercise. Heavy weights, 5 sets, 4 exercises – and boom, you’re done. Bulgarian split squats were especially challenging in the cruise gym when the ship rocked a bit; it required a lot of stability!
If you’ve got kids, keep in mind they typically aren’t allowed in the gym (which makes sense, but is worth noting). We usually let my kiddo have some downtime in the room (with the cruise app on his iPad so he can message us if needed), or when he was younger we’d put him in the kids club for an hour or two while we worked out.
3. Take a fitness class.
Many ships offer scheduled fitness classes, some free and some paid. For example, on the last Carnival cruise we went on, there were usually two or three free fitness classes a day – a morning stretch, an evening stretch, and sometimes an abs class or full body strength class.
Paid options usually include yoga, pilates, bootcamp, and spin. On the most recent Carnvial cruise I went on, these were $20 per class, $49 for a 3-pack, or $99 for unlimited throughout the cruise. The pricing will vary based on your cruise line and the length of the cruise.
I’m not sure about other cruise lines, but on Carnival you need to go sign up for these on a paper form at the gym ahead of time. Usually you can go to the gym/spa for a tour on the first day, and they’ll have the printed schedule with all the classes. I know the paid classes did not usually show in the Carnival app (but the free ones were typically in there).
I’ve never done the paid classes, but have done several of the free ones and they’ve all been great. Next time I want to do the spin classes; the ones on my last ship were at times that just didn’t work for my family.
4. Walk the ship and take the stairs
Cruise ships are huge – often 14 or 15 decks – and activities are spread between floors and forward, mid, and aft sections of the ship. This means there are tons of opportunities to walk around and take the stairs. Going to the coffee shop? Headed to the pool? Time to take in a show? Walking and stairs all around!
Not only does taking the stairs help you maintain your fitness, but it also saves you time waiting for elevators when lots of other folks are waiting too.
You’ll find yourself naturally moving around a lot more than you might at home, especially if you have a desk job. Here’s my watch from one of the days on my last trip, which tended to be right around where each day fell (keep in mind I often walked or ran in the morning, so that played a part too):
5. Jump into an onboard sport or activity.
Cruise ships often have a ton of onboard sports and activities that can help you stay active on the ship. The specific ones will vary based on the cruise line and ship.
On the Carnival Vista (the last ship we were on), there was a ropes course, sky bike ride, mini golf course, and a basketball court that could also be used for pickleball and soccer. I grabbed a pic of my husband and son on the ropes course, but didn’t manage to get one of us on the sky bike ride (which was SO fun!).
6. Go swimming at a beach in port.
The pools on most cruise ships are pretty small, and are generally filled with adults relaxing with a drink or young kids having fun playing. They’re not going to be a place to swim for exercise. However, you can visit a beach at one of your ports and get in some great open water swimming at the calmer beaches.
A couple of years ago, we docked in Bermuda. I had set up transportation with a guy I met there a few years prior (his name is Jahdel – let me know if you’re going to Bermuda and I’ll give you his contact info!). He brought us off the beaten path to a non-touristy beach. As you can see below, it gave us plenty of room for swimming and relaxing!
7. Do something active in port.
One of the highlights of cruising is exploring different ports of call. This could be exploring them on foot, or booking some type of active excursion.
For example, in San Juan we just spent a lot of time walking around and got to explore the Castillo San Felipe del Morro. All that walking over the course of the day adds up!
In Amber Cove, you could explore the waterslides and zip lines at the water area directly off the boat. My kiddo was a huge fan of this one. It is great because you have to walk a little ways to the zipline platform, you zip down, and then you walk back up to go again.
Lots of ports have options for hiking, biking, snorkeling, or other active things. Research and plan ahead for these, and don’t forget to leave yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship. (People have been left behind when they don’t make it back!).
8. Pack resistance bands.
In the event the gym or the track gets a little crowded and you want to skip over them, you can always pack some resistance bands to use in your room. These are lightweight and don’t take up much space in your luggage.
Of course, the rooms are pretty small, so you’ll need to stick to exercises that don’t require much space. But you can definitely fit in a good variety with a couple bands. (Check out these resistance band exercises that might be helpful!).
The Bottom Line
Keeping up with your fitness routine on a cruise doesn’t have to be a challenge! There are tons of resources and activities to keep you busy, and the nature of the ship means you’ll walk a lot. Balance all your activity with some well-deserved rest and relaxation for the ultimate vacation experience. Happy sailing! 🙂
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