Pre-Cruise Diet Travel

How to stay fit while cruising

I had all these dreams of going home from the cruise as fit, if not fitter, than when I left. The pictures of the gym on board the Norwegian Sun made it look like running while overlooking the ocean would call my name. The classes in the workout center looked like something I’d be really into. That was before I saw the buffet, lounge chairs and our really comfy bed. We all know I came back heavier and less fit but what does the ship offer you to stay trim and in shape?

There is a gym with lots of treadmills, elliptical machines, weights and other things you’d find in any standard hotel gym. They also had a studio for aerobics, yoga and specialized workout sessions. While I didn’t use those, we did frequent Deck 6. What’s Deck 6, you ask?

Well, on the Norwegian Sun, Deck 6 is one of the only decks that goes all the way around the ship. Our very first day on the boat, my husband and I found a sign that said so many times around was a mile. That day, we walked a mile. The next day we were in the Bahamas where we got our workout paddling our clear kayak against the wind and walking through the streets of the city. The next day, we were at sea. Late afternoon we walked around Deck 6. In the middle of the ocean, there isn’t much to see but water, but getting out in the ocean air and walking certainly made us feel good.

The two days following that, we were in cities where we were busy (those posts are forthcoming) and we didn’t walk, but on our next sea day, there we were walking Deck 6 again.

Some people would run around the deck. Most just walked. I’m sure the joggers were up early doing their things, we were generally walking in later afternoon, sometime between sick-of-crappy-TV and still-too-early-to-eat. The deck was shaded so the sun didn’t bother us. The wind wasn’t intense. We got to walk and talk, or walk in peace and just hold hands.

Hey, it was our anniversary trip. Hand-holding is allowed.

Especially on Deck 6.