There are so many different places that you could visit for a holiday nowadays that choosing just one can be a hard decision. With a holiday based onboard a luxury liner, you can see a number of places in one go and make your choice a little bit easier. If you like to stay active there are plenty of onshore excursions as well. Keeping your body in good shape is important no matter what your age and the earlier you establish a routine the easier it will be to maintain over the years. Princess cruises and other companies have a number of exciting activities that you can participate in whilst travelling with them, as well as excellent onboard gyms and spas, so there is no need to lose momentum during your annual break. You can go on a rain forest walk whilst touring Australasia and climb bridges in harbours, including one in Auckland and the famous one in Sydney Harbour. After all this physical exertion you can enjoy a great meal onboard the high quality restaurants that most ships now have. With operators such as NCL cruises , the gyms and spas are often open 24 hours a day too so you can choose your own schedule rather than have to fit in with the company’s. Apart from the exercise facilities, whoever you choose to travel with is bound to have many other entertainment options whilst you are negotiating the high seas, including cabarets, casinos and lots of opportunities for shopping.
Wonderful Celebrity Century
“Set sail from Dover 22nd May, the first nights food & entertainment was brilliant & it continued all through the cruise.” – Bamford, Burnley on 9th Jun 2009 (Fred. Olsen Cruises)
Watching your weight
Whilst this is something that you will most likely not wish to do during your holiday, for the rest of the year when you are not enjoying the fine cuisine on Fred Olsen cruises , or other companies’ offerings, it is an important part of any fitness regime and one that you should take some time in planning. The food that you eat has a major effect on your overall health and a good balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat can do a lot to aid your efforts to keep in shape. Even if you are not going to be counting the calories on your sea voyage there will still be lots of chances to enjoy some excellent, healthy cuisine, such as the fresh seafood on Caribbean cruises , as well as the opportunity to take it easy and do nothing on a beautiful tropical beach, when the mood takes you. Island hopping in this area is a popular choice for the variety of places that you can see in a relatively short space of time, and the exotic locations that you will find yourself in. There are also of course lots of water sports to indulge in, so there is no need to start piling the pounds on either. Onboard the biggest ships that are run by Royal Caribbean cruises you can even enjoy some rock climbing on their custom designed wall. Whichever company is lucky enough to enjoy your custom, you can be sure of a break you will remember.
Playa de Espana from Skywalkers nightclub on Grand Princess
“This was the start of another superb cruise on Oriana and we definitely rate her as our favourite of the P&O fleet. The crew were helpful and only too eager to please.” – Ray, Rayleigh on 9th Jun 2009 (P&O Cruises)
Taking time out to relax
As with your routine at home, your body needs time to recover from intense physical exertion and there will be lots of time to do this while on a ship-based holiday. A therapeutic massage by a qualified professional in one of the ship’s spas could do you the world of good or, if you just want to gaze at the horizon, a transatlantic crossing with someone like P&O cruises will give you plenty of opportunity to do this too. There are also usually many homeopathic treatments available onboard ships. You will not be spending all your time at sea of course and while you are in port you will have the chance to relax as well, whether it be a matter of laying there and soaking up the sun or taking a gentle stroll around the local city. Mediterranean trips visiting cities like Barcelona and Florence, are run by companies such as Cunard cruises and there are many museums and art galleries in which you can while away a few quiet hours. These can be part of an arranged excursion or at your own leisure. Most of these cities will also have golf courses that you can play a round or two at, if you like your relaxation time to be just a little more active than this. For full itineraries and a better idea of what exactly each location has to offer you can either check the operators’ web sites or the cruise reviews that you will find online.
Pudding Peanut Mouse plus Banana
“Independence of the seas is an amazing ship, very much geared for the younger generations with children. The flow rider was amazing.” – Streeter, Weymouth on 9th Jun 2009 (Royal Caribbean Cruises)
Making a new start
If you are currently not as active as you would like, or feel that you would love to lose some weight, then a holiday at sea may be just the way to kick-start a new way of life. With the gyms, spas, swimming pools and other sporting facilities onboard modern vessels, you may never be in a place with so many options as far as keeping fit goes. The professional trainers that staff the facilities will be able to advise you on the best way of starting out, and cruise holidays also give you the chance to breathe in plenty of fresh sea air of course. One of the nicest things about such a break is that you can usually set your own pace, whatever you choose to do. With room service plus the many dining establishments, you can eat whenever you wish and you may choose to take part in as few or as many onshore excursions as you wish. Help is on hand when needed but there is never any feeling of pressure that you have to be somewhere at any particular time, except when returning to ship before it leaves the current port you are at of course. Celebrity cruises , among others, offer step aerobics and spinning classes in their fitness centres, for those who find it hard to get motivated by themselves. You will find that the vast majority of lines are happy to help you enjoy your holiday in any way that they possibly can.
QM2 in Liverpool
“This was our first cruise and totally exceeded our expectations, which were already high. From the moment we saw the ship from our approaching taxi to collecting our bags as we departed the entire holiday was simply perfect.” – Coley, Loughborough on 9th Jun 2009 (Royal Caribbean Cruises)