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Crystal Serenity Shows Us What's Possible for Fitness as We Age

12/31/2018

fitness studio on Crystal Serenity cruise ship

Crystal Serenity has a well-equipped gym, and fitness instructors lead classes to suit all levels. The classes are included in your cruise fare.

By John Roberts

I am not generally a person who holds preconceived notions about any travel experiences.

It's much better to "see for myself" -- and then judge whether it's something I would enjoy doing regularly.

But I must admit that I was more than a little skeptical about how many good fitness options would be available on Crystal Serenity as I prepared to take a voyage on the refurbished luxury cruise ship.

I had heard about Crystal Cruises' sailings and know they appeal to well-traveled and "well-aged" travelers. The average age on these cruises regularly touches 60 and older, with many of the nearly 1,000 passengers onboard well past 70.

So, I wondered whether I would be among a few in the gym getting in my daily workouts and also what else could I find to do on the ship that can get the blood flowing and ticker pumping a bit.

Turns out there is a pretty nice complement of fitness options, and many of these consist of leisure-type sports that I can appreciate as a draw to people who want to stay active as they age.

While I am determined to stick to my hardcore workouts and adventurous pursuits as long as possible, I do realize that there will be a time that I -- a nearly 52-year-old kid at heart -- will be forced to slow down.

I'm in denial now, of course, but I was glad to see so many options available onboard for when I must retool my fitness regimen. I have long been preaching that you have to use it or lose it when it comes to your body and aging, and I saw so many people on this luxury cruise who shared that motto.

The gym on Crystal Serenity was regularly packed, as the ship's fitness center features a full range of cardio and weight-training equipment. Throughout the week of my sailing, people of all ages were in the gym fairly religiously, starting their days with a vigorous workout.

However, it was the extra options for fitness that caught my attention.

Here are five cool sports and activities you can enjoy on Crystal Serenity:

Crystal Cruises Crystal Serenity paddle tennis courts

Two paddle tennis courts are located on Deck 13 on Crystal Serenity.

Paddle Tennis
Not exactly tennis but certainly more similar to that traditional court sport than pickleball, paddle tennis takes place on a nearly full-sized tennis court using a tennis ball and a solid paddle instead of a racket with strings.

The net is a little lower than in tennis and the court smaller. Crystal Serenity and its sister ship Crystal Symphony are two of the very few ships on the oceans to offer paddle tennis courts. Crystal Serenity has two paddle tennis courts that were constantly in use on Deck 13 overlooking the pool area below on Deck 12.

Paddles and balls are available to use. They are stored in the benches located next to the courts.

Passengers played doubles matches for hours every day, and teams rotated in to play winners. Many of the cruisers even brought their own paddles with them for the cruise (paddles and balls are available if you didn't bring your own, though). Some people I chatted with book cruises on Crystal Cruises ships specifically to play their favorite game during their vacations. Paddle tennis is a great way to keep your reactions sharp and work on your endurance, flexibility, balance and change of direction. Plus, it's fun to play with new friends while sailing under sunny skies.

Golf
Crystal Serenity cruises with a PGA golf pro who gives lessons to avid golfers and wannabe golfers. The ship features a sports area at the back of the ship on Deck 6, and this space has two "driving ranges," which are netted cages that allow you to take full swings off a tee to work on all types of shots. You can also practice your stroke on the putting greens. Table tennis is also found back here, by the way.

Nordic Walking classes take place on the Deck 7 Promenade, which is also a wonderful place to do your walking or running workouts. The deck is three and one-third laps per mile.

Nordic Walking
The ship's Promenade (Deck 7) offers a complete circuit that takes three and one-third laps to complete a mile, and Nordic Walking poles and weighted vests are available for passengers to use while enjoying the scenic surroundings during vigorous walks.

What is Nordic Walking? The ship offers instructor-led sessions of the activity in which walkers use long poles similar to those used for cross-country skiing. The benefits of the sport include training for better balance on unstable or uneven surfaces (such as walking on a moving cruise ship promenade) as well as reducing the load on joints such as knees and ankles by allowing for more points of contact from the poles. It's a wonderful sport for those feelings some of the common aches and pains of aging.

The weighted vests simply make the sport a bit more challenging.

Fitness Classes
Trainers on Crystal Serenity offer a range of fitness classes that are included in your cruise fare. You can take part in Tour de Cycle spin classes, yoga, Pilates, stretching and other sessions. The ship offers classes appropriate for all levels of fitness.

The turf surface on Deck 13 is ideal for jogging and scenic walking.

Walking/Jogging
I already talked about the Promenade on Deck 7 when discussing the Nordic Walking activity. The Promenade is just more than three laps per mile and is a wide space great for walking and even jogging around the ship. Additionally, you can use the turf lawn surface that encircles Deck 13 for running or walking workouts.

This is a fabulous space for sunrise or sunset jogging and is a nice soft surface forgiving on the feet and knees. I took several laps at both times of the day but became partial to mornings because I was able to spot whales and dolphins during our route along the California coast.

Thanks for reading and be sure to always travel fit, travel happy and travel often.
JR

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Hiking the Greenwich Steps to Coit Tower in San Francisco

12/27/2018

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By John Roberts

Most people know about San Francisco's hilly geography and the city's famous Lombard Street that twists and turns and is reputed as "The Crookedest Street in the World" because of its eight tight hairpin turns over the course of one neighborhood block.

These hills can also be explored through the unique experience of an urban hike on the city's Stairway Walks. I discovered one of the routes up Telegraph Hill during a visit to the port via my cruise on Crystal Serenity. A friend of mine who lived several years in San Francisco knows that I am always looking for something active to try and asked whether I had heard of the Stairway Walks.

I told her that I had not, but that I was also intrigued. Erica pointed out that one of the routes was pretty close to our ship's location near Pier 23. The Greenwich Steps take you through a quaint neighborhood and lead you up to the looming Coit Tower. At the top, you get an amazing panoramic view of San Francisco Bay, the bridges and even Lombard Street, which is close by.

Let me take you along on my hike from the San Francisco cruise port up to Coit Tower so you can give it a try when you visit. I love finding free activities as a way to explore a city, and this is a nice heart-pumping outing that takes no more than 90 minutes to get to the top and back. Plus, Coit Tower offers a neat little museum and gift shop to explore as well. (More on Coit Tower follows once we reach the top.)

Ready? Let's go.

Crystal Cruises Crystal Serenity in San Francisco

Crystal Cruises' Crystal Serenity at the pier in San Francisco.

Crystal Serenity at San Francisco Cruise terminal

The San Francisco cruise terminal sits right in the heart of the Embarcadero and close to many attractions along the Bay.

Our ship, Crystal Serenity, was docked at the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal. As you leave the ship, you can look up to the hills and see Coit Tower, my destination.

As you cross The Embarcadero, the great wide sidewalk that leads to all things San Francisco along the Bay, you are heading straight toward Telegraph Hill and the Greenwich Steps stairway walk that goes up to Coit Tower.

This spot along the pier is a wonderful launching point for several popular activities you can enjoy while on your cruise stop in San Francisco. To the southeast is the Exploratorium science museum, the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco Giants home field, AT&T Park. To the west is the Golden Gate Bridge. In that direction, you'll pass Pier 39 and all the sea lions, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square and the Aquatic Park Cove.

Read more: Why You Should Spend Time in San Francisco Before Your Cruise

To get to the start of the Greenwich Steps, I followed Battery Street to Greenwich Street and the start of the hike.

Just across the street, you can see up to the Telegraph Hill neighborhood and Coit Tower rising at the top.

Turning around, you can still see Crystal Serenity at the pier. Now, I'm on the other side of the Embarcadero and getting closer to the start of the stairway walk.

I reach Greenwich Street, and the tiny green sign indicates I'm in the right place.

You can see the base of the Greenwich Steps at the end of the street.

I started up the steps not really knowing what I would see and how long it would take to get to the top. They are steep, rising quickly into a unique community of hillside homes. The steps themselves are a "street," and the the steps, landings and paths that create the route into the neighborhood.

I noticed other tourists huffing and puffing their way up (or down), and I also saw fit residents using the steps as part of their running workouts (that's impressive).

One of my first views as I climbed the Greenwich Steps. You can start to see the San Francisco Bay despite the foggy day. Also, you see the top of Crystal Serenity peeking above the buildings.

Telegraph Hill Greenwich Stairs at Coit Tower

Still on the way up, I'm making progress and finding some flatter terrain as I pass by the homes located in the shadow of Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill.

Homes in Telegraph Hill neighborhood in San Francisco

The homes are pretty up here, and I wonder how hard it is to move all your furniture into these residences.

Residents also utilize the property on the opposite side of the staircase to create beautiful wild gardens.

I emerged from the lower half of the stairway walk to reach a street. We're about halfway there.

Before continuing up, I wander to a wall along the street to see what the view looks like.

The second section of the two-part staircase up to Coit Tower is constructed with pretty red bricks.

I start up the second half of the hike and notice the steps getting a little bit more crowded with tourists who joined the route at the midpoint or who parked at the top and are wandering down.

There are 209 steps in the lower section and 178 in the top half that reaches Coit Tower. This second section has a more natural feel under a forest-like canopy and with pretty red brick steps and landing. It also has more switch-backs along the top half.

It takes about 20 minutes to make my way from bottom to top, moving at a moderate but fairly steady pace. The hike will definitely get your heart pumping.

Proof that you are indeed in the wilds of San Francisco.

At the top, a statue of Christopher Columbus sits at the center of the parking lot at Coit Tower.

Coit Tower is a white concrete column that rises 210 feet from the top of Telegraph Hill, which itself is at an elevation of 275 feet. Telegraph Hill is one of the city's 44 hills and one of the original "Seven Hills."

Coit Tower features an observation deck reached by elevator. You can buy tickets to get to the deck and have 360-degree views over the city ($9 adults, $2.25 kids, $6 seniors, $6.50 city residents). The structure is named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a wealthy resident of the city and a well-known patron of San Francisco's volunteer firefighters. She died in 1929 and left money that was used to build a monument to the firefighters (in Washington Square) and the tower, which opened in 1933. An impressive gallery of mural frescoes depicting daily scenes of life in the area is located on the ground floor, and it's free and open to the public.

The mural frescoes in Coit Tower are free to explore o the first floor.

Here's a view from the top of the hill out of a window on the first floor of the tower.

I had a look around and then descended on the same route to spend some time on the Embarcadero in search of a cold beer as a reward for a thrilling hike. I settled in at the International sports bar in North Beach at 1000 Columbus Avenue, caught the NFL games, chatted with some locals and reveled in another fun day in San Francisco.

Thanks for reading,
JR

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5 Cheap and Easy Things to Do in Le Havre Cruise Port

12/13/2018

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The sail-in to Le Havre cruise port reveals the gorgeous architecture of the city that was rebuilt after WWII.

By John Roberts

Colleen and I visited Le Havre for the first time this summer during our cruise on AIDAperla.

We sometimes choose to "just wing it" for a day ashore in a new place. And we decided that Le Havre would be a good place to employ this strategy.

When the weather is nice, we enjoy going for a run to explore new port towns, and Le Havre looked like it was an ideal place for this when we arrived on a quiet Tuesday morning.

Le Havre offers cruisers the chance to go on excursions to the Normandy beaches of D-Day and stunning villages like Honfleur and Giverny. This is also the port to go to Mont St-Michel, a picturesque rocky island that is home to an 8th-century Benedictine abbey. These trips take several hours of bus rides to get there and back, and Colleen and I felt like we would rather come back to explore the region when we had more time to fully appreciate it and give these sights proper attention -- instead of being rushed through our days. So, it would be an "explore Le Havre on your own" kind of day for us.

Le Havre is situated in the beautiful Normandy region in northern France. The city was destroyed during numerous bombings during World War II. It has been rebuilt and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a rare designation for a contemporary city center. It owes this distinction to the fact that it was rebuilt with such care and interesting and innovative architecture in the French Classicist style. The reconstruction was overseen by architect Auguste Perret using light colors and wide avenues.

Le Havre achieves a unique symbiosis with the sea, especially along the boardwalk area at the urban beach that we discovered during our run through town.

Including the beach, we found several other cool things to do on a visit to Le Havre.

The promenade is a wide path that runs between the beach and shops, restaurants and hotels in Le Havre.

Just a quick photo stop during our run through Le Havre.

Monument in city center of Le Havre, France

The large monument and unique Le Volcan theater building are distinctive landmarks in Le Havre's city center.

Run the City
The port of Le Havre is used for both commercial and industrial purposes, but once you get outside the gated area, the city is easy to navigate and safe to run, especially along the scenic waterfront promenade. Colleen and I found our way quickly into the city center and came across a cute footbridge over the Bassin de Commerce lake, as well as a large monument and Le Volcan, the distinctive volcano-shaped auditorium and theater that hosts dance and musical productions. The building was designed by noted Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.

You can easily run to other destinations worth a visit, such as MuMa Modern Art Museum, the Natural History Museum and St. Joseph's Church (that's the tower you see rising above the skyline).

Le Havre Beach is right at the edge of the city. The rocky beach features scenic views, including these colorful beach huts. I took a quick rejuvenating swim in the waters after a run through the city center.

Reach the Beach
Once we got to Le Havre Beach, it seemed a good spot to cool off and spend a bit of time. Le Havre Beach is a nearly two-kilometer-long strip of beach area on the shore of the Seine River Estuary. The rocky pebble beach is lined by a long promenade filled with restaurants, shops and hotels.

Le Havre Beach is located just 500 meters from the city center and features and large skate park and volleyball and boule courts. We took a break from the run though the city to jump in for a swim and to wander the promenade to see what was there. It looks like an amazing place to hang out for the day, especially during the summer.

Yes, you can get good craft beers in France. We spent a few hours relaxing at Havre de Bier near the port in Le Havre.

Savor Beer, Wine and Cheese
We're always on the lookout to try a couple local varieties of beers when we travel. We were skeptical that Le Havre would yield any kind of craft brew offerings. This is France, where wine and cheese rules, after all.

However, we came upon a bounty of beers -- and wines, cheeses, breads and sausages -- at a wonderful spot within view of our cruise ship near the port. Maltese Havre de Biere is small eatery located at 69 Quai de Southampton on the main roadway adjacent to the waterside. We had noted its spot on our way into town during our run and made a point to stop by to check it out on the way back to AIDAperla.

We ended up having a few beers from their wide variety of craft brews from around the world. We were enjoying sitting outside on the sidewalk in the bright sunshine and just relaxing so much that we spent a few hours there, ordering a platter of cheeses and charcuterie of cured meats.

As the day went by, we were joined by residents and shared a bit of conversation as they sipped wines and we savored our beers.

Bikes are available for rent right at the cruise port facility in Le Havre. They cost less than $20 for the day.

Spin the Wheels
Le Havre is a bikeable city, and you can rent bikes through numerous outfitters. Bike rental agencies are available right at the cruise terminal and this is a perfect option if you just want a casual sight-seeing ride around the city center and perimeter.

A short hike from the end of the beach gives you a chance to take a memorable picture of Le Havre's estuary and skyline.

Take a Short Scenic Hike
At the end of the promenade that traces the course of Le Havre Beach, you'll come to a cliffside area. You can walk up the roadway to get a vantage point over the estuary and city. This viewpoint is not hard to reach and provides the picture-perfect shot over Le Havre, the beach and the St. Joseph's Church tower.

Our cruise ship, AIDAperla, sits in port in Le Havre.

I hope this helps you find some fun things to do in Le Havre for your trip. These were the best cheap and easy things to do from the cruise port in Le Havre that we were able to discover on our visit, and we were able to pack in a lot of fun in a short amount of time.

Thanks for reading,
JR

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Crystal Serenity Shows Us What's Possible for Fitness as We Age

Hiking the Greenwich Steps to Coit Tower in San Francisco

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