Category: Fitness

Emerald Waterways Boosts Fitness Options on European Cruises

2/8/2019

The new Emerald Waterways Activity Managers will lead active adventures on the line's European voyages.

Activity Managers to lead EmeraldACTIVE excursions and fitness classes

By John Roberts

Emerald Waterways has announced that its seven "Star-Ships will sail with a dedicated Activity Manager on its European river cruises.

Activity Managers will support all of the line's "EmeraldACTIVE" shore excursions -- which include guided bike tours and hiking and canoeing trips -- as well as daily wellness and fitness classes onboard the ships.

The fitness options onboard include yoga and Pilates classes, aqua aerobics in heated indoor pools and one-mile walks on the open-air Sun Deck track, all coordinated by the onboard fitness experts.

This new program from Emerald Waterways marks a further development in the positive trend toward more fitness-focused activities and an overall emphasis on wellness that we have seen in the past handful of years for river cruising.

AmaWaterways has launched several programs, including biking and hiking theme cruises with partner Backroads, as well as placing their own Wellness Hosts on every ship. Scenic Cruises (a sister brand to Emerald Waterways) also offers active sailings through its partnership with cycling outfitter Trek Travel.

Read more about these active river cruise trips:

What is the AmaWaterways Wellness Program Like?

My Danube River Biking Cruise with Scenic and Trek Travel

7 Things About a Biking Trip with Backroads and AmaWaterways

Emerald Waterways is offering a comprehensive program that will help passengers remain active in all kinds of ways during their European voyages.

"In addition to coordinating the group fitness programs, the Activity Managers will also be available to assist guests with planning individual cycling tours or athletic walks in port," said Lisa Norton, vice president of brand management for Emerald Waterways US. "River cruisers of all ages are increasingly interested in active, health-conscious travel, and we're committed to offering programming that delivers a wide variety of options."

Emerald Waterways' river cruises offer contemporary, deluxe ships, outstanding service and an incredibly inclusive pricing plan. Cruise fares include all transfers; all port charges; all onboard (and some on-shore) meals; unlimited specialty tea and coffee, wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner; bottled water in the cabins replenished daily; continental breakfast, pre-dinner canapes and after-dinner sweet treats served in the top suites; complimentary Wi-Fi onboard the ship; most shore excursions as well as all onboard and excursion gratuities. On touring days, hotel accommodations, internal flights and transfers are included.

Part of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Emerald Waterways' eight branded Star-Ships offer river sailings in Europe and on the Mekong, as well as the MS Rossia along the Volga River in Russia; the Adriatic Princess and Adriatic Pearl yachts in Croatia; and the MS Hamees on the Nile.

Thanks for reading!

Travel fit, travel happy and travel often.
JR

Bottom line: We love that Emerald Waterways is the latest river cruise company to add more wellness and fitness activities. It's a great way top explore Europe.

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

12/31/2018

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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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New Cruise Ship Celebrity Edge Takes Fitness to the Next Level

12/3/2018

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The Smith machine is a great piece of equipment available on Celebrity Edge.

By John Roberts

With the launch of Celebrity Cruises' first new ship in a decade, Celebrity Edge, the hype and excitement has been focused on new hi-tech capabilities and innovative design features that stand out as cruise industry firsts.

Sure, the Magic Carpet floating deck on Celebrity Edge and the cruise ship app that allows passengers to use their phones as a room key and to control the blinds, lights and temperature in their cabins are exciting new features.

But I'm here to take a look at the fitness center, which also is a cut above your average cruise ship facility. The gym on Celebrity Edge offers a large amount of space, as well as the most modern and popular equipment for cruisers who want to try something new or stick with their training methods and classes that they enjoy back home.

Kettlebells and rowing machines on Celebrity Edge

The gym on Celebrity Edge offers modern workout equipment like kettlebells for dynamic workouts.

Celebrity Edge has six Peloton bikes, and passengers in certain suites can reserve them for use in their staterooms throughout their cruises. Otherwise, passengers can also reserve use of the Peloton bikes in the fitness center.

In addition to the gym's dozens of pieces of cardio equipment, such as treadmills, rowing machines, ellipticals, stair climbers and stationary bikes, Celebrity edge offers an area outfitted with kettlebells and plyometric jump boxes for more sport-specific training and explosive workouts.

Celebrity Edge cardio equipment in fitness center

The cardio and resistance-training machines are all TechnoGym equipment. I was pleased to see ample space set aside for free weights, and equally impressed that the dumbbells went up to 100 pounds (not that I am ever pressing up a pair of those). Most cruise ship gym weight sets that I've used over the years go up to 50 pounds and prove to be a bit limiting for people who train seriously with heavier weights.

Celebrity Edge also offers a Smith machine (picture at top of post) with high-quality rubber-covered weight plates that go up to 45 pounds. These machines are fantastically versatile and allow you to squat, bench and expand the overall number of free-weight exercises to target all muscle groups.

Motion Studio A spin class on Celebrity Edge

The ship features to studios that are dedicated spaces for fitness classes (for a fee). Motion Studio A is filled with cycles for the intense Ryde spin class, and Motion Studio B is the space used for several other classes, including bungee training, aerobic sessions and TRX.

All of this stuff is fantastic and gives the gym on Celebrity Edge the feel of a top-notch land-based fitness center. Even the most avid workout fanatics will have little problem finding a way to keep up with their training regimens.

But the jogging track on Celebrity Edge is perhaps my favorite fitness-focused amenity. Prior to my cruises, I always have a romantic notion about how I will wake up and take nice morning runs on my ship's jogging track, ticking off the laps as I breath in the fresh air and watch the sun rise in the Caribbean or Med.

Yeah, right.

Instead, the tracks typically prove to be frustrating. The laps are too short, but even more problematic are the layouts. I mean jogging tracks that trace their routes through busy areas with people pulling loungers out onto the running space or past designated smoking spots.

Not on Celebrity Edge. The ship's running track is an innovative design, spanning two decks on 15 and 16. The layout is such that it is never crowded, offers a clear lane direction and paths for both runners and walkers. Furthermore, you get a little bit of hill work with the course gradually and gently sloping from Deck 16 back down to its starting area on Deck 15 before another stretch of incline that takes you back up to Deck 16. The route also is varied and curving, not a simple mind-numbing circle. It's 4.5 laps per mile.

The Spa Cafe and Juice Bar on Celebrity Edge is a nice place to get a smoothie or light healthy meal.

Also, the wellness options on Celebrity Edge don't end with the fitness center and jogging track. The ship has a nice spa with a thermal suite, as well as the Spa Cafe and Juice Bar in the Solarium pool area.

Overall, Celebrity Edge is a great ship if you are a traveler in search of a nice wellness vacation or are someone who really strives to keep up with your workouts whether at home or away.

Thanks for reading, and always travel fit!

Cheers,
JR

Video Tours: Celebrity Edge Cabin and Full Ship Tours

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Emerald Waterways Boosts Fitness Options on European Cruises

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

New Cruise Ship Celebrity Edge Takes Fitness to the Next Level

Video Tours: Celebrity Edge Cabin and Full Ship Tours

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