The Best Fitness Areas on Princess Cruises' Ships

By John Roberts  

Princess Cruises, made famous decades ago for having the ship featured in the TV series "Love Boat", now carries more than two million passengers yearly to more destinations than any other major cruise line.  

So, how can those passengers stick to their fitness regimens while onboard Princess Cruises' sailings?  

Princess Cruises' ships are known for their elegant design and luxury touches, but they don't have the activities onboard that other lines like Carnival Cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have been packing into the areas on the top of their ships, like rock climbing, ziplines, ropes courses, waterslides, etc. 

So, when you are looking to stay fit onboard a Princess cruise, you'll pretty much have to stick to the workout basics: weights, jogging and classes. 

I have been on three cruises with Princess on a couple ship types and found the best spots to get in your daily workout before you head ashore to explore all those cool destinations. 

The Princess Cruises gyms are well-equipped and spacious enough, if not as large as some of the big fitness centers I see on some of the mega-ships launched by other cruises lines in recent years. 

I have had great workouts at the Princess Cruises gyms because they have everything you need: free weights (space is cramped at busy times), resistance training machines, dozens of cardio bikes and treadmills and all with good panoramic window views.  

The fitness centers feature complimentary Zumba classes. Princess Cruises also offer a range of fitness classes (Pilates, boot camps, TRX training) and individual training for a fee. 

Regal Princess features an excellent jogging track with several weight training workout stations set up along the route.

The jogging track on Princess Cruises' new ships Royal Princess and Regal Princess are among the nicest at sea. The space is truly segregated for runners and walkers who are serious about putting in their miles. This is a nice change from many ships I see that integrate a "jogging track" into common areas that make the runners feel guilty for intruding on the space of cruisers who would rather pull their sun loungers into this space or simply linger for the top-side views of the ocean and leisurely saunter around on the track.  

The Princess Cruises' jogging track, however, really work nicely and have a good no-slip track surface. As a bonus, on Regal Princess and Royal Princess, the track features workout stations adjacent to the running circuit, meaning you can get an entire workout outside if you choose -- strength and cardio -- while basking in the Caribbean morning breezes.  

Most of Princess's 18 cruise ships also offer a swim-against-the-current lap pool (not on Royal Princess or Regal Princess or the smallest ships). You just hop in the water of the adults-only pool push a button to start a current and start your lap workout, swimming in place against the current. Make sure to bring along a pair of high-quality eye goggles for your cruise, and you can keep up with your daily swim training while on your cruise vacation. Not too many cruise ships feature this amenity that will please avid swimmers.

Thanks for reading. 

Travel fit! Travel happy! 

JR 

Related stories:
Best Fitness Areas on Norwegian Cruise Line Ships
Best Fitness Areas on Carnival Cruise Ships   
Best Fitness Areas on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships   
Best Fitness Areas on Celebrity Cruises Ships