You all know I LOVE to
travel. And you all know I LOVE to eat
(and drink) when I travel. The key is
balancing it out with activity. Today’s
travel and activity topic: Cruising.
I have cruised three times all on
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). Each cruise was
to different destinations and on different ships. Our first cruise was to Alaska and was the
first time I “got my feet wet” as far as how cruises work and what to
expect. I learned a lot on that cruise in
terms of activity and travel and applied that knowledge to future cruises. There are many ways to stay active on a
cruise ship and at the ports of call.
Almost
every cruise ship will have gym/fitness equipment on board: Alaska was cold and we were cooped up on the ship for several hours as we didn’t
arrive at our first port until 2pm the following day. I had good intentions of using the gym facilities;
however, I only ended up there once.
This was sort of the “what not to do” on a cruise. It was really neat walking on a treadmill
looking out over the ocean. NCL has a
full gym with treadmills and exercise equipment. Also offered are various exercise classes for an
additional fee. There really is no
excuse for not getting in a little cardio while on vacation and having a gym
right there on the ship makes it really easy.
Almost
every cruise ship will have a walking track on board: When I cruised to The Bahamas on our second NCL cruise, I preferred using the walking track on one of the ship decks for getting my sweat on. Our Bahamas cruise was so much warmer than
our Alaska cruise. I used the walking
track onboard the ship every morning. It
was really extra fun since the ship is docked at port since you get different
scenery as you round each corner.
There
are lots of walking opportunities available at your ports of call: Our port stops
in Alaska were really small and easily walk-able. After being cooped up on the ship I couldn’t
wait to get out and stretch my legs. We
walked all over Juneau, Skagway (the tiniest town I’ve ever seen) and
Ketchikan. Getting lost on foot trying to find Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, BC, Canada provided tons of walking. Traffic in The Bahamas is very
chaotic that it felt safer on foot. I really
enjoyed exploring the sights on Nassau with our walking tour map. When we stopped in Maui, our first port of call in Hawaii, we walked a total of nine miles. The next time you take a cruise ditch the formal
tours with transportation and take in the sights on foot. You will have much more fun, see a lot more,
and burn off some of that extra food (desserts!!!).
There
are ample opportunities to take the stairs on board your ship: When I am on a cruise ship I love to take the stairs whenever I have the opportunity. It gives me some extra activity and gets my
heart rate pumping. It also frees up the
elevator space for those that really need it.
There are often times the wait for the elevator is very long or you are
on a full elevator that stops at every floor.
Taking the stairs can save time.
There
are ample opportunities to log extra steps on board your ship: On our Hawaii cruise we booked a room at the aft (back) of the ship and most of the planned activities were at the front of the ship. I logged so many more steps on
my Fitbit by walking to/from each location multiple times a day. During our kukui nut lei making class I
purchased several kits to make additional leis for family. I walked my purchase back to our room only to
turn around and walk right back to the auditorium for the sarong tying
class. Finding little ways to log extra
steps really adds up.
I am participating with #TravelFit2014 where I am sharing with you my
tips for staying active while on vacation.
I plan to break my blogposts up into a few different categories of
travel and activity so I can share with you my experiences. For additional tips from other travelers, search
using the hashtag above.
No comments:
Post a Comment