Cruise lines have jumped on board the global fitness trend and now offer everything the health-conscious cruiser could desire
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A ‘fact’ oft-quoted by the anti-cruise brigade is that passengers put on a pound a day in weight getting their money’s worth of all that included food – three meals each day, topped up with burgers by the pool and afternoon tea. All while cruisers laze around on board or join coach trips ashore.
How wrong can they be? A cruise is actually one of the best holidays for those keen to keep in shape. Never mind all the steps you clock up walking around the big ships, today vessels are shrines for those looking to stay active, with state-of-the-art gyms full of instruments of torture, fitness classes and jogging tracks.
On port days, both ocean and river cruise lines are taking activity levels on excursions up several gears, with hikes, cycle trips and yoga sessions ashore.
In short, there is no excuse for not keeping active on a cruise – except maybe that it is, after all, supposed to be a holiday and a time for at least some relaxation.
Forget spending a fortune on David Lloyd clubs and their ilk. Cruise ship gyms are not only bulging with the latest in hi-tech running machines, exercise bikes, TRX suspension equipment and weight-training contraptions, but there’s no charge to use them.
Better still, as they are only either up or downstairs from your cabin and open from early morning to late in the evening, oversleeping or getting back behind schedule from an excursion is no excuse for skipping a gym session now and then.
There are even complimentary group stretching and abs classes with trained instructors that get the energy levels rising and help those who need a bit of coaxing to get into shape.
Anything more intense – Boot Camp training with Princess Cruises, Peloton with Celebrity Cruises – usually costs extra. Not with Virgin Voyages, where fitness fanatics can be sweating it out in bungee classes or getting in a high-intensity spin for free.
Most ships also have personal trainers on hand to take guests through their paces, but it costs extra.
There are plenty of other ways to keep active on a cruise, not least using stairs instead of lifts. It sounds easy, but it is a bit of a killer on big ships. Legend of the Seas, a new Royal Caribbean ship launching in summer 2026, has 18 decks and an average of 16 stairs between decks. Giving up halfway is allowed.
Most lines offer line-dancing classes, which again sounds easy, but 45 minutes of electric slides and achy breaky hearts is a fun way to get even the fittest pulses racing.
Outside, running tracks circle the sun or promenade decks of most cruise ships, so you can get in the steps while enjoying sea views. The tracks on Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class ships – Celebrity Edge, Apex, Beyond, Ascent and Xcel – wind around two decks with an incline partway along, which makes things more interesting. Four times around and you’ve done a mile.
Those who like to keep active by channelling their inner warrior can sign up for yoga classes. They are available on most ships – and will be free with luxury lines, including Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Seabourn.
Even better, hop on one of Star Clippers’ dedicated yoga cruises, available on selected cruises on its sailing ships. Classes, designed for all levels, are held on the deck under the billowing canvas, adding a touch of romance to the workout.
Dates for the line’s 2026 summer and autumn yoga cruises are yet to be announced. If you can’t wait, check out Sail Croatia instead. It has a yoga-themed cruise in September with sessions on board at sunrise and sunset, and even ashore in a vineyard on the island of Hvar.
Not active enough? Sail Croatia also has cycling-themed cruises with bike rides every day. The Split Return Southern route is the most testing, with rides covering between 10km and 48km. For those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, CroisiEurope has hiking cruises along the Croatian coast.
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River cruising used to be so sedate; not anymore. Now the likes of Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and Emerald Cruises have keep-fit classes on board and guided hikes and cycle rides among excursion choices.
AmaWaterways has fitness trainers on most of its river ships (save for the Douro, Nile or Chobe Rivers) who host up to six classes a day that test mind, body and muscles with resistance band workouts, stretching classes, circuit training and Pilates. In case anyone has energy left over, the trainers also take hikes and bike rides ashore most days.
Ocean-going lines likewise cater for those keen to stay active ashore. Crystal has four-mile hikes along the Caminito del Rey in Malaga (not ideal for anyone who suffers from vertigo), and 24km bike rides around the base of El Monchar Mountain in Tunisia.
Scenery, sea views and no shade from the hot sun await on Celestyal’s 8km hikes along the cliff path from Imerovigli to Oia in Santorini (there’ll be a much-needed coach back to the port).
In Iceland, Celebrity has white water-rafting through a canyon on the Hvitá River from Reykjavik. In Norway, MSC Cruises offers treks to the famous Pulpit Rock, jutting out over the Lysefjord, a vertiginous 1,980ft below, from Stavanger.
All too much like hard work? How about yoga on Lokrum Island on Oceania voyages that visit Dubrovnik or Tai Chi in Saigon when its ships visit Ho Chi Minh City.
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Around 25 years ago, Jane never expected to even step on a cruise ship. Now, she spends more than 100 days a year at sea or on the rivers and can’t imagine seeing the world any other way.
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