Helping Passengers Get Shipshape

A classic cruise director joke has it that you walk up the gangway as a passenger and, seven days later, roll off as cargo.

Unfortunately, too many would-be cruisers believe the joke, imagining themselves gobbling down six or eight tempting meals a day, then sitting in a deck chair reading the rest of the time.

It’s possible to do that, of course, and ignore the jogging track, aerobics classes, stationary bicycles, rowing machines, weights and treadmills in the gym, and skip over the low-calorie options every ship menu lists.

However, anyone can stay just as fit at sea as on land, perhaps even more so because the fitness center is free and only a short stairway or elevator ride away.

The last decade has seen a tremendous proliferation of elaborately equipped gyms and spas, and a panoply of face and body treatments--from aroma therapy to loofah scrubs (a body-smoothing technique).

Best of all, passengers don’t have to join a health club or pay a fee for the fitness programs, exercise classes or use of the gym machines, sauna and steam rooms; they’re included in the price of the cruise. Passengers do, however, have to pay extra for massages and beauty treatments.

Generally, the big new ships have the largest gyms and spas and the latest equipment, although some remodeled older vessels like America Hawaii’s Constitution have added new fitness centers replacing lounges or nightclubs. Many ships have paddle tennis courts, a golf driving cage and volleyball and basketball courts.

Most shipboard menus these days indicate spa or low-calorie dishes. Not long ago, the low-calorie, low-cholesterol suggestion on one ship’s lunch menu was a Cobb salad--a combination of finely chopped bacon, avocado, blue cheese, chicken and hard-boiled eggs.

Leaving home without your leotards is no excuse to skip exercise, because most of the new ships carry a complete variety of exercise clothes, some with the ship’s logo.

The following are among the best spas at sea:

Biggest: Carnival Cruise Lines’ Fantasy, with its 12,000-square-foot Nautica spa, has about everything you could wish for, plus a fantastic view of the sea while working out. The glass-walled gym contains a variety of 35 top-of-the-line machines and a trained professional who can show passengers how to use them.

A huge, mirrored aerobics room and a large beauty salon with 12 chairs and a full range of face and body treatments are near the entrance. On opposite sides are men’s and women’s spas with sauna, steam, massage and loofah treatment rooms, lockers and showers.

Adjacent to the gym are two big coed Jacuzzis surrounded by red and blue tile and green plants; a skylight fills the room with natural light. The luncheon buffet includes a serve-yourself salad bar, and in the dining room, every menu highlights spa selections. Although all Carnival ships have a Nautica spa, none of the others are this large.

Most Prestigious: The Golden Door at Sea aboard Cunard’s QE2, Sagafjord, Vistafjord and, at times, Sea Goddess I and II, uses instructors and exercise programs from the famous California spa--from toning and trimming sessions to exercise classes tailored for beginners, intermediates and advanced.

Although the QE2 has the most extensive spa space, spread out on two decks with an indoor pool, the most fun are the special programs aboard the elegant Sea Goddess I, which are scheduled this winter in the Caribbean on Feb. 23 and March 2.

Most Convenient: The well-planned spa aboard the Royal Viking Sun surrounds a lap pool on three sides, so passengers easily can go from one to the other. An exercise room with mirrors and barre has ceilings high enough so that tall people can do aerobics without bumping their outstretched hands. Its glass walls face the pool and a stern deck. There’s a big beauty salon, a sun tanning bed, massage rooms and a sauna.

The gym is filled with state-of-the-art machines. The Royal Viking Star recently added a trim, glass-walled gym and aerobics room on the top deck, along with treatment rooms, saunas and a shop with exercise togs. Just outside is a new paddle-tennis court.

The marvelous Sun Deck lap pool aboard Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess is flanked by two whirlpool spas and is only steps away from the glass-walled spa and gymnasium, saunas and massage rooms.

Hardest Exercise Program to Resist: Those ubiquitous yellow T-shirts with blue letters proclaiming the wearer “ShipShape” come from the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line--Sovereign of the Seas, Nordic Empress, Song of Norway, Song of America, Sun Viking, Viking Serenade and Nordic Prince.

You get them the old-fashioned way--by earning them. Participation in a scheduled exercise program is rewarded with a dollar “coupon.” Six coupons can be cashed in for the T-shirt.

The line’s gigantic Sovereign of the Seas and new Nordic Empress have particularly handsome and well-equipped fitness centers. The popular fitness center on the Viking Serenade is being expanded and renovated this winter as well.

Holland America has introduced a program that takes the coupon concept even further. Its “Passport to Fitness” program gives passengers passports that are stamped every time they participate in an exercise class, have a massage or daily weigh-in or order a heart-healthy menu selection. Prizes go beyond T-shirts and visors to include logo Windbreakers and shoulder bags.

Best Holistic Health Program: The health center aboard Royal Cruise Line’s Crown Odyssey, with its indoor pool, whirlpools, gymnasium, saunas and health-juice bar is only the beginning of a full range of fitness options.

An alternative dining program approved by the American Heart Assn. includes dishes on every menu that are low in calories, fat, salt and cholesterol. Royal Cruise’s “New Beginnings” program adds lectures and workshops in health, nutrition and physical and emotional well-being. A typical day at sea offers an early morning stretch class, low-impact aerobics, a walk-a-thon around the deck, and afternoon pool exercises.

Best Small-Ship Spas: Aboard Seabourn Cruise Line’s Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Spirit, passengers can exercise in a spacious aerobics room with mirrors, barre , floor mats and one-way windows through which the deck and sea can be seen, but passers-by on deck can’t see in.

There’s also a separate gym with top-of-the-line equipment, a beauty center with face and body treatments, hair and nail care and saunas, steam and massage. Best of all, a water-sports platform can be lowered into the sea off the stern when the ship is at anchor, giving passengers a bracing swim protected by a steel-mesh enclosure.

Most Personal: Crystal Cruises’ new Crystal Harmony spa offers passengers personalized aerobic and Jazzercise instruction, personal-fitness trainers and even a personalized spa cuisine program for passengers who want to maintain a special diet during their cruise.

The 3,000-square-foot spa faces the sea through glass walls, and along with sauna, steam and massage, has a room dedicated to “thalassotherapy,” a treatment in which the body is immersed in seawater.

Most Hedonistic: From the look of the architectural drawings, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norway is going to have the sexiest, most sybaritic spa at sea. The 6,000-square-foot Roman Spa, with its marble columns and marble floors, will provide a whirlpool, an “aquacise” pool, steam and sauna rooms, massage, hydrotherapy, thalassotherapy, a 10-machine gym and a hairdressing salon. Most of the treatments carry a price tag from $99 for half a day to $698 for a six-day customized program.

SpaCosta aboard Costa Cruise Lines’ CostaRiviera and new CostaMarina also provides fitness-and-beauty packages from $99 to $299, as well as spa selections on daily menus listing the calories and grams of protein and carbohydrate in each.

The gym offers life cycle, life rower, treadmill and sports trainer. Shore excursions for SpaCosta participants carry out the fitness theme with walks, horseback riding, golf and tennis.