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Themed cruises

by Caroline Gladstone | 14 Nov 2013

If you’ve taken a cruise, you know it’s a great opportunity to eat, drink and be very, very merry. But did you know you can also improve your health, learn to dance and rub shoulders with your Hollywood (and Bollywood) favourites?

Stretch yourself

The ship is rocking as we cross Bass Strait, but I am keeping my equilibrium during a Tai Chi class.

The 30 Tai Chi participants are sure-footed as we “relax, breathe and feel the floor” while instructors Martin and Emily Lee take us through our paces.

It’s 9am and most passengers aboard Crystal Symphony are having breakfast or sleeping in, so I feel a little smug, especially as I’ve already taken a yoga class today.

Crystal Cruises' ‘Mind, Body and Spirit’ themed itineraries offer an extra dimension for those who want to relax beyond the deck chair and cocktail bar. The Lees, who run the Tai Chi Cultural Centre in California, have taught classes at sea for more than a decade.

Yoga instructor Lisa Goodwin runs lifestyle and health workshops all over the world, and we passengers feel privileged to have such professionals at the helm.

In an already relaxing environment, improving physical and mental wellbeing is anything but hard work! Don’t count on dropping a dress size; you will be well-fed.

Dine out

Don’t count on dropping a dress size on board; you will be well-fed, but wining and dining without having to sign any chits certainly adds to the relaxing atmosphere of a cruise. Crystal Cruises introduced all-inclusive fares 18 months ago, offering passengers all wines at lunch and dinner and an open-bar policy throughout the sailing. the deal includes dining in two specialty restaurants: silk road & sushi Bar and the Italian eatery Prego.

Renowned Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa, who runs an upscale restaurant in Melbourne, devises the menus at silk road that include the delectable signature dish black cod and miso. Prego’s melt-in-the-mouth lobster pasta and modern twist on good old-fashioned lasagna, meanwhile, are created by a team of fi ne

Italian chefs trained by famed Us restaurateur Piero selvaggio.

Food in the ship’s main dining room is also top-notch and presented on Villeroy+Boch plates on tables set with fine linens and Riedel glasses. The evening meal is a six-course affair, with vegetarian selections and even sugar-free desserts. Passengers can choose between early or late sittings or opt for ‘open dining by reservation’, where they book a table each night to dine at whatever time and with whomever they wish.

Casual meals, such as chargrilled salmon burgers, wraps and salads, are the fare at the poolside trident Grill, while great coffee, fi ne teas and pastries – served on hand-painted plates – are popular offerings at the Parisian-style Bistro. the all-inclusive offer extends to room service and gratuities.

Pick your poison

In 2014, cruise itineraries include yoga, Pilates and tai Chi, interwoven with talks on nutrition, diet, and modern and alternative health therapies.

Passengers taking part in the free programs enjoy the benefits of a normal fun-filled cruise – good food, complimentary drinks and entertainment – while sailing from Miami to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal, or from Chile to Moorea in French Polynesia.

It’s not all about health, though. Other enticing themes scheduled for2014 include ‘Film and theatre’, where stars of Hollywood and Broadway will mix and mingle with guests on a 17-day jaunt from Los Angles to New York and ‘Ballroom at sea’, where guests will dance their way across the Atlantic Ocean between Lisbon and Miami over nine nights. With big bands and dance lessons onboard, passengers are sure to float across the dance floor before long.

 

Find out what cruises you can do with Probus by visiting the Cruise Club page.