Vacationers in search of better balance in their lives can experience a total mind, body and soul vacation with Royal Caribbean International's new Vitality program. Launching in April 2007 on the cruise line's newest ship, Liberty of the Seas, the program provides an integrated approach to wellness, offering guests more choices to foster a healthier lifestyle. The program covers every aspect of the cruise experience, including new fitness and spa offerings, wholesome culinary options and active onboard and shoreside activities.
Fitness Classes and Spa Treatments
The Vitality program provides guests with opportunities to incorporate sports and fitness of every activity level into their cruise vacation. In addition, a variety of spa treatments are aimed at helping guests find their individual lifestyle balance. Tai Chi and meditation classes, therapeutic Chinese herbal medicinal offerings and acupuncture at sea round out the new roster, taking everyday relaxation to the next level. For an outward boost of confidence, guests are encouraged to participate in the revamped "New Look & New You" program, which offers mini-makeovers. The "Eat More to Weigh Less" program includes a personal tour of Windjammer Café, the cruise line's buffet restaurant, with an instructor who provides tips on healthier food choices and information on developing eating habits for lifelong health.
Onboard and Land-Based Activities
Guests eager to go the extra mile for a healthier, more balanced perspective on life can look to the Vitality program lecture series developed by a health and wellness expert for advice on stress and relaxation, weight management, and health and fitness. Brand partner New Balance is bolstering the Vitality program by installing a virtual personal-trainer kiosk on the line's Freedom-class ships to assist guests in creating a customized cruise vacation fitness regimen as well as a post-vacation exercise plan. Land-based Vitality fitness offerings will be available in various ports of call as well as New Balance self-guided running maps and an extensive running course on Labadee, Haiti, the cruise line's private island destination.
Shore Excursions
A lifestyle balance extends well beyond the onboard experience, and Royal Caribbean's popular shore excursions also will reflect the new Vitality program. Recommended excursions are perfect for active families and singles ready to hit the ground running, biking or zip-lining, including the Dragon's Flight Zipline on Labadee, Haiti; the Jungle Bike Adventure on Cozumel, Mexico; the Kayak, Snorkel and Beach Experience in George Town, Grand Cayman; and Jungle River Tubing in Montego Bay, Jamaica. These Vitality excursions are paired with discounted onboard spa treatments to rejuvenate guests' senses after an exhilarating day shoreside.
Culinary Offerings The Vitality program will offer guests more dining choices to reinvigorate the body and recharge the soul. Energy bars, protein and green tea drinks, and Tazo iced- and hot-teas have been added to menus in locations like the popular "Squeeze" juice bar. Without sacrificing flavor and taste, healthier menu options, including trans-fat-free meals, all-natural ingredients and freshly prepared breads and meals, will be offered ship- and fleet-wide, alongside staple favorites.
For its 2007 Alaska cruises – set to kick off in May aboard the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit – Carnival Cruise Lines has added 20 new shore excursions – including "zip line" canopy tours, luxury SUV and 4 x 4 excursions, and a train ride on a vintage parlor car – providing guests with even greater opportunities to experience and explore the "Last Frontier." With the new excursions, guests sailing on Carnival’s "Fun Ship" Alaska cruises have 120 different shore excursion options on the line’s seven-day Glacier Route and Glacier Bay voyages operating May – September 2007.
You'll find some of the tour choices when you click on "more" or call us at 888-286-9827 to book onboard.
Among the new tour choices:
Rain Forest Canopy & Zip Line Adventure (Juneau) – This thrilling eco-adventure begins with a "zip line" canopy tour across suspended "sky-bridges" that link a mile-long network of platforms mounted on Sitka Spruce trees. The treetop vantage points provide participants with a bird’s eye view of a number of landmarks, including Bullion Creek and historic downtown Juneau. Certain age and weight restrictions apply.
Exclusive Touring by Luxury SUV (Ketchikan) -- This customizable excursion includes an expert local guide and use of a luxurious-yet-rugged SUV limousine that visits three distinct attractions, each rich in history and culture: Saxman Village, where participants observe Native American totem carving first-hand; Libby Cannery, an important part of the state’s fishing industry; and charming Creek Street, Ketchikan’s former red light district offering a variety of shops, restaurants and boutiques.
4 x 4 Wilderness Adventure (Sitka) – Following a boat ride across majestic Sitka Sound - home to whales, seals, otters and other marine life - participants board two-person Yamaha Rhino 4x4 off-road vehicles and enjoy an exhilarating ride through Southeast Alaska’s lush temperate rain forest and visit North Beach with its unique black-sand beaches. This excursion operates in the Tongass National Forest under a Special Use Permit issued by the U.S. Forest Service.
Alaska Up Close and Personal (Sitka) – Participants have their choice of activities on this fun and educational marine expedition, in which a knowledgeable and experienced captain guides a state-of-the-art 30-foot catamaran while pointing out sea life such as whales, sea lions, and porpoises, as well as volcanic formations, glaciers, and other natural wonders along the way. Weather permitting, the tour may also include a visit to St. Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge, breeding grounds for thousands of sea birds such as puffins, auklets and murres.
Bennett Lake, Yukon Wilderness Express Train (Skagway) – On this tour, guests view the breathtaking panorama of mountains, glaciers, gorges, and waterfalls from the comfort of a vintage parlor car on a scenic railroad built during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. Also included are stops at several historic and quaint towns where participants can relive the Gold Rush days, complete with a traditional "prospector’s meal." The tour concludes with a ride on the White Pass Train that parallels Lake Bennett and includes magnificent views of Tormented Valley.
These new tours complement the wide variety of shore excursions available on Carnival Spirit’s Alaska 2007 sailings, ranging from leisurely paced city walks and nature tours to more active pursuits such as hiking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking, and alpine lake snorkeling.
Carnival Spirit’s 2007 Alaska program consists of 16 seven-day Glacier Route and three seven-day Glacier Bay cruises. Glacier Route cruises depart May 16 to August 29, either northbound from Vancouver or southbound from Whittier/Anchorage. Cruises in both directions feature Prince William Sound, College Fjord, Lynn Canal, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka and the Inside Passage.
Three week-long Glacier Bay cruises will operate round-trip from Vancouver May 9, and September 5 and 12 and feature full days cruising Glacier Bay National Park and the Inside Passage, as well as visits to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. « Newer Articles — Older Articles »
