Remember to exercise on cruise ships

My biggest lesson from life on board for a fortnight

Greetings Gold and Silver Level Templar Knights! I spent a big part of the summer on three cruise ships delivering history lectures to grateful passengers - who enjoyed being transported back in time to the Crusades and the Age of Discoveries. But one thing I learned was that to survive a cruise - it’s good to exercise.

My Cruise Ship Odyssey - part four

In July 2024, I spent two weeks on a cruise ship going round the Atlantic visiting the Azores, Madeira, and mainland Portugal. One thing I realised was the importance of exercise. So, I used the gym most days we were at sea and then at the various locations where we docked, made a point of trying to walk or cycle.

Our second stop on the Azores archipelago - a group of islands in the mid-Atlantic governed by Portugal - was the port of Ponta Delgada. Now on cruise ships, you get the option to buy trips while you are on shore. This is an additional cost for passengers on top of their cruise fee. For entertainers - such as myself - there’s a choice to go on trips free as a helper or pay like everybody else. I decided to do the latter because I just didn’t want to be an assistant guide.

I picked trips where there was a degree of physical activity. So, on Ponta Delgada - I booked the cycle ride. We were provided with bikes and it was great to get a rapid view of the villages and the volcanic landscape. My bike was slightly fault, which led me to fall off at one stage. And I’m a good and regular cyclist in London. But only a minor graze sustained.

The highlight of our bike tour was seeing this abandoned, brutalist hotel built at the end of the 1970s and abandoned for various reasons. Personally, I think they should leave it as a spooky attraction. It’s gradually being reclaimed by the plant life.

Using the gym was interesting when the sea was choppy. Try going on an elliptical machine when the ship is bouncing up and down as well. Very disconcerting!