Carnival fitness classes since the restart

[arctickitty]

What experience do folks have with on onboard fitness classes since the restart?

 

What types, how often, how much $, anything free, how do you find out the schedule, etc…

 

I’ve tried searching on here and haven’t found much.

 

On the Carnival website I see an option for 3 classes for $39 or unlimited for $99 (8 day cruise or longer and mine’s an 8 day).  

 

At home I do yoga online almost every day and I go to spin (cycling) in-person once or twice a week.  I go to other classes here and there if my work schedule permits, but it usually doesn’t.  I like to walk, hike, and run a lot, too, so I wonder if I’ll be busy/active enough with ports and the jogging track and the gym.

 

Opinions welcome.

[mom22frogs]

I've done exercise classes (morning stretch, yoga, pilates, bootcamp) on three different ships since the restart. Usually there is a *free* class of some kind (morning stretch, abs, etc.) at least several days during the cruise as well as paid classes. They're all taught by the same instructor, so the free classes will contain bits of the paid. 

 

The yoga classes I found varied with the instructor and what they're into. All were enjoyable to me (as a yoga novice) and I don't think anyone was bad/inferior. Just if you get an instructor who's very very into the yoga, obviously it shows. 

 

Ooo, you spin? I haven't done that and don't plan to try, haha, but they seem popular. 

 

If you wait till you're on the ship, they'll have these same pricing offers, which will allow you to see the *schedule* of the classes for the week and how they fit with the port days to decide what you want to do. You can do that during the spa tour. 

 

I've booked a spa room this time and it comes with 2 fitness class passes. My plan beyond that is to see the schedule when I do the spa tour. My *suspicion* is that with the long Alaska port days that there won't be time (or energy, haha) to do classes on top of that. I will plan to do the free and those 2 paid classes on the sea days. I forget how many we have on this trip. 

 

I've done an unlimited pass, and to my mind that works out best when you have several nice long sea days to take advantage of it. That way you could do 2-3 classes even in a day (they're not really that intense and there are 30 minute breaks), making it pan out. But this AK itinerary is port intensive and I'm just not sure it will pan out that well for this itinerary. You'll know for sure when you see the schedule. 

 

Just your tip, but the Hub app might not always have *every* fitness class. So you'll see some, but they cap what can be added and the instructor might have sections that he tells you about (or puts on that paper schedule) that won't appear. I definitely recommend doing the spa tour the first day so you can make your plan.

Edited April 1, 2022 by mom22frogs

[mom22frogs]

1 hour ago, arctickitty said:

option for 3 classes for $39 or unlimited for $99

Just so you know, but the way that works, they're going to hand you a receipt when they run it at the end of the week and they're going to strongly hint (ahem) that you might tip. I noticed that with the free classes people who stayed all week brought little gifts from home or tips or both. With the single class billings ($15), no tip. But with those multi-class, the instructors are giving you more attention, talking to you by name every time, following up, and you tip. It makes for a really fun week, but I guess see the schedule when you get on and see if it's practical and you'll get enough use out of it. 

 

Are you doing the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion thing or staying on the ship? See that's a day where you could easily be up and do 2-3 classes and still not miss anything. And it's a sea day before that. And there's a sea day on the way to Victoria. So basically you'd have, at most, 3 uninterrupted days to make good use of the unlimited. And I would expect, just from what I saw on other ships, that they'll do a morning stretch and then at least 1, possibly 2 other classes on those days. Those were bigger ships and I don't remember as much on the Legend which is more the size of the Splendor. I'd be surprised if they didn't spin every day or at least every other day.

 

I know the Horizon guy was saying that he tried to schedule classes to fit around people's return times. Thing is, those are long days in port, no return times. So I don't know what they'll do. Maybe they run classes really early, like 6 am? 

 

So maybe *budget* for the unlimited but don't splurge till you get there to see the schedule and are sure? Or is it saying that's a discounted price by buying ahead? Massages are discounted buying ahead, but I'm not sure about the fitness passes. 

Edited April 1, 2022 by mom22frogs

[heidikay]

In December on the Legend, I booked the unlimited pass.  I think it was $69.  I am really into spinning and hadn't been in the last month or so because how bad covid was in my area. So I was super pumped to get back on a bike.

 

It was a bad experience because of the instructor.  I was upfront from the beginning that I was really into spinning.  I even brought my spin shoes.  I was given a schedule at the beginning of the week of all the classes.  The first day of the cruise was yoga followed by spin.  I took the yoga to try it since I had the unlimited pass.  Afterwards he tells me he thinks I have done enough exercise for the day and should skip the spin class.  It will be too much for me.  I tell him, "no, I'm fine.  I'm sure I can do the spin class."  Then guess what another woman shows up that thinks it will be a bootcamp class.  He asks me can we do bootcamp instead of the spin class?  Of course this put me in a very uncomfortable position.  And I said no, I want to do the spin class.    He did the class for myself and my husband.  

 

I came back later for a scheduled bootcamp class.  The yoga and bootcamp were very challenging for me and everyone else in the class (except for the woman that wanted to do bootcamp.)   The instructor really didn't modify for the less experienced and really pushed.  I had  no problem with the spin class but it was ok nothing special and the bikes were not the greatest.  (I just came from an MSC cruise and their bikes were so much better.  MSC Seaside has a spectacular and beautiful gym.  It is a new ship.)

 

Then about Thursday he tells me that the schedule I was given at the beginning of the cruise was wrong and there would be no spin class on Friday.  So I bought the pass thinking there would be three spin classes and really there was only two.  Trust me he didn't get a tip.  I was not happy.

 

Basically this experience has turned me off of fitness classes on cruise ships.  I'd advise to meet the instructor and see if you like their style and you jive.  Perhaps ask if you can start with one class and upgrade if you enjoy it to the weekly package.  

 

For the same money you can get a great fitness app like LesMills or Peleton and workout on your own and get an excellent product.  LEsMills lets you download the class and so does Peleton but with peleton you need an internet connection to get started.  And you can workout on your schedule.

[Funsince1983]

1 hour ago, heidikay said:

For the same money you can get a great fitness app like LesMills or Peleton and workout on your own and get an excellent product.  LEsMills lets you download the class and so does Peleton but with peleton you need an internet connection to get started.  And you can workout on your schedule.

Damn. My plan was to preload Peloton classes and use those but I just turned off my wifi and popped my phone into airplane mode and you’re right - they don’t work without an internet connection. 😩

[pcvtmom]

I wish they offered Zumba, but I haven't seen it on a Carnival ship.😟

[heidikay]

12 hours ago, Funsince1983 said:

Damn. My plan was to preload Peloton classes and use those but I just turned off my wifi and popped my phone into airplane mode and you’re right - they don’t work without an internet connection. 😩

Try the LES MILLS free two week trial of their app.  You can download workouts and play later without wifi.  After the two weeks I think it like $15 dollars a month, much cheaper than paying for the classes on carnival.

[Funsince1983]

1 hour ago, heidikay said:

Try the LES MILLS free two week trial of their app.  You can download workouts and play later without wifi.  After the two weeks I think it like $15 dollars a month, much cheaper than paying for the classes on carnival.

I might just buy an internet package. Or take the week off. 😬

 

I really hate spinning on non Peloton bikes anyway, they just feel unstable to me and I always imagine I’m gonna end up flying across the room like the Allstate Mayhem guy. Maybe I’ll just make it a strictly strength week. Or treadmill it. I dunno. I’ve got 5 weeks to figure it out. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[arctickitty]

10 hours ago, pcvtmom said:

I wish they offered Zumba, but I haven't seen it on a Carnival ship.😟

That would be fun!  In the before times, Princess had it, by the cruise director’s staff, not the fitness center/spa.

[arctickitty]

22 minutes ago, Funsince1983 said:

I might just buy an internet package. Or take the week off. 😬

 

I really hate spinning on non Peloton bikes anyway, they just feel unstable to me and I always imagine I’m gonna end up flying across the room like the Allstate Mayhem guy. Maybe I’ll just make it a strictly strength week. Or treadmill it. I dunno. I’ve got 5 weeks to figure it out. 🤷🏼‍♀️

haha where I spin is just regular bikes and I def rock that thing around when we do our side to sides.  
 

I have 4.5 weeks to think about it, myself.

 

15 hours ago, heidikay said:

In December on the Legend, I booked the unlimited pass.  I think it was $69.  I am really into spinning and hadn't been in the last month or so because how bad covid was in my area. So I was super pumped to get back on a bike.

 

It was a bad experience because of the instructor.  I was upfront from the beginning that I was really into spinning.  I even brought my spin shoes.  I was given a schedule at the beginning of the week of all the classes.  The first day of the cruise was yoga followed by spin.  I took the yoga to try it since I had the unlimited pass.  Afterwards he tells me he thinks I have done enough exercise for the day and should skip the spin class.  It will be too much for me.  I tell him, "no, I'm fine.  I'm sure I can do the spin class."  Then guess what another woman shows up that thinks it will be a bootcamp class.  He asks me can we do bootcamp instead of the spin class?  Of course this put me in a very uncomfortable position.  And I said no, I want to do the spin class.    He did the class for myself and my husband.  

 

I came back later for a scheduled bootcamp class.  The yoga and bootcamp were very challenging for me and everyone else in the class (except for the woman that wanted to do bootcamp.)   The instructor really didn't modify for the less experienced and really pushed.  I had  no problem with the spin class but it was ok nothing special and the bikes were not the greatest.  (I just came from an MSC cruise and their bikes were so much better.  MSC Seaside has a spectacular and beautiful gym.  It is a new ship.)

 

Then about Thursday he tells me that the schedule I was given at the beginning of the cruise was wrong and there would be no spin class on Friday.  So I bought the pass thinking there would be three spin classes and really there was only two.  Trust me he didn't get a tip.  I was not happy.

 

Basically this experience has turned me off of fitness classes on cruise ships.  I'd advise to meet the instructor and see if you like their style and you jive.  Perhaps ask if you can start with one class and upgrade if you enjoy it to the weekly package.  

 

For the same money you can get a great fitness app like LesMills or Peleton and workout on your own and get an excellent product.  LEsMills lets you download the class and so does Peleton but with peleton you need an internet connection to get started.  And you can workout on your schedule.

Sorry about this experience!  Thanks so much for sharing.  It’s helpful to get different perspectives. 

[arctickitty]

22 hours ago, mom22frogs said:

Just so you know, but the way that works, they're going to hand you a receipt when they run it at the end of the week and they're going to strongly hint (ahem) that you might tip. I noticed that with the free classes people who stayed all week brought little gifts from home or tips or both. With the single class billings ($15), no tip. But with those multi-class, the instructors are giving you more attention, talking to you by name every time, following up, and you tip. It makes for a really fun week, but I guess see the schedule when you get on and see if it's practical and you'll get enough use out of it. 

 

Are you doing the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion thing or staying on the ship? See that's a day where you could easily be up and do 2-3 classes and still not miss anything. And it's a sea day before that. And there's a sea day on the way to Victoria. So basically you'd have, at most, 3 uninterrupted days to make good use of the unlimited. And I would expect, just from what I saw on other ships, that they'll do a morning stretch and then at least 1, possibly 2 other classes on those days. Those were bigger ships and I don't remember as much on the Legend which is more the size of the Splendor. I'd be surprised if they didn't spin every day or at least every other day.

 

I know the Horizon guy was saying that he tried to schedule classes to fit around people's return times. Thing is, those are long days in port, no return times. So I don't know what they'll do. Maybe they run classes really early, like 6 am? 

 

So maybe *budget* for the unlimited but don't splurge till you get there to see the schedule and are sure? Or is it saying that's a discounted price by buying ahead? Massages are discounted buying ahead, but I'm not sure about the fitness passes. 

I think ultimately I’ll be plenty busy but it’s great to hear different experiences.

[Funsince1983]

8 hours ago, arctickitty said:

haha where I spin is just regular bikes and I def rock that thing around when we do our side to sides.  
 

I have 4.5 weeks to think about it, myself.

I’m getting on Splendor when you get off so you can ge the guinea pig. 🤣

[TravelBluebird]

I wish they had Zumba classes too; that is my go-to fitness. I also do Yoga, but I’m not a Spin Class gal (need to protect my knees) or into Bootcamp.  I was going to buy the fitness pass on the Mardi Gras in February, but they just didn’t offer enough classes of interest for me.

 

When I’m on the Spirit for 16 days this month, I hope they “adjust” the classes since they’ll have a mostly older audience than the usual mix on a 5-7 day Carnival cruise. 

Edited April 2, 2022 by TravelBluebird

[arctickitty]

3 hours ago, Funsince1983 said:

I’m getting on Splendor when you get off so you can ge the guinea pig. 🤣

@funsince1983 oh fun!!  I’m not going to buy WiFi and not tryna be on my phone all the time, but I’ll try to post a little when I’m in Alaskan areas and have a data signal.

 

My person is helping me figure out how to get my yoga videos offline and half dared me to just do it myself out on some deck somewhere.  Can’t say I hadn’t already considered that.

[arctickitty]

3 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

I wish they had Zumba classes too; that is my go-to fitness. I also do Yoga, but I’m not a Spin Class gal (need to protect my knees) or into Bootcamp.  I was going to buy the fitness pass on the Mardi Gras in February, but they just didn’t offer enough classes of interest for me.

 

When I’m on the Spirit for 16 days this month, I hope they “adjust” the classes since they’ll have a mostly older audience than the usual mix on a 5-7 day Carnival cruise. 

@Travelbluebird, let us know how it goes.  

I’ve previously cruised mostly with Princess and am “very young” by their standards.  I did a TA and loved being among the youngest on the ship as the gym, jogging track, sports court, outdoor fitness station, etc were always empty.  

 

I haven’t seen much chitchat about fitness and to me it’s (almost) just as much fun as reading menus and looking at food pictures…

[TerReuv]

On 4/1/2022 at 12:35 PM, pcvtmom said:

I wish they offered Zumba, but I haven't seen it on a Carnival ship.😟

 

We had one when we sailed the Magic before the pandemic.  But, it was just one of the dancers that was just doing it for anyone who was interested.  We just met in the atrium and did it there a few mornings during the cruise.  We had so much fun.  I was hoping they had added them, but I guess not.