Wellness at Sea on Crystal
Earlier this month we took our first Wellness at Sea cruise on the Crystal Symphony. Maybe you’re like us and not quite sure what a “Wellness Cruise” really means, so let’s get into the details about it.
Cruise Itinerary
August 17 – 24 | Vancouver to San Diego
Victoria, BC | Astoria, OR | Sea Day | Eureka, CA | San Francisco, CA | Sea Day
What Crystal wants you to know about this sailing
It is a “specially designed holistic program of invigorating classes, enlightening expert talks, enriching shore experiences, and, of course, delicious food and drink.”
So did it match their description? It did!
There were a range of classes every day of the cruise – not just sea days.
We attended very interesting group lectures on Longevity Science as well as one-on-one conversations on nutrition.
Every port had at least one Wellness excursion available.
Close to 500 food and drink options were made specifically for this cruise, with almost 70% being plant based. And with very few exceptions, all were truly delicious.
After meeting with Crystal’s Wellness Ambassador, Dalila Roglieri, it was easy to understand why this was such a well rounded program. As she described it, there are four pillars to her program –
Culinary Nutrition – More than just healthy food options. She worked with the Crystal culinary team, starting with their amazing dishes and then making tweaks to balance the nutrition of each dish. It might seem like a small difference, but it made a huge impact versus starting with dishes based only on nutrition and trying to make them taste great.
Mental Wellbeing – Throughout the cruise classes were offered such as Nervous System Reset and Gratitude Journaling, wrapping up the week with a Sound Bath Experience.
Longevity Science – Professor of Geriatrics, Virgina Boccardi, was on board to discuss metabolic aging, cognitive resilience, and frailty. All science based information not only on how to try to extend your years, but more importantly, how to feel good as long as possible.
Physical Activity – Strength, mobility, and aerobic dance classes were offered every day of the cruise. Yoga, strength & balance, aqua aerobics – you name it, they had it. It was so much you almost couldn’t fit it all in.
Who might like this cruise?
Really, no matter your current level of physical activity, if these topics interest you, this is a great option. There is everything from chair yoga to hiking excursions.
Maybe you already do some of the classes offered (example – strength) but have wanted to learn more about others (yoga). This is a great, no stress environment to give it a try. You have experts leading the classes, there is always someone else in the class learning alongside you, and if you don’t like it, you’re still on a great cruise.
This is a great option even if everyone in your group is not into fitness or wellness topics. All the regular cruise activities are still going on, so as long as your traveling companions are good going off to do their own thing, they will still have a wonderful cruise waiting for them.
Another great thing if everyone in your travel group is not on for the Wellness aspect of it – the amazing food and service Crystal is know for is at the core of every cruise.
Other things to consider
It’s probably best if you have been on other cruises before this. Your sea days will be full of classes, so it’s good to know how you handle ship movement before you attempt a yoga class with the floor moving.
The on board classes are great for everyone - we saw people in every class modifying the moves to work for them. The land excursions (at least on our sailing) however are far more intense, with little option to modify.
All classes on board are included in your cruise fare, but the land excursions are an extra charge.
While all Wellness at Sea cruises have a lot of the same elements – nutrition (both in food served and talks), yoga, strength & mobility, mindfulness activities - some have a specific focus. Ours was dance, others are mindful gastronomy or pickleball. Check Crystal’s website for more info.
We might have been unsure of what to expect at the beginning, but after this cruise, we’re sure to keep an eye out for a Wellness at Sea cruise in the future. So far Crystal has 4 planned for 2027 and with the popularity of this sailing (it was a full ship!), we expect that number to grow.
