Cruising has a reputation for excess, but a new breed of holistic cruise experiences is changing the way holidaymakers approach their voyage both on and off the ship. Luxury cruise specialist Panache Cruises has analysed how the newest cruise ships are combining spiritual and physical well-being with the stimulation that only travel can provide.

Unlimited dining packages and fantastic food choices on board helped entice 1.7 million Brits to take a cruise holiday in 2022* but such easy access can lead to self-indulgence. Now, cruise lines are offering passengers the opportunity to put a greater focus on their wellness with tailored plant-based menus, fitness classes, healing therapies and wellness discovery tours.

The new cruise ship Oceania Vista, a 67,000-ton ship with a capacity for 1,200 guests, embarks on sailings this spring, with its first cruise departing from Rome on 6th May 2023. With a focus on imaginative new dining concepts, the onboard ‘Aquamar Kitchen’ will offer passengers wellness-inspired dishes, providing indulgence without guilt. While the ‘Aquamar Spa and Vitality Center’ offers treatments and experiences for the mind, body and soul.

Together with health-focused ‘Wellness Discovery’ excursions ashore, passengers will be able to put well-being at the very heart of their cruise holiday like they never have before. A fully integrated approach to wellness is something that the cruise industry is well-placed to offer and more ships are expected to follow Vista’s lead.

British cruise passengers spend an average of 9.7 days onboard*, and having access to health-focused food and wellness services close by at all times makes it easy for holidaymakers to be consistent and feel the greatest benefit.

With Oceania’s announcement of a series of Grand Voyages** ranging in length from 50 to 111 days, being able to take a holistic approach to well-being on longer voyages has exponentially greater benefits. James Cole, founder and managing director at Panache Cruises believes it won’t be long before this level of focus on well-being filters down from small ship luxury lines to the mainstream cruise lines.

He said: “The cruise industry has been effectively catering to the health and fitness needs of passengers for some time with expansive gyms, resistance swimming pools, jogging tracks, climbing walls and even tennis courts being just some of the facilities available on mainstream cruise lines.

“But what Oceania is doing by introducing the holistic Aquamar experience is providing passengers with a philosophy that truly focuses on the wellness of the mind, body and soul.

“Travel itself stimulates the mind and feeds the soul, and by combining wellness tours on shore with healthful eating and healing therapies on board, passengers get to have an experience that nourishes more than an unlimited dining package can.

“As the cruise industry grows back beyond pre-pandemic levels, we will be seeing more first-time cruisers, more repeat cruisers and diversification of both the service offering and passenger demographic. “With health and fitness at the forefront of people’s mind post-pandemic, I expect more cruise lines to follow Oceania’s lead by expanding their holistic well-being services.”