Virgin Voyages Exercise Facilities Made It Easy to Stay Fit

I need to exercise every day – at least a walk. It can be more than that, like a run or a bike ride, but it’s got to be something. If I don’t, I start to feel pretty blech and I know that I’m not the only one. Virgin Voyages exercise offerings gave me tons of great options and it’s a breath of fresh air.

As many people know, it’s often a challenge to get some exercise when you’re traveling. First, you’re often in an unfamiliar area and, as many women can attest, that can be really nerve racking. Second, hotel and resort facilities are usually just okay… I’ve stayed in many places where the “fitness room” is a treadmill in a closet pointed at a blank white wall (also, treadmills kinda suck and we all know it). Last, you often have competition for what equipment there is and you’re jostling to get to the station you want. All in all, not great.

But that’s not the case on Virgin Voyages and I’m in love with them for it!

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Tons of space

The first thing you’ll notice with Virgin Voyages exercise facilities is that there’s a lot of room and I mean – A LOT. Frequently, resort gyms (since that’s what a cruise ship really is) put their weights and cardio together in a large, shared room, not so on Virgin. The cardio and weights are separated into two long rooms on either side of the ship. As someone who enjoys both resistance training and cardio, I really appreciate this.

If you’ve been to a gym, you’ll know the vibe in weightlifting vs. the vibe cardio are worlds apart and it can be a little off-putting when you combine them. I don’t know quite why this is, but it is. Separating them keeps a consistent feel for everyone working out how they want to. They even make the difference visually clear by having one side be very dark in décor and the other very light.

It’s easy to get some exercise on Virghin Voyages.

Because they’ve divided the types of fitness, it means that the rooms have a spacious feel that outstrips most other resort gyms. There’s no crowded feeling between one station and the next. Everyone has room to spread out and have their own orbit.

Maybe the best part of Virgin Voyages exercise facilities is the temperature, it’s cold. My most frequent complaint regarding these types of gyms is that they are too warm and there are no fans. Now, while there may still not be any fans, but that’s something that I’ve seen so rarely that I have just given up, it is certainly chilly in there. When you’re working hard away at your spin bike, you’re going to be a lot more comfortable than you would be most other places.

Virgin Voyages Exercise Facilites Offer Something Nice To Look At

I really love not looking at a blank white wall while I’m using the treadmill or elliptical. With Virgin Voyages exercise facilities, it’s a lot better than that! Take a look at this view.

This is certainly better than a blank white wall.

That’s from just one of the dozen or more treadmills in the gym. No boring wall, no TV with the sound turned off, just a gorgeous view of a port or endless sea. Of course you can bring your headphones and listen or watch whatever you want on your phone or tablet as well.

But you don’t have to stay inside to get some exercise, Virgin has equipment and activities outside as well. There’s stations on deck with punching bags, ropes, parallettes of various sorts, even a basketball court/pickleball court (you can put the net up and down in the middle). But my favorite is the running track on the very top deck.

This is the woderful view in store for you from the track on the top deck. Virgin Voyages exercise track is a step above other cruises.

Many cruise ships advertise that they have a track that you can run on and, while that is true, it’s not exactly what you might want. Most of these spaces are just a ring around the ship and people go walking on it or just traverse from one point to another outside. People use the space, but not necessarily for exercise. This makes for a muddled run to say the least. You’re always dodging people and trying not to get tangled up with someone who has no idea they’ve just become an impromptu obstacle course for you. It’s not their fault, it’s the design of the ship.

Virgin said begone to that idea and built a track above the deck and it’s the only thing to do on it. It doesn’t go anywhere, it’s out of the way, and it’s very clearly a fitness space. And the view, well, there’s just nothing quite like it. Six laps makes a mile and you can go as long as you want.

Now, it can be a bit breezy up there (when you’re sailing you’ve got a minimum of a twenty-knot headwind) and a bit sunny in the Caribbean, but it’s worth it. I spent a lot of time up there, running and walking both. My wife and I would take brisk walks when the sun got low and enjoy a bit of fitness as we watched a gorgeous sunset before dinner each night (we cruised in winter, so sunset was around 6:45).

Vacation Fitness Made Better

The Virgin Voyages exercise facilities are nice, with panoramic views, and the equipment is top-notch. But what if you’re the type of person that likes group activities? Don’t worry, Virgin’s got you covered there too.

No, not that type of activity. I’m talking about fitness classes.

Sailors on Virgin have a variety of classes available to them. There are yoga classes that take place outside on deck 17 as well as HIIT (high intensity interval training) sessions in various workout studios. Not to mention the ubiquitous spin class or the retro fun VHS workout class, which draws inspiration from the 80s and 90s VHS workout tapes so many of us remember.

These classes take place at various times of the day, including in the morning, so if you like to start your day with a good sweat, you can. I did the VHS Workout one morning and had a blast doing it. I’ve never done a workout class before, but it was fun and brought back memories of classic TV ads.