HAL Captures the Mind, Body and Spirit of its Guests with Explore Wellbeing Program

[Krazy Kruizers]

Holland America Line Captures the Mind, Body and Spirit of its Guests with Explore Wellbeing Program

New Program Caters to Diverse Interests of Premium Cruisers

Seattle, Wash., April 8, 2010 – From morning Tai Chi or Sudoku to afternoon Pilates and Wii bowling, Holland America Line’s new Explore Wellbeing program is tailored to guests who want engaging onboard activities while they cruise. Explore Wellbeing offers new directions in sporting events, brain teasers and spa features to intrigue, relax and excite guests.
“Today many of our guests are looking to relax and refresh while on their vacation,” said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. “With Explore Wellbeing we fill the needs of guests who are looking for a healthy session of body or mind enrichment along with other cruise activities.”
Designed for guests of all ages, Explore Wellbeing extends the offerings of the popular Greenhouse Spa to incorporate new entertainment, fitness and sports activities. Leading the program on board is the resident wellness expert - the LifeStylist - who hosts a diverse array of sessions. Guests can start each day with stimulating signature tai chi on deck. They can also can jump into Boot Camp for a challenging regime of exercises, engage in a round of team trivia, sharpen their fairway to green skills with the Golf Challenge, take on fellow guests in Wii Bowling or attend one of many informative Greenhouse Spa seminars. Other activities feature yoga, step classes, additional Wii games, pilates, spinning, Sudoko puzzles, ballroom dance classes and more.
Complementing Explore Wellbeing are other programs hosted by the Explorations Team. The onboard Party Planner will host Explore Food & Entertaining events in the Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine Magazine, significantly expanding the innovative program which brings more than 70 culinary experts on board each year in addition to classes and demonstrations on every sailing. As the destination expert on board under Explore Our World, the Travel Guide will give dynamic multimedia presentations about the ship’s itinerary and be a one-stop source for port-of-call information. The Techspert will offer Explore Technology classes and Digital Workshops powered by Windows, where guests can learn how to blog, work with digital photos, arrange a digital scrapbook, create a slideshow or edit a movie. On cruises lasting 14 days or more, the Librarian also leads a book club.
Explore Wellbeing Augments the Explorations Team
Today’s premium cruiser seeks enriching experiences and engaging activities. Ever responsive to guests needs, Holland America Line broadened its onboard programming with the Explorations Team — staff with specific, niche expertise ranging from technology to travel, who offer guests a range of “edutainment” programs. Part of the premium line’s ongoing $525 million Signature of Excellence initiative, the Holland America Line Explorations Team is a cohesive team dedicated to enhancing the overall cruise experience. With this team of experts, Holland America Line guests now will have even more memories to take home from their cruise plus the personal experiences that have enriched their lives to share with family and friends.
For additional information, consult a professional travel agent, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit www.hollandamerica.com (http://www.hollandamerica.com/).

- www.hollandamerica.com (http://www.hollandamerica.com/) -

[aliaschief]

Thanks for the info. All we need for our mind, body and spirit is to be onboard! Unfortunately, will have to wait until December but being at our little "grass shack" in Kauai for three weeks will help the wait.

[Himself]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing it with us.

[serendipity1499]

Sounds interesting...Thank you for sharing this info with us...

We might take advantage of some of the low impact pilates classes on our Nov. cruise..

Cheers....:)Betty

[SusieKay]

Thanks for the information. I am sure it will be of interest to many "premium cruisers" (at a premium price). The news release you quoted did not mention the additional cost, and I could find no reference to it on the HAL website. Pretty soon those who are not premium cruisers will only get a room and some food and not much else. :eek:

[sparky-elpaso]

Thanks for the information. I am sure it will be of interest to many "premium cruisers" (at a premium price). The news release you quoted did not mention the additional cost, and I could find no reference to it on the HAL website. Pretty soon those who are not premium cruisers will only get a room and some food and not much else. :eek:

We were on the Westerdam the first week of March and they had the classes - and most of them had no charge.

Typical list:
Sunrise stretch - 7:00 am - Lido deck
Tai Chi on Deck - 8:00 am - Lido deck
Aqua Aerobics - 9:00 am - Lido deck
Walk-a-Mile - noon
Wii Challenge - various times in the afternoon

Classes that were in the gym and used equipment like indoor cycling, yoga, pilates were usually around $12 - but I think these were classes that have been around for a while.

The Life Style ones are the ones that seem to be new.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On the ships we have been on -- all except the Prinsendam -- there was a charge for the Pilates, Spinning and a couple of other classes. The price used to be $11 -- but on the Zuiderdam I noticed that the price went up to $12.