Wellness trend comes to cruises

Plenty of ocean cruise lines are adding wellness-themed offerings to their ships in order to appeal to health-conscious consumers, and in the next couple of years, a cruise line specifically focused on healthy living wants to join them. Blue World Voyages is the brainchild of Miami-based fitness entrepreneur Gene Meehan, who wants to buy three medium-sized passenger ships and retrofit them to accommodate 300 wellness-minded passengers. The company plans to remove cabins to create an entire activity deck, complete with a basketball court, a baseball hitting cage, golf training and simulation, and a huge health center and spa. There will also be healthy menus and educational programming focused on wellness. John Richards, who served as chief marketing officer of the now-defunct Royal Viking Line, became CEO of Blue World Voyages last summer. “There’s a lot of sameness in the industry. If you can bring something distinctive and new to the table, it has a reason for being,” Richards said. “The biggest objection to cruising is the sedentary nature of it all. [Blue World appeals to a] sophisticated, younger-on-average than the typical luxury cruiser, someone who wants an active experience, but still wants to travel to interesting places.”