Oasis of the Seas: Getting Fit on the World's Biggest Cruise Ship

Simply put, the Oasis is the motherload of all cruise ships. Accommodating a whopping 6,296 passengers and spanning 1,187 feet long (just over three football field lengths), it's the world's largest cruise ship. I had a chance to hop aboard during a special preview sailing, and I can say this: For fitness buffs, this ship delivers.

For starters, there's the massive fitness center. Choose from over 150 cardio machines, take a Kinesis class, burn some calories in a spin class (which tracks your heart rate on a monitor) or pump the iron.Feel like working up a sweat in Mother Nature? Then head to the track, which is where I logged my workouts. Although it's outside, it's partially covered so you're sheltered from the sun, which is a good thing, considering that the Oasis will be trekking through the Caribbean. Best part, the ship is so big that just a little over two times around the track is a mile. I've been on some ships where you might have to take 12 laps to log a mile, which gets so cumbersome when you're trying to cover any kind of distance.

But don't stop there. The Oasis features seven "neighborhoods," each with a different theme. For instance, in Central Park, you can admire over 12,000 plants, trees and flowers while on the Royal Promenade you can catch the Rising Tide, an elevator bar that travels three decks. Those are well worth seeing, but for more workout options, head to the Pool and Sports Zone on the top deck.

There, you'll find a miniature golf course, a zip line (if you've zipped in other places, this one may not be as exciting, but it is the only zip line at sea right now, if that means anything to you), a full-sized basketball court, rock climbing walls, four pools (including the sports pool where you can do lap swimming or play water polo or badminton), and my favorite, surfing simulators called Flowriders. I got my derriere kicked on that thing, but it was worth the beating.

Bottom line: If you want to cruise on a ship with more fitness activities than dessert bars, keeping you from feeling like a beached whale when you roll off, check out the Oasis.

When you stop at one of the Caribbean Islands, take your workout to the beach with this fun in-the-sand sweat session.