New MSC Cruises Wellness Experience Powered by Technogym Meets Growing Consumer Demand for Wellness Travel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MSC Cruises, the Swiss-based world's largest privately-owned cruise company, is meeting strong, growing demand for wellness travel by introducing an exclusive Wellness Experience, developed in partnership with Technogym, the world's leading wellness company.

In an industry-first, MSC Cruises new wellness offering – which utilizes Technogym's end-to-end wellness expertise and is exclusively available onboard MSC Cruises' ships – is a one of a kind, completely personalized experience, which allows guests to meet their own personal health and wellness goals while enjoying a unique Mediterranean style cruise experience.

Using a pre-cruise questionnaire, followed by an onboard one-on-one consultation with a Master Trainer, trained by Technogym, each guest's cruise is customized with shore excursions, gym classes and healthy food options that are specific to the individuals goals and needs.

"The global wellness travel segment is projected to grow by nearly 10 percent annually over the next five years[1], as consumers are increasingly seeking out ways to combine being active and healthy with their vacation," said Gianni Onorato, chief executive officer of MSC Cruises. "Through the launch of the MSC Cruises' Wellness Experience powered by Technogym – the globally-recognized wellness experts  –  we are further expanding our offering and making available to our guests the first completely personalized, 360° wellness experience at sea."

"At MSC Cruises, we are passionate about providing our guests unique onboard experiences through close, personal attention to detail," said Onorato. "This new experience, which is designed in a way that is exclusive to our guests, further demonstrates our commitment to innovation – also by partnering with best-in-class experts in their own field – and to creating unforgettable memories onboard our ships."

"For more than 20 years we have been promoting the concept of wellness as a lifestyle made of regular physical exercise, a healthy diet and a positive mental attitude," said Nerio Alessandri, president and founder of Technogym. "Today, wellness represents a global consumer trend that can impact on people's life and health. This is why we are proud to partner with MSC Cruises to develop and deliver a unique and completely new wellness experience."

How MSC Cruises New Wellness Experience Works

MSC Cruises is expanding its 'inclusive experiences' offerings and adding the new Wellness Experience, further allowing guests to customize their vacation based on their own personal desires and interests. The Wellness Experience will be one of five experience categories that MSC Cruises' guests can choose when booking their cruise. The other experience categories include Bella, Fantastica, Aurea, and MSC Yacht Club and range from a la carte to all-inclusive amenities.  To learn more about MSC Cruises' 'inclusive experiences' visit: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Cruise-Deals/Our-Fares.aspx

To design the new experience, the MSC Cruises team worked for more than a year with the wellness, fitness, nutrition and technology experts at Technogym. The end result is a personalized experience which features cutting-edge technology and state of the art fitness facilities, specialized food and beverage offerings, exclusive shore excursions, and access to MSC Cruises' Master Trainers certified by Technogym.

Pre-Sailing Aspiration Finder™ Questionnaire

As soon as a guest books the wellness experience for their cruise, they are invited to complete the Aspiration Finder™ — the first-ever scientific online questionnaire developed by Technogym's Research Department — which helps MSC understand its guests' wellness motivations, such as the desire to look and feel better, improve sporting performance or overall health and happiness. The result of the questionnaire is a personalized Aspiration Map, which forms the basis for the individualized program.

Onboard Consultations and Health Assessments

Once onboard, guests will receive a one-on-one appointment with a MSC Master Trainer, trained by Technogym, who will conduct an assessment consisting of a body scale analyzer test combined with an in-depth consultation. This will result in establishing the wellness objectives each guest wants to work toward and developing a program customized to each guest for the duration of the cruise. In addition, guests will receive a medical check-up with the MSC Doctor onboard, which will include a blood pressure test, electrocardiogram, and lipid panel.

Access to mywellness App

Participants in the Wellness Experience will receive complimentary internet access to the MSC Cruises-only version of Technogym's award-winning mywellness app.

The mywellness app, which tracks the movement of the users and assigns them a daily movement target, includes information on MSC Cruises' personalized training programs as well as allows guests to see fitness class schedules and track their appointments while onboard. Using GPS and smartphone accelerometer functions, the app integrates indoor training performed using gym equipment with daily life activities and outdoor training.  

Fitness Classes*

Guests participating in MSC Cruises' Wellness Experience will also benefit from exciting new group fitness classes that are being developed with the fitness experts at Technogym, designed around Technogym's ARKE equipment for core and bodyweight training as well as a Technogym spinning class. In addition, a range of new on-trend fitness classes such as Bella Barre and Hula Fit will be introduced along with popular favorites including Tai Chi, Pilates, and Yoga. Schedules for the group classes will be coded to help guests select the right classes for their Aspiration Profile.

Shore Excursions*

Shore activities exclusively for the Wellness Experience participants have been specially designed to complement the onboard fitness program so that guests can discover the sights at the ship's ports of call while keeping active. The activities also provide the opportunity to socialize and meet like-minded people with similar wellness goals. Highlights include jogging around Ancient Olympia, a bike tour of Copenhagen, hiking up Mount Fløyen in Norway, a fun triathlon in Cozumel comprising of kayaking, running and snorkeling or beach training in Rio de Janeiro.

Food and Beverage

The Wellness Experience also places a strong emphasis on nutrition. A wide range of delicious and balanced wellness menu options have been developed in partnership with the Technogym's team of  nutrition experts.  The buffet will feature a dedicated wellness corner with a choice of dishes designed to match the needs of the different Aspiration Profiles. The main restaurant will also feature healthy options that will be clearly distinguished on the menu to make it simple to select the right choice and there will be a wellness room service breakfast menu. The MSC Aurea Spa bar will also serve a new range of protein and energy drinks as well as an array of other wellness beverages.

Stateroom Amenities

Guests booking the Wellness Experience will get a choice of staterooms on the upper decks and in the most desirable areas of the ship. Guests will be provided with a wellness mat and Technogym Wellness Bag™ as well as sports clothing and towel. The stateroom will also feature a wellness themed mini-bar stocked with sports drinks and a Fitness TV channel with videos created by the experts at Technogym.  In addition, the laundry for the guest's workout gear provided by MSC Cruises is included to help make the experience convenient and stress-free.

Booking the Wellness Experience

The Wellness Experience will be available onboard MSC Cruises' ships starting in April 2017.  Currently, booking for the Wellness Experience is open on MSC Seaside with prices starting at $929 per person (price includes the cost of the cruise + experience). Prices for the rest of the fleet will be available when booking opens for MSC Cruises' Summer 2017 sailings in the coming weeks.

To learn more about the Wellness Experience visit: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Cruise-Deals/Wellness-Experience.aspx

Technogym is the world leading company in the wellness and fitness fields. It is also the Official Supplier of six most recent editions of the Olympic Games as well as to some of the most celebrated sports teams in the world. Further, as the world's leading supplier of technology and design-driven products and services in its sector Technogym provides a complete range of cardio, strength and functional equipment alongside a digital, cloud-based platform for consumers to connect with their personal wellness experience anywhere, both on the equipment and via mobile when outdoors.  More than 35 million users train every day on Technogym.

*number of shore excursions and gym classes included in the wellness experience vary based on the length of the cruise.

All information believed to be accurate as of the date of issuance.  It is the reader's responsibility to verify its continued accuracy, as all information is subject to change. 

About MSC Cruises

Geneva, Switzerland-based MSC Cruises S.A. is the world's largest privately-held global cruise line. Since its inception in 2003, the Company grew by 800% and is today the fourth largest cruise line in the world, the market leader in Europe and in the Mediterranean as well as in South America and South Africa. MSC Cruises recently announced a $5.4 billion investment plan that includes the construction of up to seven new ships that will see MSC Cruises' fleet double its current capacity by 2022. In 2014, 1.5 million passengers from over 150 countries vacationed aboard MSC Cruises fleet, one of the youngest at sea. MSC Cruises has offices in 45 countries and employees 16,000 staff globally.

About Technogym

Founded in 1983, Technogym is the world's leading international supplier of technology and design driven products and  services in the Wellness and Fitness industry. Technogym provides a complete range of cardio, strength and functional equipment alongside a digital cloud based platform allowing consumers to connect with their personal wellness experience anywhere, both on the equipment and via mobile when outdoors.  With over 2,200 employees and 14 branches globally, Technogym is present in over 100 countries. More than 65,000 Wellness centers in the world are equipped with Technogym and 35 million users train every day on Technogym. Technogym was the official supplier for the last five editions of the Olympic Games: Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Turin 2006, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and has been appointed as Official Supplier also for Rio 2016.

[1] The Global Wellness Tourism Economy 2012. Stanford Research Institute

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SOURCE MSC Cruises USA

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