MSC Cruises Offers Wellness Experience for Fitness-Focused Cruisers

Photos courtesy MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is offering a new category for its "inclusive experiences" program. The Wellness Experience is designed for cruisers who like to stick to their fitness goals while enjoying life on the high seas.

In a further nod toward the trend of healthier travel, MSC has designed a package that promises a one-of-a-kind cruise adventure. The Wellness Experience program is developed by Technogym and crafts a cruise from start to finish that will satisfy fitness enthusiasts. You get a customized plan that includes shore excursions, workouts and healthy meals. This program is ideal for people who are already dedicated to working out or those who want to get started because the experience accounts for your individual needs and aspirations. 

MSC said it worked with the fitness experts at Technogym, a manufacturer of gym equipment, for more than a year to develop the program, which is available on MSC's ships beginning in April 2017. Technogym equipment is good stuff and appearing on more and more ships. I've used it on the newest cruise ships, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. The cardio units can help you track your progress, and the free-weight stations match anything you find at the top gyms on land.

On MSC's ships, you will customize your Wellness Experience based on your goals. Once you book your cruise and choose the special inclusive Wellness Experience option, you fill out a questionnaire developed by Technogym which is used to design your program. When you arrive onboard for your cruise, you'll meet one-on-one with a fitness consultant to go over your plan. A master trainer conducts a fitness assessment, including a blood-pressure test, electrocardiogram and lipid panel.  

The Wellness Experience program offers active shore excursions like sea kayaking.

Participants in the program get access to a MSC-only version on Technogym's mywellness app to monitor activity, and you will participate in a range of new group fitness classes. Try Hulu Fit, Bella Barre, Pilates, Tai Chi, yoga and more.

The program offers its own exclusive shore activities, too, like jogging around ancient Olympia, a bike tour of Copenhagen, hiking in Norway, sea kayaking, running and snorkeling triathlon in Cozumel and beach training in Rio de Janeiro.

For food, ship buffets will offer a dedicated wellness corner with nutritious options, room-service and main dining room menus will feature healthy fare, and a spa bar will offer protein and energy drinks along with other health beverages. In-room amenities will include sports clothing and towel, mini-bar sports drinks, a fitness TV channel and a Technogym Wellness Bag, which is a kit with resistance bands. 

The ships will offer a wide range of nutritious menu options.

This looks like a great leap forward in cruising, showing that you can enjoy this type of travel while also pursuing a balanced and healthy lifestyle. I hope more cruise lines start offering these types of customized fitness-based experiences. I can't wait to check this out once it launches on MSC Cruises!

Is this something you would be interested in for your cruise vacation? Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Travel fit! Travel happy! Travel often!

JR