After working out in the gym onboard, enjoy the heat of a Turkish bath or sauna. Experience the relaxation of a Balinese massage with essential oils or explore the benefits of acupuncture. Continue with having your hair styled at the salon or a manicure or pedicure to complete the pampering.

This web site will eventually allow guests to book an MSC Aurea Spa service in advance.

Begin to explore the world of the MSC Aurea Spa online at www.mscaureaspa.com.

Built in just six weeks using Adobe Flash technology, MSC Crociere’s state-of-the-art video streaming channel offers on-demand and live content in six languages for viewers worldwide, whether they use the Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems.

Combining high image quality with fast transmission speeds, visitors to the site can enjoy all the impact of full-screen viewing from varied content that has made MSC Web TV a vibrant success. As Antonello Fabozzi, Corporate Web Marketing Manager for MSC Crociere explains: “We wanted visitors to enjoy the experience without having to download additional software and our technology has achieved that, offering a high-quality, seamless modern video experience that’s perfectly matched to the MSC identity. The results speak for themselves. We’re already attracting more than 1,000 video views per day from people in over 40 different countries worldwide – and we’re still just in the initial launch phase!”

The eagerly-anticipated christening of MSC Splendida in Barcelona on 12 July this year set an extraordinary crest-of-a-wave record, with 25,000 viewers watching the star-studded event live on MSC Web TV. This was followed by a further 100,000 on-demand views, reflecting the tremendous worldwide interest in a ship that has been widely acclaimed as the most beautiful in the world.

Thanks to MSC Web TV, visitors can now explore the beauties of this and other ships in the MSC fleet online, gain a taste of life on board and of the exciting destinations visited, all organised in clear categories to make browsing easy. Enhancing the experience and stimulating community involvement, viewers can rate, share and comment on the videos.

These compelling features have generated a strong ripple effect, so that MSC Web TV has not only already achieved its ambitious target of 300,000 videos viewed in 2009, but is in fact set to double that and exceed 600,000 by the end of the year.

Far from resting on its laurels, however, MSC Crociere is expanding its service with the launch of video Podcasts on 16 November, allowing users to automatically download a series of individually-released short videos at their convenience and view them using Apple’s free iTunes software whenever they desire – whether they’re online, offline or on the move.

In fact, MSC Crociere’s ships are in such a class of their own that in the past it could be difficult to fully appreciate the difference until you’d seen it on board. But now, from 18 May, you can experience MSC Crociere’s passion for excellence without leaving home. Because the same innovative spirit has led the company to launch a whole series of online 3D virtual tours, starting with MSC Fantasia, which was christened in December 2008 and met with instant acclaim as the most beautiful ship in the world.

So you simply need to open your browser to www.mscfantasia.com to explore these stunning ships in detail, “walking” around cabins, the spa centre, theatre, discotheque, swimming pools, restaurants and casino, exploring them as if you were actually on board the different families of luxury ships in the MSC Crociere fleet.

This makes choosing the right cruise supremely easy. No less important, it means that planning your holiday can be almost as much fun as actually going away, allowing you to share ideas and suggestions about the smallest details with friends and family, involving everyone in the whole exciting experience.

Never content to do things by halves, MSC Crociere has launched MSC Web TV [ www.msccruises.tv ] on the same day as these fantastic virtual tours. With High Quality Video in six languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese), Live programming and video streaming, MSC Web TV allows you to immerse yourself interactively in every aspect of the ships and life on board, from star performances in the state rooms to MSC Crociere’s famously flexible excursions, the ships’ christenings by the immortal Sophia Loren and their impeccable ecological credentials.

Fully-integrated in MSC Crociere’s advanced network of inter-linked websites, MSC Web TV will benefit from user-friendly navigation and customisation – including full screen mode – to suit your preferences and internet connection.

As MSC Crociere’s Corporate Web Marketing Manager, Antonello Fabozzi explains: “We are very excited about these new developments, being dedicated to providing our passengers with the best possible experience and support both on-board and online. The former has brought us a worldwide reputation for Italian style, food and service from a cruise fleet without equal, while the latter sees us investing in the full spectrum of information technology, from virtual reality gaming to web design and online customer services. These are all provided by our own teams of hand-picked web specialists to ensure a smooth, secure, efficient and pleasurable experience worthy of MSC.”

Of course, sampling the MSC experience online can never be quite the same as living it on board, but it’s the next best thing, ensuring you can plan unforgettably perfect holidays with friends and family, and start enjoying the experience even before you leave.

To explore the virtual world of MSC Crociere, simply point your browser at www.msccruises.tv

MSC Crociere currently has the most modern fleet in the world with nine ships: MSC Fantasia – the largest ship ever built for a European ship owner – MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica and MSC Melody, cruising in the Mediterranean all year round, Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, North and South America, the Indian Ocean and South Africa. MSC Splendida and MSC Magnifica will be launched in 2009 and 2010 respectively. MSC Crociere is the only Company to have received the ‘6 Golden Pearls’ award from the Bureau Veritas in recognition of its high level of quality management and environmental protection.