Costa Cruises has resumed operations with the Costa Deliziosa, the first ship in the Italian company's fleet to return to sailing with passengers. The Costa Deliziosa departed yesterday from Trieste, offering an itinerary designed to rediscover the best of Italy in a completely safe environment, calling only at the Italian ports of Bari, Brindisi, Corigliano-Rossano, Syracuse, and Catania.
“We are delighted to welcome our passengers back on board after more than five months without sailing. We are also happy that we can resume operations in Italy. Our decision to restart cruising responsibly and focus exclusively on Italian guests is particularly important to us, as we have believed in and invested in this country for more than 70 years, being the only cruise line flying the Italian flag,” said Michael Thamm, Group CEO, Costa Group & Carnival Asia. “Over the past few weeks, we have been working closely with the authorities to implement new health protocols that will allow our guests to fully enjoy their experience while ensuring maximum protection. At the same time, we are continuously monitoring the situation with the aim of gradually adding more ships starting in October and offering more itineraries that will welcome guests from other European markets.”
Passengers embarking on the Costa Deliziosa for the first three cruises in September will all be Italian residents. Embarkation will be conducted in accordance with the "Costa Safety Protocol," a document developed by the company in conjunction with a panel of expert scientists. This protocol outlines new operational measures implemented in response to the current Covid-19 situation and is fully aligned with the latest guidelines issued by relevant Italian and European authorities.
Upon arrival at the Trieste terminal, with staggered arrival times thanks to online check-in, each passenger's temperature is taken. They must also complete a health form and undergo a rapid antigen test for Covid-19. Passengers will not be allowed to board until their test result is negative. Those suspected of having Covid-19 will undergo an additional molecular test. Before boarding, all crew members will have had to undergo a molecular test and complete a 14-day quarantine. In addition, each crew member will undergo a monthly nasopharyngeal swab test.
Destinations on the Costa Deliziosa itinerary, such as Bari, can only be visited on protected excursions organized by the company. These excursions will be for small groups and will use sanitized transportation. Furthermore, all passengers will be required to have their temperature checked before departure and upon arrival at the ship. Guests will also have the opportunity to visit areas near the port of call, including Lecce, Ostuni, Otranto, Alberobello, Gallipoli, Taormina, Noto, Modica, Ragusa, and Sibari.
Onboard services and entertainment have been redesigned based on the Safety Protocol procedures, but still retain the distinctive characteristics of a Costa holiday, thanks in part to the physical distancing made possible by the ship's reduced capacity. Examples of this include repeating live shows for smaller audiences, switching from buffet service to traditional restaurant service, revising the capacity of theaters, lounges, bars, and restaurants to ensure social distancing, and staggering entry to facilities such as the spa, pools, and kids' club, which have maximum capacity limits. In addition, all areas of the ship, including cabins, will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and the onboard medical team has been reinforced.
Other safety measures implemented include the use of face masks whenever necessary, the provision of hand sanitizer dispensers in different areas of the ship, and the introduction of self-service clinical thermometer kiosks.
After the Costa Deliziosa, which will be sailing from Trieste until the end of the year, the Costa Diadema will resume operations, departing from Genoa on September 19. Like the Deliziosa, it will only call at Italian ports and will be available exclusively to Italian residents. The Costa Deliziosa will call at Rome/Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo, Cagliari, and La Spezia. Starting in October, the company's flagship, the Costa Smeralda, will return, followed in December by the Costa Firenze, Costa Cruises' newest ship, currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera.
