Costa Cruises Slowly Restarts Cruises from Italy

The Italian cruise line, Costa Cruises has begun resuming its cruise operations, with Costa Deliziosa departing on a seven-night itinerary from Trieste, Italy on 06 September 2020.
 
Costa Deliziosa will call into Italian ports only during the week long cruise, including Bari, Brindisi, Corigliano-Rossano, Siracusa and Catania.

Michael Thamm, Group CEO, Costa Group and Carnival Asia, said: “We’re delighted to be able to welcome our guests on board again after more than five months without cruising and we’re also happy to be restarting operations right here in Italy. Our decision to resume responsibly with Italian cruises for Italian guests is particularly significant for us, since we’ve believed and invested in this country for more than 70 years as the only cruise company flying the Italian flag”.
 
“For the last few weeks, we’ve been working together with the authorities on implementation of the new health procedures that will allow our guests to make the most of their cruise experience while ensuring maximum safety. Meanwhile, we’re continuously monitoring the situation with a view to gradually reintroducing cruising on more ships from October, with itineraries extended also to include guests from our other European markets.”
 
All guess embarking this month will be residents of Italy, with embarkation procedures following strict safety protocols. The cruise line has worked with a panel of scientific experts to help put in place procedures to minimise the spread of Covid-19.
 
Guests sailing with Costa Cruises will now be given staggered times to arrive at the cruise terminal for embarkation, with the aid of online check-in. Every guest is required to have their temperature check, complete a health questionnaire and is subject to an antigen rapid swab test. If the test is positive, guests will not be granted permission to board.
 
Crew members were also tested at intervals and have been quarantined for 14-days. All crew members will have monthly tests.
 
A second Costa Cruises ship, Costa Diadema, is currently scheduled to resume sailings from Genoa on 19 September 2020. The ship will also only visit Italian ports of call, with only Italian guests on board.
 
The cruise line is also planning to resume cruises on Costa Smeralda in October 2020 and Costa Firenza in December 2020.