(TAN): Costa Cruises resumed its cruises on September 6 with Costa Deliziosa, the first ship operated by the Italian company to return to the sea with guests. Costa Deliziosa left from Trieste and is now on a one-week cruise designed to rediscover — in complete safety — the best of Italy, and calling only at the Italian ports of Bari, Brindisi, Corigliano-Rossano, Siracusa and Catania.
“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,” said Group CEO, Costa Group & Carnival Asia Michael Thamm.
[ALSO READ: Discover Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce ink collaboration deal]
“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,” Thamm said.
The guests embarking on Costa Deliziosa for her first three September cruises will all be residents of Italy.
On arrival at the terminal in Trieste, with staggered entrance times by virtue of online check-in, each guest had their temperature scanned, submitted a health questionnaire and underwent an antigen rapid swab test. Passengers are not cleared for boarding unless and until they test negative.
[ALSO READ: Reflections from a weekend trip at long last to Le Havre]
For any suspected case of COVID-19 it will be possible to perform an additional test with a molecular swab test, the cruise compmany said. Prior to embarking, crew members are also tested with molecular swab at intervals quarantined for 14 days. In addition, each crew member undergoes a monthly swab test.
Bari and the other destinations on Costa Deliziosa’s itinerary can be visited only by joining the protected excursions organized by the company for small groups of people on sanitized means of transport, and subject to temperature measurement before leaving and rejoining the ship.
On Costa’s shore tours, guests are able to see other places in the vicinity of the ports of call, such as Lecce, Ostuni, Otranto, Alberobello, Gallipoli, Taormina, Noto, Modica, Ragusa and Sibari. The shipboard amenities and entertainment have been redesigned based on the procedures in the Safety Protocol but still retain the distinguishing features of a Costa cruise holiday, thanks partly to the physical distancing enabled by the ship’s reduced capacity.
