Costa Cruises to Resume Operation in May

Costa Cruises announced today they have a new timeline for restarting operation and we couldn’t be more excited about it! The cruise line is now planning on sailing May 1st on board their flagship Costa Smeralda calling on the Italian ports of Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari. Starting June 12th, Costa Smeralda will return to sailing one-week cruises in the western Mediterranean, with visits to Italy (Savona, Civitavecchia and Palermo), France (Marseille) and Spain (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca).

The cruise line also announced the second ship they will put into operation starting May 16th. Costa Luminosa will sail from the Italian ports of Trieste and Bari on one-week cruises in Greece and Croatia, in accordance with recent roadmap for the resumption of international tourism in Greece. 

All other cruises scheduled until the end of May are cancelled other than on the two ships named above. The news comes as more and more cruise lines are setting up definitive sail dates in the coming months. The United Kingdom announced earlier this month that cruise ships would be allowed to sail from British ports starting in May, but the capacity would be limited to residents of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

Costa Safety Protocol

Restarting operation was made possible by the new health and safety protocol established by the cruise line. The protocols apply to all aspects of the cruise experience both onboard the ship and while on shore excursions. Some of the safety measures include limited capacity, swab tests for all guests and crew, temperature checks when disembarking and re-embarking the ship, protected shore excursions, physical distancing on board and at the cruise terminals, new ways of using on-board services, enhanced sanitation and medical services, and use of protective face masks when necessary.