A second Carnival Corporation cruise line will resume cruises today when Costa Cruises begins offering sailing on its flagship.
Costa Cruises’ largest cruise ship, Costa Smeralda, is now offering cruises in Italian ports. All passengers are tested before boarding the ship and tested halfway through the voyage. The cruise line has also added new health and safety measures.
The restart of the Italian-flagged cruise line represents an important economic recovery for the entire area: prior to the Covid-19 emergency, Costa Cruises in Italy has an economic impact of EUR 3.5 billion per year and over 17,000 direct and indirect jobs achieved.
The seven-day Costa Smeralda itinerary includes Savona, Civitavecchia / Rome, Naples, Messina, Cagliari and La Spezia and can also be divided into two mini-cruises of three or four days for those who prefer a shorter vacation.
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Cruises on the Costa Smeralda starting on Saturday will follow the procedures set out in the Costa Safety Protocol, which was developed by Costa Cruises together with scientific experts and Italian authorities and which includes improved health and safety measures for all aspects of the holiday experience on board and on land.
For example, the protocol includes wiping all guests before embarkation and after mid-cruise, visiting destinations with protected excursions, new ways to use in-flight services, and wearing a mask if necessary.
The Costa Smeralda will be the first of a total of four Costa cruise ships that will be deployed in summer 2021 and offer cruises in the Mediterranean.
On the days when Costa cruise ships are not in service, the Palacrociere terminal in Savona managed by Costa Cruises will continue to be used by ASL 2 Savona (Local Public Health Unit) for the Covid-19 vaccination campaign and will help distribute the vaccine in the Savona region.
