The departure of Costa Luminosa, the second ship of Costa Cruises to resume operations in 2021, marks the restart of the cruise sector in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Costa Luminosa is setting sail again from the port of Trieste. Luminosa is Costa Cruises‘ second ship to resume operations in 2021 and the first to resume cruises in the Adriatic Sea and Greece. Overall, Costa has a total of four ships scheduled to resume cruises this summer.
In addition to Trieste, Costa Luminosa’s one-week itinerary includes visits to Bari and four beautiful Greek destinations: Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Katakolon/Olympia. The itinerary will be available throughout the coming summer season and part of the autumn until mid-November 2021 for a total of 27 cruises.
“With the restart of the Costa Luminosa, we are finally bringing cruises back to the Adriatic Sea and Greece, one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations, and reviving a sector of great importance to the economy of many European countries, including Italy, as well as the eastern part of the Mediterranean,” said Costa’s Zanetti.
To illustrate the importance of this restart, before the pause caused by the pandemic, Costa generated an annual economic impact of almost €13 billion in Europe, creating over 63,000 jobs.
Exploring the sea in all safety
Health and safety procedures have been enhanced through the adoption of the Costa Safety Protocol which contains operational measures related to all aspects of the cruise experience, both on board and ashore. The measures include a reduction in the number of guests and swab tests for all guests before embarkation and after half of the cruise. Also included are swab tests for the crew before embarkation and regularly during their stay on board. Daily temperature checks are also part of the Costa Safety Protocol. Every time guests disembark and re-enter the ship, and every time they enter the restaurants, their temperature will be checked. Visits to destinations are only apermitted with protected excursions. On board and in the terminals social distancing is implemented. On board there is enhanced sanitation and medical services. Protective masks have to be used when necessary.
As for the holiday experience, guests will enjoy new features, including a renewed excursion program, which will allow them to discover off-the-beaten path destinations, exclusively for Costa guests. Guests will also enjoy new menu options that feature dishes specific to the locations that Costa Luminosa will visit.
Four ships for summer
Costa Luminosa is the second of four Costa ships that will operate in summer 2021, offering cruises in the Mediterranean. On May 1, the flagship Costa Smeralda departed from Savona with an itinerary exclusively dedicated to Italy. On June 26, Costa Deliziosa will restart with week-long cruises in Greece. July 4 will see the departure of the Costa Firenze, the new ship inspired by the Florentine Renaissance, with one-week cruises in Italy. In addition, from 3 July Costa Smeralda will begin sailing international itineraries, with one-week cruises in Italy, France and Spain.