Costa Cruises has revealed details of its 2020-2021 winter season. News of the redesigned itineraries follows the Italian cruise line’s announcement that its cruise operations would restart in September beginning with Costa Deliziosa and Costa Diadema.
The winter season itineraries will run from October 2020 to March 2021, and will include the gradual return of an increasing number of ships featuring enhanced safety measures and new health procedures under the Costa Safety Protocol.
The cruises will be open to European citizens residing in the countries included in the decree of the Italian Government. Residents of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom will be permitted to sail. While limitation to Italians only is confirmed in September for the first three departures of Costa Deliziosa (Sept. 6, 13, 20) and the first departure of Costa Diadema (Sept. 19).
The new season will also see the debut of new ship Costa Firenze, under construction at Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera (Venice, Italy). The ship draws its design inspiration from the beauty of Florence, Italy during the renaissance, and on Dec. 27 it will embark on a 7-day Mediterranean sailing, calling at Savona, La Spezia and Naples, Italy; Valencia and Barcelona, Spain; and Marseille, France.
Costa Deliziosa will embark from Trieste, Italy on a 1-week itinerary exploring the best of Italy. The cruise will be available for European residents on Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, then on Oct. 10 the ship will sail on 1-week cruises from Trieste to Greece.
Costa Smeralda, the first Costa ship fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG), will depart on Oct. 10 from Savona for itineraries in the western Mediterranean. While Costa Diadema will offer a 12-day itinerary to the Canary Islands and a 14-day itinerary to discover Egypt and Greece, starting in November.
Aside from the itineraries included in the announcement, all other cruises scheduled from October 2020 to March 2021 have been cancelled. Costa is informing impacted guests and travel agents, and a reprotection will be guaranteed in accordance with the applicable legislation. Costa Favolosa cruises in the Caribbean will be excluded from cancellations, and the company will provide further information about these cruises as soon as possible.
All winter season 2020-2021 cruises will implement the Costa Safety Protocol. The comprehensive set of procedures include measures such as antigen swab tests for all guests before embarkation and protected shore excursions. The measures are supported by a panel of independent scientific experts in public health, and are consistent with the health protocols defined by the Italian government and European authorities.
For more information, visit costacruises.com.
