Costa Firenze Added Into Operations, Sails from Savona

The new Costa Firenze is leaving the port of Savona today on her first cruise.

Designed and built by Fincantieri in the Marghera shipyards, the Costa Firenze is inspired by the Florentine Renaissance according to the Italian brand.

Starting later this month and through August, Valletta is also part of the itinerary. 

“Costa Firenze is the perfect ambassador of Italian style, which we have combined with a series of product innovations designed especially for families and couples,” said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises. “This is the fourth Costa ship to resume service this summer, confirming the gradual return to normality of our company and the cruise industry, which is of great economic and employment importance for our country”.

With the Firenze now in service, the Smeralda will now offer a different itinerary, marking the return of Costa to France, with weekly calls at Marseille, and to Spain, with weekly calls at Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, in addition to Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome and Messina.

And starting in September, the Costa Firenze will expand its itinerary to France and Spain, sailing to Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Ibiza, Barcelona and Marseille. During the winter of 2021-2022, the Costa Firenze will be positioned in Dubai. The week-long cruises will visit the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, with calls at Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat and a multi-day stopover in Dubai, with specific packages for visits to Expo Dubai 2020, as Costa Cruises is the Gold Sponsor of the Italian Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020.

Costa’s restart plan also includes the Costa Fascinosa scheduled to return to service on September 23 from Savona for 10-day cruises to Lisbon, and the Costa Diadema, on September 26 from Savona with long cruises to Turkey and Greece or Spain and Portugal.

Costa Will Start Cruising Again in May

Costa Cruises announced that it will start cruising again in May, citing restrictions in place in Europe and other European countries to contain COVID-19.

In line with the new plan, the Costa Smeralda’s departure from Italy is planned for May 1, with three- and four-day mini-cruises or alternatively a seven-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari.

From June 12, the 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 departure date of Costa Luminosa, the second Costa ship scheduled to resume service, is now postponed to May 16 from Trieste, and the following day from Bari, confirming its program of one-week cruises in Greece and Croatia.

Costa Restarts Cruises With New Program From March 27

Costa Cruises will be restarting service on the Costa Smeralda from March 27 and on the Costa Luminosa from May 2. This was announced by its parent company, Carnival Corporation, in a press release.

“The cruise ships of Costa Cruises … are ready to set sail again and offer guests holidays filled with leisure and relaxation, along with enhanced health and safety protocols,” the company said.

The Costa Smeralda program will consist of an unchanged itinerary across Italy for three- or four-day mini-cruises or, alternatively, a 7-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari.

On May 1, the Costa Smeralda will return to 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 Costa Luminosa will be departing from Trieste from May 2, and the following day from Bari, confirming its program of one-week cruises in Greece and Croatia, according to the press release.

“Costa is working with national and local authorities of the countries included in the itineraries of its ships outside Italy to define the details of the restart of cruise operations, with enhanced health and safety measures through the implementation of the Costa Safety Protocol,” Carnival Corporation wrote. “The protocol contains operational measures related to all aspects of the cruise experience, both onboard and ashore, which were implemented in the past months of cruise operations.”

All other cruises scheduled until the end of May, and not included in the program updated on Feb. 17, will be cancelled. Costa is in the process of informing travel agents and customers affected by changes.