Preparations continue in Trieste, Italy for the restart of Costa Deliziosa. Deliziosa is the first Costa Cruises ship to resume cruises on September 6.
Earlier today the Costa cruises held a final rehearsal of its new embarking procedures at the “Stazione Marittima” in Trieste, Italy. The procedures are part of the new “Costa Safety Protocol”, developed by the company together with a panel of scientific experts in response to the COVID-19 situation, in line with the relevant provisions defined by the Italian and European authorities.
Enhanced embarkation procedures
As guests arrive at the Trieste “Stazione Marittima” the terminal will be transformed into a protected bubble accessible only to guests and insiders.
The arrival of guests will take place from 10 a.m. on September 6, with different time slots of half an hour as allocated during the online check-in, until two and a half hours before the ship departure time, scheduled for 5 p.m.
Each guest will undergo a structured control in different stages.
The first is the measurement of body temperature by infrared system. In case of body temperature above 37.5 °C or flu symptoms, guests will need to undergo a more thorough medical check-up. The second step is a check of the health questionnaire, which was also completed online, to see if there are any changes in the health status of the guest. The third phase is the antigen swab test, carried out in a specific area of the terminal. The results of the test will be available after about 20 minutes. Only after all these steps have been successfully completed the guests will be allowed to embark.
In case of suspicious cases the guest will undergo a molecular swab test.
During their stay at the terminal, guests will need to wear a facial mask. Guests also need to respect the physical distance, which will be ade easief by the arrival in staggered time slots and the reduced capacity of the ship. To ensure proper hand hygiene, disinfectant gel dispensers will be available.
Itinerary
Costa Deliziosa will only call at Italian ports: Trieste, Bari, Brindisi, Corigliano-Rossano, Siracusa (not included during the October 4 voyage) and Catania. For the first three dates (September 6, 13 and 20) only Italian guests will join the ship. Costa Deliziosa will sail from Trieste until the end of the year, offering a one-week itinerary in the Adriatic sea.
From September 13 Trieste will also be a port of transit for Costa Deliziosa guests who will embark in Bari or Catania. In this case Costa’s security protocol provides for visits to the city exclusively with protected excursions aboard sanitized vehicles and organized by the company in small groups. Temperature control checks will be conducted before leaving and returning the ship.