During the past year, the crew was not allowed to go out in ports and most of them haven’t step foot on land for the entire length of their contract. However, with the recent developments and vaccination of the shipboard employees, things are slowly starting to move in the right direction. I spoke with my fellow crew members to find out if the crew is allowed to go out in ports and if the cruise lines organize protected shore excursions for them. 

No doubt the internet is one of the most important things for crew working onboard the cruise ships. The net is the window to the outside world, connecting the crew with their loved ones back home.

This month three cruise ships are scheduled for regular stops at the port of Venice. The return of the cruise liners after a long 17 months ban saw the first ship MSC Orchestra sailing to the lagoon to pick-up about 650 passengers on Saturday, June 5. MSC Orchestra will make regular stops in Venice each Saturday during her 7-day Mediterranean voyages this summer.

Spain will reopen ports to international cruise ships from June 7, 2021 the government announced, citing improving pandemic situation and the vaccination rollout. The news was announced in a resolution by the General Directorate of the Spanish Merchant Navy, tweeted by the Spanish government ministry of transport. The government announcement on Saturday said that ships must follow the Ministry of Health's regulations for the safety of passengers and communities they visit.

This morning the cruise ship Costa Luminosa arrived at the port of Trieste, Italy for the final preparations ahead of the restart of cruise operations this weekend.

Today, May 1st Costa resumes cruise operations, with its LNG-powered flagship Costa Smeralda. as the first vessel in the fleet to start cruising with guests. The start of cruise operations was celebrated this morning in the presence of the Costa Cruises General Manager Mario Zanetti, and the local authorities, including the mayor of Savona Ilaria Caprioglio.

Costa Cruises officially presented the program for summer 2021, which will start on May 1, with Costa Smeralda. The company decided to focus on destinations in the Mediterranean, close to the European guests offering cruises on Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa in the Eastern Mediterranean and Costa Smeralda together with Costa Firenze in the Western Mediterranean.

Costa Cruises has postponed the restart of its ships and will start sailing from May.

This evening Italy's most glamorous festival Sanremo kicks off, the music festival that captures the soul of the country each year. This year there will be no audience at the Ariston theatre because of COVID-19 restrictions and the music extravaganza will go live on TV by the state broadcaster RAI. 

Two Costa cruise ships are getting ready to set sail again and offer guests holidays with enhanced health and safety protocols. The restart is scheduled for March 27, with the departure of the flagship Costa Smeralda, sailing guests to beautiful Italian destinations, with 3- and 4-day mini-cruises or alternatively a 7-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari.