Costa is crewing up their ships for the upcoming Mediterranean season with four vessels set to restart cruises this summer. Crew from all over the world already started boarding assigned ships in Italy with high hopes and determination. You can simply feel the energy among the sign-on crew happy to get back on board and once again to be part of the global Costa family. The road back to the ships was not an easy one, as many encountered challenges and hardship on the way. However, even with these challenges, the crew has demonstrated a high level of determination and resilience at the professional and personal levels.

I had the pleasure to talk with a crew member who recently boarded Costa Luminosa in Civitavecchia and found out more about the road back to the ships, his inspiring story, and his decision to board the ships again. Here’s what he had to say:

Together with 12 of my paisanos we arrived at the Rome Airport a couple of days ago with 10 more Indonesian nationals joining us, all of them from the technical department. Our journey is a mix of emotions because most of us miss the word "Brata" on board :)

After a year since we were repatriated home, most of us had no jobs. During this time many of the crew in my country started up some business and some try their luck applying for jobs like in the fast-food chains, restaurants and call centers. I applied in a call center because its the only job which can sustain the daily needs of my family. 

The road back to the ship was not an easy one as I also encounter bad luck these past weeks because my schedule got canceled twice already. The hardest part is when everything is ready after i travel from our province to Manila for my dispatch process i received a message from our manning that my embarkation is cancelled and rescheduled for  June 22, to join Costa Smeralda. It hurts me a lot cuz all the time money and efforts again go to waste for nothing. However, after one week passed and after that, I got a message again from our manning that they endorse me on an early embarkation so i take the opportunity and grab it. There was no time to waste. I rush to our office and complete all the documents and medicals i need just to embark on that day. And voila we are here on the Luminosa.

When I ask the crew member if he had a second thoughts to return onboard he said - The decision was clear and there was no second thoughts because the only thing in my mind after a year of struggling in our country because of the covid pandemic is going I was determined to get back on board again no matter what. This is the only thing that i want. After i receive the message that im going onboard again of course i was so happy and excited same as my family. No word can describe how happy i am that I’m one of the lucky crew who got on board early.

The atmosphere here onboard Costa Luminosa is excellent and everyone is excited about the upcoming cruise. They welcome us with open arms and 2 swab testing before going on board :)) (guess what my nose is not a virgin anymore).

We have free wifi here on board and the only things that keep me occupied for the rest of the quarantine process is my family thru chat and my one and only laptop where I downloaded tons of movies, series anime and games to keep my self busy at the moment. We are in guest cabins at the moment and we are provided meals in the stateroom as you can see from the photo.

The crew member wanted to share a message to all crew waiting to join the ships: My message for our fellow crew members who are still waiting for the moment to join or embark is PLEASE KEEP YOUR HEAD HIGH, COMPLETE ALL THE DOCUMENTS RENEW EVERYTHING AND BE PREPARED BECAUSE THIS YEAR THE SEA WILL CALL US AGAIN. 

During these difficult times, we need more inspiring stories and good news that brings hopes and enlightens our fellow crew who is still hoping that cruises will come back soon. Because back then I still rely on the good news that shows up on our groups. It gives us strength and hopes not to give up on our dreams and forget about what did covid bring to us in the cruise industry.