Costa Crociere, which is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, said that following a careful evaluation of the measures contained in the Italian government decree currently in force in the country, it has decided to postpone the restart of its ships to March 13, 2021.

“All cruises originally scheduled on Costa Deliziosa, Costa Firenze and Costa Luminosa between February 1 and March 12, 2021, are cancelled. The new programs for these three ships will be announced shortly. Costa is in the process of informing travel agencies and guests affected by the changes,” the company said in a statement.

This marks a contrast with the decision of MSC Cruises, whose MSC Meraviglia resumed operations on 24 January. It makes seven night cruises from Italian ports that also include a call at Valletta in Malta.

Costa Crociere said it believes that the current set of restrictive measures does not allow its guests to enjoy an adequate on-shore experience and the ability to fully explore the itinerary's destinations.

“Costa will resume operations on March 13 with Costa Smeralda, which will sail guests to some of Italy's most beautiful destinations with 3- and 4-day mini-cruises, or a 7-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari,” it said in a statement.