Costa to resume cruising in the Mediterranean in September with two ships

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 13 August 2020 13 August 2020

Following the approval on 11 August by the Italian government of the resumption of cruises and the new health protocol, Costa Cruises is planning to restart its operations from Italian ports gradually in September with two ships, the company said in a statement.

However, other operations will be paused until the end of the month to ensure compliance with a new decree on health protocols.

“The return to cruising will be progressive, involving an increasing number of ships. The first ship to set sail will be Costa Deliziosa, on September 6, 2020, offering weekly cruises from Trieste to discover the most beautiful destinations in Greece. She will be followed by Costa Diadema, on September 19, 2020, operating seven-day cruises in Western Mediterranean from Genoa to experience the best of Italy and Malta,” the company said.

From the entry into force of the new decree by the Italian government, Costa Cruises is working with Flag State authorities and the destinations to ensure a responsible, smooth and well-organized application of the new regulations and protocols, in close cooperation with the local institutions, health authorities, harbour master's offices, ports and terminals, and RINA. Consequently, further details on the Costa Deliziosa and Costa Diadema itineraries will be announced in the coming days.

As the gradual implementation of these protocols is completed on board and ashore, the company must extend the pause of its cruise season until September 30, 2020, except for the above-mentioned departures of Costa Deliziosa (September 6, 13, 20, 27) and Costa Diadema (September 19). Costa is informing the impacted guests and travel agents. They will be guaranteed a reprotection in accordance with the applicable legislation. These cruises are available for Italian guests only.

Costa Cruises has developed the Costa Safety Protocol for its fleet, including new operating procedures in response to the Covid-19 situation.

Supported by a panel of independent scientific experts in public health coordinated by V.I.H.T.A.L.I. (Value in Health Technology and Academy for Leadership and Innovation), a spin-off of the Università Cattolica of Rome, the Costa Safety Protocol is consistent with the health protocols defined by the Italian government and European (EU Healthy Gateways) authorities.

Silversea unveils new expedition collection

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 11 August 2020 11 August 2020

Silversea Cruises today affirms its destination leadership by unveiling a revised collection of 157 new expedition voyages. Departing from January 2021 to July 2022, the revised voyages have been designed by the cruise line’s destination experts to preserve and enhance the characteristically diverse array of experiences on offer to guests, pushing boundaries in ultra-luxury expedition travel.

The enhanced expedition offering includes pioneering itineraries in the Galapagos aboard new ship Silver Origin, the unprecedented Deep Antarctica expedition and the first-ever ultra-luxury fly-cruise to Antarctica, a 51-port Arctic grand voyage, and the world’s first-ever expedition world cruise, among other immersive experiences.

Enjoying 12 maiden calls while journeying aboard Silversea’s four expedition ships, guests will travel deeper through the following expedition experiences as part of the new voyage collection:

– BRAND NEW ITINERARIES IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ABOARD SILVER ORIGIN
To further enhance guests’ destination experience in the Galapagos Islands, 68 new voyages aboard Silver Origin will incorporate five maiden calls, including the beautiful island of Santa Fe. The iconic islands of Fernandina and Isabela now feature on both itineraries, and each will include improved programs ashore. Guests will have more opportunities to admire the iconic wildlife species of the archipelago, including the Galapagos Penguin, green sea turtles, endemic iguanas, and many remarkable bird species. Silver Origin will build on Silversea’s multi-award-winning cruise experience in this unique region, forming meaningful connections between travelers and the destination. Aboard Silver Origin, guests will enjoy the highest expert guide-to-guest ratio (1:10) and the highest Zodiac-to-guest ratio (1:12.5) in the region.

– JOURNEYING TO EXTREME LATITUDES ON THE DEEP ANTARCTICA EXPEDITION
Silversea’s longest-ever voyage to Antarctica, travelers will embark on the cruise line’s first-ever voyage dedicated to attempting to cross the Antarctic Polar Circle on a 20-day exploration of the White Continent, departing January 27th, 2022. Part of an enriched 35-voyage Antarctica season, the Deep Antarctica expedition will take guests to unprecedented latitudes in the history of Silversea, with Silver Explorer proposing to reach an impressive 69°S. Guests aboard Silver Explorer will venture to Marguerite Bay and potentially even as far south as the Bellingshausen Sea, a spectacular and seldom visit area of the Antarctic Peninsula. Following Silver Explorer’s dry dock period, guests will enjoy the highest expert-to-guest and Zodiac-to-guest ratios in the region with 14 Zodiacs and a dedicated team of 14 world-class expedition staff.

– THE FIRST EXPEDITION WORLD CRUISE IN HISTORY: THE UNCHARTED WORLD TOUR
Now setting sail on January 25th, 2022, Silversea’s 167-day Uncharted World Tour <https://www.silversea.com/destinations/world-cruise/world-cruise-expedition-2022.html> will be the first Expedition World Cruise in history. The pioneering voyage will take adventurous travelers across 21 oceans and seas, calling in 107 remarkable destinations in 20 countries. Enriching the experience for guests, 70 leading experts and 20 guest speakers will join the voyage, sharing their insight as Silver Cloud travels to some of the most remote locations on earth.

– ANTARCTICA BRIDGE: THE WORLD’S FIRST ULTRA-LUXURY FLY-CRUISE TO ANTARCTICA
Silversea’s guests will enjoy even greater diversity in the cruise line’s Antarctica offering, with the launch of Antarctica Bridge <https://www.silversea.com/lp-antarctica-bridge.html>, the world’s first ultra-luxury fly-cruise to the White Continent. With the option of an all-inclusive nine-night fly-cruise option aboard Silver Explorer, travelers now have greater choice in the duration of their Antarctic expedition, as well as the destinations they visit, with immersive experiences in the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, the Ross Sea, and the Subantarctic Islands included in the cruise line’s enriched Antarctica collection.

– SILVERSEA’S FIRST-EVER ARCTIC GRAND VOYAGE
Departing 16 July 2021, Silver Cloud will embark on Silversea’s first Arctic Grand Voyage <https://www.silversea.com/destinations/grand-voyages-cruise/grand-voyage-2021-arctic.html>, unlocking unforgettable experiences for guests in 51 destinations across seven countries. Journeying on through some of the world’s remotest waters over 63 days, while enjoying exclusive events and an impressive line-up of guest speakers, Silversea’s guests will discover many once-in-a-lifetime experiences on the all-inclusive Arctic Grand Voyage. As part of an enriched Arctic season, guests will also retrace the route taken by famous explorers of yesteryear during an intrepid Northwest Passage crossing, as well as embarking upon incredible new sailings in Svalbard aboard Silver Cloud.

Also included in Silversea’s new collection of expedition voyages for 2021/2022 are 10 voyages in Northern Europe, with five sailings departing from various ports in the British Isles and two voyages to the Norwegian Fjords; a wide selection of in-depth expeditions in Australia’s Kimberley Region, as well as Southeast Asia and Melanesia; seven exceptional voyages to the South Pacific Islands; a variety of options in South America, including two spectacular itineraries to the Chilean Fjords; and the chance to discover Alaska and the American West Coast; and more.

“Our industry-leading destination experts have worked hard to enhance our expedition offering for 2021 and 2022, providing our guests with an unprecedented choice of immersive experiences, from the Arctic to Antarctica and the most incredible places in between,” says Conrad Combrink, Silversea Cruises’ SVP of Expeditions, Turnaround Operations and Destination Management. “Highlighted by the launch of our new ship Silver Origin, which will be the most elegant ship to welcome guests in the Galapagos Islands, our new itineraries push boundaries and underpin our leadership in the ultra-luxury and expedition travel segments.”

Silversea’s guests will embark upon these enriched voyages aboard the cruise line’s fleet of ultra-luxury expedition ships—two of which will see further enhancements in 2021. Silver Explorer <https://www.silversea.com/ships/silver-explorer.html> will offer an even more immersive and personalized expedition experience with an increased number of Zodiacs and expedition members on-board. Silver Wind <https://www.silversea.com/ships/silver-wind.html>, meanwhile, will be converted into an ice-class ship; her maiden voyages in polar waters will strengthen Silversea’s expedition activity with even greater variety.