Cruising in the days of Covid-19: you never want to get off

Forget the images of the Diamond Princess and its captain Gennaro Arma, the cruises were able to reprogram the entire "operating system" And safely departed again.

Costa Smeralda, Italy's largest passenger ship and flagship of the Costa Crociere fleet, has been sailing again for less than a month, and the health protocol devised by the company based in Genoa and home port in Savona is a masterpiece.

Nothing is left to chance, of course everything is perfectible, but what you see from the moment you set foot in the Palacrociere at the Savona dock is a strategy that has only one purpose: to bring confidence back to all travelers.

The biggest problem for all the world's companies, but particularly for those operating in the European market, was to make people forget what happened when the pandemic broke out, "ghost" ships where passengers were imprisoned and ports refused to let passengers dock.

Today, with cruises having restarted only in the Mediterranean, the situation has changed, and on board, as on land, nothing is the same as before.

Of course, boarding procedures in Savona, in the yellow funnel company's home port, have changed. From the very first gate the attention to mask and temperature is manic. All passengers reach the outside terminal, drop their luggage, and head for the checkpoints. After a recheck of documents and temperature they enter the terminal, waiting for a quick interview (based on self-certification of health status sent by the night before to the company) and swabbing.

In the meantime, passengers are divided into small groups: at this point, "micro bubbles" are created and no more people can enter/exit while waiting for the outcome of the test.

Speakers and attendants remind people to wear protective equipment at all times, not to leave their waiting area, and not to interact with guests from another area. After about an hour, company attendants scan all boarding passes: at this stage, any passengers who tested positive for the rapid test would be turned away for re-testing.

When the green light to board arrives, all the waiting guests breathe a sigh of relief-the vacation can begin. Before arriving in the stateroom, however, more temperature checks, invitations to sanitize hands and lots of signage: because this, it's good to remember, is "a cruise in the time of Covid-19."

Instead, here is what has changed on board.

All "Immune"

Here the controversy over the tracking app, which has not had any luck in Italy, seems far away: on board Costa Cruises, in fact, one is constantly being tracked. The small pendant that is assigned to passengers is a system that performs the same function as the government app: you must wear it at all times, on board as well as on excursions.

The moment a passenger tests positive for coronavirus during the cruise, it will be possible to trace all of his or her case contacts, i.e., all passengers who have been "too close" to patient zero. Important: The system does not track travel but only contacts, fully respecting privacy.

Farewell to the buffet

Dear old self-service, one of the most beloved services among cruise passengers (and for some the only valid reason to vacation on a ship), is gone.

This will perhaps be the biggest challenge for designers and marketing strategists: what to do for ships under construction? Continue to design a space capable of accommodating more than 90% of passengers over the 3 services (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) or take the plunge and abandon everything in favor of table service, now mandated by anti covid measures?

Farewell to counter service

Here, too, the Covid-19 boon has cut off all counter service: goodbye coffee at the bar, as well as service inside the casino. Now it is mandatory to sit at one of the small tables and via QRCode enter the menu, choose and order from the waiter.

This is perhaps an even more painful change than the lack of a buffet: goodbye to a beer at the central bar counter while waiting for the rest of your fellow travelers, as well as a quick coffee on the way to the pool.

W table service

Of course, many will turn their noses up at it, but Covid has effectively put the passenger back at the center of the cruise: table service everywhere and thus more attention to guests (with coffee also comes an invitation to reserve your seat at the restaurant or at the Squok Club, Costa Cruises' kids center).

Welcome technology and goodbye paper

Of course, in some companies technology was already at home, in others it was not so impactful. Now from the app you can book the excursion, the restaurant, the massage.

Thanks to the app, one can consult the restaurant menu as well as know what the highlights of the day are. On the flip side, goodbye to paper: no more on-board paper program, menus and any other "printed" products.

On land as on board, there is no getting out of the bubble

Shore excursions are one of the pillars of a cruise. Before the pandemic, there were the official ones, which guaranteed you that the ship would not move without you, and the do-it-yourself ones, which were cheaper and more customizable but with no guarantee in case of unforeseen events.

Today everything has changed: the ship is a bubble so if you want to go ashore you agree to participate only in protected excursions organized by the company, and while you are on board you will not be allowed to misbehave, under penalty of having your Costa Card withdrawn and forbidden to re-board. For the occasion the company has created new excursions and planned a package of outings at a capped price as well as strong discounts for Costa Club members.

In conclusion

I have been on board for 36 hours and feel I can confirm that the bubble created to enable a safe vacation for passengers and a protected environment for workers is working. Of course, it is impossible to copy the organization in life on the ground, but some solutions could be implemented to make certain environments safer.

The only thing the company can't do much about is "rude" passengers who don't keep their distance, don't respect protocols, don't wash their hands. Just like in everyday life.

What's certain is that here after 6 p.m. you can go to the bar, the restaurants are open in the evening, and the night can be spent at the casino, theater, or pub-that's why you'd like the cruise to never end.

• Costa Cruises
• Emerald coast