The second cruise of Costa Cruises on the Persian Gulf lasted no more than 5 days. We found out why the liner suddenly found itself in Dubai, whether passengers can go ashore, what tourists decided for themselves and whether the next cruise will take place.
The Costa Firenze liner of Costa Cruises had to interrupt its New Year programme in the Persian Gulf in early January, returning to the port of Dubai.
This was the liner’s second cruise in these waters, which began and was scheduled to last 11 days. The first cruise started on 17 December from the newest port of Dubai Harbour and sailed for 12 days.
Both cruises were to visit several ports in the UAE and sail to Oman. Qatar was originally scheduled to be on the programme, but it never opened to cruise tourists. Unfortunately, on the New Year cruise, the Costa Firenze only made it to the port of Abu Dhabi. Already on 1 January, passengers received a message from the company’s management saying that security measures had been strengthened due to the spread of the coronavirus and its new strain Omicron, and that boarding rules had been tightened in many ports.
“Some stops en route could jeopardise the cruise experience, if not the continuation of the itinerary itself,” the statement said.
In effect, this meant a complete change of programme and no visits to other ports. Already on 2 January, the liner returned to Dubai, where it was supposed to stay until January, the end of the cruise.
HOW THE PASSENGERS FEEL ON THE BOAT
The liner is now still in Dubai and is being used as a floating hotel. Tourists are provided with the necessary services, and Costa Cruises said they are “regularly disembarked and taken on excursions.”
The company commented that shore excursions in Dubai are free, and that funds for excursions purchased for Khor Al Fakkan and Sir Bani Yas ports will be reimbursed to customers. As a bonus, Costa guarantees an on-board credit of €300 per person (maximum €600 per cabin).
Nevertheless, some tourists have already left the liner. Among them are our compatriots.
“There are tourists from our company on this cruise, some of them decided to disembark, and some will stay until the end,” Ilya Milititsky, director of cruise tour operator Breeze Line, told ATOR Herald.
How the remaining days will be compensated in case of voluntary interruption of the cruise is not yet clear – according to Mr Milititsky, Costa Cruises has not yet received such information.
However, there may be quite a lot of people who want to interrupt their cruise. According to reports on social networks, tourists are experiencing real disappointment, and full services and entertainment on the liner, standing in the harbour, can not be provided anyway.
Possible cause – Omicron outbreak
According to some observers, the real reason for the sudden change in the cruise programme is an Omicron outbreak on board the Costa Firenze, the extent of which is unknown.
At least that’s what some foreign media are reporting, citing their own sources. These reports also say that the shipping company will conduct appropriate checks to stop the disease.
Costa Cruises is not making any official statements, but its representatives emphasise that “the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew members and local communities are a top priority”.
Recall that similar outbreaks of the new Omicron strain have already been recorded in early January on other cruise ships. There were media reports about the German ship Aida Nova, which was detained in Lisbon due to the discovery of omicron in crew members, as well as similar problems in passengers of the MSC Grandiosa liner in Marseille. The Brazilian health agency Anvisa also warned about the danger of the virus on 2 January, and actually urged its citizens to refuse cruises for the next few days. Earlier, the CDC announced a sharp increase in the number of omicron infections of passengers on liners in U.S. territorial waters. Because of omicron back in December, three major cruise companies – Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian – returned the requirement to wear masks on board (previously vaccinated passengers could walk without them in some areas). And Royal Caribbean even suspended sales of cruises departing in mid-January due to the threat of the new strain.
The next cruise on the Costa Firenze is due to start this Friday, and so far there have been no changes to its start date. “The cruise company has not cancelled the cruise for January at the moment and everything remains on track. But we are waiting to see if there will be any new information on it,” said Ilya Milititsky from Breeze Line. Tourists, like all other market participants, remain in limbo. The main question that worries future passengers is whether they will not find themselves again in the position of guests of a “floating hotel” and what ports they will eventually be able to visit if the liner does go to sea. There is a good chance that the future cruise will take place only within the UAE – according to some reports in social networks, Oman is closed for Costa Cruises liners until 13 January. Incidentally, such itineraries are now already being offered by another tour operator in the Gulf – MSC Cruises on the liner MSC Virtuosa. The liner’s closest launch is scheduled for 8 January, and there is no information about any changes at this time. This liner recognises the vaccine Sputnik-V and is therefore available to our compatriots.
