By
Rebecca Gibson |
Costa Cruises’ Costa Luminosa achieved full marks in a recent inspection conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDC inspections are part of the Vessel Sanitation Program, which was introduced in the early 1970s and is required for all passenger ships that call at a US port. Conducted twice a year, the unannounced public health inspections and evaluate ships according to 48 different categories including adherence to hygienic food handling, preparation and storage procedures; overall galley cleanliness; and the quality of the ship’s potable water supplies, shipboard personnel and the ship as a whole. Scores can range from 0 to 100.
Costa Luminosa’s inspection was held on 20 December during a turnaround call at PortMiami. It marked the 12th time since 2001 that a Costa ship has received maximum marks from the CDC.
“Achieving a perfect score on the vessel sanitation inspection is a tribute to the dedication and hard work of the crew and officers of Costa Luminosa,” said Ruben Perez, general manager of Costa Cruises North America. “The 100 score is indicative of the overall attention to detail and commitment to the highest service standards that are at the core of Costa’s Italian-style cruise product.”
The 92,600gt Costa Luminosa, which was built by Fincantieri at its Marghera yard in Italy, entered service in 2009 and will homeport at PortMiami until 17 March 2015. The ship will sail ten-day Caribbean roundtrips from the port, calling at Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; and Nassau, Bahamas.