Costa Luminosa Scores Perfect 100 on Vessel Sanitation Inspection

Jan 21, 2015 2:15 PM ET

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., January 21, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Costa Cruises’ Costa Luminosa scored a perfect 100 in a recent inspection conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The inspection was held Dec. 20 during a turnaround call at Miami, Costa Luminosa’s homeport during the winter 2014-15 season.

The CDC inspections are part of the Vessel Sanitation Program, which was introduced in the early 1970s and applies to all cruise ships calling at a U.S. port. The unannounced inspections are conducted by officials from the United States Public Health Service twice a year. The score, on a scale from 1 to 100, is assigned on the basis of a comprehensive checklist with some 48 areas of hygiene and sanitation assessment, including food storage and preparation, water, shipboard personnel and overall cleanliness of the ship.

“Achieving a perfect score on the vessel sanitation inspection is a tribute to the dedication and diligence of the crew and officers of Costa Luminosa,” said Ruben Perez, general manager of Costa Cruises North America. “The 100 score is emblematic of the overall attention to detail and commitment to the highest service standards that are the core of Costa’s Italian-style cruise product.”

This is the 12th time since 2001 that a Costa Cruises ship has received maximum marks from the CDC.

The 92,600-ton Costa Luminosa was built by Fincantieri at Marghera, Italy, and entered service in 2009. Through March 17, 2015, Costa Luminosa sails 10-day cruises in the Caribbean roundtrip from Miami, calling at Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; and Nassau, Bahamas.