Costa Sernena

The Costa Serena is the latest addition to the Costa Cruises fleet. Europe’s largest and most innovative liner, the Costa Serena is inspired by the gods of Classical Mythology.

Costa Cruises has invested around 450 million euros in the construction of the Costa Serena, which offers highly innovative facilities:

- Samsara Spa, one of the largest wellness centres ever built on a cruise ship (2154 m²). The number of Samsara cabins, i.e. those with direct access to the Spa, has increased to 99 (there are 67 on the Costa Concordia), including 12 suites, in response to the enormous popularity of this innovation;

- four swimming pools, two of which (one astern and the other amidships) fitted with a sliding glass roof, the central pool area being fitted with a giant 18m² movie screen. This is the largest enclosable pool area on any cruise ship (3500 m²), enabling use in any weather and ensuring ideal cruise holidays even in mid-winter in the Mediterranean, where the new flagship will be operating until the end of 2008;

- a totally authentic Grand Prix driving simulator, the most accurate representation of GP ever;

- menus in the Costa Serena’s “Club Bacco” à la carte restaurant devised by the Italian culinary innovator Ettore Bocchia, executive chef at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio and a Michelin restaurateur.

The interiors of the Costa Serena are designed by the ingenious American architect Joe Farcus, their central theme being Greek and Roman mythology. This is also the theme running through the many artworks on board (5990 works, including 440 originals), contributed by 34 international artists (Omar Galliani, Aldo Spoldi, Nicola Salvatore, Stefano Pizzi, Fernando De Filippi and Wal, among many others).

Starting from “L’Olimpo Spattacoloso” (Spectacular Olympus), a monumental artwork including 16 “Sculpture Costumes” by Alberto Nodolini (made using Rubelli-Lisio materials from the Sartoria Fiore), inspired by Roman Mythology, and installed in the Pantheon Atrium to make a stunning visual scene.

The delivery of the Costa Serena brings the number of ships in the Costa fleet, Europe’s largest and most advanced, to 12, with total capacity of approximately 23,200 berths in dual occupancy cabins.

Since 2003 Costa Cruises has invested a total of 3.5 billion euros in Italy, placing orders with Fincantieri for seven new ships, as part of a fleet expansion and upgrading programme worth almost 4.5 billion euros which was launched by the Italian Company in 2000.

By 2010, when the last of the new buildings is delivered, the Costa Cruises fleet will be 15 strong and have total capacity of over 30,800 passengers (in dual occupancy cabins).

The christening ceremony for the Costa Serena was held on May 19, 2007 in Marseilles with a very special guest as godmother for the occasion: the beautiful French actress Marion Cotillard, who is currently starring in her latest movie “La Vie en Rose”, a portrayal of the legendary French singer Edith Piaf.

The inaugural show, “Mediterranean Serenade”, was open to the city as a whole and  featured the ship in a playful “dialog” of colour and light with Marseille’s main monuments. Together with the actual christening itself, there was a parallel “virtual” event: the new Costa flagship made her debut on “Second Life”, the 3D Internet-based virtual world.

The Grand Inaugural Cruise departed from Venice on May 26 with an 8-day itinerary to Turkey and Greece via Bari (May 27). Every Sunday from June until November 2007 the Costa Serena will depart from the port of the city of canals on 7-day cruises calling at Bari, Olympia (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey), and Dubrovnik (Croatia). In winter 2007/2008 she will offer 10- and 11-day cruise vacations to the Canary Islands with departures from Savona.

http://www.costaserena.net/