Supplement to Travel Trade
July 2007

Costa Serena was inaugurated in Marseille on May 19, with some of the most spectacular fireworks ever seen anywhere, a fitting tribute to a ship whose decks are named for constellations — pictures made by the stars.
The twelfth member of the Costa fleet has more restrained colors and concepts than the line’s recent new ships, and it combines the theme of classical mythology with Fellini-esque touches that set the stage for Costa’s Italian magic to work.
Carnival Corp. chairman and CEO Micky Arison emphasized that the Costa product is Italian, not Italian-American. “If you love to dance, love Italian music and food, you can’t resist it,” he added.
Costa offers two distinct Italian cruise experiences at once: the Mediterranean ports of call and open sea along with the atmosphere on the ship itself. A cruise on the Costa Serena is a visit into classical Europe and its rich mythology, a direct experience of the Mediterranean spirit without the language barrier.
Costa Crociere CEO Pier Luigi Foschi called the Serena an “iconic” ship, one that will set an example, taking passengers to mythology and history through contemporary eyes.
“The ship has its secrets, its half-told stories and mysterious symbols,” he added, “that draw the passenger in and color a cruise with a different kind of enchantment.”
Themes of Greek and Roman mythology are combined with subtle illusion and distortion on the ship. For instance, slightly tilted mirrors make it look as though the banquettes in the Grand Bar Apollo climb up the wall. And there are purely surreal touches like the big yellow chairs outside the Lido restaurant with feathers coming out of their arms or the very attractive toadstool-like seats in the art gallery.
Then there are the soccer balls, defining space in the Victorian Sports Bar — tell your clients not to kick them (most passengers can’t resist); they’re anchored.
The atrium is named for the Pantheon, the Roman temple to all the gods, with a circular floor defined by a Classical linear pattern. The gods and goddesses rise up the sides of the atrium in the clouds, each figure emerging from the shadows dressed in gorgeous brocades. They can be seen from various vantage points at different levels of the ship.
As with earlier Costa ships, Serena’s atrium is used for gathering and for transformative, unusual performance. On the way to the inauguration, late risers were greeted with a trio of outstanding string players in full formal dress who were standing in the atrium, pouring out tunes ranging from the Marseillese to Hungarian rhapsodies as guests clapped their hands red.
One of the reasons passengers were late to rise was the disco. Costa’s discos are beyond lively; they’re Italian nightclubs. The Serena’s follows the model introduced on CostaAtlantica. A two-level glass tube filled with special effects, it is packed with dancers from about 2 a.m. until breakfast. Pan is fittingly in charge as the god of music, creativity and sensuality.
You really can’t mistake the Cupid Lounge; not only is the winged god pictured prominently, everything in sight is shaped like a heart.
The Serenea’s decks are named for mythic constellations from Cassiopeia. Aries and Orion to Taurus, Libra, Andromeda and Centaurus. Play and entertainment as well as stimulation of the mind are appropriately placed on Gemini, from the card room, casino and library to the Luna Show Lounge and shops, which showcase a number of unusual pieces including a surprising collection of ruby amber.
On the same level, the Minerva Piano Bar, named for the inventor of music, is alive with snaking yellow-green luminous stripes against dark, reflective surfaces, perfect for Minerva, who turned Medusa’s hair into deadly snakes and wore the symbol on her breastplate to strike terror into her foes.
The charming Luna Show Lounge buys the green cheese myth in its distinctly art deco swirling lines and curves.
The library, under the protection of Clio, the muse of history and epic poetry, has gorgeous banquettes with a muted red stripe and black silk arms and headrests; the whole theme here is exceptionally elegant in black, gold and soft red and the multilingual collection of books is very well chosen.
The one really contrasting space is the casino, which is dramatic, hard-edged and bright in red, black and green.
Where else but on the deck dedicated to Pegasus could you place the authentic Grand Prix racecar driving simulator, the same type used to train Formula One drivers? The deck of the freedom-loving winged horse, son of Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa, also houses the jogging track and the sports deck.
The Serena has four swimming pools; two — Urano and Sole — with a retractable magrodome for less than perfect weather. There’s also a giant movie screen at the central pool.
The theater, the biggest public space, is dedicated to Giove (Jove or Jupiter), with his stylized thunderbolts symbolizing the energy of the entertainment. Huge Italian Futurist-style figures stand on either side of the stage, but the coloring of the room is soft, with gentle shades of rust and green. Lighting in several alternative colors in the seating area changes the mood completely.
Greek vase paintings recur through the ship, from Amphora on the walls to bowl-like tables with the stylized paintings covered with glass along the Promenade near the specialty coffees. Even the front desk area is fascinating with its illuminated faces from mythology and images of the Sphinx.
The same classical theme was also applied to the 6,000 works of art that can be admired throughout the ship, contributed by 34 international artists including Omar Galliani, Aldo Spoldi, Nicola Salvatore and Stefano Pizzi, among many others.
In the extremely comfortable staterooms the classical images continue in lithographs depicting Icarus and other figures from mythology. Everywhere — in the staterooms, the public rooms and the gift shop — the ship glows with the gorgeous, unmistakable and thoroughly Italian Murano glass. Colors are rich, but gentle, and lighting, both artificial and natural, brings out the colors of the unusual pieces on the walls.
The world of Mediterranean mythology is so pervasive on the Serena that when you see the Olympus signs in the photo shop, you think of the home of the gods, not the camera.
An Asian island in the midst of classical Europe, the 23,000-square foot Samsara Spa is a reason in itself to sail on the ship. When the concept of dedicated spa staterooms and suites was introduced on the Concordia last year, it sent management of luxury hotels into conference. The idea was such a success and the spa accommodations sold out so quickly that Costa has increased the number of spa accommodations from 67 to 99 on the Serena.
Finding that the Samsara accommodations were generally reserved by couples, the designers eliminated the third and fourth berths for the Samsara stateroom customers, and set up tables for two throughout the dedicated restaurant for the same reason. Fares for these staterooms and suites run about 20% higher than the norm, and it is surely one of the great bargains in cruising.
Guests in Samsara rooms have boxes of Elemis hair and skincare amenities waiting for them; they also are given a pleasing Welcome Ritual, a package of treatments and services, an invitation to the Tea Ceremony, use of a private elevator into the two-deck spa area, two treatments of their choice, two fitness or meditation lessons, admission to the Relaxation Area with Solarium and UVA ray, and unlimited entry into the spa and its huge Thalassotherapy pool with its massaging jets of seawater.
Treatment rooms are unusually beautiful, with little gated gardens outside each looking past the tanning lounges to the sea. There are two large couples’ rooms with private Jacuzzis. In addition to the usual wraps, skincare and anti-aging treatments, there is a full menu of Ayurvedic treatments and Ayurvedic teas and the most recent innovations in tooth-whitening, priced much less than on land. There also are exceptional barbering treatments for men, with shaves and skincare, and a menu for teens. The huge heated Thalassotherapy Pool, presided over by giant and colorful Chinese Foo Dogs, has massaging jets of seawater.The ship’s fitness area is enormous and has a huge array of Techno-gym equipment, weights, cycles and full body aerobics machines. Classes are held in separate glass-walled sections of the space, which can be closed off completely with surrounding draperies for meditation classes, where privacy and quiet are crucial.
Classes — stretch and aerobic classes are complimentary and others, including yoga, spinning, Pilates mat work and music therapy have a small charge — are offered on a very high level. Samsara guests may reserve two of the fee classes free of charge; in the case where one person doesn’t choose to take a class, the other can have all four.
The same is true of treatments, with two complimentary ones designated for each person in the Samsara staterooms. The spa menu includes several kinds of massage, facials, body treatments and anti-aging choices. However, the most seductive of the quiet areas is the recovery area where many guests linger. Magnificent canopied beds whose soft curtains could be drawn around the relaxing guest for privacy were placed in a cool, dim room that seems to be in a separate world from the rest of the ship.
The private elevator for Samsara guests moves among the levels without taking the robed and slippered passengers into the public areas of the ship.
Samsara guests also have a table reserved at the Ristorante Samsara with its beautiful kimonos and a wellness menu supervised by Michelin starred chef Ettore Bocchia. Although the food is by no means ascetic, the portions are smaller and preparations lower in fat.

Like the rest of Serena’s passengers, Samsura guests can, of course, choose to eat in the two main dining rooms with open seating for breakfast and lunch, set seating and dining times at dinner. The Vesta and Ceres Restaurants both are rich in wood and feature outstanding pasta, seafood and other Mediterranean specialties. The attending artwork is striking. Outside Ristorante Ceres a tower of horses entertains guests waiting to be seated. A really outstanding dining choice is Club Bacco, the showcase of Ettore Bocchia’s innovative “molecular cuisine,” fresh, clean and delicious.
In the Lido Restaurant, the full variety of a cruise ship buffet is broken into a series of islands and the red/orange lighting draws a lot of attention as it takes the shape of flowers, tongues of flame and sea creatures.
The Serena sails Sundays from June through November 2007, departing on 7-night cruises calling in Bari, Olympia (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey), and Dubrovnik (Croatia). In winter 2007/2008 the Costa Serena will offer 10- and 11-night cruise vacations to the Canary Islands.