Costa Serena

Costa Serena in Istanbul, 2010
History
NameCosta Serena
OwnerCarnival Corporation & plc
OperatorCosta Crociere
Port of registry Italy, Genoa
Ordered1 October 2004
Cost€450 million (£372 million, US$570 million)
Yard number6130
Laid down1 February 2005
Launched4 August 2006
Completed9 March 2007
In service2007–present
Identification
StatusIn service
Notes[1][2]
General characteristics
Class and typeConcordia-class cruise ship
Tonnage
  • 114,147 GT
  • 87,196 NT
  • 10,000 DWT
Length289.59 m (950 ft 1 in)
Beam35.5 m (116 ft 6 in)
Draught8.30 m (27 ft 3 in)
Depth14.18 m (46 ft 6 in)
Deck clearance2,908 mm (114.5 in)
PropulsionTwo shafts; fixed-pitch propellers
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Capacity3,700 passengers
Crew1,100
Notes[1][3]

Costa Serena is a Concordia-class cruise ship for the Italian cruise line, Costa Crociere. The name Serena was intended to symbolize harmony and serenity.

Costa Serena was constructed by Fincantieri in Sestri Ponente. She had an older sister ship, Costa Concordia, launched in 2005. The ship, along with her three active sisters, was the largest and longest in the Costa Crociere fleet until being surpassed by the Costa Diadema in 2014. Two sister ships Costa Pacifica and Costa Favolosa were launched in 2009 and 2011 with Costa Fascinosa launched in 2012. Costa Serena's godmother is Marion Cotillard.[4]

Construction and career

19 May 2007 marked the day of Costa Serena's inaugural event. The event was held in Marseille, France, and featured fireworks and a laser show.[5] At the same time as the actual inauguration, Costa held an inaugural event in the virtual world of Second Life.[6]

In 2015, she re-positioned to Shanghai to sail year-round cruises from China visiting ports in Japan and South Korea. These sailings are catered for Chinese guests and are only bookable through Chinese travel agencies. Costa Serena currently sails from Shanghai year-round.

2020 COVID-19 outbreak

Main article: COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships

Fifteen passengers aboard Costa Serena on 24 January were suspected to have SARS-CoV-2.[7] The ship arrived at its destination, Tianjin, China, on 25 January.[7] Quarantine officials boarded the ship to screen all passengers and crew member, and found 17 people with fevers.[7] All tests returned negative later that day, and everyone was ordered to disembark and have their photographs and temperatures taken as an additional precaution.[7]

2023 Ship restarting

Chartered for the entire 2023/2024 season, the Costa Serena is set sail from the port of Leam Chabang for a series of 4/5 day cruises, before moving on to Japan and South Korea in June 2023, offering a series of short cruises dedicated to the local market.[8]

Costa Serena is all set to debut in the India market starting November 4th 2023, and will be the largest ship in Indian waters.[9]

In 2007 Costa Serena was used for the setting of the movie Natale in Crociera.

In 2009 Costa Serena and her crew was featured in the six-episode National Geographic Channel documentary series Cruise Ship Diaries.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Costa Serena". VesselTracker. 15 May 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  2. ^ "Costa Crociere's Fleet Continues to Grow Costa Serena Sister Ship of Costa Concordia Launched Today in Genoa – The Two Largest Vessels in Italian" (Press release). Fincantieri. 4 August 2006. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  3. ^ Costa Serena Ship's website. Retrieved 24 July 2010
  4. ^ "Fincantieri Delivers the Twelfth Flagship of Costa Crociere's Italian Fleet Costa Serena the Gods' Ship" (Press release). Fincantieri. 15 May 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  5. ^ Anita Dunham-Potter (11 June 2007). "Ciao, Serena". ExpertCruiser. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  6. ^ "Costa to Host 'Virtual' Costa Serena Inaugural". TravelPulse. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d "To make better decisions, you need to see the big picture".
  8. ^ "Costa Serena Sets Sail to Singapore Ahead of Asia Restart - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". cruiseindustrynews.com/. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  9. ^ Mumbai, Disha Shah Ghosh- (19 June 2023). "Costa Serena to home port in Mumbai, sailings to start from Nov 4 - TravelBiz Monitor: India travel news, travel trends, tourism". Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Cruise Ship Diaries". NatGeoTV. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2011.