Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 (Berlitz Cruise Guide) (2016)
Costa Serena
★★★+
Berlitz’s Ratings
Ship: 380 out of 500
Accommodation: 143 out of 200
Food: 245 out of 400
Service: 266 out of 400
Entertainment: 64 out of 100
Cruise: 265 out of 400
Overall Score: 1363 out of 2000
Costa Serena Statistics
Size: Large Resort Ship
Tonnage: 114,147
Lifestyle: Standard
Cruise Line: Costa Cruises
Former Names: none
IMO Number: 9343132
Builder: Fincantieri (Italy)
Original Cost: €475 million
Entered Service: May 2007
Registry: Italy
Length (ft/m): 952.0/290.2
Beam (ft/m): 116.4/35.5
Draft (ft/m): 27.2/8.3
Propulsion/Propellers: diesel-electric (34,000kW)/2 azimuthing pods
Passenger Decks: 13
Total Crew: 1,090
Passengers (lower beds): 3,000
Passenger Space Ratio (lower beds): 38.0
Passenger/Crew Ratio (lower beds): 2.7
Cabins (total): 1,500
Size Range (sq ft/m): 482.2-179.7/44.8-16.7
Cabins (for one person): 0
Cabins (with private balcony): 575
Cabins (wheelchair accessible): 12
Wheelchair accessibility: Good
Cabin Current: 110 and 220 volts
Elevators: 14
Casino (gaming tables): Yes
Slot Machines: Yes
Swimming Pools: 2
Hot Tubs (on deck): 5
Self-Service Launderette: No
Dedicated Cinema/Seats: No
Library: Yes
Onboard currency: Euros
Really upbeat Italian decor and style, for family cruising
Overview. Costa Cruises does a good job of providing first-time cruise passengers with a well-packaged holiday that is a mix of sophistication and basic fare.
The Ship. Costa Serena absorbs passengers well and won’t feel too crowded - except on the open decks. The delightful interior design is themed around the heavens and astrology.
There are three decks full of bars and lounges plus lots of other public rooms. This ship has a nine-deck-high glass-domed atrium lobby with four panoramic elevators providing great views.
The Casino is large and glitzy, but always lively and entertaining; slot machines occupy a separate area from gaming tables. There’s also a very small library, an Internet-connect center, card room, art gallery, and video game room, together with several other bars and lounges, plus a chapel.
From December 2014, the ship sails year-round from Shanghai, China.
Accommodation. There are numerous price grades, from two-bed interior cabins to grand suites with private balcony, although in reality there are only three different sizes: suites with balcony, two- or four-bed outside-view cabins, and two- or four-bed interior cabins. Eight Grand Suites comprise the largest accommodation.
Dining. There are two main dining rooms: the 1,125-seat Ceres, located aft, and the 775-seat Vesta, amidships. Tables for two to eight are allocated according to your accommodation grade and location, in one of two seating times. These dining rooms offer traditional cruise fare that is best described as banquet-style food.
Two 84-seat Samsara Restaurants are for those seeking spa food with reduced calories, fat and salt. Menu creations are under the direction of dietary consultant and Michelin-starred chef Ettore Boccia, known for his molecular Italian cuisine. This venue is open for lunch and dinner to those in Samsara-grade suites and cabins, and to anyone else for dinner only at an extra daily or weekly charge.
Other dining options. The 90-seat Bacco Club Restaurant is an upscale, intimate, extra-cost, reservations-required restaurant. The Promotea Buffet Restaurant is a self-serve eatery. The food in this venue is repetitive, and a source of passenger complaints. The Caffeteria is the place to go for decent Italian coffees and Italian pastries (extra cost).
Entertainment. The three-deck-high 1,287-seat Giove Theater is the venue for all production shows and large-scale cabaret acts. Typically, it presents revue-style shows performed by a small troupe of resident artists.
Spa/Fitness. Samsara Spa occupies 23,186 sq ft (2,154 sq m) of space, spread over two decks. It includes a fitness room, saunas, steam rooms, UVB solarium, changing rooms, and treatment rooms.