Costa Serena and her sister ship Costa Concordia, are the largest and longest ships in the fleet. The prestigious Samsara Spa spreads over two decks and will be a haven of wellness and relaxation. The beautiful Samsara Suites have direct access to the Spa. Over 500 cabins will have balconies. Choose from 13 bars and 5 restaurants. There are 4 swimming pools, two with retractable glass roofs. The decks are spacious and panoramic, and the stylish public areas are designed with your comfort and relaxation in mind.

Costa Serena is casual, with informal style and no need for tuxedos. The two of four pools feature retractable roofs, great for winter cruises, it has an industry-first Formula One race-car driving simulator. It’s certainly one of the best family cruises.

Dining

Dinner times reflect Southern European culture: 7:30 p.m. for the early sitting and 9:30 p.m. for the late.

There are two main dining rooms, Vesta at the centre of the ship and Ceres at the aft, allocated according to the location of your cabin. Each spans two decks. I preferred Ceres (at the aft end of the ship) as it has lovely views of the ship’s wake. The menu in each is the same, typically, three appetisers, two pastas, two soups, three main courses and a couple of salads.

Food was average with a dash of surprisingly good; the pastas, risottos and soups were excellent (particularly a stunning cheese risotto and a rich tomato soup), but salads indifferent and surprisingly small, and mains inconsistent. Veal is a big favourite of Italians and featured regularly. Fish tended to come with cream or wine-based sauces. My companion ate lamb or beef most nights, but struggled to find anything memorable.

Both restaurants are also open for breakfast and lunch, with waiter service and open seating.

Public Rooms

The overall theme of Costa Serena is Greek and Roman mythology, which becomes apparent the minute you enter the nine-deck high atrium lobby, with gold moons and suns on metallic blue adorning the walls, and figures of gods, clad in outfits from the famous Verona Opera, gazing down from clouds suspended from the ceiling.

Deck 5 is the social hub of the ship, one long string of bars and lounges from forward to aft. Because each area has its own theme, it’s like walking through a series of scenes in a movie, with a crooner in one bar followed by the ker-ching of the casino and then, the flashing lights and thudding music of the disco. Specifics are provided in the Entertainment section.

Cabins

Costa Serena has 1,500 cabins, 575 of which have a balcony and 28 of which are designed for disabled guests.

Decor is calmer than elsewhere onboard, with warm woods and blue and apricot colours. My standard balcony cabin was a decent size — 220 square ft. — and laid out exactly like the cabins on the newer Carnival ships. Two big mirrors give a further illusion of space. One has a decoration of coloured Murano glass smack in the middle where your face would be if you’re anything over five feet six. There are no bathroom amenities at all apart from soap and shower stuff, although you can ask for shampoo and moisturiser.

Top marks for the 99 beautiful Samsara Spa cabins and suites, highly recommended if you plan to make good use of the spa. These have bamboo-effect doors and restful decor — orchids in vases, calming colours combined with more sumptuous bedding than the standard cabins, as well as eco-cotton bathrobes, herbal teas and a lovely box of Elemis goodies in the bathroom. The spa cabin package includes a welcome consultation, two spa treatments, two classes, two tanning sessions, dining in the Samsara restaurant and unlimited access to the thermal suite.

Spa & Fitness

On the top decks, there are three main pools: one forward, with a waterslide; one at the centre, surrounded by a two-deck-high gallery and flanked by weird yellow Jacuzzis (this area has a retractable roof); and a supposedly adults-only pool at the aft, which was always full of children. There’s also a baby pool in the kids’ club on Deck 10.

The Samsara Spa on Costa Serena is gorgeous, festooned with beautiful shimmering tiles and various influences of feng shui – splashing water, wind chimes and teak Buddhas. There’s a huge variety of treatments, including proper ayurvedic therapies by a qualified practitioner and treatments tailored to men and couples. Individual rooms have private outdoor areas looking onto the solarium, where you can relax with herbal tea after your session.

Thirty five euros buys a day pass to the thermal suite. It’s expensive, but something of a sanctuary, particularly the big thalassotherapy pool, with bubbly beds and jets. There are two steam rooms (one with aromatic steam) and one big relaxation room with stone heated recliners and floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a rest area with Balinese day beds. A row of tanning beds looks out to sea, apparently popular with Italians in winter on cloudy days.

Family & Children

Being Italian, Costa carries huge numbers of children (800 on my cruise), who are catered for in the Squok Club on Deck 10. Being Italian, most of the passengers go nowhere near it and keep their kids with them all day, swarming over the pools and running around the ship.

Although babysitting is offered, late at night Deck 5 was packed with exhausted toddlers crashed out in buggies or slumped on tables.

In the club (Squok is its mascot, half dolphin, half shark), kids are divided into three groups: 3 – 6 year olds, 7 – 11 year olds and 12 – 16. There’s always an English-speaking counsellor on hand. Activities are pretty standard: treasure hunts, games, books, movies and computers. Rather sweetly, there is a children’s choir on the Christmas cruise.

source: costacruise.com, cruisecritic.com

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