Like her sister ship Costa Concordia, Costa Serena is the largest vessel flying the Italian flag.

She is 112,000 tons and 290 metres in length, with 1,500 cabins and total guest capacity of 3,780.

Built at FincantieriÕs yard in Genoa Sestri Ponente (Italy), Costa Serena entered service on May 26, 2007, having been christened on May 19 in Marseille.

Costa Serena features all the main innovations offered by sister ship Costa Concordia.

• Samsara Spa, the largest wellness center ever built on a cruise ship (over 2,100 sqm). The number of Samsara cabins, i.e. those with direct access to the Spa, increases to 99 (there are 67 on the Costa Concordia), comprising 87 staterooms and 12 suites, thus offering even more cruises dedicated to wellness
• Two swimming pools with a sliding glass roof, one astern and the other at mid-ship on the same deck. In addition, the central pool area will be fitted with a giant 18 sqm movie screen, which can be used for daytime projection of video clips as well as night-time film screenings
• Totally authentic Grand Prix driving simulator, the most accurate representation of F1 ever

The menus in Costa SerenaÕs a la carte restaurant will be devised by the Italian culinary innovator Ettore Bocchia, executive chef at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio and a Michelin-starred restaurateur.

The interiors of the ship are designed by American architect Joe Farcus, the central theme being Greek and Roman mythology; this will be apparent in the numerous works of art onboard.

CostaÕs new flagship set sail from Venice on her maiden cruise on May 26, 2007. Every Sunday between June and November 2007, Costa Serena departs from the port of the city of canals on seven-day cruises calling at Bari, Olympia (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey), and Dubrovnik (Croatia).

In winter 2007/2008 Costa Serena will offer 10 and 11-day cruise vacations to the Canary Islands.