''Costa Serena'' is a for the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

cruise line A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships that operate on ocean or rivers and which markets cruises to the public. Cruise lines are distinct from passenger lines which are primarily concerned with transportation of passengers. Though ...

, Costa Crociere. The name Serena was intended to symbolize harmony and serenity. ''Costa Serena'' was constructed by

Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

Sestri Ponente Sestri Ponente is an industrial suburb of Genoa in northwest Italy. It is part of the Medio Ponente ''municipio'' of Genoa. Geography It is situated on the Ligurian Sea four miles to the west of the city, between Pegli and Cornigliano. Its pop ...

. She had an older sister ship, , 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 in 2014. Two sister ships and were launched in 2009 and 2011 with launched in 2012. ''Costa Serena''s godmother is

Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress, film producer, singer, and environmentalist who is widely known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters in both European and Hollywood productions. She has received ...

Construction and career

19 May 2007 marked the day of ''Costa Serena''s inaugural event. The event was held in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and featured fireworks and a laser show. At the same time as the actual inauguration, Costa held an inaugural event in the virtual world of ''

Second Life ''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...

''. 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 Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

year-round.

2020 COVID-19 outbreak

Fifteen passengers aboard ''Costa Serena'' on 24 January were suspected to have SARS-CoV-2. The ship arrived at its destination,

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, on 25 January. Quarantine officials boarded the ship to screen all passengers and crew member, and found 17 people with fevers. All tests returned negative later that day, and everyone was ordered to disembark and have their photographs and temperatures taken as an additional precaution.

In popular culture

In 2007 ''Costa Serena'' was used for the setting of the movie

Natale in Crociera ''Natale in crociera'' () is a 2007 Italian comedy film directed by Neri Parenti Neri Parenti (born 26 April 1950, in Florence) is an Italian film director and writer. He is known for comedy films, including the series starring Paolo Villaggio ...

. In 2009 ''Costa Serena'' and her crew was featured in the six-episode

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...

documentary series ''Cruise Ship Diaries.''

References

External links

* {{Concordia class Ships of Costa Cruises Ships built in Genoa Ships built by Fincantieri 2006 ships