22 July 15, 2007 escape THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH www.sundaytelegraph.com.au

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Revved up for aclassic sea sagaThe mighty Costa Serena is the latest vessel from Italy’s Costa Cruises.Roderick Eime finds himself in a floating temple dedicated to the gods.

Costa SerenaLaunched: May 2007.Home port: VeniceSize: Length 290m, cabins 1500,passengers 3780.Bookings: Mediterranean cruisesaboard Costa Serena, or any of theother Costa vessels throughout theworld, can be booked onwww.ecruising.travel or by phoneon 1300 369 848

CRUISING

THE G-forces thrust me back inthe tiny fibreglass cockpit and,with full acceleration down thelong straight, I’m approaching350km/h. My blood is coursingand (I’m sure) there is a tinge ofwhite to my knuckles.

Among itsmultitude of sensorydiversions, the new, 114,000 tonneCosta Serena (pronounced se-RAY-na) packs a state-of-artGrand Prix simulator where pas-sengers can immerse themselvesin high-adrenalin Formula 1 mo-tor racing.

Forget penny arcade amuse-ments. This mainframecomputer-driven test rig featuresa full sizeF1-style carmountedonpneumatic stilts that hurls theotherwise stationary vehiclethrough a series of stomach-turningmanoeuvres that realisti-cally synthesise the G-forces ex-perienced by race drivers underfull battle conditions.

‘‘I want guests to feel trans-formed by this vessel as soon asthey walk aboard,’’ says JosephFarcus, the US-born chief archi-tect forCostaCruises anddesign-er of all their vessels, ‘‘and I’vechosen classical mythology andnearly 6000 works of art as a wayto do that.’’

Just how Grand Prix racing,classical mythology and mega-ship cruising meld into one is acomplicated exercise, andnot onethat Farcus takes lightly. Hispersonal and devout interest inclassical Greco-Roman mythol-ogy is evident in each cornerof the ship.

Every bar, restaurant, nookand cranny carries the monikerof some god or demi-god and, attimes, it can be a bit overwhelm-ing. The decor is ‘‘modern classi-cal’’ to some and ‘‘Las VegasOver-the-Top’’ to others. Eitherway, it’s certainly in-your-face.

‘‘I wanted to capture the es-sence of cinemagraphic escap-ism, where guests can fantasiseabout being part of an epic, page-turning story,’’ Farcus continueswith conviction.

‘‘I’ve used the allegorical signif-icance of these classical divinitiesto create this. Costa guestsshould feel like gods themselves.’’

Here are just a few of hisimaginative examples: Jupiter,

the god of light and skies, giveshis name to the hi-tech theatre;Apollo, thegodofmusic and song,adorns the main bar and dancefloor; Venus, you guessed it,sponsors the beauty salon, whileGiano, the Romans’ two-faceddivinity, presides ominously overthe casino.

To have an American designships for a primary market ofdiscerning Europeans could bescoffed at by many, but theguests gathered from all overEurope and beyond for its launchseem unfazed.

Apart from the 100 octane

fantasy of the GP simulator, theother heavily weighted feature isthe Samsara wellness centre oc-cupying more than 2000sq mwhich offers a comprehensive listof massage, facial and self-real-isation therapies.

From a Sanskrit word suggest-ing a path to enlightenment, it isthe only heavenly reference notfrom Farcus’s beloved Greco-Roman thematic.

The concept is simple enough:a premium component to com-plement premium staterooms,dining and relaxation areas fora demanding high-end, high-spending clientele.

A Michelin starred chef in therestaurant, Club Bacco (namedafter the god Bacchus) completesthe premier experience.

Costa Serena’s vast range ofdining, entertainment and re-laxation facilities do not overlookthe younger market, either.Imaginative activities set aside

for toddlers, tweens and teeny-boppers range from waterslidesto wading pools and dedicatedclubrooms.

Italy’s Costa Cruises is notwidely known to most Australiancruisers, but that situation isabout to change.

Under the parentage of themassive Carnival Corporation,Costa is embarking on an ambi-tious global campaign that iscreeping closer to Australia.

Currently, their nearest homeport is Singapore, where the moremodest Costa Allegra is based,servicing the south-east Asian

marketswith local itineraries.Thefleetnowcomprises 12 shipswithafurther three under construction,each new vessel rivalling the1500-cabin Costa Serena for size,capacity and opulence.

T he piercing howl of theFormula 1 engine in thesimulator’s headphones

drives me on and I can feel a hotlap time developing.

I’m bucked sideways throughthe final chicane . . .

Oh, no! I’m going in too hardand I plant my foot on thebrakes. Nothing! The red warn-ing signs on the tyre barrierapproach at frightening speed,then impact! It’s an excruciat-ingly hard hit and my race —and probablymy virtual life — issnuffed out in an explosion ofpixels and computer-renderedcarbon fibre.

I sit there dazed, until a voicecrackles over the headphones.

‘‘Ah, sorry-a, we musta fixittathe brakes.’’ Alas, Victoria, thegoddess of victory, is fickle.

■ The writer was a guest ofecruising.travel and Costa Cruises.

Costa SerenaLaunched: May 2007.Home port: VeniceSize: Length 290m, cabins 1500,passengers 3780.Bookings: Mediterranean cruisesaboard Costa Serena, or any of theother Costa vessels throughout theworld, can be booked onwww.ecruising.travel or by phoneon 1300 369 848

Shipshape: Atrium of the Costa Serena, above; top, dining on board and testing the F1 simulator