The Costa Serena recently completed a short season serving the domestic cruise market in the Philippines.

As part of a charter operation, the Costa Cruises vessel offered two visa-free cruises for the market in early March.

Sailing roundtrip from Manila, the first cruise sailed from the port on March 1, 2025. The five-night itinerary to Taiwan and Japan featured visits to two destinations: Keelung and Ishigaki.

The Serena then returned to Manila for a five-night cruise that featured a two-day visit to Hong Kong in addition to two days at sea.

According to local news, the Eva Macapagal Super Terminal served as the official check-in area for passengers.

The operation was closely coordinated by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) with the backing of other government agencies and private partners.

Over 20 shuttle buses were used to carry passengers of the 3,000-guest ship, The Manila Times said in a report.

Six trucks handled roughly 7,000 pieces of luggage, the website added, while traffic measures were adopted by local authorities to ensure smooth port operations.

Upon completing its homeporting season in the Philippines, the Costa Serena repositioned to the Far East for short cruises to Japan and Taiwan.

The 2007-built ship is currently offering itineraries departing from various ports, including Naha, Kaohsiung, Sasebo and Fukuoka.

As part of its year-round deployment in Asia, the Costa Serena is also scheduled to offer longer cruises departing from Hong Kong and Tokyo during the 2025-26 winter.

Sailing to Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines, the 15-day itineraries are available from November 21, 2025, through January 30, 2026.

Built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the Costa Serena first entered service in the Mediterranean in 2007.

After sailing in Europe and South America for nearly ten years, the 112,000-ton ship was repositioned in Asia in 2015.