The focus at Costa is on product innovation, building on the company’s Italian product with a new shore excursion program combined with its Sea Destination initiative, said Mario Zanetti, president.
Zanetti told Cruise Industry News that Sea Destinations have been a huge hit with guests. The program brings destinations alive with programming matched to ports.
“We brought the concept to the Caribbean and the Emirates this past winter and are rolling it out in Northern Europe this summer,” said Zanetti. “We are getting great guest feedback not only for the destinations but for the entire cruise when we offer them.”
Examples include the Costa Smeralda, sailing in the Western Mediterranean on weekly cruises. After leaving Barcelona, the first of the itinerary’s Sea Destinations will be reached: the darkest spot of the Balearic Sea, where the ship will be positioned to allow guests to enjoy a “Sea of Stars,” from an exclusive perspective.
Then arriving in the Capri Bay, guests will be greeted by a “Swing Symphony,” with a live concert happening while they enjoy a Capri breakfast with a view of the Faraglioni rocks lit by the first light of day. Onboard, Piazza di Spagna is transformed into a Capri-style town square
In Naples, guests will be able to discover the city by choosing “All of Naples,” a new shore excursion.
Finally, back onboard and while sailing, the ship will arrive in the heart of the Pelagos sanctuary, with the potential to see dolphins and humpback whales with an atmospheric light show, and an exclusive performance aboard.
A new shore excursion program has been another big change, as Costa has refined its offering and simplified it, said Zanetti, not reducing the scope but tweaking excursions to different groups of guests, including adding more tours aimed at smaller groups.
Fleet Changes
The Costa Fortuna will leave the fleet in the third quarter of 2026. That will lead to a domino impact, as the Serena will leave Asia and sail in South America for 2026-27 before repositioning to Europe.
Before that, however, the Serena, which has been positioned in Asia year-round, will enter drydock and be the last Costa ship to complete the brand’s fleet renewal program.
Following the drydock, the ship will back a number of longer itineraries for the brand in Asia, as opposed to the short cruises she was traditionally operating.
“We are upgrading areas on the ships to match the product we are offering,” said Zanetti.
The 2007-built Serena will get a new food court featuring the Archipelago and Pizzeria Pummid’Oro. In addition will be Sushino@Costa, as well as a fresh and modern design update for the ship’s other restaurant, a redesign of the pool area and bars, and a complete renovation of the suites aboard.
Core Markets
“Europe is our core market, as is South America, as we have a long legacy there,” Zanetti said. “When we talk about Europe, it’s Italy, France, Spain and the German-speaking countries. Of course, we also work everywhere around the globe.
“Our strategies are focused on our core markets, as that helps us prioritize our efforts and better innovate our product to serve these markets and match guest expectations in them.”
Among trends, Zanetti said customers were prioritizing experiences.
“New to cruise is important to us, and our Sea Destination concept is aimed at this, underlying experiences that we can focus on at sea, and only on Costa,” said Zanetti. “Having a unique experience is a way to attract the new-to-cruise and an attractive selling proposition.”
Zanetti likened the concept to the private islands in the Caribbean: an experience unavailable elsewhere.
Excerpt from the Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine Summer 2025
