In designing a ship, Farcus begins with a central concept, then relates the details of the public rooms to that core concept. For the Carnival Triumph, the concept was special cities of the world. The Carnival Paradise salutes famous ships of the past, and the Fascination features Hollywood. Reflecting Farcus' interest in the humanities, the Elation revolves around creators and their creations, the Inspiration honors the Arts and the Imagination takes its theme from imaginary places
The focal point is a dizzying nine-deck-high atrium, this time called the Pantheon Atrium, with its glass elevators, boutique shops, grand staircase, daily musical performances, popular atrium bar, and mood lighting that morphs between reds to blues. Demigods perched atop clouds dressed in costumes culled from the wardrobe of a renaissance acting troupe keep watch over the passengers from above. Jupiter's head (or Kronos for fans of the Greek pantheon) in profile is omnipresent. His stolid gaze meets you everywhere: He stares at you from the walls, the majority of the doors and all the elevator doors. The public rooms are named after Roman deities/demigods: The Grand Bar Apollo, Mercury Salon and the Jupiter Theater, complete with dazzling neon thunderbolts.
But whether the theme is "Roman Mythology," designed to capture "an unfolding of our Western civilization" (as designer Joe Farcus noted) or pays homage to places in time, Farcus brings his trademark neon explosion to Serena. A designer deriving obvious inspiration from the haphazard Jackson Pollock, Farcus' modus operandi seems to be to throw as many disparate ingredients into a massive cauldron as he can, mix and serve (often without first tasting himself). Take for instance the buffet venue, with its endless number of glowing fire orange chili peppers, glossy dark wood tabletops inlaid with white ovals or rectangles, chairs upholstered with a hypnotic orange and brown spiral pattern, solidly square-patterned carpeting with zig-zagging aquamarine lines throughout, and cream columns with orange accents tied together by brick Roman arches. There are simply so many style elements, it's hard to know where to look. It's a bit of an assault on the senses. The design goal aboard Serena, much the same as all of Farcus' work, is to inspire the "wow" factor -- be it a wow of divine approval, or a wow of something less flattering.
