Costa Diadema Review

Great Cruise and Value

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Costa Diadema
User Avatar
kwmansell
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Dec 2018

We already took a Costa cruise in the Adriatic sea and enjoyed it. So we decided to go on another Costa verses switching to another cruise line. We joined the Costa Club and had some perks for going again. We booked directly with Costa but used the Italian booking site. We received so many perks and extras for booking via the Italian site.

We had a Balcony Premium for 2 adults and 2 children.(8 and 12) it was a great amount of space. We weren't ontop of each other during the week etc. We brought our own 220V extension cord so we could plug in all our devices. The food was great. This boat had an option of "Open Seating" for one of the evening meals. Same menu as the "Fancy" service dinner, but quicker (it seemed) and I felt better for our family.

The service crew was amazing. My husband was practically a celebrity at the end of the cruise with many of them knowing his name and saying "Hi" around the boat. The crew was also helpful and wonderful to our children. The kids club had more international kids on our last cruise, this one had many Italian so my kids didn't do the club much, but it was a good size club space and activity schedule was great. It would be great for younger children.

Cabin Review

Cabin BP balcony premium

The cabin was a great size. There was space under the beds for our empty suitcases and extra shoes. There were 3 small drawers for socks, etc. The 2 closets had enough space for our heavy winter coats to be stored and hung our 2 adult sets of clothes for the week. There was a large drawer under the couch that we used for the kids clothes. This cabin had a heavy moveable table, that I didn't like at first, but it was very useful. This is our second cruise. So we bring 220V extension cords for our electronic (phones, tablets) Diadema also had a plug for 110V on the desk top. The TV has 2 USB ports and 2 HDMI ports on back if you need. The bathroom was a good size. We are not small people and we felt we had plenty of room for 2 adults and 2 children (12/8).

Port Reviews

Savona

Easy parking and NH Hotel right at port. Plenty to eat right infront of ship and sites are within walking distance.

Marseille

We took taxi into Old port. It was easy and safe. The main area isn't too far from ship. But not within walking distance. There were many many different places to eat in the Old port. There was a christmas market going on when we were there and it was nice. I felt safe with the French Govt taking security seriously in the area. English was easily spoken.

Barcelona

Barcelona was great. We took at cab from the boat into old town. It was very easy and cheap. No excursion was necessary. Booked tickets online the prior day for the sites we wanted to see. Took taxi from two different sites then back to the ship.

Rome (Civitavecchia)

Civitavecchia is OVER an hour to Rome. The boat is in port for a long time 8am-6pm, but we didn't feel like talking 2-3 hrs of our day on a bus, when we have been to Rome before. IF you haven't been to Rome before TAKE a Cruise TOUR! Anything else is TOO expensive from the port itself. If you are staying in Civitavecchia there is very little to do (as we saw) besides shopping and eating. We were there on Friday but many things were closed? Maybe it's the season. We thought there would be enough to see just walking, there wasn't? Maybe we didn't walk enough.

Palermo (Sicily)

We walked from the boat to the old town. It was kinda far, but able to do with 2 kids (12 & 8). We walked until we found some food. Then just walked in the old town area around the palaces and ate street food. I did not take an excursion. But not sure if there was enough interest to take one. It is an easy port stop to walk from the boat into town and back on your own.

7 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Costa Diadema Cruise from $298

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.