Explore Barcelona on your own
22. January 2018
Welcome aboard the Crown Princess
19. September 2018

TOP 10 activities on board the Costa Diadema

On the second day of our journey through the magical Mediterranean on board the Costa Diadema, we were able to enjoy a great day at sea. It was our first trip on board Costa Cruises and as you know, we love to explore the ship on sea days. So that you too can enjoy a great day at sea on board the Costa Diadema, we reveal our TOP 10 activities on board.

  1. Drink a specialty coffee in the morning

In the morning, we went to one of the bars for a delicious specialty coffee. Our favorite places for this were La Piazza Bar at the pizzeria, because it’s so nice and quiet there and you can sit comfortably at the bar, and Bar Eliodoro in the atrium, because you can see a lot of the action there. Our absolute favorites were the Neve Fondente and the Onda al cioccolato. Both are Illy specials for 4 euros each. Neve Fondente consists of illy espresso, cane sugar, milk and cocoa powder. The Onda al cioccolato consists of illy espresso chocolate topping and milk. Both coffee specialties are very sweet and very tasty, the perfect start to the day for us. You can also buy great illy coffee gift sets on board.

  1. Enjoy the view from the bench on the bow

There are beautiful wooden benches on deck 14 at the bow and also at the stern, where you can enjoy the wonderful view on sea days. We love simply looking out to sea and breathing in the fresh sea air. A day at sea could hardly get off to a better start.

  1. Eat an ice cream in the gelateria

The Gelateria Amarillo with daily homemade Italian ice cream is located on deck 5 and offers not only ice cream, but also fresh crépes, macarons, cakes, pralines and chocolate-coated fruit. So it’s not just a simple ice cream parlor. The fairytale-like yet purist design with ornate chairs and lots of colorful baubles on the ceiling is a unique experience in itself.

As soon as you sit down in this enchanting ice cream parlor, you can choose from numerous ice cream flavors or try one of the delicious sundaes. We opted for two scoops of coconut and mango and the Costa Cup sundae. The Costa Cup costs 7.50 euros and consists of a scoop of vanilla ice cream, strawberry ice cream, milk ice cream, fruit, cream and pickled blueberries. The ice cream was delicious. The Gelateria is a real paradise for those with a sweet tooth.

  1. Watch The Voice of the Sea Show

The Voice of the Sea really is a fantastic experience. Inspired by the famous TV format, which can be seen in over 180 countries, the casting show is now also available live on board. It all starts quite harmlessly as a karaoke audition at Salon Teodora. Anyone can sign up to sing their favorite song in front of the bar audience. There are already emotional moments and standing ovations here. After the karaoke performances, the candidates are selected for the big show. The candidates even get coaches to help them prepare for the spectacular stage performance during the cruise.

The decisive show then takes place in the Emerald Theater. The candidates are allowed to perform in front of the audience with lighting effects and a professional band and the audience can vote using a remote control. A great entertainment program, because real talents perform here and every passenger can join in the excitement. This was one of our absolute highlights on board the Costa Diadema and was a lot of fun.

  1. Relax in the Samsara Spa

The Samsara Spa has an area of 6,200 m² on four levels and offers a full relaxation and recreation program. In addition to a Thalasso pool, a Turkish bath and an aroma steam bath, there is also a sheltered outdoor whirlpool. The spa area also has a sauna, a tepidarium with heated stone loungers, a laconium (dry sweat bath), a room with beds for a light tan and a tea house. In the teahouse, you can drink ice-cold water with citrus fruits or an Ayurvedic tea and enjoy the view from the armchairs.

We particularly liked the Samsara Spa because it offers a wide range of wellness services and almost all the rooms in the spa area have a sea view. It’s nice and bright and there’s something for everyone to relax in. A little tip: It is best to visit the spa in the morning on shore excursion days when many full-day excursions are booked. Ports such as Civitavecchia and Savona are good examples. On the days you have the spa area almost to yourselves.

  1. Eating pizza at La Pizzeria

In the on-board pizzeria, fresh pizzas are prepared with the finest ingredients by an Italian pizza chef in front of the passengers. The pizzeria is a pay-as-you-go restaurant. For 8.50 euros you can enjoy a delicious pizza and dessert. By the way: If you simply register on board as a Costa Club member with your e-mail address, you will receive a 50% discount in the additional restaurants. Then the delicious pizza without dessert costs just 4 euros.

Did you know that the mozzarella on board the Costa Diadema is made fresh in the kitchen? We attended a live kitchen tour and can say that the mozzarella on board is simply bombastically delicious. That’s why we opted for the Tricolore pizza with fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and ricotta cheese and the Calabrese Piccante pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, salami, olives and chili. Delicious, delicious, delicious is all we can say. We can highly recommend the pizzas.

  1. Drink an aperitif

The aperitif in the evening is an Italian tradition. It rings in the evening and you can enjoy a drink in the company of friends before dinner. This could be a Prosecco, a Maritini, an Aperol Spritz or even a non-alcoholic Crodino. Our favorite was a mixture of Prosecco and non-alcoholic Crodino. The Italian Crodino is available with a citrus flavor and red fruits. We liked both variants. Our favorite bar for an aperitif in the early evening was La Piazza Bar at the pizzeria on deck 5. It’s nice and quiet here, you can have a good chat and the small bar is never overcrowded. Otherwise, we can also recommend Bar Teodora from our next tip.

  1. Watch the sunset at Bar Teodora

A particular highlight on board the Costa Diadema is the Bar Teodora on deck 5, where there are a few sheltered corners with armchairs and tables, but also a few colorful orange chairs under yellow parasols that practically invite you to enjoy an Aperol Spritz.

The bar adjoins the Salon Teodora and is located at the stern of the ship. It was usually rather empty here, so it still seems to be a real insider tip. We also got to know and love the bar thanks to a tip from our reader. A wonderful place to watch the sunset and reflect on the day.

  1. Experience show cooking at Tavola Teppanyaki

The Japanese restaurant Tavola Teppanyaki is a real treat. The evening includes not only delicious Asian cuisine, but also a real show highlight. The seats are arranged around the hotplate. You sit on bar stools at a counter and watch the master chefs prepare the dishes. The whole thing is accompanied by a few show elements, jokes and the chef’s charming manner. You can choose from three menus: a vegetarian menu for 27 euros, the classic teppanyaki for 30 euros and the chef’s teppanyaki for 34 euros.

We opted for the classic teppanyaki menu. The menu starts with edamame and miso soup. For the main course, the chef prepares the desired main course(s). We each had two main courses. One with tiger prawns with lemon garlic butter sauce and chicken with sweet Japanese sauce and one with tiger prawns and a salmon fillet with teriyaki sauce. This was served with a wakame salad with beet vinaigrette and rice with egg and vegetables.

For dessert, we opted for the mascarpone foam with sweet red beans and wild berries and the Japanese green tea ice cream on crispy banana tempura. We found the main courses particularly delicious. They were all fantastic and we laughed a lot during the show.

Here, too, you get a 50% discount after registering for the Costa Club, so we think this great experience is definitely worth it.

  1. White Night Party

The biggest party on board the Costa Diadema was the legendary La Notte Bianca. In the afternoon, you can buy practical party paraphernalia, such as white hats or white glasses, outside the photo store. For dinner, most guests arrive in white to get in the mood. The party starts at 11 p.m. on the Lido Deck on deck 10, where ice figures are carved, the animation team creates a great atmosphere and the film team’s live recording is shown on the giant screen. The shots are particularly funny when, as in the stadium, the camera is pointed at a couple and then it says: Kiss! Everyone joins in the excitement, dancing and laughing. The White Night Party is a real celebration, because it’s not the longest night of the cruise for nothing. At midnight there is a refreshing fruit buffet – without any chocolate.

 


Many thanks to Costa Cruises for the great trip with the Costa Diadema. This article is not sponsored.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site. Switch to a production site key to remove this banner.