Costa Diadema Review
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We were really looking forward to this cruise, especially since we took Costa for our honeymoon in 2012. Some things have changed, sadly not for the better. While overall it was a good trip, Costa is slipping. Some highlights: even though we paid for the Piu' Gusto drinks package, we found upon arrival that it wasn't on our Costa cards (which were conveniently placed on our bed). So after a phone call and a trip down to Guest Services, we got new cards and headed to the bar.
Second foul-up-we arrived at our room to discover that our excursion for Marseille (a trip to Avignon and the Palais des Papes) was canceled. They'd given us until 3 pm to contact them about it and fortunately 3 pm is when we got to our room. Turns out they didn't have enough English-speaking passengers (not uncommon given that 98% of them are Europeans), so we were offered the tour in Italian or German. Since we both speak Italian, we took that one. But I'd ordered 3 excursions as a package deal and saved 10% by doing so online. Since Costa canceled the excursion and offered a substitute, they charged us the extra 10%. Come on! So again we headed downstairs to sort that out and after initially rebuffing us, the lady at the excursions desk said "we'll take care of it." So 2 problems in one day and it’s only 3:30 pm.
That night we arrived at the Filomena restaurant to discover that we were given a table for 2 instead of the 8-top we’d requested. Long story short: they thought we wanted English-speaking dinner companions and didn’t have any (which they did on our honeymoon, too) and after explaining this to the maître d’, they put us with Italians for the rest of the trip. The overall level of service isn’t what I remember from 2012. Wait staff at dinnertime seemed rushed, requests for ice in drinks and butter for bread often had to be made multiple times, sometimes after a hasty “just a moment” from a waiter rushing by.
Cabin Review
Premium Balcony
Most things worked fine and the cabin was comfortable. Balcony not used as much as we would have liked due to chilly weather. Bed comfortable, but annoying creaking noise from balcony door really bothered us.
Port Reviews
Genoa
We walked around Genoa and saw a great museum (converted palazzo), walked around city center a bit. Tour guide was okay but didn't seem to notice when she and the group went off without us. Fortunately it gave us time for an excellent lunch.
Marseille
Guide was wonderful, although French her Italian was near flawless. Visited the Palace of the Popes which is simply unforgettable.
Barcelona
Our trip was by car mostly, and Christian was terrific-told us many interesting things, and we saw a ton. From Parc Montjuic to Park Guell to the Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, and much more.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
We have friends in Rome and spent the day with them. Wonderful to see them again.
La Spezia (Cinque Terre)
Had a fantastic trip to Florence, which we'd booked through Costa. Anna Maria was our guide, and she was funny, spirited, and informative. We saw Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio, the Piazza della Signoria with its many statues, and the Piazzale Michelangelo just outside of town, which offers an incredible view of Florence.
Palma de Mallorca (Majorca)
Great way to see Palma in a day, the bus drives you all around. The best part was taking the little train to Soller (not included on the HOHO tour, though). The scenery is charming and often downright breathtaking. Many homes have orange and lemon trees growing right next to the tracks.