Costa Diadema

We are sailing on Costa Diadema on the first week of September. It is my first time on Costa Cruises and I am a bit uneasy since I have read quite a good number of negative reviews.

Apparently the buffet closes at different times in the afternoon. Can anyone please give me a clue about the time up till when the buffet is open.

Once you are back on the ship after the excursions, what are the free dining possibilities?

Thanking you in advance,

Vinnie

In general the buffet is open for returning Costa tours, the grill, deck 9 aft is also open later than buffet.

Snacks & sandwiches are available from room service (Premium Cabins)

I read the reviews and they are So - So

Is it true ?

It is also my first cruise ever and I would to have some tips for this ship

Hello Binyamins. Costa Diadema is Costa cruises Flagship.I believe she is the biggest in the fleet. She is very glitzy and when we sailed on her in 2015,we enjoyed her very much. In fact Costa is now our prefered cruiseline. We've done 5 cruises now with Costa since 2015 and have 3 more booked.

I believe that they have now reintroduced buffet dinner dining but made changes to the way breakfast is served. Continental breakfast, breads,cold cuts, pastries etc in the buffet area. a continental selve serve selection plus a waiter served cooked breakfast in the main dining room.

Hours for food service are not as many as on British/American lines. Some people see it as cutbacks,but in all honesty IMO it vastly reduces the amount of wasted food.

It is not the typical British/American Fayre. It is very European in all styles. You do have to pay for water in the MDR.(i believe Americans get that free) You will pay for coffee and teas, and other than breakfast you will have to pay for juice.(please note it is not fresh squeezed)

The majority of staff will speak english. There are different nationality hosts and hostesses for the varying clientelle onboard. Activities may not be as many as on the American/British ships but what they have we have found enjoyable and on the whole everyone is extremely friendly. The entertainment team encourage everyone to join in everything, yes it can be loud,but European culture IS that way. Just go with the flow.

Food has a definite Italian/Mediterranean influence.

Outside of main dining venue hours. The Grill bar for hotdogs burgers etc open later (these may not be American style,but we found them ok) and afternoon snacks available for a time in the buffet (Europeans tend not to use a butter spread and have a load of filling. its usually spread with Mayo and a thin slice of meat,cheese etc)

The vast majority of Europeans tend to eat a lot later in the evening than their Brit/American counterparts and think nothing of making the evening meal last for at the very least a couple of hours.This is why i believe there is limited choice for dining in the evening other than the MDR .Costa really do make for a fun evening dining experience Italian style.

Gratuities are added at the end of every day and they CANT be removed. However we have always received very good to impeccable service.

Drinks packages are very good value but the cost for buying individual drinks is very comparable to buying them in a 3 star to 4 star hotel.

We have lived for the past 10 years in Spain and have grown used to the different way of life. Look on this as an adventure and experience different cultures enjoying a different way of cruising. WE love it.

Hope this helps and happy cruising