That’s the slogan Costa uses for its new ship, the Diadema, and it gets no argument from the cruising families of Italy. We spent five days on her in the Mediterranean, where the Diadema sails year-round at or close to capacity. Today’s photos demonstrate some of this ship's more interesting features…
At two-per-cabin, the Diadema carries 3,710 passengers and is by far the biggest ship of the fleet of 15 in Europe’s biggest cruise line. Fill in the extra beds for three or four per cabin and the capacity jumps to 4,850 passengers.
One of the first things we noticed touring the ship was how many hot tubs there were, a welcome respite from the cool Mediterranean weather at this time of year. The final count was eight, four of them out over the sides of the ship.
Truly a ship-within-a-ship is this playground for kids (and adults who wish they were). Smartly assembled and visually appealing, this part of the Squok Club probably has many “pirates” aboard when the weather’s good.
No Italian cruise ship would be caught without a place to enjoy gelato and on the Diadema it’s called Gelateria Amarillo, where not only is Italian ice cream on the menu but also cappuccino and crepes.
If this looks like a hot spot, that’s because it is. On the Diadema, the spa is called Samsara and parts of it are on four decks (this Tepidarium is on Deck 12) and it’s one of the busiest parts of the ship.
Sharpshooters are at home in this adult arcade called Lasersniper, where for a few euros you can test your skills and compete with your friends…and trust us, it’s not as easy as it might look.
And that's a good place for them to be if you're all sharing the same quarters, like a family of five is able to do by booking one of the somewhat-exclusive staterooms like this one, on Deck 2.
Star Princess
7 nights
April 12, 2015
San Francisco (return): Santa Barbara, Long Beach, San Diego, Ensenada
Inside: $399
Cost per day: $57
www.princesscruises.com