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November 21, 2022

The second Costa Club Cruise of 2022, which took place on board Costa Diadema with an exclusive 15-day itinerary to the Holy Land and Egypt, has just concluded.

Let’s find out what happened during this amazing cruise-event with Cruising Journal‘s story!

After quick boarding procedures, here we are on board Costa Diadema with lots of totems, stickers and streamers around the ship highlighting that you are on board the Club Cruise! Upon reaching our stateroom, we found the welcome gifts that accrue to costa club members, obviously different for each category.

The voyage on board Costa Diadema touched 10 ports, such as Savona, Naples, Catania, Heraklion (Greece), Haifa (Israel), Port Said and Alexandria (Egypt), Valletta (Malta), Barcelona and Marseille. A real journey through history that we were able to appreciate thanks to the excursions organized by Costa Cruises but also thanks to the presence of Franco Alvisi who with his lectures on the destinations enriched our cultural background.

But now let’s get to the heart of the cruise! The Club Cruise is an event cruise where many activities and events are organized specifically for this occasion, and in fact we were not bored at all!

There is certainly no shortage of culinary experiences, we had the honor of having two Star Chefs on board such as Angel Leon and Hélène Darroze who told their stories during Q&A events and then attended two fantastic events with both chefs: Angel Leon presented his special seafood cuisine, letting us taste his creations such as Sea Mortadella and Plankton, while Hélène Darroze enjoyed a Show Cooking involving passengers as well.

But it didn’t end there, because throughout the cruise the star chefs were present, though not physically, in the main restaurant! How? In addition to the usual destination dishes (i.e., individual dishes featured as a free choice on the daily menu), 3 starred menus were created, one for each chef, which were served in the main restaurant on 3 evenings allowing all guests to enjoy their cuisine for free.

And finally, the Destination Moments – afternoon appointments where typical dishes from the destinations we would be visiting were presented, with the opening of a mini-buffet where it was possible to taste them! The destination moments covered Greece, Israel, Egypt, Spain, France and Italy.

Very interesting and educational were the lectures given by Franco Alvisi, where he almost lightly told us the great story of the Pharaohs, of Jesus, the legend linking the Palace of Knossos to the Minotaur, making us much more aware of the places we would visit.

Ever-present were the competitions among members who this time competed in Dance and Card Games competitions, with then a final awards ceremony! Moments of pure fun where members got involved while having fun and sharing their passions.

Lastly, entertainment – the stars of this cruise were the Greek and Egyptian theme parties, two mega parties in the pool area with lots of music, special effects, confetti, ice statues and gadgets that were distributed by the entertainment team. But that’s not all, classic parties were also held on board Costa Diadema such as Explo Night, Flower Powder and a fantastic Silent Night! (the best part was when we took off our headphones).

Moving to the theater highlights were the C|Club Show accompanied by lots of bubbly, the Abba (tribute band) concert that made all generations present in the theater go wild and finally the fantastic show of Arturo Brachetti great transformer and illusionist who amazed and excited everyone with his fantastic numbers!

On board we also tried some of the culinary experiences that Costa Cruises offers, such as an evening at Pizzeria Pummid oro where I enjoyed a very good Tricolore pizza, by the way one of the Platinum benefits includes a free pizza; a very good ice cream at Amarillo, the onboard ice cream parlor; and a dinner at the Diadema club restaurant, an intimate restaurant where only express cuisine is served by the best maître d’.

Finally, we relaxed a whole day in the spa between sauna, steam room and jacuzzi complete with relaxing massage, also one of the benefits reserved for Platinum members! Top notch hospitality and professionalism!

A unique, overwhelming and unforgettable experience that it is not enough to tell about it, but you need to live it, and we look forward to repeating it! By the way, the club’s next cruises will be in June 2023 to the Fjords and in September 2023 to Tunisia and Morocco! We hope to see you on board!

Don’t miss more Costa Cruises reviews, updates, and news on Cruising Journal with photos, videos and cruises on offer!

Giorgia Lombardo

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