For years, Kach and I have been traveling together. While I’ve loved every bit of our journey, I have to say that a little time apart is healthy in any relationship. You can use the time to do the things that you can’t do when with your partner, which is also ideal for personal development. So, that’s what I exactly did! I took my first ever ‘Mancation’ last March 2016! For those who do not know, Mancation is simply, Man + Vacation where our lovely ladies are temporarily out of the picture. You can read more about mancation ideas here.

One leg of my trip included a stay in luxurious hotels in Torrey Pines in San Diego, California. It was an awesome experience, and as usual, I enjoyed my stay with plenty of bathrobes wearing!

That was a little while ago, so I felt like it was time to arrange another Mancation. Since we had recently got married and the best man (I had several) who did the speech managed to make everyone laugh without destroying my life, I decided to invite him on a week-long Mediterranean cruise on the Costa Diadema!

Our Costa Diadema Cruise Mancation Story

And so our Mancation journey continues, and we joined the Costa Diadema Cruise. Originally, this lovely cruise was meant to be a part of our honeymoon, but as you may have known, Kach’s Schengen visa was much shorter than planned. The thing is, the whole trip was already fully planned out so we just decided that we would still go ahead but this time with my best man! I think that flower crown fits him, don’t you think? Not a bad replacement for Kach, right?!

Costa Cruises

Let me give you a quick overview of Costa Cruises. Costa Cruises is one of the most established cruise companies out there. As the company puts it, this is the best way to travel in comfort and style. Depending on the package you prefer, a voyage with Costa Cruises can take you to the most incredible travel destinations in the western and eastern Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Baltic, western and eastern Caribbean, Red and Arabic Sea, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean. In our case, we were privileged to hop on board Costa Diadema for a relaxing and cultural Mediterranean journey.

Costa Diadema

This massive ship is just awesome. It is one of the newest ships in their fleet and was officially christened in 2016. It has a total of 1,862 cabins, some of which have their balcony so you can savor the views during the cruise. Ours did have one, and it was well worth it to have some private outdoors space! Also, you have a wide array of dining options. There are even amazing bars if you want to end your night with friends over a couple of beers. Also, there are many activities you can do while onboard. You can go on a spa day or play interactive games with your pals. When with your guy friends, it’s a bit like you never grew up and games will have the same old appeal, right? Boredom is out of the question. Whether you are still at sea or already in your destination, you won’t have a dull moment.

Our 6-day itinerary with Costa Diadema

We started from CIVITAVECCHIA, Rome where we were welcomed with some fruits and champagne in our room. We did what had to be done – drank the champagne right away! The next ports were in SAVONA, MARSEILLE, BARCELONA, PALMA DE MALLORCA and finally back to CIVITAVECCHIA. I lost count of the days during the cruise. I guess you could say we enjoyed it a lot.

It’s well-worth mentioning that while we joined the cruise in Rome, guests can board and leave the cruise wherever they like en-route, making it much more flexible that most other cruises.

The most important question is, would I recommend a cruise on Costa Diadema as a great idea for your next ‘mancation’? Absolutely YES and here are the Top 10 reasons why!

1. Seven restaurants where you and the boys can eat like men!

We all like to eat on vacation, right? The Costa Diadema has seven great restaurants – Adularia Restaurant, Fiorentino Restaurant (Main Dining Room) Italian Pizzeria, Teppanyaki Restaurant (Japanese) Ristorante Club Diadema, Samsara Restaurant, Corona Blu Buffet Restaurant – as well as a cheeky ice-cream parlor in between meals!

Just make sure to book in advance in some of the restaurants so you can be sure to get a seat.

2. Country Rock Club to get into the American spirit (in Europe)

You might be cruising in Europe, but there’s something about country rock music that goes really well with cruises and drinking beer. Well, mostly just drinking beer! Cowboy hat and boots not required.

3. 11 bars to choose from

It’s great to have a chat with your mates over a few beers. It’s as if we are at our best for reasoning and philosophizing while drinking beer! Chill at the ship’s bar and talk about life with your best friends. Or maybe, you can reminisce your crazy old days, because face it, you’re now old enough to have, ‘crazy old days!’ We can personally recommend the German beer bar, shown above!

4. Samsara Spa to help you relax after a night of drinking at the German beer bar

Do you want to get rid of that hangover? Everyone loves a good bit of spa time, and more men than ever can be found chilling in a hot tub having a head massage. My personal hangover advice – crawl into the sauna with several liters of water and don’t come out until it’s all gone!

5. Swimming pools

The pools are great, and there are several to choose from, including one with a waterfall, which is conveniently close to the bar!

6. A gym and a jogging track – stay fit on your mancation

Just because you’re on Mancation, doesn’t mean you have to slack off. If anything, you should be in there everyday with all the German beer and amazing food you’re eating. Just admit it, you’re not going near the gym, are you?! But it’s there if you do want it, it’s at least as good as your average land-based gym, and there are personal trainers too.

7. Star Laser – Go nuts boys!

You can either have the Laser Maze – like that bit with Catherine Zeta-Jones in Entrapment – or enjoy few rounds of laser match, where you basically get to shoot each other. Like paintball, without the paint. Great fun!

8. Grand Prix Simulator

Because we all dreamed of racing driver at some point in our lives! And now, we can all find out if we would have made it or not in the on-board simulator driving game! Grand Prix Simulator is not just a simulator, and it’s not just an arcade game, it’s the best of both and probably the closest you’ll get to driving a real F1 car in your life!

9. Visit the Colosseum in Rome

It’s not all beer and childish… sorry, manly games. A European cruise offers great chances to see some of the best cultural sights in the world. Rome is one of the best places in the world history, culture, and art. Either start your cruise in Rome and get there a day early or take one of the ship’s shore excursions to visit amazing sights like the Colosseum and St Peters’ Basilica.

10. Barcelona’s amazing architecture by Antoni Gaudi

When you are in Barcelona, you have to take a few hours to visit some of the architectural masterpieces by Antoni Gaudi. Like the unforgettable Sagrada Familia started in 1882 and due to be completed in 2028! For a relaxing walk with an artistic kick, then check out Gaudi’s beautiful Parc Guell.

I will admit that at first, it was disappointing that Kach and I had to change plans the last minute and she wasn’t going to be able to take the cruise But at least learned something vital – Cruises make the perfect Mancation break!

What do you think, have you ever been on a Mancation and would you take one on a cruise?!

Please note that we were invited as guests at Costa Diadema. However, all opinions and views are mines.

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