River Cruises in the Venice region

The Venice cruise was a wonderful few days and I would certainly recommend it.

Some highlights:

1.The excursions which were very good value. I particularly liked Burano - a very pretty little island. The morning in Chioggia was very enjoyable. The market was great fun and the Church of St Dominic had some lovely pictures including a Tintoretto. The visit to Padua was made special by our English speaking guide who was very informative, never boring and had a wonderful sense of humour! She showed us round St Anthony's Basilica, a fascinating and beautiful church, and pointed out the famous Cafe Pedrucci whose speciality is a creamy mint coffee - highly recommended! (Tip - it's cheaper if you drink it standing at the bar!)

2.Exploring Venice. Lovely little shops -especially for leather, Murano glass, and paper. Beautiful everywhere you look especially the glimpses down the little canals- we even saw a bride and groom going to church in a gondola!  The Rialto area was very crowded but we found a lovely quiet campo where we sat in the sun for lunch and a much -needed rest before going to the Accademia. (Tip- if over 65 take your passport and get in free.) Although we saw some lovely pictures I was a bit disappointed in this gallery as a lot of the rooms were closed and there were no explanations and the attendants were very unhelpful. Our spirits were unexpectedly restored in the nearby Guggenheim Collection which has some amazing modern sculptures set in a beautiful garden and a very good collection of pictures. A quiet green haven and a good cafe -  not to be missed!

3.The meals on board were superb and they were very generous with the free wine! In fact every one took wonderful care of us and made sure we understood all the arrangements which were often explained to us at our table in English by our English-speaking stewardess. The cabins were very comfortable and I had a beautiful view of the lagoon and Venice. We were very conveniently situated with just a short walk along the quay to St Mark's square.

As you can see from the pics you even organised the weather for us! Many thanks to everyone at Blue Water Holidays for an excellent holiday. 

 Thank you, Blue Water, you arranged everything very well from start to finish. Venice was magical. 

We stayed on the "Michelangelo" in Venice from 5th to 9th March and had a wonderful experience. The staff and crew were efficient, courteous and friendly. The cabins were roomy and kept spotlessly clean. After the embarkation at the St. Basilio Quay the ship was moored for the rest of the trip just a 15 minute walk along the lovely quayside from Giardini to St. Mark's Square. This central location was vital for me as I use a wheeled walking aid and my husband was able to carry it over the bridges where necessary and we could then use the vaporetti to tour the Grand Canal. The food was of outstanding quality served by professional, friendly staff. Each meal was superb and inventive and the vegetarian dishes served to my daughter were imaginative and of equal standard to the non vegetarian - often vegetarians are fobbed off with omelettes! We were even lucky enough to have dry, sunny weather (if a bit chilly!). The lounge, deck and dining room were beautiful and the lounge had a selection of board games for those needing a rest from the touring and eating!

As a disabled traveller using a wheeled walking aid (and having a fit husband) I found Venice an excellent location but I would think for a wheelchair user the stepped bridges, with very few of them having an electric lift and none ever seeming to be in use, would be rather challenging.

EXCELLENT!

We certainly had a great holiday with our Venice City Cruise Break. The staff on the boat were very attentive and the food excellent apart from the gala evening which was a little over ambitious and disappointing.

You may like to know that in terms of dress this was a very relaxed trip with no need to dress up too smart on the formal dinner nights but guests could and did look smart on gala night as did the staff.

There were probably about 20% English people on the boat but all announcements were in English as well as French.

The format of the trip was very well thought out. We enjoyed the included trips around the islands and to Chioggia. The extra trip to Burano and Murano were also very good value.

One final point, it might be useful to know that to get to the island from Marco Polo guests can take the Venice Express coach for 3 euros and tickets are most easily bought from the ticket office just outside the main arrivals area and not from one of the machines where this ticket is not clearly marked. Once at Piazza del Roma it is only one stop on the Vaporetts to St Martha and tickets are bought from the ticket office in the square.

From the moment we arrived at the foot of the gang plank and were met by the Purser who carried our bags aboard the whole cruise was a great success.  The boat was immaculate, the staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble.  The food was not only excellent but superbly presented and the service at meal times was extremely good.

We booked to celebrate our 40th Wedding anniversary and we could not have made a better choice, Venice of course was magnificent, the weather was kind to us and the sun shone, we look forward to our next river cruise.

We booked this trip for my 50th birthday treat and what a treat it was.

This was our first boating holiday but certainly won't be our last. We enjoyed the Michelangelo very much. Holding around 150 passengers it has a cosy, friendly feel to it. The cabins are quite small but have everything you need, including a nice big window so can watch the changing scenery (not that we spent much time in the cabin). The communal areas, lounge/bar, restaurant & sundeck, are all big enough to accommodate everyone and are of a high standard. Meals are a leisurely affair, with both lunch and dinner served at table, and the cuisine is excellent.

We were warned beforehand that we may be the only English speaking guests aboard but ,in fact, there were several other groups too. The rest of the passengers were French (it is a French company). Everything was done in French and English and, when we went on the excursions, we were an English party with an English speaking guide.

This was a fabulous trip to introduce you to this area and the trip up the Po made it more varied. The excursions were well planned and a great introduction if this was your first visit.

Venice was everything I had hoped, despite people telling us it was a smelly place - it wasn't while we were there. I could ride up and down the Grand Canal drinking in the sights and atmosphere all day!

This isn't exactly a cruise as the boat stays moored in Venice for the duration of the holiday (about 15 minute walk from St Mark's square).  There is a morning's sail round the islands of the lagoon and we were supposed to sail down the coast to Choggia but this had to be cancelled because nothing is open at New Year in this small fishing village.

 Having said all this, it is a fantastic holiday and I would definitely recommend it.  The Croisieurope crew of MS Michelangelo are fantastic, and go out of their way to make this an enjoyable trip.  We arrived on Weds 30th, after settling into our cabins we had a welcome drink and met all the crew.  This was followed by dinner.

 On Thurs 31st we sailed round the lagoon in the morning before returning for a free afternoon before getting ready for the New Year's eve party.  And what a party !!  Another pre-dinner cocktail, followed by a 6 course meal, then live music and partying into the early hours (around 3.30 am), champagne at midnight to celebrate the New Year and then again at 1am to celebrate the UK New Year (being 1 hour behind Venice time !).  The crew then came round with french onion soup just to keep everyone going that little bit longer !

Friday and Saturday were at leisure in Venice, although there were optional tours available if preferred.  This is a great time of year to see Venice.  Despite it being New Year, it wasn't too crowded and it was very easy to get around and into museums/attractions etc.  We also got the chance to see the "Acqua Alta" (high tides) which flooded St Mark's square and surrounding streets.  It's still possible to get around, either buy a pair of wellies or use the boardwalks that are put everywhere. 

 The MS Michelangelo is an excellent boat.  The lounge/bar area and restaurant are superbly furnished.  The cabins aren't huge, but are plenty big enough for 2 people.  And as for the food, what can I say - the trip includes 3 meals a day and they're definitely 5 star quality.   

This is a fantastic trip and staying on a boat in the lagoon is a great way to see Venice. 

I must write to say say how much my grand daughter (19) and I enjoyed our 4 day visit to Venice with Croisi Europe. 

The boat was as previously experienced on the Rhone, very clean; the crew were most welcoming and did their best to cater for the only 10 Brits on board with special attention, dual language announcements and even an English language daily paper delivered to each breakfast table! 

Food was excellent, very fresh ingredients, well cooked artfully presented.  The service by the young dining room staff was immaculate and so friendly, as were our fellow (French) passengers.  It is surprising how well my sixty year old 'O' Level in French managed to cope with basic pleasantries and how good the response was.  Anyone who says the French are aloof has not travelled with Croisi Europe!

I would do this trip again and use the boat as a hotel as it represents very good value for money.  The only fly in the ointment was the price of the BA flight which effectively doubled the costs.

My friend and I were wanting to visit Venice but were unsure of where to stay, what to eat, what to see. Then we found the Bluewater holiday Venice Lagoon Cruise.

Booking the holiday was easy and the staff at Skipton were extremely helpful and answered all our questions.

The boat Michelangelo was very comfortable. The food was amazing. The staff were friendly and helpful. We were fortunate to meet some great people and had a truly memorable time.

If you want to visit Venice, I would recommend this holiday.

Just returned from our first River Cruise which was on The Michaelangelo.  We arranged this for our 40th Wedding Anniversary and we could not have wished to celebrate it in a better way.  Being a French boat we were not surprised to be the only English couple on board but were fortunate enough to sit with an Italian couple who could speak no French but could speak English.  The staff were exceptional.  The chef was only young but the food he prepared and served was 5 star, and the presentation was faultless. Although we were informed that check-in would be 6.00pm we were allowed on the boat during the afternoon and sat in the Lounge ready for check-in that actually took place at 5.00pm.  On the day of disembarkation you need to vacate your cabin by 9.00am but you are allowed to stay on the boat until 4.00pm, or simply leave your luggage and go out for the day.Exceptional experience throughout.

There were 10 English people only on board our Cruise and the staff could not have been more helpful in ensuring that we understood everything that was going on - to the point that they would sit down with each of us and explain. As far as organisation on board, it far exceeded any other cruise that I have been on.