Exploring the Venetian Lagoon and Po River with Uniworld River Cruises
Exploring the Venetian Lagoon and Po River with Uniworld River Cruises
Exploring the Venetian Lagoon and Po River with Uniworld River Cruises
WJ Tested: Uniworld River Countess Venice & the Po River in Italy Review
Do you love the idea of staying at a 5-star floating hotel in Venice? Would you be enticed even more if your stay included superb service and regional fine dining? Would you jump at the opportunity to partake in included excursions that provide you with exclusive access to some of the most memorable travel experiences possible in the Veneto and Emilia-Romagna regions in Northern Italy?
Venice as seen from the Venetian Lagoon
If you answered yes to any of those questions, and are even slightly intrigued by the idea of a Venice-based floating boutique hotel that explores these areas, the solution is Uniworld’s newest 7-night river cruise in Italy. This year guests aboard the elegant 134-passenger Uniworld River Countess are able to immerse themselves in the history and culture of northeastern Italy, along with the chance to experience cruising through the Venice Lagoon as well as a short section of the Po River – the longest river in the country.
Exploring Padua in Italy with Uniworld River Cruises
Things to Consider About a Po River Cruise:
This is not your typical castles-and-quaint-villages river cruise in Europe, but it is a unique way to explore and experience both Venice and a number of interesting locations in the regions of Veneto and Emilia-Romangna.
View of Chioggi while cruising on River Countess
During our cruise, River Countess spent 4 nights (2 nights at the beginning and 2 at the end) docked in Venice (either at Marittima Pier 123 or San Basilio Pier 25), therefore, passengers could take a vaparetto to reach the main tourist areas or could walk to St. Mark’s Square in about 30-40 minutes. We preferred to walk through the city as it is a wonderful way to encounter local Venetians, see the many historic buildings and crisscross the winding canals. This cruise is definitely different from our experience on the Rhine River and parts of the Danube where we have found that often times it is possible just to walk off the ship and right into the village.
Venice Walking Tour
The only cruising passengers experienced on the Po River was during a late-afternoon period for about two hours. After spending a day discovering the highlights of Ravenna we joined River Countess at a natural mooring spot at Taglio di Po for the section cruising to Polesella, where she docked on the outskirts of town for 2 nights.
Cruising on the Po River aboard Uniworld River Countess
Although we are always enthralled by the actual cruising along the rivers of Europe, the small section of the Po that we cruised was not that exciting. There aren’t any quaint villages and charming towns visible due to the high, grassy levies that keep the neighboring areas from flooding… and from what we learned that is typical for most sections of the river.
Discovering Ravenna, Italy with Uniworld River Cruises
It may be helpful to keep in mind the following pros and cons when considering booking a Po River cruise:
Pros:
- Stay aboard an elegant boutique floating 5-star hotel for 7 nights
- Only unpack once = priceless!
- Excellent value: 7 breakfasts aboard; 4 lunches aboard; 2 lunches on excursions; 7 dinners aboard; Prosecco, wine, beer, bottled water and soft drinks included with lunch and dinner; sightseeing (including entrance into many museums and sights); local transportation; expert local English-speaking guides
- Al fresco dining at Osteria Siena with a pizza oven (we’re not aware of another river ship with one)
- Epicurean Opera Dinner in the Savoy Restaurant – each course is paired with a specific wine
- Pasta making demonstration and lunch in Bologna
- Friendly and professional service from Uniworld’s River Countess crew
- Cruise Director oversees all entertainment, lectures, excursions and answer questions about the ports and destinations
- Onboard masseur and morning fitness class
- Onboard gym (with all the walking on this itinerary we didn’t need to use it)
- Gift boutique
- Free WIFI and 2 computers for passenger use
- Cruising through the Venice Lagoon
- “Go Active” and “Gentle Walkers” programs on shore excursions
- Quietvox portable audio headset system on shore excursions
- Explore Venice: walking tour of the city; Grand Canal cruise by water taxi; guided tour of the Doge’s Palace; exclusive evening visit to St. Mark’s Basilica; Murano glass blowing demonstration on Giudecca Island
- Maximum driving time to destinations was approximately 2 hours (typically 60-90 minutes)
- Explore Padua: walking tour of the city and visit to the Scrovegni Chapel
- Explore Ravenna: walking tour of the city including a visit to Basilica di San Vitale, San Apollinare Nuovo and the mausoleum of Galla Placidia, with an included lunch featuring regional specialties at a local restaurant
- Explore Bologna: walking tour of the city with pasta making demonstration with an included lunch of regional specialties at a local restaurant
- Explore Verona: walking tour of the city, view Juliet’s balcony and visit to the Roman amphitheatre
- Local entertainment – singing, dancing, Italian opera, Italian comedy theater
- Lectures from local experts – “La Serenissima – The Lagoon of Venice” and “Wine with Verdi – Sommelier Lecture on Veneto Wines”
Pasta Making Demonstration in Bologna
Cons:
- Limited cruising: Venice lagoon = approximately 6 Hours; Po River = 2 hours
- No locks (some fans of locks might be disappointed)
- Bus rides required to reach most sightseeing destinations range from 1 to 2 hours each way
- Passengers are not permitted to stay aboard (due to Italian regulations) on days when the River Countess crosses the Adriatic between the Venice Lagoon and Po River
- This itinerary is not well suited for passengers wishing to primarily spend lazy days cruising aboard River Countess
Live Entertainment – Il Teatro Veneto con la Commedia dell’Arte
Bottom Line:
Uniworld River Countess is a beautiful river ship, and in our opinion the finest boutique hotel in Venice. Although the cruise itinerary was completely different from anything we have previously experienced on the rivers in Europe we thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
Uniworld River Countess Lobby. Photo Courtesy of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection.
Aboard the ship we were impressed with all hotel aspects… from the stylish and classy furnishings and fittings throughout the public areas, to the comfortable stateroom, to the multi-course fine-dining on regional cuisine, to the superb service of the crew and to the included local entertainment.
Dining on local and regional food specialities
The captivating destinations and fascinating activities that we experienced in these bewitching regions of Italy (including UNESCO sites) kept us thoroughly engrossed while providing us with ample opportunity to explore them.
Walking tour of Verona, Italy with Uniworld River Cruises
Yet again, Uniworld provided passengers with top-notch quality and excellent value. We even overheard a few passengers remark that the private evening visit to St. Mark’s Basilica was worth the price of the entire cruise.
Private evening visit to St. Mark’s Basilica
So if Venice, and the Veneto and Emilia-Romangna regions are on your list to explore in depth, we think this Uniworld river cruise in northeastern Italy would be the ideal solution!
Viv and Jill in Venice, Italy with Uniworld River Cruises
Note: If you have longer to spend in Italy than just on the 7-night Po cruise, Uniworld offers the Splendors of Italy – combining the 7-night cruise with a land-based program that visits Florence and Rome for 5 nights, extending the trip to 12 nights.
Freshly Made Pizza at River Countess Osteria Siena
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Note: WAVEJourney were guests of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection for their May 12-19, 2013 Venetian Lagoon & Po River Cruise in Italy. Read our full disclosure statement to see that this has no effect on our reviews.
