DogLover2017

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm really looking forward to this trip!!

We did this tour/cruise last May and even though there isn't much cruising,we loved it! Susan is the best! Loved her tours and she also rescued us when a group of us when we got lost in Venice one night...so many laughs! we also took the post cruise tour to Rome. Enjoy!

Thanks for the post. I'm so sorry to hear that your trip was delayed -- shame on your airline!! I appreciate the info about this trip so much since I'm taking the same cruise in a little over a month. It's my first time cruising and my first time in Italy. I still can't quite believe I'm going on this cruise!

Since I have time on the bus between Milan and Venice, I thought I'd try a post. Our flight from JFK to Milan was cancelled due to mechanical issues causing a 36 hour delay in our arrival. Unfortunately that meant we missed all the organized touring in Milan. We arrived at the hotel just after 1 pm Saturday, too late to catch up with the group at the Last Supper. There were 3 different touring times -- which I'll update after I get a chance to review the daily planner.

We did make the most of our 1/2 day in Milan. We bought tickets to the Duomo roof and museum combo ticket, I think 2 euros more than buying them at the regular box office. At that point we just wanted to really start the vacation. The day was sunny and warm and you could see the Alps from the cathedral roof. We didn't have time to go the museum, but it was convenient after our travel nightmare. There was a special celebration at the Duomo all day for the Virgin of Lourdes. The Uniworld group actually had their official tour on Friday afternoon because Saturday they w weren't allowing group tours due to the special events. There was also a big musical production on the life of Christ in the plaza that evening. It was very special to be there that day, even though we only saw the very end of the production.

The hotel was very nice and I wish we could have enjoyed it more than the 18 or so hours we were there.

The wake up call for Verona was 6 am, leaving the hotel at 7:30. We had 2 fairly full buses, about 35 people in each bus, which needed up being 35 people in each group for our Verona tour. I thought it moved a little slow, but we wandered a bit from the guide.

The lunch at the wine estate was very nice.. and now everyone is napping on the bus. I don't know how often I'll come back to post, but if you have any questions let me know.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I just booked the June 29 sailing for this trip. Looking forward to reading your reviews from your cruise next month!

PapaB, we started out doing the same thing you did. I thought we'd just "do" Italy on our own. But I've really come to enjoy the small group tours... so I started looking for small groups and guides... etc. Then my husband reminded me we had an extra credit from Uniworld on our last cruise. The idea of letting them do all the planning and taking care of details made me realize how spoiled I'm getting with them. I still tell people my favorite thing on the last cruise was being able to get on the ship after a day of touring and ask for a glass of champagne, then sit and enjoy. Repeat as often as needed. A couple we met on our Rhone cruise last year took this trip and really enjoyed it. I doubt I'll give a day-by-day in May for our trip, but I'll try to check back in with a quick review.

Thanks for your informative reply; it is definitely very reassuring. I just booked the cruise and I'm really looking forward to it!

I must respectfully disagree with some of the above replies. I think you are making a mistake ruling out the Venice and Gems of Northern Italy cruise. Of all our river cruises (extensive), this is the one we still talk about. Have you read the Cruise Companion to see what it entails? While it's true that it doesn't cover the distance of other itineraries or pass majestic castles, by the end of the trip you will be an expert in Venice and The Veneto, and will experience Verona, Padua, Ferrara, Bologna, Ravenna and some lesser known towns like Chioggia in depth. I defy you to do all that on your own conveniently in that amount of time. Sure, you could (I also went through my Rick Steves phase!), but you will spend the majority of time at the behest of train schedules, rare bus service, etc. Also, while it's true that you are docked in Venice 3 or 4 days, the ship does dock in different areas of Venice so we were able to get know the different areas like San Polo, Dorsoduro, and Castello, etc. Also, when we were taken to Piazza San Marco or the Accademia Museum, or the Rialto for example, we were taken by large motorboats right past all the famous buildings right up the Grand Canal which was as thrilling as the destinations themselves. One morning we accompanied one of the chefs to the Rialto Market and saw the most amazing fruits, vegetables and seafood. Also Chef picked out a live Octopus I'm sure I saw that night in the ceviche! There was plenty of time for concerts or the opera in the evening or to just meander around Venice like locals. This trip can be as exciting as you make it Lois, so just give it another look! I welcome disagreement and discussion. That's the purpose of CC!