Michelangelo Review
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When I booked this "cruise", I knew there would not be much cruising involved. However, if I'd known the boat would be completely stationery except for 8 hours during our whole stay, I would not have booked!
When did the Michelangelo move? Once, for a short hop between our initial mooring at San Basilio and our main mooring at the Giardini Bienniale; once for a two hour meander around the North Lagoon (no stops, no commentary); and a short cruise down to Chiogga and back (two and a half hours each way). When we booked, the brochure said the ship sailed to Murano and Burano but apparently larger ships are no longer permitted to moor there.
DINING AND BEVERAGES
Cabin Review
Tiny. We have not done a European river cruise before so can't say how it compares, but we were shocked at the size - far smaller than the cabin we had on our Egyptian river cruise, for instance. The bed took up the whole room, with just enough space to sidle along the bottom and the side. Suitcases have to be unpacked and stored under the bed, and at night, cushions and bedspreads have to be piled precariously on the windowsill.
The double bed was in fact two twin beds pushed together. This isn't unusual in Europe, but in some hotels they have a mechanism to fasten the two beds together so they don't separate in the middle of the night. That isn't the case on the MS Michelangelo, leading to some hilarity amongst the passengers about mishaps with the "Great Divide", particularly in moments of passion. . .
The bathroom was about the same as we've seen on other cruises and well designed. There is a safe.
TIP: If you need darkness to sleep, bring an eye mask. The ship is moored at Giardini most nights, so cabins on the landward side of the ship are affected by street lights.