S.S. La Venezia Review

5.0 / 5.0
4 reviews
Suite on Uniworld's S.S. La Venezia (Photo: Uniworld)
Panini Lounge on S.S. La Venezia (Photo: Uniworld)
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Editor Rating
5.0
Excellent
Overall
Sue Bryant
Contributor

S.S. La Venezia started out as the more modest River Countess, built in 2003 and sailing the shallow Venice lagoon since 2013. Even before its current incarnation, River Countess was the most luxurious riverboat in Venice.

Now, the ship has been re-launched with even higher standards. In 2019, Uniworld completely renovated the ship, converting it into a "Super Ship," its most luxurious category, with new decor and furnishings, inspired by Venice and the surrounding area.

Uniworld’s Super Ships are always anything but generic, with extravagantly opulent decor and dramatic touches, from lavish chandeliers to swagged curtains and sumptuously textured wall coverings. La Venezia doesn’t disappoint, from the moment you step onboard into a lobby done out in black and gold and adorned with large potted palms, a circular sofa fringed with silver at its heart. Elaborate Venetian carnival masks adorn one end of Hari’s Bar, the main salon, where the bar is painted pale gold and the gilded chairs resemble small thrones.

While this sounds wildly over the top, the design works, and you quickly settle into what’s essentially an elaborately decorated floating boutique hotel. There’s certainly nothing snooty about the ship, despite its palatial appearance; the dress code is casual and the vibe jolly, aided by the free-flowing, all-inclusive drinks.

This inclusive pricing. -- and the fact that unlike Venice’s many hotels -- it moves, are what gives S.S. La Venezia the edge, all the more so since the 2021 ban of big cruise ships from the city center. During a week-long cruise, you really do get the best of Venice and the lagoon. Four of the seven nights are spent at San Basilio, or at the Sette Martiri mooring, even closer to Piazza San Marco. You’re in the heart of the city, either way, and are free to explore.

The other three nights depend on water levels in the lagoon. You are almost certain to go to  Chioggia, a fishing community at the far south of the lagoon, and Mazzorbo island, connected to pretty Burano by a foot bridge. The ship no longer sails into the broad Po River because of fluctuating water levels.

When you add up all the elements of the cruise — all meals, drinks, activities, gratuities and accommodation — it becomes clear what a competitively priced way this is to spend a week in Venice, in extreme comfort.

About

Passengers: 126
Crew: 44
Passenger to Crew: 2.86:1
Launched: 2020
Shore Excursions: 73

Sails To

Sails From

Inclusions

Included with your cruise fare:

  • Main dining room, pizzeria and panini snack bar

  • · Wide selection of wine, spirits and cocktails

  • · Most shore excursions

  • · Use of the gym, including classes

  • · Specialty coffee

  • · Gratuities

  • · Drinking water

  • · Wi-Fi

Not included with your cruise fare:

  • Spa treatments

  • · Dining in La Cantinetta

  • · Premium drinks

Fellow Passengers

Most passengers are mature North Americans, mostly couples, with a high number of repeaters. Uniworld also attracts British, Australian and a handful of mainland European passengers. A lot of people take the cruise as part of a longer land tour of northern Italy, so friendships form quickly.

You won’t see many families on La Venezia but in the summer school vacation, Uniworld offers Generations cruises, aimed at a family audience, with excursions and activities geared to younger cruisers.

S.S. La Venezia Dress Code

Daytime: Smart casual, and practical, as most days are spent out on tour. Smart shorts are acceptable in the restaurant at lunchtime, but not swimwear or cover-ups. Respectable dress covering shoulders and knees is required to enter churches ashore.

Evening: Smart casual again. Men wear long pants and collared shirts and women tend to wear smart pants and tops, or cocktail dresses.

Not permitted: There are no hard and fast rules but shorts, baseball caps and T shirts are not generally seen at dinner.

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More about S.S. La Venezia

Where does S.S. La Venezia sail from?

S.S. La Venezia departs from Venice and Budapest

Where does S.S. La Venezia sail to?

How much does it cost to go on S.S. La Venezia?

Cruises on S.S. La Venezia start from $2,899 per person.
S.S. La Venezia Cruiser Reviews

A wonderful itinerary but ship was a little cramped

We had a lovely week on SS La Venezia. The highlghts were the excursions - a private visit of the Doges palace and an after hours visit St Mark's Basilica with a superb guide.Read More
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2640julie

many10+ Cruises

Age 60s

Nice but not excellent cruise experience. Nice decor on board & nice room.

Also, it would have been nice to have walking tour(s) available or even ad hoc video presentations for those folks arriving at various times of day to the hotel in Milan.I did sign up for an optional trip to Lago di Como from Milan but on that tour we spent most of our time on the bus due to so much traffic to & from.Read More
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World of Wonder

few6-10 Cruises

Age 81s

Italy and the Veneto region - what a fabulous way to see the region

The onboard entertainment was very good - one night we had 2 opera singers who were incredible and we would have paid at least 100 euros to see them perform.We loved the late night at St Marks Basilica and early morning at Doges Palace - the ship were the only tourists inside and we didn't have to queue which was wonderful.Read More
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Cruiselover22334

many10+ Cruises

Age 40s

Another Enjoyable Uniworld river cruise

Within 2 days ,we’ve booked another Uniworld trip for this year, it’s that good!Plenty of choices for days ashore, we picked Ferrara and Padova, Po Delta day cruise.Read More
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Littlewh

many10+ Cruises

Age 70s

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection Fleet
River Princess

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