Gondolas in Venice

We are on the Med Odyssey cruise in October and I'm looking at the private gondola excursion through Viking. It is definitely more expensive than going on our own, but I'm thinking that they will have gondolas set up for us, without having to search one out or wait. I have really thought about doing it ourselves during our Venice extension, but have read countless reviews online about the gondoliers really shorting the time that was paid for and people have had no recourse. I would like to get a nice ride, and I'm hoping Viking's selected gondoliers won't short me. I'm willing to pay extra through Viking to get a better experience. Has anyone done the excursion, or gotten a gondola on their own, to give me their 2 cents before I book our excursions this weekend. Thanks for your input!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We were on the Med Odyssey in April. We took a gondola ride on our own with another couple that we met on the shuttle boat provided by viking. We paid 80 euros for a 40 minute ride. So it was 20 euros per person. Just walk to a gondola station away from the main canal. We requested a ride on the smaller canals. We had a great time. You will pay extra for music or wine. The price goes up after 6pm. Hope this helps.

We were on the Med. Odyssey in March and took the evening gondola ride with Viking for all the reasons you listed. I don't remember how long it was because it was a very long walk and when we got there they didn't have enough gondolas and we had a long wait. So at this point I am grumbling and they called us to a gondola. It ended up being just hubby and me and a fabulous tenor and accordion player! I stopped grumbling. There were about 3 other gondolas near us so they could hear the music too. We went down the Grand Canal a little ways and then into back canals. I'm guessing it was 40 minutes.

The next 2 days we also stayed in Venice but I wasn't running around finding a gondola. We are not the most adventuresome travelers so we enjoyed having all the work done for us. We also enjoyed having an evening cruise. I know we left the ship at 7 pm and got back at 10 pm so it was a long day for us. Oh and my husband had to run after the tenor and accordion player to tip them and they were very grateful.

We loved the cruise, the ship, the ports and the extra time in Venice. Booked Alaska for 2019 while on board. Have a great time

Perhaps a gondola is the only trip that would 'float your boat.' But DW and I decided that we would much more enjoy spending that money on a two-hour private tour in a water taxi [they remind us of the classic CrissCraft speedboats, which are still the sexiest thing on water] of the small canals and non-touristy neighborhoods of Venice. We enjoyed it tremendously and recommend that you consider it before committing to a pricey few minutes in a gondola:

https://tours-italy.com/tour/small-group-grand-canal-secret-venice-boat-tours_234

We were on Med Od. In April 2016. Love Venice and walking up and down canals and side streets, I really wanted to travel the whole length of the Grand Canal, so we took a water bus near St. Marks Square, and it jotted back from one side to the other, saw so much, traveled with the locals. It was fantastic. It took about an hour to get to the end, got off and walked to the People Mover about 2 blocks away and took that to the port. Have never regretted not going on a Gondala

As much of a cliche as it is, we really enjoyed our gondola ride this April. We just found our own, didn't book through Viking. You can tell the gondolier where you'd like to go, and you can bring your own wine/champagne - just bring plastic cups (they have these at most liquor stores).

We did the same cruise in April with a three day add-on in Venice and Barcelona. Our B&B was right over one of the main Gondola arteries, so we watched them out our bedroom window every morning and evening. To be honest, I was a tad put off by watching a virtual traffic jam of Gondola / Gondoliers and everyone all jammed up in a slow moving line. I am sure if you really know what your doing you might arrange a more "authentic experience", or perhaps that is just a myth anyway these days.

My two cents - take a water taxi around the grand canal and down a couple of the smaller canals. Share it with another couple or two, if you desire. I loved the "classic CrissCraft style" speedboats. We did not incorporate a tour with our ride, but that might be the best of both worlds.

Damn, now I just want to go back.

In 2013, after we ate dinner, we looked into taking a gondola ride. The price was 80 euros EACH (that's what we were told) and they put a bunch of people in one gondola .... it would have been me & DH and 4 other strangers. AND it lasted 15-20 minutes. They were moving people like they were loading boxes for fed ex. NO singing .... nothing special ... we passed. There was nothing special about it.

Thanks for all the great replies! I'm thinking go for it on the gondola- AND a water taxi/ motor boat tour one day during the extension.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Have one more suggestion for you....how about learning to be a gondolier? It was the highlight of our entire Italian land/sea trip a few years back. The teacher does most of the driving but teachers you how to do it and you do!

Check out Row Venice

We went to Venice two days prior to boarding Star for our "Empires of the Mediterranean" cruise in 2015. We decided that just because everyone talks about taking a gondola ride, that did not mean it was essential for us to do it. It was pricey, and it looked crowded. However, I simply took several of the vaporettos (I guess what people are calling the water bus, which is not the same as a water taxi) and had a great time riding many of the canals of Venice. There's a Rick Steves podcast you can download to your phone and listen as you take one of the more popular vaporetto routes. However, I just got on, sat in the front of the boat with a map, and had a good time without listening to the podcast. I also road one out to the islands of Murano and to Burano. Obviously riding the vaporettos are not for everyone, but if you're adventuresome and have time it can be a lot of fun. Just remember that there are the public water buses (the vaporettos) as well as the yellow Alilaguna water buses (which you can usually get from the cruise port (Stazione Maritima), assuming you dock there) and each line uses its own ticketing system.

If I HAD decided to take a gondola ride, I would have looked for one on a smaller canal than the Grand Canal, which seemed over-crowded to me. And as for ship excursions versus doing it on your own, the cost of ship excursions are almost always more than doing things on your own. However, you won't have to risk getting lost in confusing Venice, and you won't need to tip (or at least I don't think so); therefore, the whole experience should be easier for you if you go with Viking, and perhaps not all that much more price-wise than doing it on your own.