When we booked this stay (30 June-4 July 2016) on the MS Michelangelo for the six of us (two seniors, two middle-agers and two teenagers), it was after a lot of research on Venice hotels and convenience. We wanted to be near the water, close to St. Mark's Square and have convenient transfers to-from the airport. We knew the Michelangelo clientele would be predominantly European and that English would be a second-language rather than primary for shipboard activities. Also, the cuisine would be focused toward European versus American tastes. For us, these were plus factors.

Embarkation-Debarkation. Coming from the airport our transfer driver was able to drive directly to the Michelangelo which was docked for embarkation-debarkation at a side quay (San Basilio) next to the main cruise terminal. We arrived at 11AM and dropped off our luggage. We then went on a walking tour along the main canal, stopping for lunch along the way at a sidewalk bistro. About 3PM we were back at the ship and got a quick nap before the ship left the San Basilio quay for the 30-minute trip to the primary docking site near the Arsenale vaporetto station. The ship remained here (except for a three-hour lagoon cruise) until the fourth-day trip to Chioggia. From Chioggia the ship sailed directly back to the San Basilio quay for final night and passenger debarkation the next morning. We skipped the scheduled excursion to Padua, opting instead for the tranquility of the Chioggia-to-Venice cruise.

The Cabin - Small, to say the least. It was functional and spotlessly clean, which were the most important things to us. Time spent in the cabin was minimal at best, as Venice sightseeing filled most hours of the day. The cabin is 220VAC, so bringing a plug-in converter for 110VAC devices is a must. The beds were much more comfortable than I expected. Read more