This was our first uniworld cruise, and to be honest I did not like the ship. It was very claustrophobic: low ceilings, outsized furniture in small spaces, I always felt like I was sqeezing past other guests, especially at the buffet. That said, service and food were always excellent. We had an amazing art historian leading many of the tours and it was nice to have a choice of tours included every day. (Avoid the mussel cruise at all costs, though; it was totally lame). Having all drinks included, not just with meals, was a nice plus.

We took the option of starting in Milan and were very happy we did. The hotel there was very good and stopping at Verona on the way to Venice was quite pleasant. We took the optional tour to the top of the Milan Cathedral which was dangerously crowded since it was a holiday weekend but still spectacular. I especially appreciated that Uniworld arranged for private group viewings of the Last Supper and St Mark's cathedral so we could avoid the crush and appreciate those places.

The onboard enrichment ranged from pathetic (tiramisu demo). To very good ( narrated tour of the lagoon); onboard entertainment was very good, especially the local musicians and singers. Read more