Not at all what was promised. We arrived at the meeting point and found a line to the Gondolas, looked for our tour contact and was eventually told we could ride the gondola with our printed voucher, so we stood in line, about 20 minutes and were put on a gondola, we were in dress clothes and they filled the gondola to the point we had to sit on the steps. Thankfully we rode the gondola earlier in the day on another Viator tour and thoroughly enjoyed it, because this would have soured us on Venice. We were the lead gondola and somewhere about 6 gondolas back there was music, but we could only hear it when we were on the Grand Canal in a straight line because we were so far ahead of the music we would loose it. This was about a 20 minute gondola ride, exactly what you get for 40 Euros for a family of 4 if you walk up, stand in line and pay the Gondola. After the Gondola ride we asked about dinner and no one seemed to know where to go or anything about it. I called the company on the voucher and the number was disconnected. We never found the restaurant and ended up eating at another wonderful restaurant. Don't waste your money on this tour.
Review by: canningidt, June 2018
The Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade was the highlight of our Venice vacation! The 5 stars are for the Gondola ride with Serenade ONLY...NOT the dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant after the gondola ride, we presented our Viator voucher receipt to the manager/waiter. He was rude, very skeptical and accused us of giving him a Fake receipt. He wanted the voucher which the gondola ride operator had already taken PRIOR the gondola ride. He was extremely unpleasant, making us feel as though we were there for a free meal even though we paid for it several months prior when we booked this event. The waiter claimed I never received an Email from Viator about you/this reservation. After bickering with him, he finally decided to seat us. The food was fair, nothing that we would ever return to with all of the many wonderful restaurants in Venice. While eating, another couple entered the restaurant, and we witnessed the same cold reception and accusation of a Fake receipt, when they also presented their post gondola ride receipt voucher. He gave them such a difficult time, the young girl was almost reduced to tears. We intervened on their behalf and the waiter finally relented and decided to seat them as well. Viator should NOT USE the current restaurant, HOSTARIA AI CORISTI, for dinner with this tour. STOP using a restaurant that appears to be failing based on the lack of patrons inside and outside when most of the other restaurants were filled to capacity, low quality of food, and waiter/manager rude, ungrateful, and almost ruined our wonderful experience. The serenade gondola ride was great, the professional singer and musician we had was wonderful...book the other tour WITHOUT the dinner!! It is less expensive and you will not regret it.
Review by: thomas c, April 2018
This tour was certainly not worth the price. We were one of 7 gondolas in the group, a group of strangers. There was a serenade in the second gondola which we almost entirely could not see or hear. The ride was brief 20 mins and our boat was swamped with water in the main canal.
Review by: Robert S, April 2018
The only reason it go 2 stars was because the dinner was awesome. The Gondola ride itself was HORRIBLE, 8 Gondola's following the singer who was in his own boat. If you were in a back boat you could barely hear the singer and to make it worse all the Gondoliers were talking and that made it worse. Have taken a lot of tours via Viator over the years, but this by far the worse I have ever been on
Review by: Elizabeth Z, April 2018
It was indeed an amazing ride. The only comment I have is that the advertisement might be a little misleading thinking the dinner is close or at port, it's actually a little ways apart. But food was amazing at restaurant.
Review by: Roxana G, April 2018
Gift tour
Review by: Aryn F, April 2018
Venice navigation is a nightmare...picture Diagon alley in HP.The ride was short and they made fun of my mom. The singer was on 1 boat and the we were near to listen. The drop off point was a 10 min walk from the dinner, if you knew where to go. The best part was dinner. Food and service AMAZING.
Review by: Tony-Erin S, March 2018
I was not impressed. I realize they do this all day out but it was a once in a lifetime thing for me and they really should find a way to treat each guest as if they are their only guest. False advertising that each boat had musicians. I’m a travel agent and will not recommend this tour.
Review by: colin m, February 2018
Very romantic, like being in a movie.
Review by: Keri B, January 2018
Touristy activity and dinner wasn't great.
Review by: Deketa S, January 2018
Such an amazing experience. The food and the included restaurant was so good. Definitely bang for your buck with this tour.
Review by: BigFish, December 2017
WOFTAM
Review by: cruisebabe13, November 2017
We thought we signed up for gondola ride where we were serenaded, and then would be dropped off at restaurant. It was nothing like that. 54 people showed up, we were crammed into 9 or 10 gondolas, and only one had an accordianist and singer. We could barely hear the music that was in a boat waaaaayyyy behind ours. Additionally, our gondolier and the next one talked the whole time and made it even harder to hear music. Then they brought us back to where we started from. We asked about the included restaurant. They gave us directions to walk halfway across Venice. We got lost, kept asking people, and finally found the restaurant in an alley. THIS TOUR WAS NOT AS PORTRAYED for sure. Do not recommend it.
Review by: Fabio Z, November 2017
We loved the Gondola Serenade and will do it again next trip!!
Review by: Allan J, November 2017
The sunset gondola ride was a disaster! What we thought was a group of 6 on our boat, was also a group of 6 boats cruising together. It felt like we were on a ride at Disneyland! The singer was only in the first boat when I asked our gondolier if he was going to sing, he said, Oh I'll leave that to the professional. The gondoliers were talking to each other, not paying any attention to the passengers. There should have been someone on the dock to help passengers into and out of the boat and to steady the boat, not just the gondolier in the boat, since the boat was swaying. When boarding, the gondolier pulled on my wrist to get me in and sprained it. If my husband hadn't caught me from behind, I would have fallen in! In the gondola next to us, a woman fell face first into the gondola! Later, at dinner, we met a man who literally did the splits when trying to get out of the boat after the ride!_br/_ The dinner was fair. When we walked in, the man at the front wasn't very welcoming, and the food was just OK. He made sure that we understood that gratuity was not included, repeating that 2 or 3 times._br/_ The romantic evening that I had waited 25 years for was a joke. SAVE YOUR MONEY. This was misrepresented by Viator!
Review by: Todd W, November 2017
Beautiful ride with amazing seats from Viator! The serenade was fantastic and made the whole experience even better. DO THIS TOUR!!
Review by: David R, November 2017
From beginning to end, this was fantastic! We had a beautiful night for the gondola ride, the gentleman singing was outstanding, dinner was very good at Ristorante Ai Coristi, and the service across the board was awesome! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Review by: Susan V, October 2017
enjoyable Tour
Review by: FERNANDA D, October 2017
Not what I expected at all , not organized . Dinner was included , however they did not have any recollection of that . _br/_ No guidance to where the Restaurant was , difficult to get to it ._br/_ Food just ok ,nothing to write home about .
Review by: Ken U, October 2017
I booked this to start our 25th anniversary trip, and couldn't ask for a more romantic way. We joined another couple from England and we exchanged photos all night. The weather was perfect and we travelled on the Grand Canal and through some backcanals. Our gondolier was courteous but not talkative heard that's to be expected but one of the boats in our group of 6 gondolas had an accordion and singer, so we all enjoyed the music. Our package included a dinner after the ride at a good but not great restaurant. Order house wine wherever you go. It's less and still great!
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