MS Michelangelo is CroisiEurope’s only river cruise ship in Italy (Image: CroisiEurope)
MS Michelangelo is CroisiEurope’s only river ship in and one of the smallest in its 50-plus fleet, which is why it can sail in the Venice Lagoon despite a 2021 ban on larger ships.
Built in 2000 and completely refurbished in 2011, it has 78 cabins and provides a cross between a and escorted holiday for a maximum 154 guests while moored in or sailing to neighbouring islands within the lagoon. Some itineraries include the River Po.
French-owned CroisiEurope has 51 river ships and canal barges sailing major rivers as well as smaller waterways, including the only cruise ship on Spain’s Guadalquivir River.
It is also one of the few lines to offer cruises on the Vltava in the Czech Republic.
Outside Europe it has French colonial-style ships sailing the River Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia, and offers cruise and land packages in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe in Africa.
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The large sun deck is the best place for taking in the views (Image: Deborah Stone)
What’s it like on board?
MS Michelangelo is like a boutique hotel, conveniently moored at Seven Martyrs Pier near the lovely Giardini della Biennale park – away from the crowds but an easy walk along the water’s edge to St Mark’s Square, the cathedral and Doge’s Palace.
Some days it sails out into the Venetian Lagoon for visits to islands such as Mazzorbo, which is connected to colourful Burano island by a wooden footbridge, or to picturesque Chioggia, which has a road bridge over to the mainland.
Most evenings it returns to Venice – and some days it doesn’t even leave the city – so guests have plenty of time to explore the patchwork of narrow alleyways and lovely squares among the canals.
It’s perfect for people who are new to cruise or don’t like the idea of being confined to a ship – but it also offers everything you’d expect of a river cruise.
All meals and most drinks are included, there’s an English-speaking cruise director to make sure you know what you’re doing every day, optional excursions, evening entertainment in the lounge bar and free WiFi.
The WOW factor
I still can’t get over the fact that I spent four nights in Venice with waterfront views and three substantial meals a day for the price of two nights in a hotel with no sunset views over the lagoon and no more than a continental breakfast.
MS Michelangelo offers extraordinary value for money as well as a ready-made group of holiday friends plus a team of helpful staff dedicated to looking after you.
Even in October, when I was on MS Michelangelo, the days were mostly sunny and the sunsets spectacular viewed from the sundeck with a gin and tonic from the included bar drinks menu.
The ship is a fabulous base for exploring Venice on your own, or with paid-for excursions, in a season that includes Venice Carnival-themed cruises in February and March plus Christmas and New Year short breaks.
The rooms have comfortable beds and small but well-organised shower rooms with toiletries included (Image: Deborah Stone)
Lifestyle
You can choose your own pace on MS Michelangelo cruises because the ship will usually return to the same Seven Martyrs Pier mooring, so if you don’t want to visit any other islands you can spend every day in Venice and get back onboard in the early evening.
Occasionally the mooring is switched to San Basilio, at the other end of the island, but you’ll be informed at the daily briefing in the lounge before dinner.
So it’s a case of joining in as much or as little as you like day or night – and that includes taking part in the evening entertainment or going off to find your own fun in the bar and restaurant-packed streets a few minutes’ walk away.
I was on a four-night Venetian Treasures cruise with an itinerary that includes the ship sailing to Mazzarbo and Chioggia but there are also five, six, seven and nine-day cruises and extended stays available.
Staterooms
With so much to see in Venice, both day and night, you’re not going to want to spend much time in your cabin and to be honest that’s a good thing because while they’re pleasantly furnished they’re fairly compact.
They don’t have balconies because the large sun deck is the best place for taking in the views, and you don’t need a kettle or mini-bar as you can get just about any drinks you need free of charge in the lounge bar almost any hour of the day.
But what you do get is a comfortable bed – either twin beds or they can be pushed together to make a double – and a small but well-organised shower room with toiletries included.
The wardrobe and drawers are sufficient for two people and there’s plenty of space under the bed to store your cases and all the pasta and olive oil it’s hard to resist buying from artisan stores (or the small Coop supermarket in nearby Via Giuseppe Garibaldi).
There’s also a wall-mounted television, that you probably won’t have time to watch, a hairdryer, safe, telephone and small desk with a chair.
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Breakfast lasts from around 7am or 7.30am to 9am (Image: Deborah Stone)
The fresh bread and croissants in the breakfast buffet were eagerly anticipated (Image: Deborah Stone)
Dining
The French cuisine is a highlight of most CroisiEurope ships and even though you’re in Italy the fresh bread and croissants in the breakfast buffet are eagerly anticipated.
There’s a full range of continental breakfast items – great cheese and a choice of cold cuts – plus hot cooked food, pots of coffee on every table and good quality tea bags for British guests.
Breakfast lasts from around 7 or 7.30 to 9am, then at midday it’s time for waiter-served lunch – three courses plus cheese. The set menu usually includes a salad starter, fish or meat main course and a dessert such as crème brulee. To be honest, I usually skipped lunch and spent a peaceful hour on the sundeck instead, with coffee and a cheese roll saved from breakfast. Unfortunately there’s no lunch buffet but several Brits on my cruise were happy just to have the starter while the French guests tucked in to every course.
Dinner is also waiter-served and four courses, and sometimes reflects the ship’s Italian base. So one night we had burrata cheese with ripe tomatoes for starters, pork schnitzel and pasta, then tiramisu after a selection of fabulous cheese.
On the third night we had our Gala dinner, featuring guinea fowl for our main course with Mediterranean vegetables and sparkler-studded baked Alaska which was paraded around the dining room by all the kitchen staff.
As well as set menus at lunch and dinner, CroisiEurope also differs from other cruise lines by allocating dining tables on the first night, but you will always be put with friends if you’re in a group or with people who speak your language.
MS Michelangelo only has one lounge bar but it’s big enough for every passenger to find an armchair (Image: Deborah Stone)
Bars and lounges
Because it’s slightly smaller than other CroisiEurope river ships, MS Michelangelo only has one lounge bar but it’s big enough for every passenger to find a comfy armchair or sofa to sit on and the bar staff are very attentive.
Windows all around the lounge mean you never miss the views during the day and there’s a small terrace at the back of the lounge if you want to take your barista coffee outside without having to go up to the sundeck.
Entertainment
During my four-nights on MS Michelangelo we were treated to a musical evening with a Venetian singer, who was excellent, and there was music and dancing after the Gala Dinner on the third night.
The other two nights were mostly spent eating dinner then taking in the air either on the sundeck with a nightcap or having a stroll along the water’s edge under the soft glow of old Venetian street lamps.
CroisiEurope’s four-night Venetian Treasures cruise operates in March, July and October 2025, from £698 per person including all meals, drinks, port fees and repatriation insurance. Fly/cruise prices start from £830 per person. (01756 691269; croisieurope.co.uk)