Gondola Ride

We are now evening of Sunday July 13th. We had booked a very special excursion in Venice: a gondola ride at night.

I had been keeping an eye on the weather forecast. We were supposed to have had a day filled with intense thunderstorms and rain. So far the weather was holding up. But would we make our way to San Marco only to endure a gondola ride in the pouring rain?

We will find out.

Click on any image for a larger photo and slideshow.

Our last evening meal aboard the Disney Magic was at Lumiere’s. The dining team worked hard to ensure that we had our meal served quickly as we had our port excursion leaving at 7:00pm.

Here we are waiting to depart on a boat shuttle bound for San Marco. And look, it is a very bright and sunny evening.

A view of the Disney Magic as we leave the terminal.

We were topside on the boat shuttle. It took about 20 minutes to travel from the terminal to the docking station at San Marco.

Beautiful evening sky over Venice.

During the day, this area of Venice is literally overcome by tourists. However, at night, it becomes far more pleasant for walking.

San Marco square at night.

Campanile di San Marco is the bell tower of San Marco’s Basilica in Venice, Italy, located in the Piazza San Marco. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city.

Here is the launch area for our gondola ride. This shot was taken from the gondola itself.

Matthew cannot believe his good fortune. Of all the gondolas, we happened to be placed in the gondola with the accordion player and the tenor.

The Grand Canal at night. Calm. Serene.

We are treated to a heartfelt performance of O Sole Mio.

A view of the canal from the gondola on our return trip to the launch station.

Although the gondola ride itself was an incredible experience, the launch station was, well, just a wee bit chaotic.

Another shot of San Marco square at night.

Outdoor restaurants line San Marco square and they all feature live musicians.

Even though it is quite late at night, there is always an opportunity to buy one more souvenir.

This was the most expensive port excursion and also the shortest. The gondola ride itself was 30 minutes. However, it was an amazing experience and probably the one activity that is required when visiting Venice.