SS La Venezia

The 2003-built Uniworld SS La Venezia ship (fka River Countess) cruises on Po River in Italy, departing from homeport Venice. Uniworld (officially "Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection") is a major river cruise company part of The Travel Corporation group. With the same design features and amenities as River Countess are the Uniworld ships Ambassador (1993, now THE A), Baroness (1994, now THE B), Duchess (2003), Empress (2001), Princess (2001), Queen (1999), Royale (2006, now SS Bon Voyage).

Following an extensive drydock refit and refurbishment, in 2020 MS River Countess was renamed "SS La Venezia" and classed as "super ship". River Countess boat's last major refurbishment was in 2012 when the vessel was completely remodeled. The premium hotels and all excursions with English-speaking guides and audio headphones are included in Uniworld Po River cruise fares.

SS La Venezia has as sisterships the Uniworld's "Super Ship" class boats SS Bon Voyage (2006, ex River Royale), SS Beatrice (2009, ex River Beatrice), SS Antoinette (2011), SS Catherine (2014), SS Maria Theresa (2015), SS Joie de Vivre (2017).

Following the 15-month hiatus due to the Coronavirus crisis, Uniworld restarted voyages with SS La Venezia departing on June 20, 2021, from Venice Italy.

Cabins

Of all SS La Venezia staterooms (total 63), 6x are Suites, 14x French Balconies, 36x Deluxe (with Picture Window) and 7x Classic (with Porthole Windows). Before 2020, the ship was operated under the name "River Countess" and had 66 cabins (including 4x Suites).

The fully remodeled ship has standard cabins sized 14 m2 (150 ft2), while the French Balconies are 13 m2. French Balcony Suites are sized 19 m2 each. Two-Room Grand Suites are sized 26 m2. All cabins are fitted with UK-made Savoir beds with top-luxury bedding sets and pillows. All staterooms on Deck 3 (Murano) are with French Balconies - an electronically-controlled, sliding floor-ceiling window opening to a railing. All passenger cabin bathrooms were completely renovated (tiles, furniture, LED lighting, vanity tops). The signature Savoir beds are handcrafted, with ample under-bed suitcase storage space, luxury bedding sets (100% Egyptian cotton), duvets, pillow menu.

Standard cabin amenities include boutique decor (decadent-style interiors with high-quality wooden furniture, brass finishings, wooden wall panels), a Queen-size double bed (some convertible to twins / 2x single beds), bedside cabinets (3-drawer), wall-mounted reading lamps, large wardrobe (2-3x built-in closets), smart HDTV (satellite reception, infotainment system / Internet, movies-on-demand, “View From the Bridge” /real-time webcam views), direct-dial phone (intercom), electronic safe box (in the closet), mirrored dressing table, chair, bottled water (replenished daily), individually controlled air-conditioning (thermostat), 110-220 V power outlets, en-suite marble bathroom (WC-toilet, single-sink vanity, magnifying mirror, glass shower cubicle, hairdryer, towel warmer, waffle bathrobes, plush towels, slippers), Asprey bath products (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion).

Both Two-Room Grand Suites (midship-aft on deck 3-Murano) each has two French balconies (one in the bedroom, one in the living room), a larger bathroom (with double-sink vanity, separate shower, bathtub, rain shower, Hermes bath products), bedroom (fixed Queen bed / non-convertible), living room (3-seater sofa, 2x chairs, 2x glass-top coffee tables). The two French Balcony Suites (midship on deck 3-Murano) are with a 2-seater sofa and also with a fixed double bed and larger bathroom (double-sink vanity, separate shower, rain shower, Hermes bath products, no bathtub).

All cabins on deck 2-Burano-Mazzorbo are same-sized (14 m2) and with a large (wall-to-wall, half-height) non-opening Picture Window. All cabins on deck 1-Torcello are with 2x Porthole Windows (non-opening, round-shaped) located at water-level (high up on the riverside wall).

One pair of French Balcony staterooms (408-410) are connecting and can be booked as a family cabin with quad capacity.

Shipboard facilities

On Deck 2 forward (Mazzorbo Deck) are located Serenity River Spa (massage room served by a professional masseur), Beauty Salon (professional nail-hairdresser-barber services), 24-hour tea/coffee station (complimentary teabags, hot and bottled water, cookies, candies), Boutique Shop, Internet corner), Fitness (Gym Room with exercise bikes, treadmill, rowing machine, free weights, yoga mats). La Cantinetta (specialty dining venue at surcharge) is a la carte-priced "wine club" for wine-pairing dinners and gourmet food (made-to-order upon request). On Deck 2 aft (Burano Deck) is the Sauna Room.

On Murano Deck (deck 3) are located Hari's Bar Lounge (forward), Lobby hall (Reception, Uniworld Tours Desk, , small seating area with sofas), Captain’s Club (midship), Ristorante Rialto (aft).

Ristorante Rialto is the ship’s open-seating Dining Room Restaurant with floor-ceiling windows, single-seating capacity, waiter service, fixed dining times (depending on the daily scheduled activities). Breakfast (7-9 am) is buffet-style (a large station is located in the middle) with cereals, a selection of breads, cheeses, cold meats, fruits, yogurt, smoothies, sausage. There is a designated chef for made-to-order eggs, omelets and other dishes ordered separately (at no extra charge). Lunch (12:30-2 pm) includes a soup station, carvery, salads bar, hot dishes, pasta and sandwiches, desserts, with local delicacies also provided. Dinners (7-7:30 pm /starting after the Main Lounge’s cocktail hour) are waiter-served (until 9 pm). The 4-course dinner menu has several starters, 2 soups, 3 entrees (fish, meat, vegetarian), desserts, cheese plates. At dinner, the complimentary wines are itinerary-based (reflecting the sailing region), and steaks and chicken are always offered on request. At breakfast and lunch, a la carte menu is also provided.

Captain’s Club is a small room that doubles as Library (has 3 tables, collection of books, popular board games, playing cards). Hari's Bar Lounge is the boat's main lounge with a dance floor and evening program with live entertainment (music by resident duo pianist/singer) and local guests' performances. Hari's Lounge also hosts the Uniworld's onboard enrichment program (cooking demonstrations, guest lectures, crew show, Cruise Director’s port talks).

On Sun Deck are the Navigation Bridge (Wheelhouse), bike station (storage for complimentary bicycles with locks, helmets are provided on request), Sienna Salon (Cafe), deckgames area (Shuffleboard, Giant Chess Set). Sienna Salon is a conservatory-type indoor-outdoor lounge with retractable roof and glass walls, live plants, indoor and outdoor seating. Depending on the weather, the whole structure can be opened or closed. Sienna Lounge doubles as an alternative dining venue with waiter service and light food menu (oven-baked pizzas, pasta, salads, soups, sandwiches). The sundeck lounge also serves brunches and cocktail parties. Weather permitting, on sundeck are held morning exercise classes (complimentary, including Zumba, Yoga, Aerobics).

One Lift (passenger elevator) connects all cabin decks (upper level 3 of 3). A stairlift links decks 3 and 4.

SS La Venezia river cruise prices are per person and based on double occupancy. These are only indicative Uniworld Italy cruise rates. They might be different when you book your Uniworld Po River cruise only or cruise tour deals, influenced by travel agency promotions, special offers, and discounts, group travel booking or last-minute deals rates. Uniworld offers air-inclusive cruise deals and pre/post-cruise hotel packages as extensions (at additional cost).

The vessel (ENI number 07001802) is Holland-flagged (MMSI 244780776) and Holland-built (by Scheepswerf Den Breejen in Hardinxveld-Giessendam).

In April 2013, Uniworld introduced the company's Po River cruisetours in Italy and aimed to be the most luxurious operator on the Italian inland waterways. Uniworld succeeded with the remodeled boat River Countess, which, after 10 years of service, underwent a total drydock transformation in 2012 at the cost of USD 5+ million. Countess was re-designed by a team of Red Carnation Hotels (sister-company of Uniworld, with parent The Travel Corporation).

The boat's namesake is the Carnival Corporation-owned cruise ship Carnival Venezia (2019-built as Costa Venezia).

Due to the boat's unique itineraries in Italy, some shore excursions (for example, to Verona, Ravenna, Bologna, Padua) require bus travel of 1-2 hours. This means less cruising time than on an average river voyage. The ship's Po River itineraries include 3-day roundtrips from Venice (Venezia) and also one-ways leaving from Milan and Rome to Venice. This is the only Uniworld ship in Italy. Another large European riverboat deployed year-round in Italy is CroisiEurope's MS Michelangelo.

Note: You can see CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.