Gondola Adventures, Inc.

Thank you Gondola Adventures for helping to make our 1^st Anniversary so memorable. The service you offered from beginning to end was excellent. Thank you April and Anne in reservations for being so accommodating and thank you of course to our fabulous Gondolier «Hunter,» whom made our experience so much more enjoyable… loved it
If anyone out there is looking to surprise a significant other or anyone looking to celebrate a special occasion with a touch of Italy and Romance look no further you will be remembered for this long after the experience is over, oh and don’t forget to request the «Lucia» we have it on good authority it is the «Limo» of gondolas and it certainly lived up to its name. Enjoy…

I was looking for something to do with my wife to celebrate our 10 year anniversary and I came across this company. Based on all the great reviews I decided that this might just be the perfect thing for us. I called and spoke with April (I think it was April. It was either April or Annie) and she was incredibly nice and helpful. Like most people, I was hoping to take a sunset gondola, but since we planned it all at the last minute, they were all booked for that time. Not to worry, April gave me some options about other times and about the boats and gondoliers that they have. They have authentic gondolas from Italy that they row by hand and I knew that’s what I wanted.
Now, you have to know that my wife is not a romantic person, so I wasn’t sure what her response would be. She’d either love it or think it was cheesy. She loved it! Everything was perfect — from the boat to the gondolier. They had sparkling cider and chocolates waiting for us when we got on. They even had blankets for our laps since I chose an evening cruise. Our gondolier (I forget his name, sorry) was wonderful. He sang to us as we went around and also played some music for us. It could not have been a more enjoyable evening.
For anyone considering this with a loved one, it’s just a perfect way to spend a romantic hour. Get the authentic gondola that they row instead of the motorized one. You won’t regret it. Oh, and as April said, «Take the chocolates. Everyone always forgets to take the chocolates.» A statement our gondolier confirmed… so naturally we took the chocolates to enjoy back at our hotel. Great job everyone!

AWESOME EXPERIENCE! I booked a Gondola for my girlfriends birthday and she loved the whole experience! Calming and soothing experience. An authentic Venetian gondola. Sunset. AWESOME AGAIN. A good way to getaway from the craziness and work life. Our Gondolier, forgot his name but was awesome. He sang and made everything awesome, especially when he sang under the bridge and echoed throughout, awesome. Very intimate and romantic experience for any couple! Would do it again.

This tour was amazing! I came with my girlfriend here for one of our first dates for an after dark cruise and had an amazing time. Our gondolier Jacob was a big help on the romantic front telling us about old traditions like kissing when you pass under a bridge!
The water was quiet and we felt like we were all alone out there on the harbor. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an incredible romantic time. My girlfriend was talking about it for weeks!

Romantic, relaxing, intimate. Joey was out of this world. First, he gave us a smidget of Venetian gondola history that set the tone for the evening. Second, he SINGS like he’s from Italy. NO JOKE. Third, the tour was utterly beautiful. Finally, SHE SAID YES!
Highly recommended, with or without a marriage proposal agenda. Ask for Joey.

We just got married two weeks ago at the Balboa Bay Resort and we had the opportunity to go on a gondola ride. Simon was our gondolier and he was wonderful! He was at the dock on time and even took out pictures with the gondola before and after. His singing was excellent and the atmosphere was so romantic that we felt like we were on our honeymoon again! We are so glad that we met Simon and hope that we have one more chance to go on a gondola ride! Thanks Simon, you are the best! –Jimmy&Chloe from Newport beach :)

I was going back and forth on which company to use for a gondola ride around Newport. Finally decided on this one based on the positive reviews. Even though the price was higher than some of the other places, I decided on this one hoping for a good experience. It was $ 135 for an hour with $ 25 for each additional person. That came out to $ 185 for the four of us where as I saw on Groupon there were other deals for other places for only $ 65 for up to 4 people. Yes, this cost more, but I was very satisfied with the experience. I opted for the uncovered gondola, which was very gorgeous, just like the ones in Venice. I was about to change to one of their covered ones, but decided against it for they were not as nice as the uncovered one. Simon was our gondolier and he went way and beyond to make sure that we were happy. He always had a smile on his face and made sure to that we were able to catch the best angles for our photos. He sang and gave us little tidbits of information as well as just making sure we were taken care of. We went for my Mom’s 60^th birthday and she loved it! Lindt chocolates, chilled apple cider, blankets to keep warm,…and even candles! Thanks Simon for making it a memorable experience. You are great at your job and definitely made it worth it to pay extra for a great experience.

I can’t believe how perfect this experience was. My future wife was crying of happiness. JACOB was AMAZING. He made everything feel like the real thing. I highly recommend this experience to EVERYONE I KNOW.

I wish you could all see the expression on my face when the Boyfriend took me here. Extremely surprised. So romantic and on a such beautiful calming night.
Jacob was our gondolier. Incredible singing voice, great personality, and had a lot of amazing story.
The boy had Stella (the boat) sprinkle with rose pedal, Apple cider served, huge bouquet of flowers, and cheese cake; in which the gondolier had to take us to pick because we arrived a little early.

4 – 5 stars for tourists and surprise occasions.
3 stars for locals on a regular date night.
They are great for surprising your date because they don’t have a receiving area, and the entrance to the docks is a little concealed. For a local on a regular date, it was a little odd and not as romantic, but I would admit, if it was a surprise, it would have fooled my date.
The gondoliers dress in traditional Italian outfits and role-​play like they’re Italian. This is great for tourists who want an upscale Disney-​like effect, or for surprise dates with adrenaline and bubbly. As a local on a regular date, I would prefer the gondoliers to be themselves and dress more contemporary formal.
I didn’t try the traditional uncovered venetian gondolas, but they looked more comfortable than the covered gondola we rode in. The covered gondola is probably nice for hot sunny days, so-​so weather, or a cruise in which you prefer a table for food or other items.
If I were on vacation I would like it more because it has a touristy feel. They do get high ratings for surprise special occasions, and I’ve heard their dinner cruises are very nice.
They are a business and will try to fill time slots. If you want a sunset cruise, don’t let them try to talk you into a night time cruise, just find another day for the sunset cruise. Our night time cruise was pretty good though, the darkness kind of filters out the surroundings of Newport so it could be romantic.

Best experience I have ever had. Anne who is amazing and organised everything and kept in touch throughout the whole time and even had time for us to call her after for recommendations for other things to do in Newport Beach.
Hunter who took us around in the gondola was the best, easy going and had a amazing voice.
Thank you to everyone involved who organised the thing it truly was best experience and would definitely do it again.
Barry & Kristen

Super disappointed the guy didn’t even sing, ur charged 25 dollars for rose pedals and they don’t even look nice. I don’t think the price is fair.

Classic Cruise — $ 135
Tax — $ 1.73
Rose Petals — $ 7.50
Corkage Fee — $$ 7.75
Tax — $ 2.62
Look on my girlfriends face when she found out we were doing this… PRICELESS.
Do the math if you want the real total. Overall a legit experience. Sales rep was concise and painted an awesome picture when booking it and Jacob the dude who paddled us through Newport was a genuine solid guy. He knew his history about Venice and made the experience top notch.

Great groupon prices for boat rentals. I did the electric boat rental with 6 other people and it was great. Also planning to do the gondala rental as well. Would definitely recommend this place!

Absolutely loved this Gondola Ride. My bf took me for our anniversary and it was so romantic and beautiful. Our gondolier Steve was extremely nice and had such a beautiful voice. We got the classic canopy gondola, it was very roomy and comfortable.

I had the 3 dinner course one with Joe as our gondoliers. This is our 4^th date and it was an amazing n romantic ride. Foods were great from Rusty Pelican
Joe was great. We would request him again. He’s not overdoing it.
We love it and we’ll do it again
We even have our first romantic kiss under the bridge!

wow– i must say this was a great birthday experience for my girlfriend! everything from the initial phone call with Anne to our Gondolier Simon and his Boss who helped with the surprise. They did a great job of impromptu acting!!!
we arrived at the dock however my gf didnt know that we were going on a gondola. i told her we would go on a dinner cruise. I totally played it off that we missed the boat due to her taking longer in the bathroom to get ready HA HA. The gondoliers were outside and i said Hello my name is Will and i think we missed our dinner cruise. What are these things (as i point to the gondola). Simon and his Boss did a great job of acting here… they told us a story of what these gondolas are for and if we Wanted to – we could sit and take a picture as they have a customer that is running late.
My girlfriend did not like the idea of getting into someone gondola before them… and i had to basically force her to sit in it lol. i asked if they could take some pictures… and i have to say her face in these pictures was SOUR. lol hahahah…
simon and his boss then came back and said hey we found some rose petals and wanted to know if you wanted us to line the boat with them — i said sure!!! she said — this isnt your gondola– and that is when our salads came out and the boss said Delilah this is all for you its a surprise. PURE GOLDEN MOMENT… her reaction was priceless!
i have to say the message in a bottle idea is one of the most coolest things you can do especially when its so unexpected by the other party — the gondoliers know how to make this a memorable experience!
i have to give a big thumbs up for Gondola Adventures. The Food, the atmosphere, The Gondolas, the employees. All top notch. i would highly recommend for any occasion. thanks alot for making my girlfriends birthday very memorable!

I can definitely say I trusted this company with one of the largest events in my life and they surpassed any and all expectations!
From the very first phone call to them when I spoke with Anne, she was friendly and very informative, at first she said they were booked for the 1 hour cruise I was looking for which was sunset, but once I told her I would be proposing to my girlfriend she asked if she could try to work out a miracle and see if she could get another gondolier for my cruise. Anne called me back with great news and booked my 1 hour cruise. She also made sure to offer any help with restaurant locations and things to do if I needed to kill time while in Newport. She made sure to explain parking and directions on how to locate the gondolas once I parked.
On the big day it was perfect weather and we were met by Greg our gondolier for our cruise, from the beginning he was friendly and professional and definitely put me at ease! I purchased champagne and rose petals for the cruise at the time of booking the cruise which was all ready to go, Greg got us all situated and comfortable and made sure my Fiancé to be was warm with blankets they provided!
Once he popped the cork on the champagne we were off so I could pop the question! The sunset, the gondola and Greg’s amazing voice «he sings in English, Italian and Latin» and the fact that she said yes to my proposal made for an amazing night! This company has made two customers for life!

Simply Phenomenal!
We booked a 1 hour cruise for our anniversary and so glad we did! I have experienced many gondola rides, and I have had good and not so good experiences, so I went into this not sure what to expect.
This was by far the best gondola ride I have ever experienced! From the moment out amazing gondolier Sebastian greeted us we were both glad we booked with Gondola Adventures!
We ordered the cheese fruit platter and it was perfect, very impressed with the quality and the presentation. The sparkling cider was refreshing!
Sebastian was the best gondolier ever! He was friendly and personal, but not overly conversational. He had an amazing voice, and we looked forward to every bridge to hear him sing.
Overall the experience was perfect and memorable. Highly recommended.

This was definitely an experience I will always remember. I surprised my fiancé with this cruise after dining at mastros ocean club (fab-​u-​lousss! By the way) and we enjoyed every bit of it. It was the perfect time at sunset and so relaxing. I would def recommend this to anyone who wants to have a relaxing extremely romantic time while enjoying some wine and dessert :) I will def do this again.
Btw. I booked with Anne and she was sooo sooooo friendly, helpful and informative over the phone I felt like I was talking to someone I had known for years. As I told her I was surprising my fiancé with a few diff things to do out in Newport Beach she was so helpful by throwing in a couple cool places to check out while we were out there. Like. Fashion island outlet and Rogers garden :)

Something that I will always cherish and remember.
I booked a cruise with them 2 weeks in advance. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to book it the day of Valentine’s day because they were all booked for the whole day. So I booked it a week before Valentine’s day.
Me and my boyfriend were greeted by Evan. He was very welcoming and took great care of us. His voice as he sang is so wonderful that it fits well with the Italian romantic Gondola cruise. He would tell us a few of the old Italian traditions like kissing under the bridge of your loved one or having the man step into the boat first and assisting the lady onto the boat.
The cruise itself was very peaceful and relaxing. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed ourselves. For the price I paid, it was worth it. We enjoyed the cruise with some sparkling apple cider and my favorite chocolates (which is a bonus since I wasn’t expecting it).
Would I do it again? Hell yeah I would.
Thanks Evan for taking great care of us! :)

REQUEST RUBINO!
I surprised my boyfriend with a gondola cruise, turned out PERFECT!
Rubino was our gondolier. He sang a couple of songs, played a CD when he wasn’t singing = extremely romantic. I took my boyfriend to dinner elsewhere & opted for a 1 ½ cruise sunset cruise with dessert & wine.
Everyone from the person I spoke to when I booked to Rubino was extremely professional, excellent customer service & beautiful canals. I definitely plan to book another gondola cruise soon.