In all the years that I've walked through the canal shops in the Venetian, I have always wanted to take a gondola ride. Though I've come close to riding on the gondolas with friends a couple times, I wanted my experience to be truly romantic. This past weekend I finally had a chance to do that.
I rode on the gondolas for the first time with my bf and we had a spectacular time. Even though we didn't want to pay another $32 (it was $32 just for the price of two regular, non-private tickets) to get our own private gondola and we ended up sharing with another couple, it was still a really cute experience.
Don't expect any privacy. In fact, a lot of shoppers at the canal shops will stand by the side and watch you. It's definitely not a place to kiss unless you want to display PDA. Though the lack of privacy definitely does not faze some couples - the guy who went before us proposed to his girlfriend on the gondola ride and she said yes! Though I wouldn't quite want that as my proposal, it's still a cute idea. They definitely had a private gondola to themselves.
The ride itself is not very long - about 13 minutes. But it's just the right amount of time. The guide not only rows but he also sings (think That's Amore) and gives you a history lesson as well as a linguistic lesson.
We both got dressed up (we were going dancing afterwards anyway) and went to the gondola ride and had a fantastic time. I highly recommend it!