Marco Polo & Ocean Countess

Would be very interested to know past cruisers thoughts/reviews on these two ships under the operation of Cruise & Maritime. Have done many cruises myself over the years, and wonder if these are similar to the old "Canberra" type of experience.

Many thanks!

Would be very interested to know past cruisers thoughts/reviews on these two ships under the operation of Cruise & Maritime. Have done many cruises myself over the years, and wonder if these are similar to the old "Canberra" type of experience.

 

Many thanks!

Please do not even consider Marco Polo this ship should have been scrapped. We went on the Northern Lights cruise in February and it was the cruise from hell.

Cruise & Maritime is not a company to be recommended they were not interested in our complaint of the holiday, it was so bad that 6 people flew home from Alta at their own expense, food is disgusting you got rice with everything even fish.

This comment is not representative of most of the reviews of Marco Polo. I have cruised on it twice, last October and this April. Both experiences were very good and the food was probably better on the later cruise - something which seems to be the opposite to most reviews of other ships. My cruise experience covers Azamara, Celebrity, Cunard, MSC and P&O as well as C&M. Whilst it is difficult to compare cruises in different price ranges I would rank C&M in my top 3.

Sorry to read JessieBecks comment regarding the Marco Polo. We have just booked the Azores and Madeira Cruise for August and up until now, we have not heard anything negative about this cruise line. We are used to smaller ships and normally sail with Fred Olsen and so were hoping for a similar experience.

I would be interested to hear other Cruise Critic members' opinions regarding either the Cruise Line or the destination.

We went on the Ocean Countess in 2010. It was a great opportunity to try a sailing from a local port. Have never been on Canberra, so couldn't comment on that, but we would certainly use the line again. We had good customer service, a free cabin upgrade because we booked early, and a nice cruise on a friendly ship!

No, it wasn't perfect, but haven't found a ship that is yet.

Main grumbles were about the buffet area which is only partly enclosed- difficult to keep food hot for long enough to eat it. The deck had been resurfaced with "parquet" type blocks, these came loose at the edges and were a bit of a hazard. There was no mention of this in last year's reviews so it has prob been fixed. The pool/ sundeck area is quite high up and exposed, was not really usable when sailing in September.

Cabins, food, entertainment were all good.

I would be interested to hear other Cruise Critic members' opinions regarding either the Cruise Line or the destination.

I returned from an Easter cruise on Marco Polo a couple of weeks ago and have just posted on this site my review which I wrote at the time

Went on Marco Polo 2010 from Tilbury to Morrocco, had a great time food was adequate cabin was OK, and I would travel on her again, Ocean Countess from Hull last year on the European Gardens we ate in the open area all week and had no problems they had a chef who was a whizz with a wok and his stir frys were superb, again the cabin was adequate. Going on her again in late May on the Highlands experience.

Don't expect Cunard service but then again you are not paying Cunard prices, we always book late (we only booked this one earlier today (18 May) and wow did we get a good price, we couldnt go B&B around Scotland for what we have paid.

Both ships are friendly yes they are old but whats wrong with that? both are very functional and comfortable and a sight prettier than todays block of flats on the water type cruise ships - we went on the Azura last year.

Have read the comments with interest and would value your thoughts. My daughter (late 30s) has never cruised before and has seen a 3 nights Christmas Market Cruise in December (obviously!!) for a really silly price. Based on what has been said here, would it be a good taster or is December on the North Sea not the best introduction. How stable is the ship. I've experienced some pretty unpleasant weather on big ships, but wonder how smaller ones cope.

I sailed the MS Marco Polo in 2008, under her brief, somewhat disastrous spell with Transocean Tours.

The cruise was an Antarctic voyage, and perhaps due to that more than anything else I was willing to turn a blind eye to all the many, many misgivings that happened aboard the ship... if this was a voyage in the Med or anywhere other cruise ships ran, I would have been very disappointed. Nonetheless, we were 300 passengers on that cruise (out of a capacity of 800, no wonder Transocean went bust), and so a great camaraderie emerged among both passengers and crew.

Having looked at more modern reviews of the ship, under the C&M banner, things seem to have been ironed out. As a ship, the MS Marco Polo is lovely, really she is- she gives you a warmth perhaps no other cruise ship can. I have never sailed the SS Canberra, for she met her end when I was only 3 years old, but the MS Marco Polo is a ship from that same, bygone era. I would keep in mind, however, that the MS Marco Polo is a mere 22,000 GRT as opposed to Canberra's 45,000 GRT. Honestly, I think she is all the better for it- she is a warm, beautiful ship and if they have streamlined the service, you have nothing to worry about.

I'll even have the audacity to say that the entertainment found on the Marco Polo beat any production show I have seen on mega-ships before or since. I do not know if the same entertainment troupe is on board since the vessel ended her stint with Transocean.

If anything, the MS Marco Polo is of the same generation as the SS Canberra, SS France and RMS Queen Elizabeth 2... in no way is she as luxurious, but that warmth is still there. Like them, she will be gone soon, so my advise is yes, sail on her, give her a go and I hope she will not disappoint.

Have read the comments with interest and would value your thoughts. My daughter (late 30s) has never cruised before and has seen a 3 nights Christmas Market Cruise in December (obviously!!) for a really silly price. Based on what has been said here, would it be a good taster or is December on the North Sea not the best introduction. How stable is the ship. I've experienced some pretty unpleasant weather on big ships, but wonder how smaller ones cope.

Solid as a rock. We sailed her in Force 12 winds in a cyclone in the Southern Ocean, not once, but twice, the other being through Drake's Passage off the coast of Cape Horn.

She'll handle the rough seas better than anything save the RMS Queen Mary 2. Remember, the MS Marco Polo was built as the Alexander Pushkin, an ocean liner of the Soviet fleet, for service across the North Atlantic. Her draft is deeper than that of most modern cruise ships, for she was never built for cruising, but a battering across the Atlantic.

Then again I must warn you that the Marco Polo is of a dying breed- she does not, in anyway, represent the modern cruise ship and if you want to ''wow'' your daughter, then perhaps a weekend cruise on the Cunard Line, P&O or RCI would be better placed. The Marco Polo is a very classical vessel, and quite low key.

The Ocean princess, presently off the Isle of Man was drifting due to a main switchboard failure and lost all power. The vessel initiated an Urgency broadcast to alert shipping of the problem and showed Not under command lights.

The vessel has now managed to restart one engine and the owners are believed to have already tasked a tug to go to the vessels assistance.

The next port of call was believed to be Aberdeen prior to the failure

There are 1055 persons onboard, including crew

Marco Polo does roll in rough seas with gale force winds. We missed a stop in Sweden due to sheltering overnight in port rather than go out to sea in one again.

A nice touch on the MP is the real glass glasses in the cabin; our cabin steward has the sense to roll them together with the glass bottle of expensive water (which they hope you'll buy) in towels and put on the floor. On some higher decks the stewards didn't and we heard one passenger tell of finding broken glass on the floor next morning.

And the sick bag fairy appeared and put out loads of them, so we knew we were in for bad weather!! Saying this, bad weather can affect any ship.

Marco Polo is superb value for money. Even with the cost of getting to Tilbury and the car park, and the tips added on top. And last minute fares are so cheap.

Top class shows - they are really good; First Class food; Free Tea and Coffee all day (Drinking Chocolate too if you ask). Tea (or coffee) and cakes at 3.30.

As an introduction to cruising it's ideal!

Richard

Thanks for the replies. Will give the cruise serious consideration, but may risk leaving booking until late(ish) just in case something else turns up. Don't know what that will be, but not in any great hurry.

How late do you think I can leave booking a cruise that sails mid-December? I know, it's like asking how long is a piece of string!!

We went on the Marco Polo Xmas markets cruise last year. It was our 1st cruise, and we enjoyed it so much we are going on a Med cruise this summer on the Carnival Breeze, and have booked the Marco Polo again foir the same cruise this December. The service was great, food plentiful and delicious, drinks reasonably priced, and entertainment good. Although the ship was a former 'ice breaker', and sits low in the water, you can feel movement when she is in open water and I did take sea sickness medication as a precaution as I was concerned about queasiness and did not want to utilise the sickbag fairy's kind gifts! Don't know how the staff walk around with full trays of drinks without spilling anything though! Wasn't so bad that anything in the cabin fell over (including us) though. For the price, it is a great weekend away.:)

I have doubts about the long term viability of lines like this. Smaller, older ships cost more to run: this is why the modern ones get progressively bigger year on year. It's all about economies of scale. Many people came home early from the latest Countess cruise when she was in Hollyhead for repairs, resulting in full refunds of the whole cruise, and it is doubtful if any profit was made on that one.

Of course some lines can make small ships pay. Saga is a case in point, but in their case they have strong financial backing and because of the Saga name and the reputation of the line they can charge top prices.

It is easy to work out the problem for Cruise and Maritime and similar lines: it costs roughly the same to operate their ships as it does Saga, but Saga can sell at double or more the price.

It will be a pity to see the cruise market become completely dominated by big, mainly American companies, but I fear that is the way things are going.

David.

I have doubts about the long term viability of lines like this.

 

David.

David,

As you are aware I was one of the many who chose to terminate my cruise at Hollyhead and have today received my full refund.

As I explained when we met last Monday, I terminated becouse I had missed the part of the itinary that I was interested in.

I don't think I will be using a small cruise line again as I do prefer the bigger liners and all that goes with them.

I'm of the opinion that you get what you pay for,and I agree with you,the smaller companies are going to find it increasingly difficult to complete in today's market.

Tom - Just out of interest, roughly how many passengers opted to cut short the cruise and head back to Liverpool. I seem to remember you saying about 10 bussloads? That would be nearly half the passengers.

David.

Tom - Just out of interest, roughly how many passengers opted to cut short the cruise and head back to Liverpool. I seem to remember you saying about 10 bussloads? That would be nearly half the passengers.

 

David.

If it helps 106 passengers 'went home' we stayed and had a most enjoyable time that plus the discount (part of the package of staying on board) we are getting makes our Cruise to The Azores in Aug on the Marco Polo a fantastic price.

The smaller cruise lines will only cease to operate if the customer base is drawn to the towerblock flats of the big ships. Given the choice of a cheap cruise on say IOS or a more ewxpensive offering from C&M, I know what I would choose. Then, of course, I am one of those that still rue the day that Tesco came to down and put the corner shops out of business.

If it helps 106 passengers 'went home' we stayed and had a most enjoyable time that plus the discount (part of the package of staying on board) we are getting makes our Cruise to The Azores in Aug on the Marco Polo a fantastic price.[/Quote]

 

Well done Fred! :p we sail to the Azores in August too on the Marco Polo :)

My husband and I cruised with Marco Polo to the Baltic last year, having cruised with NCL on 2 previous occasions. I can recommend both cruise lines but last year we preferred the Marco Polo for friendliness and more intimate

atmosphere than on a larger cruise ship.:)

After reading these replies it looks like we were very unlucky with our trip, we have also heard others say they had bad service. Our steward Gabriella was very friendly as was our waiter Constantine. The waiters in the theatre ignored people and when you went to the bar you were told to sit down.

We are thankful it was not our first cruise otherwise it would have been our last. The crossing was very rough so maybe this got to the crew but there still was not any need for the rudeness of the officer in charge of the main desk.

I wonder if many people understand that many of us love classics. And the Marco Polo although a bit old is part of the maritime history. There are many new, flashy, floating boxes everywhere in the market to please anyone.

All those getting on board her, know age, state and particularies of these two delicious vessels. I went on her to the Black Sea and was terrific.

Friends of ours have sailed on the Marco Polo, the Ocean Countess, and the Oriana. Ocean Countess was their favourite of the three, Marco Polo a close second. That's not taking account of price - it's just bonus that MP and OC are half the price.

We're about to book on Ocean Countess for a Norwegian cruise from Hull next year. Hopefully they'll have the electrics sorted by then! :)

Perhaps the Ocean Countess won,t be around for long being the ship is up for sale.:)

Perhaps the Ocean Countess won,t be around for long being the ship is up for sale.:)

On another thread is the announcement this company will now be using the MV Discovery and apparently replacing the Ocean Countess. And Voyages of Discovery will now only have its new acquisition Voyager (former Alexander Humboldt) as it sole ship. (Saddness - we loved the Discovery and she took us to the most wonderful ports around the world). MV Discovery will undergo extensive reburbishments before she comes into service with her new company -- wonder how much will be lost, rather than gained.