MARCO POLO -ex- ALEKSANDR PUSHKIN
Built 1965 at Wismar 22,080tns seen here at Tallinn 2001.
I can remember watching her go up and down the Thames to Tilbury whilst doing my time at N.S.T.S. Gravesend as the ALEKSANDR PUSHKIN.
photo courtesy of P.W.Hobday.
Went on a cruise on Marco Polo a couple of years ago from Venice to Barcelona. Had a wonderful time. Excellent ship. Would love to go on her to Antarctica some time.
Patricia and I made an 8-day cruise on the Marco Polo last month, 10th - 18th of October. Barcelona-Marseille-Portofino-Civitavecchia (Rome)-Sorrento-day at sea-Santorini-Athens. The captain(Goran Blomqvist) and most of his officers are Swedish, virtually all the passenger-caring staff are Filipino and very nice, helpful and charming. In an unplanned encounter in the lounge the Captain told me that indeed the Marco Polo is of Russian origin, was laid up in Singapore in the 1980's, then refitted in the late 1990's and now sails for Orient Lines but is rented out to Norwegian Cruise Lines. Pat and I booked our cruise via NCL...
I also was a passenger on the Marco Polo several years ago. On a far east voyage (I wanted to find out what being at sea was like from a passengers perspective) I can highly recommend the Marco Polo, very good accommodation, excellent food, service, entertainment.. infact everything.
Got good pictures of an active Krakatoa, we were in close enough that the ship got quite covered in ash.
Took a copy of the foregoing down to my Bowling Club to show three who have done cruises on Marco Polo,mainly to show she was a sister ship to Michail Lemontov.One had done two cruises & all said it was great value & when finances permit would go again.They reckoned it was really great. Kiwi
Ahoy,
You can also post them here, instead linking to your website,I suppose they should be more watched here with 9000+ members.
Btw you could also link SN at your site thread to maritime links, just a question of politeness.
I piloted MARCO POLO through the Great Barrier Reef quite a few times around 1998 - 2000. A very comfortable ship but she had one problem. When she was re-engined from steam turbine to diesel the same props were retained. Thus, at dead slow ahead both engines she would make 11 knots. You could use only one engine for 9 knots but you had to use 20 degrees of rudder to keep her moving on a steady course! Exciting and character building all in one go!
regards
reefpilot
I got a visit on board her when she made her maiden arrival in Durban in Dec 93 and there was still quite a lot of work being done on board at the time. She is a wonderful oldie and she had an amazing crew, I recall the chief engineer beaming with pride in his engine room. I would love to do a voyage on her but she only calls here passing through and is way out of mny price range. I did hear that NCL is looking at getting rid of the Orient Lines brand but wont sell off just the ship. I have some pics of her somewhere, maybe I will post a few while I am in the area.
NCL/Star has announced they are definitely closing down the Orient Lines division now that the ship is sold. They've had huge losses recently, which is just fine with me given their deplorable treatment of the France/Norway which should be going to Dubai instead of QE2.
I wonder if RCL will be forced to merge due to the huge losses. Either that, or it could be a repeat of the Renassance (SP?) fiasco. Either way, I think a few ships will change ownership before they get into the black ink again.
The Star Genting gambling interests generate tons of money and can absorb the losses, but if NCL doesn't start throwing cash soon you're probably right about some ships being sold off.
Just having made a cruise on Marco Polo from 17 29 June, departing from Barcelona and arriving in Dover.
The greatest part of the photos are now on-line and these albums can be accessed via my website.
in 2008 Marco Polo will be chartered by the german Transoceoan tours (Astor and Astoria) until 2011. It is very interesting for me because they will offer cuises to the arctic and antarctic countries.
Does any one know are there two dinner sessions or can all passangers eat at the same time as I know it from maxim gorkiy?
When Marco Polo is fully booked, there are two seatings.
First seating is at 18.00 hrs.
On the Arctic and/or Antarctic, when the ship is not full, they might combine into one seating.
A picture of the original vessel from the cover of the Deck Plan booklet. I travelled on her once overnight from Le Havre to Tilbury and a couple of times on the Mikhail Lermontov from Cobh to Tilbury when they were doing the trans-Atlantic crossings. Sailing under the Hammer & Sickle then of course and with an all-Soviet crew I seem to remember, which was quite interesting at the time.
On board DFDS' England in August 1981, I remember we ran the four hours up to Oslo from Færder parallel with the Pushkin. She was a stylish Russian in those days. We arrived at 2 pm, she berthing under Akershus Castle and we round the corner at Vippetangen where the Copenhagen ferries are to be seen today. I saw her in her latest guise in Bergen last summer. A quality vessel!
thanks for answering. I am intereted in going to Antarctica with Marco Polo but now I heard that the ship will go with 400 passengers and that is to much because just 100 can go together at the continent.
Well I assume she is to stay in service as in my local newspaper - Western Daily Press - there was a big advert for cruises from Avonmouth next year and also they are selling up to 2016.
Next cruise 12 December 2014. Looking at 2015 schedule, approx. the same length of time allocated.
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