The question I've posed in the title is not an easy one to answer. It all depends on what you are looking for. Marco Polo has many plus points, and more than a few minus ones.

This is my attempt at a balanced personal opinion based on one Northern Lights cruise. It will, no doubt, repeat much of what can be found in other reviews, but also add a few other insights.

Let's start with embarkation: if you were to design a location and condition of a cruise ship terminal that least matches up to the world-class city that is London, then Tilbury Docks is it. It's a dour, miserable, industrial disgrace, whether joining or leaving a ship. That said, the people and level of organisation of Cruise & Maritime on arrival was superb, with friendly, informed staff making the whole process easy and quick (including parking the car in the convenient, even if overpriced, under-cover area). Read more