Marco Polo Review
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We had sailed on Marco Polo before, in Sept 2013, so had an idea of what to expect. This cruise exceeded our expectations in almost all areas, the cabin location being the notable exception.
Embarkation was painless once the ship was ready. It was late arriving from the previous cruise and we were turned away at Tilbury and told to return a little later. It being a nice day this was not really a problem, we parked up nearby and went for a stroll to Tilbury Fort. When we boarded our luggage was already outside the cabin, which was spotless as usual.
CMV have improved their product in one major respect. On our previous cruise the dreaded Norovirus had made life miserable for all, and the memory of it lingered. However, on Marco Polo the staff now serve you at the buffet, tea stations etc, for the first 2 days of the cruise. This is based around the 48-hr incubation period of Norovirus, and is to ensure that if anyone has brought the virus on board that its spread is limited. After that, if there are no problems, its normal self-service. In some areas, notably the tea stations, being served by the staff was quicker as some passengers tend to dither and hold up those behind them.
Cabin Review
The cabin was comfortable but had one major drawback. Amundsen deck is mostly cabins but has Scott's Bar at the stern of it. There are fire doors which the crew are supposed to close at 21.00 to reduce the noise levels and enable passengers retiring early to get some rest. In practice, this did not always happen and it was sometimes necessary to release the door closers yourself in order to get some rest. You then get confused passengers who pass down the corridors going to the bar, only to find a closed door. The occupants of the nearby cabins then get two doses of noise, one on each pass as these same passengers return whilst looking for an alternative route to the bar. Some open the doors to pass through, subjecting the occupants to a blast of noise from the music/PA system. CMV would do well to try to address this issue, as personally I would not choose or recommend a cabin on Amundsen deck for a future cruise.