Marco Polo Review

3.5 / 5.0
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We won't be taking another cruise on this boat.

Review for the Baltic Sea Cruise on Marco Polo
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MoyaMurphy
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Oct 2014

Emabarkation from Tilbury is convenient but the long-stay carpark was a bus ride from the terminal and the timed embarkation plans went awry due to late docking of the previous trip. Our cabin (a junior suite) was spacious but the bizarrely sloping floor made going to the en-suite at night an interesting trek in a heavy sea! The plumbing left a lot to be desired as the shower temperature control was erratic, and water emptied from the basin regurgitated in the bath with accompanying black particles and an unpleasant smell. The bath towels are small and in need of renewing as they are very thin. Marco's Bistro for casual dining was always crowded so although the food was generally much hotter than in the main restaurant it was difficult to find a seat. The food generally was good if over salty for many tastes, and the soups and fresh fruit were always of a high standard. It seems very poor in this day and age not to have water dispending stations freely available, the tap water in the cabin is described as drinkable but was highly chlorinated and frequently a faint brown colour. The entertainment was reasonable and the cruise director was always helpful and polite. The daily news sheet was informative and the information given about our ports of call both at talks and on a handout was helpfull. The excursions on our cruise were not helped by inclement weather, landslips or by the delays caused by the boat being stuck on a mudbank in Leknes harbour in the Lofoten islands for several hours. The Captain admitted it was his responsibility as he had not taken the advice of the Norwegian pilot. Many passengers were badly affected by a 'flu/cough bug and had to remain in their cabins for several days, it would have been much less irritating if the old films that were broadcast daily had specific details of the time for each restart, as this was one's sole entertainment in the cabin! The stewards were as helpful as possible and shoulld be commended for their care when people were stuck in their cabins. We were pleased that the Northern Lights were visible from the deck one evening so one of our reasons for going on this cruise was attained. The Marco Polo lounge where the evening shows and daily lectures were held has many restricted sightlines and when seen in daylight was obviously dirty with a thick layer of dust on the stage lights and a similar layer stuck to the foam of the air-conditioning system. This became apparent on the last day when all 800 passengrs had to find somewhere to sit as we had to leave our cabins by 7.00 am even though we were not scheduled to start dis-embarkation until 9.00am. A major advantage of the Junior suite was that we were among the first people off the ship, others were due to have to wait until 10.30am a very long time to hang around.

Cabin Review

Cabin Junior Suite

Spacious, comfortable and plenty of storage space but the severly sloping floor due to it's position at the front of the ship made walking across it ,particularly in a heavy sea, a challenge. There was also a very high step into the bathroom from the cabin. It was well maintained and cleaned daily and to have tea and coffee making facilities was a huge bonus as the free tea and coffee station is at the rear of the boat on Deck 8. The fresh fruit was changed every few days and also helped to make our stay less tedious when we were confined to the cabin by the 'flu. The television often had no signal and the cruise information channel had insufficient detail. Luckily we had received a free upgrade due to a muddle over our booking as I do not think this cabin is worth the full rate for a suite.

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