This 15-day cruise (commencing March 16th 2014) was made with the hope of seeing the Northern Lights, and was most enjoyable due to the fact that there were plenty of sightings of the Aurora Borealis and, particularly for the latter part of the trip, we had excellent weather.

The itinerary was well devised to provide opportunities to see the Northern Lights and to view the amazing scenery of the Norwegian fjords. There was a good selection of excursions available at the ports of call, although it was also possible to explore independently due to the Marco Polo being berthed close to town centres, or a free shuttle bus being provided. Adverse weather prevented us calling at Tromso as originally scheduled on the way north, but an imaginative amendment to the original schedule enabled a call to be made at Tromso on the return south, at the expense of the less attractive port of Sortland.

Cabin 549 was comfortable and spacious, having three windows that overlooked a small deck at the starboard aft of the Marco Polo. These windows provided excellent early-morning views of the magnificent scenery as we approached the ports of call. This appeared to be one of the few cabins that had a double bed, and in fact, had a Queen-sized bed. There was no chair in the cabin, but one was provided on request. Despite the efforts of the ship's heating engineer, it was only just possible to maintain a satisfactory temperature in the cabin, but the provision of a second duvet ensured we had comfortable nights. Read more