Marco Polo Review
Seine river and medieval ports: beautiful,relaxing cruise on a small older ship
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this 7 night cruise for the ports visited, convenience (no fly) and price. Having read mixed reviews we weren't sure what to expect. This was our first cruise with Cruise and Maritime: the model suits us and we would return. We enjoy cruises as a relaxed, comfortable way to travel to some beautiful and interesting destinations.
We appreciated the smaller ship with a relaxed homely feel. CMV seem to know their clientele and cater well for them - mainly older and British on this cruise, many being repeat cruisers with CMV. Despite being a small ship, facilities were adequate, including 3 hot tubs, a sauna and gym, none of which were busy. It may not have the glitz and luxury of newer and bigger ships / lines, (no fruit in cabin, chocolates on pillows, or quirky folded towels etc) and the main restaurant was a bit cramped. But for us this was more than compensated for by the quiet, relaxed, intimate ambience (about 800 passengers).
We particularly appreciated:
Cabin Review
Perfectly adequate. Fixed twin beds like most on this ship, but good use of space. Good shower. No tea / coffee-making facility in cabin, but available on deck 8 most waking hours until midnight. (NB deep suitcases won't fit under the bed to store). Continuous noise from engine / air conditioning but didn't keep us awake. Some noise early morning from maintenance / service area next door.
Port Reviews
Honfleur
Beautiful medieval fishing port. Easy 20 minute walk from berth (free shuttle also available). We could have done with longer than the half day visit.
Antwerp
Interesting medieval town. Plenty to see and do on our all day stop, although also a base for trips further afield to Ghent / Bruges etc. Berthed right by the centre of town.
Rouen
We enjoyed this most of the 3 stops and could have done with all day rather than a half day. Lovely picturesque medieval town and easy to explore on foot. A pity we were there on a Monday when both the Cathedral and Abbey were shut. Many of the churches tend to open 10-12 and 14-17.00 so it's worth timing visits carefully.