Marco Polo

18 Dec 2019

We were very disappointed that we booked a cabin and found the beds cannot be converted to a double unless you book grade 12 or above. This is not shown or mentioned in CMV literature or on website. An old ship that has little soundproofing between cabins we found we were woken by revellers in the early hours each morning as they returned from late entertainment. Sadly we will be reluctant to travel again with CMV because the port of Bristol is a very convenient starting point for us.

12 Sep 2019

I wanted to express my disappointment of the Marco Polo cruise we took from Rosyth on the 23rd Aug 19. The ship while kept clean is in need of a full refurb. The service in the bars and for coffee is excruciatingly slow. We waited for over an hour in the Captain's Lounge just to get a coffee, and had to chase it 3 times before we got 2 cups...getting drinks was equally as slow for the whole week. The crew were not easy to engage with and some downright rude. Very happy to talk and laugh between themselves, but as customers we felt like an inconvenience. Breakfast was a farce most mornings, and we tried different times -food had run out leading to long queues, no toast, no mugs to get tea and coffee. It was just a joke, and set the day off on the wrong note every morning. Scots bar was closed one evening for a staff party! But the ship was heading to Newcastle when we came home then to Tilbury with perhaps very few passengers, could the staff party have been then? Not a pleasant trip, and many of our travellers we ate with in the evening had complained onboard about the service. I would be very reluctant to recommend the Marco Polo or Cruise & Maritime after our experience and it’s unlikely we would want to travel with you again, which is disappointing as you will be sailing from Aberdeen in 2020. You need to review your management of the catering areas for breakfast and lunch, train your crew to be customer focused, and look to refresh the ship if you hope to get return clients, and that is where your business focus should be. Not what we were looking forward to on the cruise. To let you understand how disappointed we were, in 40 years of travel and holidays this is the 1st time we have complained.

06 Sep 2019

Had a great holiday in Norway,enjoyed flam& olden great wee places. Everything on the cruise was first class,certainly would go with them again liked the smaller ship ,maybe get from Aberdeen next year. A memorable cruise. Yours truly William Scott.

30 Aug 2019

Our cruise was perfect. The staff were lovely all the way through the cruise, the food was wonderful and the staff dealt with a few mishaps for us with the best of service and attention which we thank them for. They were amazing!

22 Aug 2019

We went on this mini cruise as we have never been before, but we were thinking about doing a three week cruise next summer. After doing this mini one to Rotterdam i'm not convinced. The ship was old, the seating is showing its age and is in need of updating. The swimming pool was shut until the morning we were to dock back home so all our clothes were packed and we couldn't use it. The hot tub was only open once during the trip. Some of the staff do not speak English and it was very hard to order drinks etc due to there lack of understanding on their part. The worst thing was the cabin. When booking I asked to be near the lifts as we are both disabled, but when we got onboard our cabin was the furthest away from the lifts at the back on Baltic deck. That made things hard for us, and when it came to sleeping there was no chance with the noise. I also booked a double bedroom but was given two single beds which could not be moved, so I asked if we could be moved and was told no, here have some ear plugs. I spoke to fellow passengers who booked late like myself and they had a nice cabin near the lift and quite a few floors up, so I guess it's down to luck if you get any sleep on a ship - but I couldn't do 3 weeks without sleep.

21 Aug 2019

Excellent facilities and hospitality. Friendly staff .

20 Aug 2019

It was the best cruise I have ever been on. The food was excellent. The crew was extremely polite, helpful and always smiling. Of course, there will be one or two exceptions but this doesn't bother me. They provide good entertainment and services. I really enjoyed the cruise to Greenland for 21 nights (17 Nov 2019 - 2 Aug 2019). I will go again with this cruise.

19 Aug 2019

A wonderful area in Greenland but the ship was poor to say the least.

30 Jul 2019

Greenland/Iceland cruise departed 21st June 2019. Nice olde worlde ship but is well overdue a refurbishment. We upgraded to a picture window cabin, the trouble was that all the seals in the windows were leaking and rusty water pooled on the window sills whenever it rained. We believe it is being refurbished in November this year (2019) which is good. The good news is that all the crew were excellent. Embarkation and disembarkation were very good, the stagger of timing is an excellent idea as we went straight onboard without any queueing. Trips were well organised, meeting on the docks was great without waiting around in a lounge/theatre for hours. The tender boats left a lot to be desired at the beginning of the cruise but later on in the cruise the tenders were lowered on BOTH sides of the ship so it was then well before lunch when we actually went ashore. All in all we had a great cruise with a great itinerary.

30 Jul 2019

Greenland/Iceland cruise departed 21st June 2019. Nice olde worlde ship but is well overdue a refurbishment. We upgraded to a picture window cabin, the trouble was that all the seals in the windows were leaking and rusty water pooled on the window sills whenever it rained. We believe it is being refurbished in November this year (2019) which is good. The good news is that all the crew were excellent. Embarkation and disembarkation were very good, the stagger of timing is an excellent idea as we went straight onboard without any queueing. Trips were well organised, meeting on the docks was great without waiting around in a lounge/theatre for hours. The tender boats left a lot to be desired at the beginning of the cruise but later on in the cruise the tenders were lowered on BOTH sides of the ship so it was then well before lunch when we actually went ashore. All in all we had a great cruise with a great itinerary.

07 Jul 2019

Have traveled with CMV and on Marco Polo before and found things OK. This time was different. I don't expect, as a paying customer, to be barked at by waiters in the restaurant at lunchtime as they demand you sit where they prefer and ignore your wishes. The same in the bistro. You could hardly move in this place and it seemed to be run by surly waiters and downright rude chefs for their convenience and not the passengers. One side of the buffet was always closed and not opened to ease congestion. There was one egg station at breakfast and the slowest most grumpy so-called chef I have ever seen in charge of it. A coffee/tea dispenser was "temporarily" closed for the whole cruise. Definitely a case of the tail wagging the dog in the running of this facility. The captain was a windbag who cancelled a port call for no good reason. In fact he lied about weather conditions. If you want to sue CMV I'll see you in court with the evidence. Never again with this company

07 Jul 2019

Positives. Food was excellent. Cabin, bar and restaurant staff were very friendly and accommodating. Entertainment/shows/lectures all very good and the general cleanliness of our cabin and the public areas was fine. The itinerary was excellent although the excursions were on the pricey side but perhaps that was because we were in a very expensive part of the world, Iceland. Negatives. We missed a port of call for no apparent reason and unlike other companies I have cruised with who offer compensation, Cruise Maritime take no responsibility and expect you to claim through your travel insurance. Our cabin had a porthole, it was so high up that I had to stand on the bed to see anything outside. No tea and coffee making facilities in the cabin which I found to be a bit mean. We had the premium drinks package which was supposed to include Spanish house wine but unless you specifically asked for it the wine waiters/bar staff would try to palm you off with this ghastly Greek plonk. We had a complimentary bottle off this stuff left in our cabin and that's where it stayed, it might have been useful to the cabin steward to clean the drain/loo!! The furniture and carpets on this ship were well past their sell by date. The chairs in the bar/lounge looked as though the ships cat had been at them. In the Ambassadors club the bottoms of the seats were falling away and in the dining room most of the seat backs were greasy and grimey. To be honest I found this ship to be too old and tired and should be condemned to the knackered yard. Sadly I would think twice before travelling with Cruise Maritime again and it definitely wouldn't be on the Marco Polo.