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Wednesday 20th August 2008

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Cruise virgins on the Marco Polo
Reviewed By: Donovan, Colwyn Bay on 1st Aug 2008
Cruise Line: Transocean Tours	Times cruised before: 0
Cruise Ship: Marco Polo	Sailed: July, 2008
Destination: Baltic	Age: 56-65

To say that we were dreading our cruise on the Marco Polo was an understatement, especially after readind the latest reviews ,including one entitled Terror and boredom on The Marco Polo . One person called it a prison ship and another described the meagre food as a gelatinous goo.The staff were described as rude and incompetent. Well I am pleased to report that we enjoyed our recent cruise to the Baltic capitals very much indeed. Other people we spoke to were of the same opinion. Marco Polo may not be a modern up to the minute cruise liner but she is certainly a friendly,well run elegant ship. The crew were made up mainly of young people from Eastern Europe, including Russia, Ukraine. Croatia and Roumania. They were very hard working, helpful, friendly and extremely polite. we heard people complaining that they did not speak good English and that they were unfriendly, but in my opinion you get back what you give out and if the complainers had taken the trouble to chat to them , opinions may have been different. Indeed, there were times when I was ashamed of my fellow countrymen who seemed never to have heard the words please and thankyou. What did the staff think of them, I wonder. The food was very good. and plentiful. Lunchtime salads and hot meals with freshly barbecued fish and meat every day. Evening meals were also delicious Wines and beer were not too expensive, roughly equivalent to bar prices in the UK. Diabetic food was always readily available. The waiters were friendly,and professional. The ship was kept clean and the atmosphere on board was happy and friendly. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was a troupe of young entertainers, mostly from Eastern Europe consisting of extremely talented singers musicians and dancers, who had been well coreographed. The shows in the main theatre were exceptionally good. Lectures were also of a high standard. Talks about wild life of the region and about the working of the RNLI. The Captain and his wife were often to be seen mingling with the passengers. There was none of the hard sell chat that I have read about on other cruise ships. All in all an enjoyable introduction to cruising with some unforgettable moments such as leaving St Petersburg on a sunny evening and sailing through Stockholm's islands early in the morning. Of course, this was a first cruise and I have nothing to compare it to, but if you want a low key small cruise ship, try the Marco Polo, we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise.
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Opinion: Agree Comment by Espin, Grays (11 Aug 08 16:12) about this REVIEW.

Absolutely spot on, Donovan. This too was my husband and I's first cruise and it has spoilt us. I too was apprehensive after reading previous reviews but these proved unfounded. The staff were courteous and polite and SO hard working. I couldn't fault the food and our cabin was excellent. Many thanks to Lucian for keeping it neat and spotless and to Vlad and Anna for thie table service. It's true, if you took the time to get to know the staff and make allowances for their understanding of English they were great. Such a shame some of the passengers were obnoxious and downright rude. Richard Sykes Cruise Director was an absolute whirlwind - goodness knows when he slept! Would recommend this ship unreservedly.

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Opinion: Agree Comment by Armstrong, Wallasey (01 Aug 08 21:44) about this REVIEW.

THANKS VERY MUCH for leaving such a positive review about the ship and its crew, as I couldn't agree more with how you felt regarding the impoliteness of some of the other English passengers which is most embarassing and I must admit that I found their descriptions of the ship and the crew were unbelievable. We're looking forward to sailing away aboard the Marco Polo on July the 14th next year cruising around the Baltic.

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