Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
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Topic author - Senior First Officer
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Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Here's Part 2
Day 4
Rouen - Giverny
Up early again this time for a trip to Monet's gardens and his house at Giverny. Shorter bus ride but boy was it busy there - five coaches went from the ship plus quite a few river boat cruisers were there so we did the trip in reverse really - we did the lakes first then the house and gardens. All very beautiful - apparently they put in 100,000 plants each year - mammoth task but the results were amazing. The house wasn't so stunning and personally all the Japanese paintings did absolutely nothing for me.
We had coffee and a piece of warm tarte tatin with fresh cream in a local cafe and then joined our guide for a walk around the village ending up at the church to see the Monet family grave then returned to the ship.
We sailed along the Seine to the coast towards our next port - Antwerp - again lovely scenery and the sun was shining although bit windy to sit outside.
After dinner we watched a comedian/guitarist - corny jokes but funny and no swearing and he could certainly play the guitar. He had apparently been in a group in the sixties called the Marauders - they’re from Stoke on Trent and when he left them he went into the comedy circuit - he was on the show ‘The Comedians” but I couldn’t remember him. He had worked all the cruise ships including P&O, Princess etc.
So far every trip has been very good - can't fault the organisation and this was put to the test the next day when we were scheduled to visit Antwerp.
During the evening the weather became very squally and an announcement was made by the captain that the pilot could not pick us up at Antwerp due to the weather so instead he had managed to get us a berth at Dover - within a short time they announced they had organised a few excursions. Well of course some complained but our safety was his priority and it really was rough although I had to admit it didn't really affect me - the ship creaked and groaned that night and next morning some people said they hadn't slept all night - one lady thought the ship was going to break up - she slept on deck all night - you do meet some drama queens.
Day 5
Dover
And so we arrived at Dover - not a problem for me and my friends - we hadn't been there before - we had a shuttle bus (£5 for all day) which took you into town and then up the castle. We went directly to the castle and joined the tour down into the tunnels for the Dunkirk experience - very interesting - a combination of short films, talk by the guide and lots of walking through dark tunnels. The second tour was through the tunnels which housed the hospital which were on an upper level. Again the guide was very informative but must admit glad to get out of both tunnels - bit claustrophobic and dark.
Coffee and cake to keep us going then a walk around the castle itself - we didn’t attempt to go up the tower - the wind had really picked up and we could hardly stand. The bus picked us up outside the castle and we decided not to stop off in the town but when we got back to the ship had to wait a short while as the ship had moved and the "gangplank" needed fixing. This was the only day we had afternoon tea but it was obvious some people knew exactly what time to move into the queue - you'd swear they'd been starved all week.
Another formal night and as before although quite a few men had dinner jackets on there were equally as many dressed casually and my friend and I wore long dresses - bit overdressed but we weren’t bothered.
Excellent show - songs from Broadway and I have to say it was outstanding - they have a cruise director who had to step in last minute because one of the singers was ill and he was amazing. Bit wasted on such a small ship but as he is married to one of the dancers I guess they come as a package.
Day 6
At sea
Last day so after breakfast did a bit of packing then sat about - did a quiz then lunch then a classical concert then more packing and tea.
The comedian on again and the times had been brought forward so saw him before dinner.
We had the disembarkation arrangements - had to be out of the cabin by 7 am and leave the ship at 9.20 am - the coaches will then take us back to Cardiff so no opportunity to see Hull except from the bus.
The sail from Dover to Hull was very very leisurely - well the Captain didn’t have far to go did he - I think we were averaging 9 knots which is practically going backwards but I don’t suppose he had much choice really.
Overall impression
I have to say I enjoyed the cruise particularly because it went to ports I hadn't visited before and they were all really enjoyable particularly the one to Paris - long bus ride but imo worth it. I enjoyed Giverny and the Scilly Isles very much too and the visit to Dover castle was a pleasant surprise.
Someone said the average age of the passengers was 75 - lots of passengers on walking sticks and the odd zimmer but saw only one wheelchair - I don’t think they have the facilities for disabled people - lots of places you had to step over and there was a high step into my bathroom.
Yes the ship is old and creaks a bit but the cabin was ok, the steward a Ukrainian called Yuri was charming and kept the cabin spotless. All the crew were Eastern European or Phillippino and very pleasant and happy. The food was good and the service was excellent. The drinks were very competitively priced - we had wine with our dinner usually the house Rose which was only £14 per bottle and my drink - Kir Royale - only £3.85 compared with £8 on P&O in January and honestly tasted better and they put a cherry in the glass !!! My friend drinks gin and tonic and again these were the same price and were doubles too.
The buffet closed after dinner although the tea/coffee making facilities remained open until midnight. Apparently they brought snacks around late evening but I didn’t see them and honestly didn’t want anything - I generally find eating at late sitting keeps me going.
There were several lounges/bar areas and they put on the usual quizzes etc. and in the evening a duo sang in one of the bars and a classical duo performed in the other. Pleasant places to sit and have a coffee or a drink or just relax. The outside areas were more limited - there was a pool outside the buffet restaurant with a bar and mostly tables and chairs for sitting outside to eat and drink. The upper deck had a couple of jacuzzis and sunbeds but it was very windy up there and although we were very lucky with the weather definitely not warm enough to sit in the sun. I don't think I would want to have too many sea days on such a small ship - bit limited in what to do.
Entertainment was good especially as they performed in the show lounge and were limited in what they could do.
There was a gym and next to that the sauna and beauty treatments/hair dressers but no speciality restaurants.
So yes I would go with C&M again - the old Arcadia now under the guise of Columbus would certainly appeal to me - I sailed on her before she left P&O and loved her large cabins and facilities - be interesting to see where she will be sailing from. Cardiff is very limited in that she can only take small ships but lovely to sail from there down the channel.
The coach ride back to Cardiff was much better than expected and took approximately 5 1/2 hours with a stop at the services of only half an hour - bit of a rush but we managed to get something to eat and drink. We had a taxi picking us up at the docks and after picking up my car I was home by around 5 pm.
When we arrived back at the docks we found Silver Wind moored there - she is on a cruise around the British Isles at the moment - she looks a super ship - I often get emails from them advertising their cruises but bit out of my reach - definitely need a win on the lottery to travel on her.
And so back to normal - will pick up the dog tomorrow from the kennels - start the washing etc. etc. Oh well only six weeks until I board Aurora with the family for our Med cruise - something to look forward to.
Thanks for reading folks.
Day 4
Rouen - Giverny
Up early again this time for a trip to Monet's gardens and his house at Giverny. Shorter bus ride but boy was it busy there - five coaches went from the ship plus quite a few river boat cruisers were there so we did the trip in reverse really - we did the lakes first then the house and gardens. All very beautiful - apparently they put in 100,000 plants each year - mammoth task but the results were amazing. The house wasn't so stunning and personally all the Japanese paintings did absolutely nothing for me.
We had coffee and a piece of warm tarte tatin with fresh cream in a local cafe and then joined our guide for a walk around the village ending up at the church to see the Monet family grave then returned to the ship.
We sailed along the Seine to the coast towards our next port - Antwerp - again lovely scenery and the sun was shining although bit windy to sit outside.
After dinner we watched a comedian/guitarist - corny jokes but funny and no swearing and he could certainly play the guitar. He had apparently been in a group in the sixties called the Marauders - they’re from Stoke on Trent and when he left them he went into the comedy circuit - he was on the show ‘The Comedians” but I couldn’t remember him. He had worked all the cruise ships including P&O, Princess etc.
So far every trip has been very good - can't fault the organisation and this was put to the test the next day when we were scheduled to visit Antwerp.
During the evening the weather became very squally and an announcement was made by the captain that the pilot could not pick us up at Antwerp due to the weather so instead he had managed to get us a berth at Dover - within a short time they announced they had organised a few excursions. Well of course some complained but our safety was his priority and it really was rough although I had to admit it didn't really affect me - the ship creaked and groaned that night and next morning some people said they hadn't slept all night - one lady thought the ship was going to break up - she slept on deck all night - you do meet some drama queens.
Day 5
Dover
And so we arrived at Dover - not a problem for me and my friends - we hadn't been there before - we had a shuttle bus (£5 for all day) which took you into town and then up the castle. We went directly to the castle and joined the tour down into the tunnels for the Dunkirk experience - very interesting - a combination of short films, talk by the guide and lots of walking through dark tunnels. The second tour was through the tunnels which housed the hospital which were on an upper level. Again the guide was very informative but must admit glad to get out of both tunnels - bit claustrophobic and dark.
Coffee and cake to keep us going then a walk around the castle itself - we didn’t attempt to go up the tower - the wind had really picked up and we could hardly stand. The bus picked us up outside the castle and we decided not to stop off in the town but when we got back to the ship had to wait a short while as the ship had moved and the "gangplank" needed fixing. This was the only day we had afternoon tea but it was obvious some people knew exactly what time to move into the queue - you'd swear they'd been starved all week.
Another formal night and as before although quite a few men had dinner jackets on there were equally as many dressed casually and my friend and I wore long dresses - bit overdressed but we weren’t bothered.
Excellent show - songs from Broadway and I have to say it was outstanding - they have a cruise director who had to step in last minute because one of the singers was ill and he was amazing. Bit wasted on such a small ship but as he is married to one of the dancers I guess they come as a package.
Day 6
At sea
Last day so after breakfast did a bit of packing then sat about - did a quiz then lunch then a classical concert then more packing and tea.
The comedian on again and the times had been brought forward so saw him before dinner.
We had the disembarkation arrangements - had to be out of the cabin by 7 am and leave the ship at 9.20 am - the coaches will then take us back to Cardiff so no opportunity to see Hull except from the bus.
The sail from Dover to Hull was very very leisurely - well the Captain didn’t have far to go did he - I think we were averaging 9 knots which is practically going backwards but I don’t suppose he had much choice really.
Overall impression
I have to say I enjoyed the cruise particularly because it went to ports I hadn't visited before and they were all really enjoyable particularly the one to Paris - long bus ride but imo worth it. I enjoyed Giverny and the Scilly Isles very much too and the visit to Dover castle was a pleasant surprise.
Someone said the average age of the passengers was 75 - lots of passengers on walking sticks and the odd zimmer but saw only one wheelchair - I don’t think they have the facilities for disabled people - lots of places you had to step over and there was a high step into my bathroom.
Yes the ship is old and creaks a bit but the cabin was ok, the steward a Ukrainian called Yuri was charming and kept the cabin spotless. All the crew were Eastern European or Phillippino and very pleasant and happy. The food was good and the service was excellent. The drinks were very competitively priced - we had wine with our dinner usually the house Rose which was only £14 per bottle and my drink - Kir Royale - only £3.85 compared with £8 on P&O in January and honestly tasted better and they put a cherry in the glass !!! My friend drinks gin and tonic and again these were the same price and were doubles too.
The buffet closed after dinner although the tea/coffee making facilities remained open until midnight. Apparently they brought snacks around late evening but I didn’t see them and honestly didn’t want anything - I generally find eating at late sitting keeps me going.
There were several lounges/bar areas and they put on the usual quizzes etc. and in the evening a duo sang in one of the bars and a classical duo performed in the other. Pleasant places to sit and have a coffee or a drink or just relax. The outside areas were more limited - there was a pool outside the buffet restaurant with a bar and mostly tables and chairs for sitting outside to eat and drink. The upper deck had a couple of jacuzzis and sunbeds but it was very windy up there and although we were very lucky with the weather definitely not warm enough to sit in the sun. I don't think I would want to have too many sea days on such a small ship - bit limited in what to do.
Entertainment was good especially as they performed in the show lounge and were limited in what they could do.
There was a gym and next to that the sauna and beauty treatments/hair dressers but no speciality restaurants.
So yes I would go with C&M again - the old Arcadia now under the guise of Columbus would certainly appeal to me - I sailed on her before she left P&O and loved her large cabins and facilities - be interesting to see where she will be sailing from. Cardiff is very limited in that she can only take small ships but lovely to sail from there down the channel.
The coach ride back to Cardiff was much better than expected and took approximately 5 1/2 hours with a stop at the services of only half an hour - bit of a rush but we managed to get something to eat and drink. We had a taxi picking us up at the docks and after picking up my car I was home by around 5 pm.
When we arrived back at the docks we found Silver Wind moored there - she is on a cruise around the British Isles at the moment - she looks a super ship - I often get emails from them advertising their cruises but bit out of my reach - definitely need a win on the lottery to travel on her.
And so back to normal - will pick up the dog tomorrow from the kennels - start the washing etc. etc. Oh well only six weeks until I board Aurora with the family for our Med cruise - something to look forward to.
Thanks for reading folks.
Janis
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- Senior First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
love it!Jan Rosser wrote: ↑12 Jun 2017, 13:20the ship creaked and groaned that night and next morning some people said they hadn't slept all night - one lady thought the ship was going to break up - she slept on deck all night - you do meet some drama queens.
Meg
x
x
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- First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
That was a really good read, Jan, and made a lovely change from the political threads.
Maureen
Maureen
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Did she wear her life jacket or was she planning on swimming homeMeg 50 wrote: ↑12 Jun 2017, 13:33love it!Jan Rosser wrote: ↑12 Jun 2017, 13:20the ship creaked and groaned that night and next morning some people said they hadn't slept all night - one lady thought the ship was going to break up - she slept on deck all night - you do meet some drama queens.
ps .... many thanks for the report(s), often fancied the Scillies but had no idea about the ' open ' boat
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being
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- Second Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Thank you so much for posting a report of your cruise. Found it really interesting. Thanks again.
cruisin__duo
cruisin__duo
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Topic author - Senior First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
They were big boats - held about 30 passengers but wouldn't fancy sailing on them in bad weather or the rain The Scilly Isles are very pretty but expensive to live there - the guide pointed out a small terraced house up for sale for over £400,000 and he said you would have to spend £100,000 to update it. You are paying for a fabulous viewManoverboard wrote: ↑12 Jun 2017, 14:38Did she wear her life jacket or was she planning on swimming homeMeg 50 wrote: ↑12 Jun 2017, 13:33love it!Jan Rosser wrote: ↑12 Jun 2017, 13:20the ship creaked and groaned that night and next morning some people said they hadn't slept all night - one lady thought the ship was going to break up - she slept on deck all night - you do meet some drama queens.
ps .... many thanks for the report(s), often fancied the Scillies but had no idea about the ' open ' boat
Janis
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- First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
I enjoyed that Jan, thank you.
X
X
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- First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Good review, thank you for taking the time to do it. Nice to hear that you enjoyed yourself:)
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Thanks Jan. A good read.
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- First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Thanks Jan. An interesting report.
Nice to hear about some of the smaller cruise ships, I am off on Friday on the Adonia.
Lindsey
Nice to hear about some of the smaller cruise ships, I am off on Friday on the Adonia.
Lindsey
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Well, there's lovely then, Blod
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Great review Jan it sounds as if you had a really nice time.
Jo
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Yep, sounds very nice for a dredger !
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Topic author - Senior First Officer
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- Captain
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
But at least I don't wear a replica football kit on formal night !!
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Topic author - Senior First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
There was definitely none of that on this little ship - all very respectable
Janis
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
....until they loaded up at Cardiff !!
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Topic author - Senior First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Quite right - there were 5 coaches from Hull
Janis
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Wales would be empty then, look you!!!
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Topic author - Senior First Officer
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
You and Cubie need a slap
Janis
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Form an orderly queue. I'll go first!!!Jan Rosser wrote: ↑13 Jun 2017, 16:08You and Cubie need a slap
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Enjoyed reading your review. Have been looking at Columbus to the Canaries in October (also looking at Ventura to the Canaries).
Food for thought. Thank you.
Rita
Food for thought. Thank you.
Rita
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Will be interesting to hear what people think of Columbus in her new guise. We went on her when she was part of the P&O fleet and remember what a lovely old ship she was.
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Re: Cruise report - Marco Polo 3-9 June 2017 Part 2
Thanks for your report. I found it interesting.
I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise
I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise