Marco Polo : Celebrating Fifty Golden Years of Ocean Travel

Marco Polo is, without doubt, one of the most elegant and widely-travelled cruise liners afloat today.

During her fifty years in service she has visited every continent and been seen in locations as varied as the Amazon and Antarctic.

With her shapely blue hull and stately profile, she is instantly recognised wherever she goes and is a welcome reminder of the golden age of ocean liners.

She has a loyal and enthusiastic following of discerning passengers who prefer her traditional design and intimate atmosphere to that of far larger and more modern cruise ships.

She is also a ship with a fascinating history. Built as the Soviet liner Alexandr Pushkin, she spent her early years operating a transatlantic service from Leningrad to North America, together with numerous cruises from European and Australian ports. Following the dissolution of the USSR she was sold to Orient Lines, renamed Marco Polo, and given an extensive rebuild before introducing an innovative programme of world-wide expedition and destination cruises.

Since 2010 she has been operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages Ltd on a distinctive programme of no-fly cruises from UK ports.

This book is a detailed exploration of the ship's history and a celebration of her current role as the much-loved Marco Polo.