The Rise and Fall of The MS Marco Polo
The Rise and Fall of The MS Marco Polo
Hello everyone, and welcome back to a new video! Discover the incredible transformation of MS Marco Polo from Soviet icon to beloved cruise legend. Built as the Alexander Pushkin during the Cold War, this remarkable vessel sailed for over 50 years before meeting her fate in 2021. This video explores the complete history of this legendary…
source
Reviews
0 %
She was best in northern waters where she was small enough to go where larger liners couldn’t and also had an ice rated hull allowing her to explore Artic waters. I have great memories of a cruise up the west Greenland coast weaving through icebergs but especially the transit of Prince Christian Sund with the sound of a saxophone being played on deck echoing from the sheer ice and snow covered mountains lining the passage.
First went aboard in 2012 , force 10 North Sea, en route to Norway,, still my favourite ship
Not a cruise ship to be recommended. We sailed on her on a cruise to West Indies & numerous passengers left the ship to fly home from Barbados. Food was OK but staff (Eastern European) were not friendly or welcoming. One morning my wife said 'good morning' to a member of staff & stood there for several minutes until she had to acknowledge the greeting.
She was a regular visitor to Cobh. It's was a lovely looking old ship
There was a petition to preserve her from scrap. It still exists despite the Marco polos scrapping
Very well done and good choice of subject – A. Pushkin / Marco Polo in service almost six decades, not many others last that long. I saw A. Pushkin at Montreal in 1968, she was in the berth just ahead of the 1936 Batory. One ship was new, one was old but both beautiful ships. Alas, no visitors permitted on either ship. Your documentary has fine variety of photos and lots of history details I'd not known before. Thank you Jaime, I am from land locked Kentucky [USA] but traveled in years past.
Very interesting. I've always lived fairly close to Tilbury and often saw her on the landing stage there both back when she was the Alexander Pushkin and of course later as the Marco Polo. CMV was a local company based in Purfleet (a few miles upriver from Tilbury) and were instrumental in reviving Tilbury as a destination for passenger liners and the main hub of their cruise itineraries.
Although I never travelled on the Marco Polo I did cruise with CMV on their flagship MV Columbus (also now sadly scrapped) from Tilbury to Auckland in early 2018. They never went in for those huge monstrosities like the big Cunard, P&O, Carnival type megaships capable of holding thousands of passengers. All of their liners were smaller vessels mainly catering for a more mature audience and were surprisingly good value for money.
I chucked her ropes off in the locks at Avonmouth for the last time and the pilot messaged me to say she’s going out to Dubai to become a hotel, a few months after we learned she was now heading for the beach in India… what a shame! ⚓️🦈
Sailed on Alexandr Pushkin 3 times out of Sydney for CTC CRUISE LINES in 1987 88 and 89. 87 and 89 to the south Pacific Islands 14 nights each, 88 was supposed to be back out to the Islands but 2 days out of Sydney and heading into 2 tropical cyclones and already 6 hours behind schedule and heading into 15m swells the decision was made to send us to New Zealand. Didn't bother us as we hadn't been there before, but quite a few New Zealanders had flown to Sydney for a South Pacific cruise.
My 2 younger brothers did an 18 to 35 yo cruise on her in April 89 and didn't enjoy at all they only got to Noumea, almost got to the Isle De Pins but then turned around and spent the rest of the cruise at sea.
We did see her as Marco Polo in Singapore 1995 while we were on the Kareliya then we were both anchored together in Bali a few days later.
Even though we hadn't seen her since leaving CTC there was no mistaking her when we saw her in Singapore.
Have also been close to where Mikhail Lermontov is resting as been to Picton a couple of times with Princess
Sailed on her 4 times damm I miss that ship
I saw her many times at Port Chalmers, New Zealand, involved with ship to shore rail excursions, in the 1990s. I'd loved to have sailed on her, and had a chance, in 2019, not that i knew at the time. Scrapping such a long lasting ship in such good condition was an utter travesty. Could have at least been a floating hotel or such. Now the only Ivan Franco ship left in existence now, in a sad way, is Mikhail Lermontov, lying the sea floor in the top end of our South Island.
I sailed on the Marco Polo’s penultimate cruise from Bristol to the Canary Islands & Madeira, December 2019. Was a wonderful trip, heavy seas in the Bay of Biscay. She was a fine ship and managed the heavy seas well, however her interiors and soft furnishings were looking a little tatty. Was sad to see her sold for scrap but I guess all good things come to an end.
My best cruise ever when operating for Orient Lines.
The MV Macro Polo, was a astaunishing vessel made in Eastern-Germany.
The yard VEB "Mathias Thesen", was named after a german mining worker and fougt for the rights of workers. He was a part of the Novemberrevolution and a member of the german gouvernement in the KPD until the NSDAP gaines the power over Germany. He was in many Nazi prisons and concentration Camps and was shot in October 1944.
Really enjoyed this story well done 👍🏼
Well done! Great information and presentation.
Man the poor ship couldn't catch a break huh? Dont wanna say its "cursed" or anything but seems like since 2000s its only had bad luck but besides that it was a beautiful ship and sad to see it gone
1:28 Just an editing tip, 101 level. Don't use such long fades if you're only going to show a still for a second or two. It's OK to use quick cuts. They're already disappearing by the time they're bright enough to see. Otherwise, good work.
Fond memories of our first cruise was on the Marco Polo. Last saw her at Avonmouth before going for scrap 😢
Jamie thank you for this great vid ! it popped up on my YT sugestions …although i never got to sail on her as marco polo i knew of her with CMV …I never cruised before till i moved to be with my partner in Bristol uk in 2005 ..his family had been crusing for yrs , QE 2 twice , saga cruises (as hs mum and dad were getting on) and most of all with thomson cruises …later Tui cruises them as its known now Marella ! all my cruises were with them and i loved all the ships they had as they were older cruise ships , no balconies (or very few unless you purchased the top tier stuff like suites)
OBV covid hit and they had just had the ships they have now in the fleet phased in (either transfered from TUI cruises german arm or direct from RCL / Celebrity ..as Royal Carribean have a stake in them so all the ships are now ex rcl or celbrity ships built in the 90s) and the older ships they had got laid up in greece sadly never to sail again!
I sailed on most of thier old fleet when they used to charter from Louis cruises (now celestyal) so if you havent done any vids on thomson / marella past cruise shis it would be great if you could? as some of them had quiet a lot of history to them! here is a link to wikipedia that will list all their past ships 😉 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marella_Cruises oh and ps im now a subscriber!
Saw this vessel several times at Tilbury (London) in the late 1960s/early 1970s as the Alexander Pushkin.
Vidéo intéressante, on pouvait les voir également au Havre accoster dans les années 80 , dans les années 90 , il y avait aussi le Marco Polo. Et , déjà à l' époque , les passagers recherchaient ce genre de paquebots un peu anciens…
Je les trouvais beaux ces paquebots.
Un beau témoignage de ces paquebots de l'ex URSS …😉👍
Very interesting. Thanks!
I sailed on her in the late 80's, from Australia. It was still operated by the Russians. Some great memories.
Hola from Ecuador!
Sailed on Marco Polo, lovely ship, traditional old time feel, cambered decks and the bow sheered. She was great.
Outstanding Jamie
Great job Jamie! Fascinating video about the Marco Polo. THANKS!!!
Jamie, Great video!! Most informative history of the MS ALEKSANDR PUSHKIN / MARCO POLO. Thanks, Andrew ☀ 🚢 ☀
Well done Jamie…. very nice job, and great details about all 5 ships. I was always confounded by the differences, and one couldn't always see the names, but your research cleared it up.. They all had some decent cruise lives in the 90's and early 2000's, and it is a shame that a couple more of them weren't rebuilt as Marco Polo was. I sailed on her in 2007, it was a fascinating voyage from Barcelona through the Med to Piraeus. We hit some rough seas and she was a very steady seaboat.. I was devastated when she was withdrawn and scrapped.. She was truly a classic, like Saga Ruby. The photos from Alang, (I think on Peter Knego's midship Century website, really shows how sturdy a ship she was). Im going to look at some of my old BSC brochures and see if there are differences in deck plans… Keep the hits coming.. .
Thank you so much, Jamie, for this incredible video and for sharing the story of this amazing ship.
When I was on this ship in October of 1972 it was sailing as an ocean liner on a regular route between Montreal and Leningrad. We travelled with an automobile which was hoisted by crane and was transported on a deck up by the lifeboat Davits towards the stern.
very good video :3
I got to sail on this ship in 1972 from Bremerhaven, Germany to St. Petersburg, Russia when I was a kid. I got stuck in the elevator for several hours. It was very memorable.