HENRY NOWICKI
10 JUNE 2002
HENRY NOWICKI
10 JUNE 2002
The Orient Line's Marco Polo is an extremely well-traveled ship and has been known for its exotic itineraries. I had always suspected that this older ship could not meet all of the rigid US requirements for entry and that was the principal reason it did not visit US ports even though it was a favorite with the US cruising public. However that may be, the ship will undergo some updating and is now scheduled to visit the US in 2003 so that may be a moot point. I certainly wanted to try the vessel and the opportunity came with back to back cruises through the Mediterranean and western Europe.
I decided to fly to Milan (MXP) and rent a car with a dropoff in Civitavecchia. My first goal was to visit the beautful finger lakes in northern Italy on the border of Switzerland. I headed for Bellagio on Lake Como and had forgotten how narrow the roads were along the lake. Even though the Italians are expert drivers, still it is breathtaking how close they can come to you head-on before they swerve to their side of the road with seemingly inches to spare. It was a holiday weekend and the traffic was fierce but everything went according to plan and even Lake Garda was negotiable in spite of long lines of vehicles. Once south of the lakes, the traffic was mild and it allowed unhurried exploration of Verona, Modena, Bologna, Firenze and Sienna. I approached Civitavecchia along the coast from the north and was able to avoid Rome altogether on this trip.
I spent the night before boarding in Civitavecchia by the sea and drove out to the farthest end of the very long breakwater to greet the Marco Polo as it arrived early in the morning. Luckily, the ship accepted my luggage even though embarkation was not set until early afternoon and that left me an opportunity to drop the car off and spend a leisurely few hours exploring the port town and its environs. My how the port has grown over the last few decades!
It was interesting that the ship had only a desk or two on the wharf as a reception area for the embarking passengers. It was a weird scene. Fortunately, the weather was good and the procedure went well enough.
Sunday May 3 departed 2000 Civitavecchia, Italy on the Tyrhennian Sea. The evening sailaway was uneventful and, as always, the receding lights of the harbor were a pleasant sight. It still is a good trick to have an early seating and still see the ship departing a port. I have to vote for freestyle dining in this case otherwise it seems that the departure time finds one at dinner or at a production show of some sort.
Saturday May 4 0700-2000 Livorno (Leghorn), Italy. This is a most important port for the well-develped northern part of Italy on the Ligurian Sea and it tends to emphasize its commercial aspects. I managed to catch a local bus to Pisa, which traveled along the coast almost all the way, and in approximately one hour I was walking through the pleasant parts of the old city to the Duomo (Cathedral) and Tour Incidentelle (Leaning Tower) that is the signature of the city. Again, good weather helped the general jolly atmosphere of the place and many early visitors were already enjoying the famous views.
I thought it might take a day to explore the ship in detail but, in reality, it didn't take long. The Marco Polo is really a small ship even though it can carry 850 passengers. The library, for instance, has four, repeat four, chairs. The card room is bigger but it is really crowded on a day at sea. In fact, everything seemed crowded. Maybe it was because I had just left the huge, new Norwegian Star and the comparisons were too vivid. I like all ships (I've never met a cruise I didn't like) but right now I would go with the larger vessels for the variety and number of activities available. The NStar had ten restaurants and one could go at just about anytime for any sort of meal. The main showroom extended over three decks and didn't have a single support to cope with, etc., etc. Oh yes, I should mention that the Marco Polo's elevators are extremely limited in their ability to move many passengers at any given time. One has room for only four well-fed passengers!
The food was good and presented in a most elegant manner; however, the taste did not always match the appearance. I talked to a lady who did not eat for a week due to food poisoning she attributed to some fish that had a doubtful flavor. Her first of three visits to the ship's doctor cost $100. She reported others had experienced bad effects from the fish also but they did not require a doctor's attention. And so it goes. My own opinion is that the food was tasty and wholesome but then I don't have a very high threshold either.
Curiously, there were no formal nights on either of the two cruises that I was on. It would have been nice to have been warned about this as I could have cut down on the unnecessary part of my luggage. The dress aboard was really casual in every respect.
The entertainment was excellent and I particularly enjoyed the international competitive dancers, Jack and Ivana, from Poland. They not only presented a series of stunning dances during prime time but they also helped as dance instructors in the tango, cha-cha and quick step. The Irish comedian was always outstanding and the regular cast of dancers and singers were excellent. The members of the ship's orchestra were super performers. Do you get the impression I liked the cruise?
Sunday May 5 0700-2000 Cannes, France. The French Riviera is always exciting and this was even more so as the Cannes Film Festival was just beginning and all the neat tents were set up awaiting the inflow of attendees. I chose to spend the day in Antibes and enjoyed the beautiful weather and fabulous coastline. I am a boater so all the yachts in the various marinas have a special attraction and their variety is unending. Incidentally, this was a port requiring tendering.
Monday May 6 0800-1900 Marseille, France. This is a huge city and an important port that has many facets. Our location was rather distant from the center of things so fortunately a shuttle bus operation was available for passengers wanting to explore the city. I should add, that although the ship does not advertise the existence of these shuttles much in advance or until one is ready to depart the ship; nevertheless, at almost every port there is a shuttle arrangement usually funded by the local port and/or the commercial community. One is not tied to the ship's excursion routines if one has a little confidence and is willing to ask some questions. I note that the experienced cruisers tend to eschew the inflated ship excursions on a rather steady basis. I like to think I am one of them. Of course, if one is an inveterate cruiser then it happens often that one has been there before and visited the principal sites so that going off into the corners of the city is a much more viable alternative. But enough of the philosophy.
Tuesday May 7 0800-1900 Barcelona. One of the principal cities of Spain and the country's biggest port, Barcelona has become one of the most important stops in the Mediterranean for cruise ships. It seems everyone wants to stroll the La Rambla and tour the Picasso Museum. It is a very large city and within it one can find just about anything ... from famous architectural styles to past Olympic glories.
Wednesday May 8 at sea and much welcomed as too many good ports in a row can be daunting.
Thursday May 9 0900-1900 Cadiz, Spain. This old port city has a number of attractions but it also serves as the gateway to Seville which is located about ninety minutes by train (the Andalucia Express) to the north. The rolling countryside is the home of sherry production and the bodegas can be attractive indeed. The famous city of Seville, located on the navigable Guadalquivir, is well worth the trip if only to view the central historic area containing the Cathedral along with many other architectural prizes. The train station in Seville (Sevilla) appears to be brand new and is a most convenient entrance and departure point for the city.
Friday May 10 0900-1800 Lisbon, Portugal. The capital of Portugal, is an intriguing city with the reminders of navigators and explorers seemingly everywhere. The monuments to these intrepid seamen are powerful mementos of the age of discovery and they may generate an interesting reaction in the cruise passenger who travels the seaways that they first identified, mapped and explored.
The cruise ended a successful week's voyage through the western Mediterranean; however, I stayed on for another week's cruise to the United Kingdom. It is difficult to justify just one week on a ship especially if one has to travel some distance to get to and from that ship. Such was the case with the Marco Polo.
Travel/Cruise Accounts by the Author.
WORLD PORT DIRECTORY.
The Tropics Shoreline
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