The cruise season at Portland started a little earlier than planned when Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Marco Polo diverted to the port on Monday 11 February 2017 due to bad weather and tidal restrictions.
The ship, which was returning from a 39-night Amazon, West Indies, and Azores cruise, was scheduled to return to Bristol’s Avonmouth port, but bad weather in the Atlantic and strict tidal restrictions for entering the lock in Avonmouth resulted in the ship diverting to Portland.
Guests scheduled to board the ship for her next cruise, which was a 15-night Land of the Northern Lights itinerary, were advised to continue to Bristol Avonmouth where a complimentary coach was laid on to provide transport to Portland. Alternatively guests were able to proceed directly to Portland, although the ship is scheduled to return to Bristol Avonmouth on 28 February.
Marco Polo is owned by the Global Maritime Group under charter to UK-based Cruise & Maritime Voyages, having been previously operated by Transocean Tours, Germany.
She was built in 1965 by Mathias-Thesen Werft, East Germany as Aleksandr Pushkin for the Soviet Union’s Baltic Shipping Company. After major alterations and additions, the ship sailed as Marco Polo for Orient Lines from 1993 to 2008.
Thanks to Paul Dalloway for the photograph
