Marco Polo had been in service for 28-years before the British owned Orient Line bought her in1991. She was originally built in the former Eastern Germany as Alexander Pushkin for the Soviet Unions Baltic State Steamship Company. Her design incorporated a reinforced hull, as she would often have to travel though seas covered in ice. Her main routes were from Leningrad - Montreal in summer and cruises to Cuba in winter.

Alexander Pushkin was the first ship bought by the newly founded Orient Line. After undergoing a two-year rebuild, she entered service for the Orient Line in 1993 under the name Marco Polo.

Since her upgrade, she has 8 passenger decks, 1 pool, 4 bars, casino, fitness center, showroom, 292 outside cabins, 133 inside cabins, can carry 848 passengers and a crew of 350.

Marco Polo was operated on Mediterranean cruises from the ports of Rome, Barcelona, Athens & Venice. European cruises departed from the ports of Dover, Copenhagen & Stockholm.

Marco Polo was also occasionally used for cruises to South America, Antarctica, South Africa & Asia.

Marco Polo was sold to Transocean Tours in 2008. After this line hit financial difficulties, Marco Polo was chartered to the newly founded United Kingdom-based Cruise & Maritime Voyages for five years from 2 January 2010 onwards. Her planned itineraries include cruises from the UK to South America during the northern hemisphere winter months and UK to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean during the summer months.

The Orient Line ceased operating after the sale of Marco Polo.

Website: www.cruiseandmaritime.com.