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About
Orient
Line...
Orient Lines bills itself as the "Destination Cruise
Specialist," and it's a fitting moniker. The line traverses the globe each year
-- an impressive feat, since it has only one ship. That ship, the erstwhile Marco Polo, inspires great loyalty amongst
destination-driven travelers, who don't mind giving up the glitz of a newer ship
in exchange for a good value. Orient Lines is known for its creative, "one-way"
cruises that feature more ports per itinerary, more time in each port and more
overnight stays than other cruise lines. The line also offers cruise tours
featuring pre- and post-cruise hotel stays with virtually every
itinerary.
Orient Lines was originally created as a one-ship
adventure-oriented company in 1993 by Gerry Herrod, whose most recent endeavor
was the launching of Discovery World Cruises, a similarly-minded cruise line.
The company was acquired by Norwegian Cruise Line in 2000.
If your
primary interest is in seeing the world in comfort -- but not excess -- and if
you couldn't care less about rock climbing walls or five-story atriums, Orient
Lines is a good choice.
At one point, the Orient Lines fleet consisted of two ships,
the Marco Polo and the Crown Odyssey. But in 2003 Orient's parent company,
Norwegian Cruise Line, transferred the Crown back to its own fleet. That left
the Marco Polo as Orient's sole flagship, but the ship holds its own quite quite
nicely.
Originally built in East Germany in 1965, the ship entered
service as the Alexander Pushkin and served Russian cruise travelers. Orient
Lines purchased the ship in 1991, and spent two years and $75 million renovating
it. Renamed the Marco Polo, the ship began service for Orient Lines in 1993.
While the ship features several vestiges of an older ship, such as raised
thresholds and floors that slope outward, the Marco Polo also has more
contemporary amenities and services as well, such as a casino, internet center,
gym, spa and library. The Marco Polo has the added advantage of a reinforced
hull, which makes it especially maneuverable in the Antarctic.
While the
Marco Polo can't compete either in size or in sizzle with the modern mega-ships,
it has won numerous awards for its discovery-oriented approach.
If there's a phrase to describe the Orient Lines experience,
it's "Old World." And that’s not simply because ship is one of the industry’s
oldest. It's because the ship is efficient, comfortable and manageable in size.
There's no mad rush to board the tenders, and you don't wait forever to get your
lunch at the buffet line. Ballroom dancing and afternoon tea are extremely
popular, and the crew go out of their way to make the 822 passengers feel at
home.
Another distinctive Orient Lines feature is its "Discovery Lecture
Series," in which world-famous explorers, naturalists and scientists present
talks to passengers. In the past, passengers have heard from the likes of
astronaut Buzz Aldrin, naturalist Jack Hanna and famed explorer Sir Edmund
Hillary.
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CRUISECLEVER - ORIENT
LINES
