Originally built as Aleksandr Pushkin in 1965 by Mathias-Thesen-Werft, East Germany for the Soviet Union’s Baltic Shipping Company for liner service between Europe and Canada and cruise service. After being extensively rebuilt she sailed for Orient Lines from 1993 to 2008 as their Marco Polo. UK-cruise line Cruise & Maritime Voyages and its German subsidiary Transocean Tours operated her until 2020 when Cruise & Maritime Voyages entered administration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was auctioned off for $2,770,000 in October 2020 with further service planned by her new owners but was soon resold and in January 2021 was beached at Alang, India to be scrapped.

63 photographs (2010 ship visit in Amsterdam).