Marco Polo Cruises — Local services in New York

Horrendous!! The Independence Day fireworks cruise was supposed to be the highlight of our trip to New York from the UK It turned out to be the greatest disappointment. Disorganised, unprofessional and a complete con that was interested in only one thing, making money out of unsuspecting tourist , It set off late but got back even later We appeared to sit aimlessly for at least an hour after the fireworks when every other boat had disappeared . The promised American food was horrid and the entertainment a poor singer was embarrassing BUT worse of all the boat which we were told would be for 200 was massively over booked. It was frightening when everyone went to the only part on the upper deck at the back which was open to see the fireworks There had been no safety advice !!! And then when you thought it couldn't get any worse half way through the fireworks they turned the boat around !!! So you could not see anything from the open deck. The boat was completely unsuitable for purpose The staff were rude and unprofessional not in the least bothered about the bad experience we were all having. Shouts of are you having fun were met with silence and a women taking pics for the cruise line had to ask people to smile. Everyone was just so relieved when we finally got off !!! Please DO NOT TAKE THIS CRUISE !!! It cost almost £300 for 2 . Bottled lager was $8 a bottle and the food was awful What should have been a once in a lifetime experience was a complete...

Never book this cruise company. If I could give it less than 1 star, I would.

My party booked tickets for the Paddle Wheel Queen and it was a horrendous experience. The booking information said to be there promptly at 9:30pm to begin boarding, as the boat would be leaving by 10pm. In reality the boat didn't even get there until 10pm, after we had been standing in -6 degree temperatures since 9:24. By 10:10 the boat was docked but the crew had to load whatever passes for dinner and drinks on this cruise. By 10:20, we still had not boarded. It was becoming a health hazard to remain outside in subzero temperatures so we left without getting on the boat.

In addition to the unsafe conditions outside, we had zero confidence in the rude, unprofessional, uninformed, and unhelpful staff who were working at the Marina and "managing" the line for the boat. We had no desire to get on a boat with a staff that could not manage a queue line.

We complained to one employee about how we had been standing in the cold for an hour and he said "I'm standing out here too." This rude staff member was at least being paid to stand out there, whereas we had wasted nearly $200 each to freeze for nothing. By the time we got home, members of our party were still shivering for several hours.

The ticket brokers at iEvents refunded the cost of the ticket, and we are grateful for that. But I encourage people reading this to never use this dangerous...

Terrible, illegitimate business. I am currently pursuing legal action after approximately $3k of personal belongings were stolen from a guest. I booked the "Lucille" through Empire Cruises, which is related to Marco Polo ("Lucille" vessel is listed on the website for Marco Polo as well) for a private party. Personal belongings were noticed stolen before disembarking and only a wallet (which was rifled through and money stolen) was found in a trash. It was a small, intimate gathering of close friends and family (less than 25). Turns out the Captain invited friends on the boat, which were not part of my party. These "extras" and the Captain all drank alcohol in the pilothouse while on the cruise. Additionally, some of the staff was extremely helpful, but there were some really unpresentable, shady staff members. A "manager" that was assisting in resolving the issue turned out to be misrepresenting himself as someone who was unable to assist, but in actuality he was the owner of the boat. Not at all...