Hi Ana Maria.

A great video story, but I'm afraid it's the wrong Pushkin, although perhaps a decendant

A COLLECTION OF POEMS BY

ALEKSANDR PUSHKIN
(Born 1799, Died 1837)

(Translations from Russian)

http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/pushkin/pushkin_ind.html

The ship began life in 1965 as the Alexander Pushkin. The second of five East German-built ships named after famous Russian writers, it and its siblings -- collectively known as the "Five Poets" -- represented the largest, fastest and most prestigious ocean liners in the Soviet merchant fleet, a fleet that was then the world's largest. The Pushkin was given to the Leningrad-based Baltic Sea Shipping Company (the other major Soviet shipping lines were the Black Sea Shipping Company, based in Odessa, and the Far Eastern Shipping Company, based in Vladivostok) for seasonal trans-Atlantic service between Leningrad and Montreal. The rest of the year, the ship would operate on cruises, both to ports like Havana for the domestic market as well as to other ports around the world on charter to Western tour companies.

By the mid-1970's the vessel had switched to full-time cruising. Though far from luxurious -- the public areas were decorated in a typically grim Soviet style, and most cabins were tiny and without private bathrooms -- the Pushkin and other large Soviet cruise ships became increasingly popular in Western markets (especially the U.K., West Germany and Australia) as budget-priced cruise ships, and were important sources of hard currency for the Soviet economy. In the 1980's the ship was transferred to the Far Eastern Shipping Company of Vladivostok, and began cruising from Australia.

In 1990 the Australian career of the aging Alexander Pushkin -- now 25 years old -- came to an end, and the ship was laid up in Singapore. Many expected it to go for scrap. Instead, the next year Gerry Herrod, the British entrepreneur who had earlier founded Ocean Cruise Lines, purchased the ship. The Alexander Pushkin was taken to Greece where, two years and millions of dollars later, it emerged as Marco Polo, the first ship of Herrod's new company, Orient Lines. Marco Polo was stripped down to the bare steel, and aside from the hull and engines, nothing from the old Soviet era was saved. Under the skillful guidance of Danish naval architects Knud E. Hansen A/S and the Greek interior designers of AMK Interiors, the Marco Polo was transformed from a rusting Soviet-era relic into a practically new ship. The ship's sleek external lines were retained -- even improved -- while inside all the latest amenities of early 1990's cruising were added, packaged in a sleek neo-Art Deco style.

No sooner did the Marco Polo sail on its first cruise from Mombasa to Cape Town than the ship began garnering acclaim from the press and passengers alike. The ethos of Orient Lines was "destination cruising" -- then a decidedly new concept -- and with an ice-strengthened hull (a legacy of the cold Baltic winters the ship was designed for), high-speed tenders and a fleet of Zodiacs, the Marco Polo was fitted out to deliver its passengers to exotic destinations from Asia to Antarctica, and everywhere in between, with all the comfort of a modern cruise ship. Before long, Orient Lines was a recognized leader in its market niche, and a well-known name among savvy cruisers in North America, the U.K. and Australia seeking good value and interesting itineraries. Moreover, the service from the ship's mostly Filipino crew became nothing short of legendary.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=48

From Wiki - My entry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Alexandr_Pushkin

My personal experience aboard the MS Alexander Pushkin in the summer of 1967 was outstanding. We boarded in Montreal, we arrived in Liverpool England, our first stop, over 12 hours behind schedule. The reason for this delay in arriving was due to the protests over the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in London during our crossing the Alantic. There were rumours that we would encounter the same, or worse, protest situation at the next port, Bremmerhaven Germany, my getting off point, and also in Norway, the final stop before Lenningrad. The truth of the matter was, no one on board would have minded the extra days on board, the service and personel of the MS Alexander Pushkin was beyond outstanding. One amazing thing did occur crossing the English Channel that night. We made up the entire 12 hours while crossing the channel. I know, because you see, in the 9 days 8 nights I spent on board I only had a total of 10 hours sleep. The rest of the time, thanks to a Russian friend I met on board, we partied all night long, every single day and night. Crossing the English Channel that night one could have water skied the entire crossing as long as one could cope with the mighty wake and waterfall behind this amazing ship. The rating may have been 20 knots but I experienced double that crossing the English Channel to Bremmerhaven that night back in 1967.

- Gunther G.

Remember too that at the time, 1967, the MS Alexandr Pushkin was a NEW ship (only 2 years old) and a marvel of Cold War engineering designed to parade Soviet/East German technology and pride to the world.  The MS Alexandr Pushkin and it's crew succeeded in that endevour beyond all expectations.  After my "escape" from the clutches of the German Army by flying out of Paris (I could no longer fly overseas out of Germany) my Mother, ill as she was with Meniere Disease (she couldn't fly and needed constant assistance when traveling because her sense of balance was severly affected) would only return to Canada (a year later) onboard the MS Alexandr Pushkin because of the experience, and fantastic service of her crew far above and beyond "duty" she received on out trip to Germany.

As I say in my bio, I could write a book in itself about my experiences on the MS Alexandr Pushkin as an 18 year old.  Maybe I already have. ;)

Have a wonderful week my friends.