Why has the travel industry decided that most people want to be enveloped in shades of brown, blood red and gold during their cruises? As the Silver Cloud was only renovated a year ago, I was disgusted to find these same depressing non-nautical colors dominating the palette of my cabin as they did nearly three years ago on the Silver Whisper. How about some cheerful nautical blues and greens?

The beds are very comfortable, and the cabins (they're not "suites") are efficiently designed. I was glad to find the deck chairs on the balcony capable of various positions, so that one could lie back, although on the starboard side the ports of Valencia and Barcelona were hideously industrial and uninviting. We also lacked good enough weather to permit star-gazing at night, but, of course, neither are Silversea's fault.

I thought the food was generally very good ( better than that served on my first Silversea voyage in 2011), however, I was disappointed in the overall quality of the wines (and I'm no wine snob), and I was very distressed not to find a cheering bottle of bubbly in an ice bucket as I did last time around. I was told that now you must request it in advance, but it's the generous gesture and first impression that counts! Read more