First, I have to say I am so tired of reading negative reviews on the Silver Cloud. Who are these people? Professional complainers? We just returned from the same Baltic cruise several of the other reviewers were on and found it to be a wonderful experience. This is our 20th cruise (our third on Silversea), so we are not novices at this but this will be one of our favorite cruises. Was the ship perfect? No, no mechanical device is, but it was very enjoyable (more on this later). Was the staff perfect? Yes!! The staff was outstanding in all respects.

The itinerary was outstanding. Departed Copenhagen for Tallinn, Estonia; then 3 days and 2 nights in St Petersburg, Russia. We cruised up the Neva River (where the large ships cannot go) and docked in nearly the center of the city. Next was Helsinki, Finland; sea day; Warnemunde, Germany; then transit through the Kiel Canal. Our next port was Amsterdam and finally we cruised up the Thames, through the London Tower Bridge and docked on a WWII battleship (HMS Belfast) that is now a museum. With most passengers on deck enjoying the spectacular weather, the London crowds were waving us on nearly the whole trip up the Thames! The weather was nearly perfect the whole 12 days.

One evening in St. Petersburg, Silversea offered a private, evening tour of the Hermitage Museum (after closing hours) along with a performance by the The State Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg in the Hermitage, followed by a champagne reception. The Symphony entertained us for about 40 minutes, playing 8 classical pieces. What an absolutely memorable evening!! I should mention that there were about 50 of the 250 or so on board going to this evening tour. Silversea opened the main dinning room early so we would have a chance to eat before departing, as the tour was during the dinner hour. When we returned to the ship after the performance (it was about 10:30pm), a number of the staff greeted us with a large "Welcome Home" sign along with trays of shots of vodka or a black Russians. When we returned to our stateroom, our butler (yes, everyone has a butler) had arranged dishes of finger sandwiches and desserts just in case we were hungry, along with a signed Welcome Back card. We were very touched by the little extras the staff would be willing to do throughout the cruise, and how quickly they knew your name. Read more