On the recommendation of our cruise travel operator, we chose to visit the Middle East on the Silver Wind , hoping for an informative and fun adventure. Having enjoyed several cruises on other upmarket cruise lines, we were sorely disappointed by this experience.
The royal suite was always dark, there being only small windows and no sliders to patio. The furnishings badly needed a revamp and the bathroom had no surface to place toiletries. Every evening at dusk we were admonished if we had not pulled down all our tatty blinds so the bridge was not distracted by our lights. The tiny balcony was rendered useless in the evenings as we stumbled in the dark.
We enjoy information by expert lecturers on the regions we are visiting and this was poorly managed. The ship provided shuttle buses in most ports, but there was so little to see in each port, unless you particularly like shopping malls and building sites, that we often never alighted the bus, but went straight back to the ship. Booked tours were overpriced for a drive about, city overview and mosque after mosque.
Small, cramped,dark,badly furnished, shabby. Small patio. Bathroom badly designed, nowhere to put toiletries beyond a toothbrush.