Despite some "uneven" reviews, our travel agent assured us that Silversea would deliver the kind of luxury experience that we were looking for on this trip. She was right, the other reviewers were wrong. The ship - and especially the service staff - was totally focused on pampering the guests. The suite was comfortably appointed ... we had our choice of toiletries and amenities. Upon arrival, the butler asked what kind of pillows we preferred and stocked our mini-fridge with champagne (our request ... we could have had anything we wanted). The bed was very comfortable ... turndown service was perfect ... air conditioning (when we figured it out) provided a perfect climate.

We had a suite with a veranda .. which I highly recommend. We thoroughly enjoyed the observation lounge for a cocktail before dinner. Dinner options were the dining room (no reservations required) La Terrazza (reservations required Italian) and the pool deck, which featured steaks and seafood provided to cook on hot rocks.

The itinerary was one important reason for choosing this cruise. We embarked in Istanbul and stopped to see the ancient cities/ruins in Turkey (Kusudasi and Marmara), Santorini Greece, Kotor Montegro, and Dubrovnik and Hvar in Corsica before ending the cruise in Venice. The shore excursions were universally good. Read more