I love photography and choose my destinations based upon the best opportunities to practice my hobby. Having recently lost my husband I needed an easy way to travel to a variety of locations on my own. Silversea was offering a sensational single supplement and I always wanted to visit Rome and Barcelona, so it was the perfect solution. I was a little worried I would stick out like a sore thumb. At the last minute a friend decided to join me, so I wasn't alone after all. During the cruise there were so many friendly people I realized that it would have been fine even on my own.

My main reason for going was to see the two cities, Rome and Barcelona. Neither of them were included in the tours from the ship, so I opted to stay three nights at either end. On the recommendation of a friend who is a travel agent, we booked the Rose Garden Palace in Rome and the Majestic in Barcelona, both excellent choices. In both cities we did the Hop-on/Hop-off busses, which were extremely helpful in getting an overview of both cities. Of course, we have only barely scratched the surface of all the places we visited. I especially fell in love with Barcelona. Back home now, I have plans to stay there for a month as soon as I retire.

This is my third cruise. The previous two were with my husband, also on small luxury, all inclusive lines: Renaissance (before they went out of business), Athens to Istanbul and Regent, Sydney to Auckland. How does Silversea compare? I'll break it down: Read more