There were many positives about this cruise. First was the fellow passengers. We had so much fun with the Brits we met. (We are American and this particular cruise was probably 75% Brits.) There were no children on this Panama Canal cruise. That was a positive for us and this particular itinerary. Kids would have been bored. We weren't. Although we skirted the storm Otto, we still made every port and thoroughly enjoyed the Panama Canal crossing in the rain. (How much rain? A cabin on our deck, below the observation level, flooded!) And a tip for those taking the panama canal cruise east to west -- Florida to California -- get a cabin on the port( left) side, much more to see.

Now the negative: the smoking. This luxury line and I believe Seabourn appear to cater to smokers, who appear to be European. Silversea allows smoking on one whole side of the outdoor dining by the pool. That means at night eating under the stars could be lovely until smoke wafts around you. That happened to us the first night. Yes you can ask for the side which has non-smoking but it was always jammed. The same happened for luncheons outside where the man next to us was blowing cigar smoke in our faces. And for breakfast, they allow smoking on the outdoor area behind the restaurant, so forget eating breakfast outside. Smoking and food do not mix. This was a big turnoff for us. Also the dinner menu was so gourmet, few knew what they were eating. Europeans seemed to love the puzzle. We Americans could do with a bit more comfort food. These two issues make us question whether to take Silversea again.