We are retired and have only been on two cruises prior to this. A Norwegian (2 Star) from NYC to Bermuda and an Alaskian UnCruise, on the120 ft Safari Endeavour (10 Star), so we really wanted to experience a 10 star cruise on a larger ship and we certainly found it on the Silver Wind. WoW, I read a lot of reviews on a lot of different ships, before we selected the Silver Wind and after being on the ship, I honestly have to wonder if some of the negative reviews that I had read on this ship were by other cruise companies, (haha, funny but possible) So lets's establish that we are not cruise experts, but we do enjoy a lot of the finers points in life, including lodging, drink, travel, automobiles (I drive a Bentayga), etc. We enjoy life from a tux to a pair of cut offs and the finest white glove dining to a BBQ joint, so while we do not claim to be cruise experts, we have been down a few dirt roads and Inter-state highways. So here is our scoop on the Silver Wind. I get up at 5 AM and saw how the cleaning crew were working each morning and this is the cleanest ship that you will ever be on. While it was built in 1995, You cannot tell that it wasn't a couple of years old, based on it's public areas and rooms. The staff were outstanding, so professional, so helpful and so attentive. The food and drink were excellent and we can say nothing negative except it took a couple of days to get our suite door lock to work every time, but they really tried. I highly recommend the Silver Wind as a Top Of The Line Small Ship Luxury Cruise and when we take another cruise it will be with the Silver Seas Company.