There were 213 passengers on my around-India cruise from Chennai (Madras) to Mumbai, and they had come from all corners of the earth. By far, the biggest group was from the U.S. -- 80 passengers -- but there were Australians, New Zealanders, British, Germans, Belgians, Spanish and various other nationalities. Many were retired or close to retirement age; 140 were past Silversea passengers. Only one couple had never cruised before.

Silversea has a mixture of formal, informal and smart-casual dress codes. For formal nights, women should wear cocktail dresses, evening gowns or trouser suits, men should have tuxedos or dark suits. Informal means dresses or trouser suits for the ladies, jackets for the men (ties optional). Our 11-night cruise had three formal nights, four informal nights and four smart-casual evenings.

Tips are part of the all-inclusive package on all Silversea cruises. There is nothing extra to pay, and the crew do not expect additional gratuities.

--by Jane Archer, a U.K.-based Cruise Critic contributor