I have cruised up the Nile and done the Hurtigruten boat trip up the coast of Norway to the Arctic Circle and back. Both of which I enjoyed immensely. A Silversea Cruise is a completely different "kettle of fish". I'm still processing the experience & am not really sure what my final verdict is.
Our staterooms were beautifully fitted out with a sleeping area, a lounge area with a writing desk, a lovely balcony, a walk in wardrobe & finally a beautiful, large bathroom, with a choice of expensive toiletries.
It is very expensive & very luxurious. Everything is included, no hidden charges, even tips and all drinks are part of the price. You can have any drink you want, including cocktails & champage. You have your own designated Butler as well as a maid and a cleaner. We also had an on board spending allowance for the Spa treatments & the specialised restaurants which charged. We ate in 3 of the charging restaurants - Japanese, French & "Hot Rocks" & also had an hour's massage using our allowance.
There were shore excursions every day. Some you paid for, but we did the free ones, which were very good. In Greece we visited Lemnos, Thessaloniki, Volos, Mykonos, Santorini & Lesbos. In Turkey we started & finished in Istanbul & visited Marmaris & Kusadasi. The only drawback was having to get up early to go!
We were very lucky because two ballet dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet were in board & did 3 brief ballet excerpts. There is also a lot of varied entertainment on board, but we didn't really take part in that. People we met who did were very impressed. We did do a tour of the Galley, which was fascinating & a tour of the Bridge - also very good.
All in all everything was very well done. The organisation was impeccable, The staff were extremely well trained and a delight to be served by. Customer service was second to none. Everything was geared to a good passenger experience, but you would expect that for the price.
So why am I hesitating & not gushing? What's not to like about being pampered & waited on, plied with wonderful food & drink, taken to really interesting places by well informed guides?
I'm not really sure.
I think I find it hard to justify spending that amount of money on a holiday when people all over the world are in dire staits. Yes, I know it provides jobs for a huge number of people. I also know that it broadens the horizons of quite a lot of wealthy people who really don't know much about the world & different cultures & civilisations. I just think my money could be put to better use. I know that makes me sound pompous, but I don't really care. It isn't that I don't think I'm worth it - it's that I think that a lot of other people are worth a decent life with the basic necessities.
Reading the news now I'm back home just accentuates my dilemma. One half of the world is living in desperate circumstances, the others are living as if there is no tomorrow & no problem. I can't reconcile the two.
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