Silver Cloud.The Good,The Bad,and The Ugly..

A lovely,unobtrusive state- room attendant kept it immaculate.There was my own butler to spoil me.All I really wanted was fresh orange juice and even that not every day,plenty of water with ice, and peaunuts.The best ever.Freshly roasted by the chef.The dining room,was gloomy,dull.The drinks on the terraces came in an unlimited supply(the price was inclusive of all food and beverage,this may sound a good deal, but I myself,as a teetotaler, did not really benefit]. An excellent toasted tuna sandwich brought to me on demand while being resplendent on the most comfortable deck chair ever,one could easily take an afternoon nap on it and would wake up none the worse for the wear. The gym is small but excellent and the instructor,Serbian or Croatian,if I remember correctly,had more diplomas than the British foreign minister, and the body of Adonis. One fellow cruiser,the wife of a partner in a firm of solicitors,took one look at his perfectly formed buttocks and was ready to run away with him!...Joke,joke,joke!..Rarely have I seen such a well matched and devoted couple,she a perfect partner's wife, as he so proudly told me.She confident,delightful, a good and proper gossip,as a gossip should be,never malicious yet ready to poke nose into anything and any-one,and by golly,she did! We joked together, laughed together,she soon caught on to my sense of humour [never spiteful,often self-deprecating,not afraid to laugh at myself].The most wonderful thing about her was,that she never even for a moment thought I was after her husband. There were identical pictures on the opposing sides of the corridor just by the entrance to the dining room.Identical, for goodness sake.The elegance, the Italian flair and panache nowhere to be seen.So how does the 6 star accreditation figures? At best I would give it 4.Too much ado about very little. Would I sail on the Cloud again? Like a shot!If the cruise was advertised just before departure at a knock down price,I would mot hesitate. You must think now there is a turncoat.No, I stand by everything I have said.It is for the most wonderful destinations, that I would sail on the Cloud again,for Warnemunde, a delightful,immaculately kept German little town,full of charm, flowers and lovely shops where real bargains can be had.I had purchased a divine summer dress and a scarf for next to nothing and have discovered a shop where most of the shoes are to die for.Then there is Stockholm. This was my second visit. The first time on a cruise with Celebrity Eclipse,the city had cast a magic spell on me.I was enchanted.Everything breathed prosperity, abundance. No rough sleepers in doorways,no beggars with their drug-induced stupor,no illegal immigrants littering the streets.Well, this time I didn't take a tour of the city,I walked and saw Stockholm warts and all.And can't wait to go back.Then there was Amsterdam.I walked and walked and got lost,then walked some more and got lost again. Tallin.Lovely little Tallin,immaculately restored without any EU handouts.Shops full of beautifully made linen clothes,excellent value.St.Petersburg.Hot,crowded,in a class of its own.Sat down in a five star Grand hotel I think it is called,to a cup of latte. Divine little pastries,And the service at its very best-with courtesy,with smile.In Oslo.I picked up a pink blouse I am wearing at the moment.Massively expensive, as everything in Scandinavia is,their standard of living so much higher than anywhere in Europe.I could not resist a linen grey top either,a quirky little number with different coloured buttons and loops,typical me.So yes, if this cruise was advertised at a knocked down price,I would not hesitate.