Having done two prior cruises with Silversea it was an easy decision to book a suite (deck 7**) from Vancouver to Tokyo via Alaska and Russia, believing it would be a great adventure, and it really was (mostly), but the inability to disembark for a day at Petrapavlovsk (rough weather) meant we were at sea for seven and a half days - far too long, but no fault of Silversea.

The suite was spacious and appropriately appointed, but was tired and dated, and much in need of refurbishment. The sea state from Dutch Harbour to Kushiro was mostly rough to very rough, only abating as were neared Japan, generally making it a difficult to move around the ship. This meant there were long periods confined to the suite, revealing just how uncomfortable the couch and chairs really were. Compounding the physical discomfort, the flat screen LCD TV had very poor picture and sound quality, even though the choice of satellite channels was mostly news channels such as MSNBC, FOX, SKY and BBC broadcasting world events ad nausem. Fortunately the library had a good selection of fact and fiction.

The food and service in all restaurants was excellent. The menu selection was varied with smaller portions, giving one the opportunity to savour everything on offer without overeating. The wine selections were also varied and of good quality. Read more