Cruise Ship: Silver Cloud
Cruise Destination: Persian Gulf and Dubai
Cruise Dates: March 2008
Guest Contributor: E.F. Schlenk
When our friends heard that we would spend our March, 2008, vacation on the Silver Cloud in the Persian Gulf, their first question was "Why Dubai?" and their second question was "Why Silversea?"
The first question is easy to answer. The Middle East is changing faster than any other part of the world. I am not talking about the destruction of Iraq (and our economy with it). I am talking about the construction of ultra-modern Arab emirate cities with enviable infrastructures and booming economies. Imagine Walt Disney building a clean and modern Manhattan skyline in the middle of the desert. Add the traffic of Los Angeles, the beachfront of Miami, and the glitz of Las Vegas. Toss in the best shopping malls, the most exotic real estate developments, the tallest building, and the most expensive hotel in the world. Mix in 6 million visitors a year and you have an idea of what Dubai is like today. And Dubai is just one of five Arab emirates (plus Iran) that we visited on our cruise. The oil in some emirates is already drying out, so they are turning to free trade, international finance, and tourism to secure their future. We wanted to see it all before it was too late - too late for our dollar, not their dirham.
The second question "Why Silversea?" is a bit more complex. We took our first luxury cruise on the Silver Whisper two years ago. It was a short cruise in the Caribbean, and to be honest, it did not meet our expectations (my review of that cruise. Perhaps it was because we expected too much or perhaps it was because a four-day cruise sandwiched between private charters was too short for the crew to do their jobs really well. In any case, we decided to give Silversea another chance, and we are glad we did. We thoroughly enjoyed our Silver Cloud cruise in the Persian Gulf. This review is a detailed summary of our Silver Cloud experience.
Keep in mind that a luxury cruise is an investment of more than $10,000 per couple once airfare, pre-cruise hotel, and sightseeing are included, even when the pre- and post-cruise arrangements are made independently in economy and tourist class. Because a cruise like this is a major investment for most of us, this review is intended to give you extensive details to help you get a feeling whether a luxury cruise might be right for you.
Because of the length of this review, I will HIGHLIGHT various topics in all caps so that you can skim down to your own areas of special interest. This review is divided into THREE PARTS - luxury cruises in general, our Silver Cloud cruise in particular, and independent (and inexpensive) sightseeing options in our Persian Gulf ports of call.
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