Silver Dawn

My husband and I recently returned from a luxury 12-night Transatlantic sailing on Silversea Silver Dawn from Barbados to Lisbon. All accommodations on the Silver Dawn are suites, and we were in a deluxe veranda suite mid-ship on deck 6. Our suite was spacious and well-appointed with a marble bathroom with a separate glass shower and full-size bathtub. We had a walk-in closet with a safe and ample storage space. Floor to ceiling glass doors led to the private teak veranda, which was large enough for two chairs and a small table. The shipboard staff and crew were polished and friendly. Our butler was new to the ship and quite enthusiastic. Having had a butler on several other cruises, we had a better idea of how to utilize some of their services more effectively. He handled changing some spa and dinner reservations as well as preparing a special aromatherapy bath one late afternoon. Dining is a first-class experience on Silversea, and there were multiple restaurants as well as 24-hour room service onboard Silver Dawn. During our 12-night cruise they had two formal nights, where many of the men wore tuxedos, and six informal nights where jackets were required. Be prepared as the staff strictly enforced the dress code policy at the restaurants for dinner service. The Atlantide dining room was the more traditional “main” dining room with a wide variety of options on the menu. La Terrazza was our favorite spot for breakfast and had many options served buffet style as well as cooked to order dishes. For lunch we dined at La Terrazza, outside at The Grill located poolside or at Spaccanapoli for outstanding thin-crust pizza. Arts Café was great for a quick coffee and pastry or finger sandwiches and afternoon tea. There was a surcharge for La Dame, a French restaurant we enjoyed one evening. Our meal at La Dame was outstanding and worth the additional cost. By contrast, our least favorite meal was Kaiseki, the Japanese restaurant that also had a surcharge for dinner. We thoroughly enjoyed Silver Note, which is an intimate jazz supper club with unique and delicious small plates and fabulous entertainment. At night, La Terrazza was transformed into a lovely Italian restaurant, and we enjoyed dining here on three evenings during our journey. The Grill also undergoes a nighttime transformation into a “hot rocks” concept restaurant. This is a fun, more casual option where you can either cook your own meat or seafood on the hot stone or have the chef prepare it to your preference. We heard a lot about the S.A.L.T. Kitchen dining concept before sailing and were somewhat disappointed in the food here. Perhaps the menu was not as appealing to us as the cuisine was primarily Caribbean; however, as we got closer to Portugal, some Portuguese options were offered as well. That being said, the S.A.L.T. Lab with complimentary hands-on cooking classes was a huge hit on our sailing and we thoroughly enjoyed our class making empanadas. The onboard entertainment was average for a smaller ship. When the featured performers had a show together, we enjoyed it more than when they individually took turns being the featured performer for the evening. The cruise director was personable and energetic, and responsive to passengers’ requests. For example, he added a much-requested karaoke night that was fun and well-attended. Daily team trivia was by far the biggest draw for activities, with at least one quarter of the ship participating every day. In addition to Americans, this sailing had quite a few travelers from Canada and Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand.