Silverse Dawn Maiden Voyage and Naming Ceremony; March 31st - April 18

[Lois R]

On 4/14/2022 at 5:43 PM, sswansen said:

For those of you who've eaten in the S.A.L.T restaurant on the Moon or Dawn, does the menu change every night?  When and where is the menu posted?  Thanks!  I'm looking forward to enjoying the S.A.L.T. venues on the Dawn this October.

Hi, I don't remember the menu changing nightly.

[WesW]

We are enjoying the second day in Livorno, a beautiful sunny day temps in the 60’s climbing to low 70’s (good for dinner in Hot Rocks tonight).

 

Enjoyed a 75 minute walk in Livorno yesterday (could only take a shuttle to downtown, can’t walk from pier).  A few photos below.

 

Have a due out on information on the Owner’s suite and suite 930, and will try to find out about menu change in Salt and frequency.

 

If y’all are interested in more Silver Dawn behind the scenes crew member profiles, let me know and will post. (E.g, Laundry Master, House keeping Utility team member)

 

[machotspur]

On 4/14/2022 at 10:43 PM, sswansen said:

For those of you who've eaten in the S.A.L.T restaurant on the Moon or Dawn, does the menu change every night?  When and where is the menu posted?  Thanks!  I'm looking forward to enjoying the S.A.L.T. venues on the Dawn this October.

 

On our recent Silver Dawn cruise it was explained to us that much of the menu is changed for each voyage, with a smaller proportion being related to the port that day. The same applied in SALT Bar.    

[Mr Luxury]

The whole concept of SALT is that the cuisine and drinks reflect the area that the ship is cruising in.

[jillyf]

Wes, I enjoy your information on crew we don’t get to see during a cruise. Also good to see "front of house" people too. Thanks for doing this. 

[WesW]

Reference the Dawn’s owners suite and suite 930, Charmaine the Future cruise consultant says she has received no complaints of noise in either of these suites 

[WesW]

Time for another behind the scenes Silversea Silver Dawn Crew Member profile.  These are the crew that guests normally do not say Thank You too since they generally work below deck.  Today let’s meet the Silver Dawn Laundry Master, Muzakki.

 

Muzakki, hails from Indonesia and is married to the beautiful Ayu Mala Dewi.  They have been married for 15 years and have three children; Naugatuck who is 10, Salsa Bila who is 7 and precious little 1 year old Arumi.  Muzakki was last home this past September.  He keeps in touch with his family on Facebook and What’s App.

 

Muzakki as the Laundry Master has a Silver Dawn Laundry team of 11.  They handle about five hundred pieces of guest laundry a day (about 50+ Silversea Laundry bags daily).  The team is also responsible for providing laundry service for the crew—doing their uniforms and bed linens.  Further, the wonderful clean smell you encounter when getting in your Silversea bed is due to the hard work of the Silver Dawn Laundry team as they Launder all guest and crew bed sheets as well as towels, napkins and table cloths.

 

He find’s the Laundry team’s most difficult duty is when they have to launder both guest laundry and ship linens on the same day.  Muzakki handles the workout by arranging his teamwork in shifts.

 

When asked what Silversea ship is his favorite to work on Muzakki told me it is the Silver Whisper due to the World Cruise.  Here the work load is more predictable.

 

Why does Muzakki enjoy working for Silversea?  He tells me the Management is good, they treat the crew like one big family and help us work as a team.

 

So, when you enjoy your freshly laundered shirt or blouse, please say a hearty, “Thank You,” to Muzakki and his 11 person Silver Dawn Laundry tea

[goldengatecruisers]

Please allow me to add my thanks, as many have done in the past, for you taking the time to highlight the amazing crew below deck.  I have enjoyed reading the profiles and seeing the photos.  It is amazing how strong a bond can develop with crew members when we take the time to learn more about them.   You are very kind for highlighting their hard work and it really gives a better appreciation of the crew overall.  Continue to enjoy your journey.

 

Ashley.

[WesW]

D

 

Highlights of the Dawn maiden voyage;

 

—Atlantide dining service, Lunch or Dinner near perfection.

—La Terraza, excellent service at lunch, problematic service at dinner stopped dining there in the evening.

—Kaiseki; enjoyed one meal there, for me, once a cruise is enough

—Hot Rocks; loved the Butcher’s block meal, service exceptional lunch or dinner

—Sommelier service led by Head Sommelier outstanding.

—Dolce Vita dinner bar service—the team worked together like clockwork (Nur, Joyce, Colin) provided most intuitive bar service I have received on Silversea in 22 years

—All around dining; breakfast daily was hot and professional service by Joric my butler for 18 days; one dinner was delish paired with movie (had bad cold and no taste/smell so stayed in suite)

—HD Paolo’s assist for behind the scenes crew profiles and his and CD/ACD’s support for Facebook Meet and Greet’s

 

Lowlight; one major issue for me since I spend 3-4 hours (am/pm workouts) daily inside the fitness center was excessive cigarette smoke smell (0545 it began (was in gym at 5am-until evening) all through fitness center and on fitness center Veranda for first 14 days of the maiden voyage.  A guest told me she could smell smoke during her massage in one of Otium’s treatment rooms.  HD with Silversea’s Corporate office assist had Dawn’s engineers fix the smell on Day 14 inside the fitness center.  Veranda still has smoke smell most likely from Crew deck 4.

Edited April 18, 2022 by WesW

[saminina]

S.A.L.T. bar has been mentioned as being small.   It is a five stool, 24 capacity space.   The bartenders are highly paid mixologists  able to negotiate contracts that include separate living quarters.  They  have little or nothing to do with bartenders on board.   I'd say SS has spent a lot of money on this room and has maintained it with skilled staffing.   To me, truly an investment in showing a sense of luxury.

 

Laundry team on SS has always been top notch.  Same day service has not been diminished and is really appreciated.   Thanks for the behind the curtain profiles.

 

 

[RetiredandTravel]

Thank you for the trip report Wes.  It helps restore some faith in the brand after  reading some other very problematic SS reports.  I appreciate the attempt at "atmosphere" but find it curious that the SALT bar is so small, looking at the deck plan it may have made sense to have a larger space.

 

Were you in the military?  Just kidding.  Thanks again.

[machotspur]

7 hours ago, WesW said:

Lowlight; one major issue for me since I spend 3-4 hours (am/pm workouts) daily inside the fitness center was excessive cigarette smoke smell 

 

I very much agree Wes

 

Shortly after embarkation to Dawn on 1st April we went walkabout, familiarising ourselves with the ship. On visiting the Fitness Centre & Spa we were given a tour of the Fitness Centre by one of the crew there and immediately the smell of smoke hit us !

Now bearing in mind this is a maiden voyage, on embarkation day,  at around 15:00 in the afternoon, with many people yet to board, it is unlikely that the stench was coming from public areas. As you say  it must surely be coming from crew areas.

 

Silversea must surely fix this PDQ - it in unacceptable, and quite frankly revolting (and that's coming from an ex smoker 🙄  .    

[pdaniel]

Excellent review.  We are still onboard.  The only difference is our experience has been exceptional in La Terraza.
Our only issue is the poor entertainment.  VOS are nowhere close to what we experienced on Moon inaugural 2 cruises and other cruise lines.  Silversea really needs improvement in the evening entertainment.
We also miss Charlie.  Vicky is still our favorite CD and her show is outstanding.
Sorry but cannot comment on the smoke in fitness center.  We spend more time in the bars!😉

[lincslady]

On my Silversea cruises I felt that smoking was almost encouraged; many of the Officers smoked, and there seemed to be more places where you could smoke than on other lines - even at the outside of La Terrazza, one lovely evening,  which may have been a 'special' for friends of the owner, but was certainly not pleasant.  Admittedly, that is a  good few years ago.

Lola

[Lois R]

48 minutes ago, lincslady said:

On my Silversea cruises I felt that smoking was almost encouraged; many of the Officers smoked, and there seemed to be more places where you could smoke than on other lines - even at the outside of La Terrazza, one lovely evening,  which may have been a 'special' for friends of the owner, but was certainly not pleasant.  Admittedly, that is a  good few years ago.

Lola

Hi Lola, wow, that is not good---encouraging folks to smoke? Thankfully, I don't recall that happening on any of my sailings.

[Stumblefoot]

Thanks for the latest update, Wes.  But, yikes, hope the "no taste/smell" head cold was a second bought with the nasty Covid again.

 

7 hours ago, saminina said:

The bartenders are highly paid mixologists able to negotiate contracts that include separate living quarters.  They have little or nothing to do with bartenders on board. 

That is wild.  I had no idea this was the case between SALT bartenders and the rest of the ship bartenders.

 

6 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

Were you in the military?  Just kidding.  Thanks again.

😃😄😆

[lincslady]

Hi Lois

 

It was years ago, and I think we decided that the previous owner had given his permission for this group, who were friends of his (and a bit entitled, to say the least), to smoke during dinner.  Obviously, the staff on duty could not say anything.  But I do think that more smoking is allowed on Silversea than other lines I have cruised, Regent and particularly Seabourn.  Certainly more of the Officers on Silversea smoke - possibly it is more of an Italian thing?

 

Lola

[pdaniel]

57 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Hi Lois

 

It was years ago, and I think we decided that the previous owner had given his permission for this group, who were friends of his (and a bit entitled, to say the least), to smoke during dinner.  Obviously, the staff on duty could not say anything.  But I do think that more smoking is allowed on Silversea than other lines I have cruised, Regent and particularly Seabourn.  Certainly more of the Officers on Silversea smoke - possibly it is more of an Italian thing?

 

Lola

Not sure how recent your experience was but we have not noticed anything like this on our 4 SS cruises in the past 9 months.  

[lincslady]

No, as I said, it was several years ago, well before the line changed hands.  I did feel, doing a few cruises on Silversea, that

[lincslady]

Sorry, got confused with the laptop there - anyway probably better I do not say any more on this topic.  Don't want to be done for libel - or is it slander?

 

Lola

[WesW]

Hi Brian; after dinner with another couple on April 12; Joan self reported April 2nd to the Dawn's medical clinic (she was double vaccinated, boostered, but still tested positive).  She was quarantined for seven days. She said my cold symptoms sounded like just what she felt, and she offered me a home Covid test.  Took the test (Ihealth) first thing in morning, fortunately (whew!) it was negative.  Also, had the day prior to Embark Antigen test (Sunday, April 17th,  still had a few remnants of this brutal cold) and again tested negative.

 

Now home; in retrospect, enjoyed the Dawn--but still find I prefer Expedition cruises.  Dawn's scale takes some getting use too but learned to like it's size; just prefer the intimacy of the Silversea Expedition ships, and daily tempo/vibe on board.

Edited April 19, 2022 by WesW

[Stumblefoot]

Good to hear, Wes.  Glad it wasn’t Covid!

 

Welcome home.  Rest & Relax and hopefully taste and smell return soon.

[zqtchas]

 

 

 

19 hours ago, WesW said:

  Dawn's scale takes some getting use too but learned to like it's size; just prefer the intimacy of the Silversea Expedition ships, and daily tempo/vibe on board.

Agree, like the small ones better, but no longer in shape for the Expedition experience.

Except for the onboard part!

 

 

[Lois R]

That is why it is so nice to have options😃.......those of you who prefer the smaller vessels can sail on them and for those of us who love the larger vessels, we can sail on them!😃

[drron29]

On 4/20/2022 at 5:35 PM, zqtchas said:

 

 

 

Agree, like the small ones better, but no longer in shape for the Expedition experience.

Except for the onboard part!

 

 

Agree with you entirely. Thank goodness most of our previous cruises were on the Explorer. Physically just can't do now what I was able to then.