Question about Grand Suite on Silversea’s Silver Dawn

[San999]

We have booked a cruise for 2024 on the Silver Dawn in a Silver Suite. We are thinking about upgrading to a Grand Suite which is at the front of the ship and it has a large balcony. Because the balcony is at the front of the ship, we are concerned about how windy it will be on the suite’s balcony when the ship is moving. Has anyone stayed in one of the Grand Suites and if so, so there any kind of wind screen or other protection against the wind or even a wind protected area of the balcony?  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[lelak]

We have stayed in that suite.  Like any other front balcony it does get very windy when the ship is moving at cruising speeds.  There is a side piece to the balcony that is more useable, but don't expect to spend much time on the front part while the ship is actually moving.  Having said that, it is a wonderful suite, and the Silver Dawn feels like a brand-new ship.  The front balcony is a great place

to enjoy reading, eating, and napping while in port and while slowly cruising into and away from ports.

[San999]

10 minutes ago, lelak said:

We have stayed in that suite.  Like any other front balcony it does get very windy when the ship is moving at cruising speeds.  There is a side piece to the balcony that is more useable, but don't expect to spend much time on the front part while the ship is actually moving.  Having said that, it is a wonderful suite, and the Silver Dawn feels like a brand-new ship.  The front balcony is a great place

to enjoy reading, eating, and napping while in port and while slowly cruising into and away from ports.

Thanks so much. It helps to have first hand information!

[Pies4u]

We stayed in a GS - 12 days in Caribbean followed by a crossing to the Canaries and Madeira, disembarking in Lisbon.

 

We were able to use the huge balcony extensively in the Caribbean and on the first day at sea of the crossing. After that, it became far less usable until we were in port. There is some dude protection, a screen which gives protection to the dining table and chairs on the side - but it is entirely dependent upon wind direction.

 

As we had a fantastic 12 days in the Caribbean, we got great vfm out of the balcony. Anyone just doing the 11 day crossing, with 8 days at sea in total, would not do so in my view.

 

The suite itself is superb, the dining area is spacious and would be great for an in suite dinner. We only had the occasional breakfast or room service and canapés. The bathroom and walk in wardrobe are great, well appointed and practical. Nothing not to like, it is a magnificent space.

I looked in a Silver Suite, not stayed in one, and have to say that it looked like a smaller version of the GS but without the huge forward facing balcony. It looked pretty good to me and the butler gave me the full guided tour!  On a shorter cruise or one with a lot of sea days, we’d be happy in the Silver and save money. 
 

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

 

[San999]

4 hours ago, Pies4u said:

We stayed in a GS - 12 days in Caribbean followed by a crossing to the Canaries and Madeira, disembarking in Lisbon.

 

We were able to use the huge balcony extensively in the Caribbean and on the first day at sea of the crossing. After that, it became far less usable until we were in port. There is some dude protection, a screen which gives protection to the dining table and chairs on the side - but it is entirely dependent upon wind direction.

 

As we had a fantastic 12 days in the Caribbean, we got great vfm out of the balcony. Anyone just doing the 11 day crossing, with 8 days at sea in total, would not do so in my view.

 

The suite itself is superb, the dining area is spacious and would be great for an in suite dinner. We only had the occasional breakfast or room service and canapés. The bathroom and walk in wardrobe are great, well appointed and practical. Nothing not to like, it is a magnificent space.

I looked in a Silver Suite, not stayed in one, and have to say that it looked like a smaller version of the GS but without the huge forward facing balcony. It looked pretty good to me and the butler gave me the full guided tour!  On a shorter cruise or one with a lot of sea days, we’d be happy in the Silver and save money. 
 

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

 

Your comments were really helpful. We are doing a Norway cruise for 14 days, with 4 seas days. It’s an additional $36k, and based on your comments, we are inclined to not upgrade. Thank you so much!

[Stumblefoot]

6 hours ago, Pies4u said:

There is some dude protection…

Well, that’s interesting.  Is he like a bouncer at a bar or more like a secret service agent?

[spinnaker2]

The pros, great digs. Huge space. Privacy. The cons.  Big suites in the bow are apt to have anchor noise. On port intensive cruises you will be awakened to the anchor noise. In addition you must keep your drapes closed at night so as not to interfere with the computer system that “mans” the ship. And then if there is rocking and rolling, you too will be.

[spinnaker2]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

Well, that’s interesting.  Is he like a bouncer at a bar or more like a secret service agent?

Notice no dudette protection. 

[Pies4u]

2 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Well, that’s interesting.  Is he like a bouncer at a bar or more like a secret service agent?

No, he’s a predictive text dude! Typed “side” but this dude popped up.

[canderson]

This will be our fitst SS cruise.  We stuck with a Silver for our November TA (lots of full tilt boogie kts days, and lots of planned veranda time) on Dawn due to the strange location of the three upper suite classes on this ship class.  On the bow into the wind for two of them, directly under the pool for the Owner's... none of them really ideal. Having only a 27m beam seems to have been felt to have forced some design compromises, but one could envision a better layout to accommodate the larger suites even so.

Edited May 21, 2023 by canderson

[les37b]

Have stayed in a GS on the Muse and Wind and as you suggest, it does and will get very windy when at sea. You will also get more motion as you've said. Didnt cause me any problems but its something to consider.

 

That said that wraparound balcony is huge and comes into its one when berthed. The suite is huge.

 

 

 

The gopro you can see in both photos produced this video, which gives you a good perspective of what you'll see and the angles.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by les37b
Video added

[Overlord BB]

I am in this suite type on the Dawn now and it is a great room. The wind will blow you off, or freeze you out when moving depending on the destination, but in port you can not beat the balcony. 

 

You will definitely be awake at 7:30AM on tender days, as you will know exactly when the anchor is dropped.

 

Don't expect much for internet speeds, slower than slow even with Starlink,  and the  live channels on the TV rarely work.

 

It is pricey, but if you can make it happen, it is a great cabin to enjoy!!

Edited May 29, 2023 by Overlord BB

[San999]

1 hour ago, Overlord BB said:

I am in this suite type on the Dawn now and it is a great room. The wind will blow you off, or freeze you out when moving depending on the destination, but in port you can not beat the balcony. 

 

You will definitely be awake at 7:30AM on tender days, as you will know exactly when the anchor is dropped.

 

Don't expect much for internet speeds, slower than slow even with Starlink,  and the  live channels on the TV rarely work.

 

It is pricey, but if you can make it happen, it is a great cabin to enjoy!!

Thanks. All these responses have been very helpful!