Silver Dawn review

[West Windsor girl]

Just finished a 12 day cruise on the Dawn from Lisbon to Southampton. The ship is beautiful and the staff is lovely. We have sailed on Silversea for over 100 days and have found their food has definitely declined. Previously we found the cuisine to be outstanding, but on this cruise only one meal (at the Asian upcharge restaurant) was excellent. Most other dinners were mediocre at best. At Atlantide there were only 5 meat choices, 3 of which were steak! This menu never changed for the entire 12 days. One in our party is allergic to seafood, so this became problematic. Nowhere on the ship did any restaurant offer any chicken dish or veal scallopinni. S.A.L.T. Is a great concept, but we often struggled to find something on the menu that we wanted to order. Silversea, Seabourne, Crystal and Oceania all had great food, but I will now take Silversea off that list . We will try the new Crystal, Seabourne or Oceania. Obviously, many people like their new format of No main dining room, but it is not for us.

[Lois R]

Sorry you found the food so bad and quite surprised the menu did not change in Atlantide. Normally, the back pages never change anyway but the front one's do. Did you ask your waiter and/or the Maitir'd about it? And am also surprised you could not get a chicken dish? Since you have so many days with SS,  I am sure you know you could ask for something not on the menu.  

 

But anyway, sounds like you have made your decision about not sailing with SS anymore. Wishing you smooth sailing on whichever cruise line you choose.

[canderson]

8 minutes ago, saminina said:

I'd like to offer a comment that lacks originality.  Food is subjective.  Amen.

True, but menus aren't.  What @West Windsor girl reports at Atlantide is different from recently posted photos of SS menus.  That Dawn cruise seems to have been a very anomalous one.

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

We’ve been on board the Dawn since Rome and find the food to be up to Silversea’s standards to a point.  There have been a few missteps such as serving flank steak in Kaiseki with their Wagu surf and turf.  Last year on the Moon, it was a filet cut and I think they are trying to get rid of the estancia steak currently on the menu in Atlantide because it’s so tough.  Speaking of Atlantide, the chef’s menu does change daily but is sometimes repeated from time to time during the cruise segment.  We are seeing more duck & goose being served than chicken (Salt featured Guinea fowl) and Atlantide had chicken curry a couple of times. Since the topic is a review of the Dawn, I will add the general condition of the ship shows a bit more wear than the Moon did last year after it was in service for 1 year.   I attribute that to the fact the Moon had not been operating at full capacity during its first year whereas the Dawn has.  The crew is dealing with plumbing issues in the suites and the broken overhead heaters on the terraces and at The Grille and Spaccanopali which haven’t worked in weeks.  They are running out of random things such as granola at breakfast but that seems to be normal. Most of the included excursions have been slimmed down to half day tours that cut out precious time on your own to shop or sample the food. Thankfully, the overall Silversea experience onboard hasn’t changed and we know that if we want something particular, we just need to ask for it.  If you don’t like the house wine they are serving one night, ask for the wine they served earlier in the cruise that you did like.  They will bring the bottle and sit it at your table.  The waiters have your profile on their tablets and can see what you ordered previously, what special requests you had at another restaurant etc.  it’s surprising that some who have sailed multiple times with Silversea aren’t aware of this and perhaps the tablets the staff carry is a new concept, however their willingness to accommodate you is not new.  

Edited May 24, 2023 by CruzinFeraBruzin

[West Windsor girl]

I am not saying the food is bad on so, only that it is not what we experienced on so before Covid.  We were traveling with first time cruisers. They had a good time, but like us, thought the food was good, not excellent. We also preferred it when so did not include shore excursions. We often like to do our own private excursions or just wander into town. In Bordeaux we went on one excellent so shore excursion, one private and one just wander into this beautiful city. So is still a great line for many, but the changes are not for us. We may join Fernando on the new Crystal.  

[A Tucson Guy]

11 minutes ago, West Windsor girl said:

I am not saying the food is bad on so, only that it is not what we experienced on so before Covid.  We were traveling with first time cruisers. They had a good time, but like us, thought the food was good, not excellent. We also preferred it when so did not include shore excursions. We often like to do our own private excursions or just wander into town. In Bordeaux we went on one excellent so shore excursion, one private and one just wander into this beautiful city. So is still a great line for many, but the changes are not for us. We may join Fernando on the new Crystal.  

You go girl!!

[drron29]

Totally opposite to our Atlantide experience on our just completed Moon cruise.

Basically Page 4 doesn't change. Though we were on for 54 days and there was a different prawn dish for a few days and a few days also it had Mediterranean sea bass as well as the Chilean.

On page 3 the soups changed every 3-4 days the salads every 5-6 days as did the vegetarian Mains.

On page 2 the starters changed every 5-6 days.

Page 1 the day's menu changed every day but dishes would reappear every 1-2 weeks. Noticeable when you are on for 54 days.

 

Then there is the everyday menu which you can access on your TV. And chicken is included. As the title suggests you can order at Atlantide from that menu every day.

 

And on the Moon cruise the food was good to excellent. The fillet steak, the prime rib when it appeared and the fish were all excellent.

At lunch in Atlantide the chicken wings were lso excellent. We only went to lunch 3 times and they were on twice though done differently.

[saminina]

1 hour ago, West Windsor girl said:

 We may join Fernando on the new Crystal.  

 

See you in February.

[vistaman]

I was on the Dawn from Rome to Lisbon and I had a very good cruise experience.

I found the meals - in general -  rather good   -  on the luncheon buffet on Sunday there were baby lobsters - not so bad for lunch I think.  I really do like that Arts Cafe .

In general the service was very friendly but as usual bartender A is better as bartender B ... 

I ordered a lot of great non complimentary wines and the sommeliers were very helpful.  I had special wines by the glass but no special Champagne by the glass. 

Only a quail dish was "bad"  in SALT  -  the bird was ok but the taste destroyed by at least 5 vegetables. And canapes could be better.

Also the portions are sometimes too big especially meat. ( a giant veal cutlet ...)

As a single I had a great time especially with the daily trivia surrounded by 6 ladies. 😀

I am going back to the Dawn in July  for Copenhagen Bergen 

 

 

 

[Stumblefoot]

4 hours ago, West Windsor girl said:

We may join Fernando on the new Crystal.  

Cool!  You'll have to return here and let us know whether the re-launched Crystal lives up to their hype and prices.

[Sunny429]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:15 PM, West Windsor girl said:

Just finished a 12 day cruise on the Dawn from Lisbon to Southampton. The ship is beautiful and the staff is lovely. We have sailed on Silversea for over 100 days and have found their food has definitely declined. Previously we found the cuisine to be outstanding, but on this cruise only one meal (at the Asian upcharge restaurant) was excellent. Most other dinners were mediocre at best. At Atlantide there were only 5 meat choices, 3 of which were steak! This menu never changed for the entire 12 days. One in our party is allergic to seafood, so this became problematic. Nowhere on the ship did any restaurant offer any chicken dish or veal scallopinni. S.A.L.T. Is a great concept, but we often struggled to find something on the menu that we wanted to order. Silversea, Seabourne, Crystal and Oceania all had great food, but I will now take Silversea off that list . We will try the new Crystal, Seabourne or Oceania. Obviously, many people like their new format of No main dining room, but it is not for us.

We were on the Spirit recently and we found that Silversea is not the Silversea we knew before COVID. I agree that the food is not as good as it used to be. For example, we were traveling with friends and two of them ordered (at different times) a Reuben sandwich at the pool grill for lunch. They weren’t expecting a mile high Reuben that would be served in a New York deli, but they did expect more than one thin slice of beef. Every dinner we had lasted at least three hours. One evening, it took one hour to be served appetizers in Atlantide. I would have liked to see chicken on the menu as well. The Pizzas at Spaccanapoli (sp?)are still yummy. 

[Lonedaddy]

Did they fix the heaters at the grill and La Terraza?

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

17 hours ago, Lonedaddy said:

Did they fix the heaters at the grill and La Terraza?

No, as of this morning, May 30, not only haven’t they been fixed, they’re started removing them.  The Grille no longer has the units in the ceiling.  All that’s left are the brackets that held them in place.  They are still visible on the terraces outside La Terrazza, Arts Cafe, etc but none of them are on.  It’s a Sea Day, and all activities are inside, as it’s 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  No ETA on when or if they will be fixed. 

[Lonedaddy]

3 minutes ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

No, as of this morning, May 30, not only haven’t they been fixed, they’re started removing them.  The Grille no longer has the units in the ceiling.  All that’s left are the brackets that held them in place.  They are still visible on the terraces outside La Terrazza, Arts Cafe, etc but none of them are on.  It’s a Sea Day, and all activities are inside, as it’s 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  No ETA on when or if they will be fixed. 

Definitely not 5 star

[nfcu]

11 minutes ago, Lonedaddy said:

Definitely not 5 star

Why, because they are taking action and fixing broken heaters?

[Daveywavey70]

35 minutes ago, nfcu said:

Why, because they are taking action and fixing broken heaters?

Who mentioned fixing them? They're just removing them whilst they sort out a warranty claim.

[Mr Luxury]

15 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Who mentioned fixing them? They're just removing them whilst they sort out a warranty claim.

Could be replaying them with candles😀

[canderson]

1 hour ago, nfcu said:

Why, because they are taking action and fixing broken heaters?

No, because outdoor dining at 50 degrees is something you do around a campfire, if ever!

[Lonedaddy]

1 hour ago, nfcu said:

Why, because they are taking action and fixing broken heaters?

Let’s hope they are replacing them in Southampton, before the ship heads to Norway.  

[Daveywavey70]

52 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Could be replaying them with candles😀

What do misers do when it's really cold?

Sit around a candle.

What do misers do when it's really, really cold?

Light it.

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, Daveywavey70 said:

What do misers do when it's really cold?

Sit around a candle.

What do misers do when it's really, really cold?

Light it.

Surely a miser would never buy a candle let alone light it.😀

[QueSeraSera]

This all a bit concerning as we look forward to our upcoming cruise around Norway on Dawn.

If I remember correctly, candles are not allowed to be brought on board?  We may need to pack winter coats.

[Overlord BB]

I see that all of my comments on the poor food and slow internet have been removed. I must have offended the Silversea Faithful.

I have sailed Silversea many times and Seabourn the same, so I think I know what I’m talking about.

if you would like my honest opinion feel free to write. 
 

[Daveywavey70]

Just a heads up but posting posts about posts being removed is a big no no.

I Think it's ok to post posts about posts that post about posts being removed though. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Daveywavey70

[Tothesunset]

2 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Just a heads up but posting posts about posts being removed is a big no no.

I Think it's ok to post posts about posts that post about posts being removed though. 

If your post about posting posts that post about posts being removed, will your post be removed post-posting?