Silver Wind Dining Reservations and Specialty Restaurants

[the_dylaness]

First off- apologies. I have tried searching for threads to answer my question but have not really hit the nail on the head, although I can't imagine this hasn't been discussed before.

 

We are not new cruisers, but new to Silversea.

We sail in January- I saw on some of my paperwork that dining reservations open in late September.

It appears in the "My Silversea" that all options are included except La Dame at a charge of $60 pp.

 

 

I think I can understand why La Dame might need to be booked 4 months in advance. (Maybe?) But do I need to actually make dining reservations for each night of my cruise in advance? That doesn't seem very luxurious. Also, I know on Crystal you could eat in each specialty dining room once gratis and then it was an upcharge- is this the case for La Terrazza and the Grill?

 

 

I'm a little more used to flexibility in dining (part of the reason I chose such a small ship.) Please educate me!

 

 

Thank you.

[57 varieties]

You can eat in Terrazza with no extra charge also on Deck at Hot Rocks. La Dame is the only restaurant on Silver Wind which makes an extra charge. We are also cruising on the Wind in January from Barbados on 14th and plan to make a few reservations for Terrazza and Hot Rocks but probably only for half of the evenings. We enjoy making new friends and either making up a table of four or six, or arriving in front of the Maitre d in the Restaurant who will add us to a table of six or eight. Hope to meet you soon!

 

 

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[Unibok]

When I sailed on the Wind last March, I made just a few reservations ahead of time to make sure I would get to try each restaurant. Based on that experience, here are the guidelines I've generated for myself:

 

* I won't make reservations the first night because I like meeting the other solos and then venturing to dinner with them.

* I will reserve either La Terrazza or Hot Rocks on formal nights if I think I won't want to dress up on that cruise.

* I will try to consider likely temperatures for my Hot Rocks reservation as much as possible, so DD and I will dine there toward the end of our Seward-Vancouver voyage in order for it to get a bit warmer. Conversely, I will dine there toward the end of my Singapore-Hong Kong voyage in order for it to get a bit cooler.

* I love La Terrazza so much that I plan to make 2 or 3 reservations there. While onboard, I may try for a few more.

* It seems that you are more likely to be invited to dine with crew (Cruise Director, International Hosts, Captain, etc.) on nights for which you do not have a reservation. So, if you would like that experience, I urge you to keep some purposefully open meals.

* If I think I will really want La Dame, then I will make an advance reservation. I'm not sure I will on my next cruise, though. I don't need it every time, just some of the time.

 

For me, it's a balance. I want to try everything, but I also want the flexibility you describe. Roughly 30-40% pre-reserved dinners seems to be a good mix for me.

[Silver Spectre]

La Terrazza is capacity controlled in the evening, which is why you might like to think about making a couple of reservations, especially if your cruise is busy. Technically, the Grill is also capacity controlled, but in reality you will almost always be able to get a table. The other consideration is the time you dine, 7 and 7:30 are very popular times for the older, North American clientele.

 

 

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[Tothesunset]

La The other consideration is the time you dine, 7 and 7:30 are very popular times for the older, North American clientele.

 

And some younger Anglo-Irish ones, too.

[the_dylaness]

Wow, this is incredibly helpful information!

 

Thank you all so much.

 

I think I will reserve one or two nights in La Terrazza and one or two in Hot Rocks. I'll find some menus and try to make a decision. Our cruise is Caribbean, so probably pretty similar temps throughout. Any one of the three inclusive restaurants a best choice for a birthday celebration? (Does it make a difference that it is on embarkation day?)

 

We tend to like to eat around 7 or 730 (30s and 50s respectively, not sure of your definition of "older", maybe just my husband but not me :D ...) so that is very helpful.

 

Will we require reservations in the main dining room as well or is it open seating?

 

We would be very interested in having dinner with officers. The few times we have done this in the past have always proved to be an incredibly wonderful time. We are hit or miss on large groups otherwise... we have busy worklives and two small kids so sometimes just a nice quiet dinner with no expectations is just the thing.

 

We certainly wish to adhere to the dress code in each restaurant; does Hot Rocks allow shorts for men (khaki-type pressed shorts with a collared shirt) since it is an outdoor venue?

 

I'm assuming MySilversea will show the formal nights... I hope.

 

Thank you all for such wonderful clarity.

[SeekingShelter]

MDR is open seating. If you want, you can ask to join a larger table, or dine alone, and you can decide each night depending upon your mood.

 

 

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[Unibok]

For your birthday / embarkation night dinner, I think La Terrazza or the MDR will be more special. Hot Rocks/The Grill is always the most casual of the venues -- maybe too casual to feel as celebratory. Do make sure you note the special birthday in your My Silversea profile area so the staff are aware of it.

 

I'll let the gents respond to your question about attire. In the Caribbean on the Wind, I saw mostly sundresses for women at the Grill/Hot Rocks (and that's what I wore). I think long pants are required after 6:00, but others on this board know better than I do.

 

Formal nights will (eventually) be listed in My Silversea. However, in case they aren't by your 120 day window, from what I've seen on these boards and in my own experience, the second night aboard is often a formal night. 7:00 is typically the earliest seating you can get in any of the dining venues.

 

Have fun!

[Observer]

I think long pants are required after 6:00, but others on this board know better than I do.

 

They were not "required" on my most recent Caribbean voyage, within the past year. I wore shorts and would not have dined outdoors (without AC) in long pants. But many other men were in long pants.

 

Nonetheless, they may have been expected.

 

I would welcome clarification.

 

For the record, I did not frequent any indoor areas in my shorts and returned to my suite via the more remote staircase.

[jollyjones]

The Chronicles usually state something like 'no shorts in indoor venues after 6pm'

(I don't think passing through an area or being on the stairs is any sort of problem)

 

Around the pool deck bar and Hot Rocks and outside of Panorama one will see some shorts in the evening, but mostly men wear long pants and women wear dresses/skirts, long pants or capris.

 

I find this frustrating as, coming from Bermuda, I find nothing wrong with smart Bermuda shorts for evening, even formal, wear but you just know that if they said smart shorts were OK, people would push the definition of 'smart' beyond reasonable.

 

So I have to equip myself with capris just for cruising since I live in shorts all year round!

 

PS Don't be afraid to make as many dining reservations as you like - it's easy to cancel once on board, by lunchtime of the day is usually OK.

[Hermione60]

I was on the Wind last year, and we made one reservation for La Dame, one for La Terrazza and one for Hot Rocks, thinking if we really loved any one of them we would make more while onboard. Well, honestly, our favorite by far was the MDR, delicious food, nice relaxed ambience, open seating, we just loved it.