Review of Silver Dawn - Norway. August 02-12, 2024

[goldengatecruisers]

Warning - this is a little long winded 🙂 and purposely so to provide detail to those considering booking a Norway itinerary on Silver Dawn.

 

I wasn't planning to write a review thread but my recent Silver Dawn Norway cruise experience was so positive I felt it important to share my observations.  After months of reading many negative reports from Cruise Critic members on various Silversea ships I was getting nervous about my most recent cruise.  In all honesty, my last few Silversea cruises have not been entirely stellar - we too have experienced inconsistent food quality, warm food on cold plates, poor lounge service, poor dining service, staffing issues (specifically our experience with the early Nova cruises) etc. so I approached this cruise with an open mind and half expected some short falls.  I was pleasantly surprised. Spoiler alert: It was exceptional! A guests perception of service, food, accommodations etc. is all subjective, so with that understanding, I offer my personal observations and opinions as a balance to help others contemplating booking a Silversea cruise. For context I have cruised on Wind, Shadow, Spirit, Muse, Nova and Dawn and this past cruise was my 85th in total.  The majority of those have been with Crystal followed closely by Silversea.  In my signature I have listed other cruise lines I have traveled on.

 

Please feel free to make comments or ask any questions. I will do my best to answer them.

 

We selected this cruise to see the magical Fjords and they did not disappoint. We had wanted to B2B with the 7 nt Baltic itinerary but our schedule would not permit so our cruise was the stand-alone Norway itinerary of 10 nts.  

 

Embarkation:

We enjoyed a pre-cruise stay of 3 days in Copenhagen to revisit some of our favorite places and restaurants and also to allow us time to get over jet lag prior to the start of the cruise. Nothing worse than being on a shorter cruise and spending the first 2-3 days in a jet lagged state.   Arrival at the port was very straightforward and calm.  Our taxi dropped us next to Silver Dawn around 1pm and we were sitting on the aft terrace of Panorama sipping champagne by 1:15pm!! Joel, a most wonderful bartender, was the first crew member to interact with us and by the first refill of Duval Leroy he had our names memorized.  

 

Accommodation:

We traveled in a Superior Veranda on deck 9.  I really think the Silversea veranda suite (387 sq ft on Silver Dawn) is the best in class and we feel instantly at home with all of our stuff in the same location.  Furniture and furnishings in our room were in good condition which is to be expected for a ship only two years old.  Our Butler, Asif and Suite Attendant, Samuel, took great care of us during our cruise.

 

Dining:

Breakfast/Lunch:

We always have coffee and breakfast in our room so I can't speak to any breakfast services in the restaurants.  At lunch time you will find us at La Terrazza usually with salad and some sushi and the occasional visit to the warm dessert station!

 

Dinner:

We made our reservations when they became available and managed to get what we wanted at the times we wanted.  So very happy with that outcome.  For Atlantide and S.A.L.T. we were seated right away with one exception when we had to wait about 15 minutes in the S.A.L.T. bar, which was no hardship 🙂

 

La Terrazza: Like most regular cruisers we have our routine and that includes the first night in La Terrazza.  Over the years we have changed up how we dine on board and no longer have the antipasto platter but observed the beautiful presentation being delivered to tables close to us.   Our food at LT was delivered on hot plates (yeah!!!) and food presentation and quality was very good indeed.  We dined there twice and on both occasions we had timely service, excellent wine service and consistent experiences.

 

La Dame:  We dined at La Dame twice on this cruise, the first formal night and then later in the voyage.   I have to admit I am a little bored of the menu but we do enjoy the ambience and overall experience. Our main course beef and lamb were not the best, I have to say, and I was very disappointed.  I rarely eat red meat but when I do I want to enjoy a great steak.  My beef was ordered medium rare but came to the table overcooked.  I contemplated just leaving it but instead asked the waiter to have another prepared.  The next one arrived medium and absolutely tasteless.  Not the best quality cut of beef and I only ate half of it.  My husband had the lamb chops which looked great but had no taste.  We love the location on Dawn with the plentiful windows but the 'two tops' are too close together and offer very little privacy for conversation.  The restaurant was about 60% full for both of our visits and had a nice atmosphere.  Overall the food was well presented, hot where appropriate and served on hot plates (yeah again!!!) and the service was impeccable.  On the second visit I was not going to risk ordering meat so I went with my usual go-to, which is the Dover Sole and it was absolutely delicious.  Next time I will stick with what they do best and order the fish, unless I see a great steak on the table next to me.

 

S.A.L.T.:  What a great concept to have the S.A.L.T. bar and restaurant experience. We really enjoyed the Norwegian menu and dined here three times, making sure to time our visits with the menu cycle.  You can check the menu in advance using the Silversea app (for use on board the ship but it is not a conventional app). Having the ability to experience food from the region you are traveling through is really wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed being able to try local dishes.   Food quality, overall service and ambience in S.A.L.T. were all excellent.

 

Atlantide:  The menu is shorter than it used to be but still with plenty of choices.  Again our food was served at the appropriate temperature and always on hot plates (are you seeing a pattern here?).  Timing of the meal, food presentation, wine service, attentive wait staff plus the 'hot plates' all lend to a very enjoyable experience and we dined here twice during our voyage.  The lobster was excellent, the sea bass was very good but the meats again were disappointing and lacking flavor.  

 

Silver Note: We dined here once only and chose to make a reservation on the second formal night.  We have enjoyed Silver Note on other ships but on Dawn I was underwhelmed by the overall experience and the food was lacking. Again the meats for main course, lamb for me and the duck for my husband, were bland and uninspiring.   A big disappointment because the menu description and ingredients used should have produced an exceptional meal.  The service was rather slow and I am not sure why.  We were in no hurry but the whole experience just felt awkward with the poor timing and lack of entertainment to help pass the time.  Our reservation was 8pm and the singer and accompanist did not appear till 9pm and instead we had recorded music.  It provided for a strange atmosphere and I feel if reservations are offered earlier then the entertainment should be scheduled accordingly.

 

Hot Rocks/Kaiseki: We did not dine at the Hot Rocks (we usually visit once on warmer and longer cruises).  We also chose not to dine at Kaiseki on this particular voyage for no particular reason.

 

Spaccanapoli: We went to Spaccanapoli for pizza one afternoon.  I think we hit it on a bad day.  Service was all over the place and my pizza arrived undercooked, soggy dough in the center and mangled up from the excessive liquid from the tomatoes.  It was absolutely awful.  I showed it to Harish, Maitre D' of S.A.L.T. who was supervising Spaccanapoli, and he was horrified.  Another was duly ordered and came to the table looking and tasting great.  It did not mar our experience and I think the reason I want to share this story about the awful pizza is that things happen that are not 100% perfect. The usually delicious pizza missed the mark, no biggie in the scheme of things, but a polite request and a delicious replacement arrived in no time at all. 

 

Pool Grill: Service at the pool grill daytime was very good.  I enjoy a lunchtime burger but stopped ordering them on Silversea because they use really poor quality burger patties. I remember when they had great beef burgers that were meaty and grilled to perfection.  It appears they stopped serving them a couple of years ago (at least from our cruising experience) and the one they use now has lots of filler and 'mystery meat'.  My husband still can't resist and ordered the burger thinking it might be different and instantly regretted it.  What a shame because who doesn't love a good burger by the pool.  Instead, I partake in the other good sandwiches on offer.  We feel the pool grill is a great spot to grab something to tide you over in between meals.

 

Arts Cafe: Love the Arts!  Every afternoon we would stop for a coffee and slice of cake or some cookies or a scone.  Pure decadence and such a fabulous venue for catching up with fellow guests.  The staff here were really great and led by Chelsea, who is the Supervisor who always delivers a welcome hello as soon as you enter.  We really enjoyed our visits, a little too much actually 🙂  We really appreciate the location with the outdoor seating option which is the one thing you don't get on the new Nova and Ray ships.

 

Excursions:

We scheduled something every day and feel that we chose well.   Some were the included excursions and some were paid excursions. I will list what we chose and will gladly answer questions if you have any but I won't go into much detail other than tell you what we did.  In Stavanger we did the Cruise to Lysefjord which was just gorgeous.  In Alesund, we hiked Sugar Lump Mountain which was described as extensive and it was just that.  We lost some people early on as the incline and terrain were challenging for some.  In Trondheim we did the Nothernmost Tram.  In Geiranger we did the Sky to Fjord bike tour which was excellent.  We started at 1000m at a lake situated close to the glacier and then biked down the mountain stopping at various spots for photo opportunities and to rest.  It is a fast bike ride down the mountain and I think we all used our brakes a lot!!!  In Flam we chose the Iconic Flam Railway.  In Bergen we did the Bergen on Foot excursion. Due to the rain 29 other guests canceled so we had a private tour with one other guest and the two of us.  We had a fabulous guide took us around this lovely city and despite getting absolutely soaked we really enjoyed the excursion.  In Kristiansand we had the Archipelago Sailing trip on a sailboat but due to the high winds the tour company utilized a motorized tour boat instead which was far more comfortable, given the conditions, and we experienced a wonderful tour of the islands and surrounding area.   In addition to our tours we also used our All Trails app and walked miles and miles exploring these beautiful towns.  We tried to eat something local at each spot and to take a few moments to sit with a coffee or a beer and just watch the world go by.   

 

Missed Port:

We had high winds which prevented a port call at our final stop at Skagen, Denmark and as a result we missed a bike ride excursion that we were looking forward to.  Instead we were treated to a wonderful day at sea which we thoroughly enjoyed.  The port intense itinerary is tiring especially if you pack it full, as we did, with great excursions and plenty of walking.   The sea day was a welcome respite and allowed us to wind down before arrival back to Copenhagen. 

 

Silver Dawn Crew:

Captain Costa and other officers were always out and about. The Captain made very good clear announcements and we got to meet him at the welcome cocktail reception.  The Hotel Director, Alicia Romeo leads an exceptional team on board and the crew worked well together to deliver a solid product that felt like true Silversea service .  She was very visible and we interacted multiple times.  Zaid was our Cruise Director and he is super friendly, very good at communicating with guests and his entire team were approachable and friendly.  Zamira is the onboard cruise consultant that we dealt with.  Other notable crew members: Racman, Maitre D' Atlantide, Harish Maitre D' S.A.L.T., Fouad, Maitre D' La Terrazza, Norman Maitre D' La Dame.  Head Sommelier is the ever-wonderful and knowledgeable, Karolina Djeric.

 

Summary:

For us, this was a very good cruise. Perfect itinerary, great weather for the most part and a great ship.  We loved the staff and crew on board who delivered a great consistent product.  We were addressed by our names by everyone we regularly interacted with and were made to feel special.   Our impressions of Silver Dawn were positive and we will look forward to returning to her in the future.  There are some things that we feel Silversea can improve upon such as the quality of the meats in various dining venues but not everything in life can be 100% perfect all the time.  

 

Oh... and one final observation. We notice the complimentary caviar is served in smaller jars than in the past but the work around is to politely ask your butler for a second helping 🙂

 

For anyone considering booking a cruise on Silver Dawn I hope this information has been helpful.  If you have any specific questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to provide an answer.

 

Ashley

 

 

 

 

Edited August 14 by goldengatecruisers

[billc23]

Thank you for the detailed review. We really enjoyed sailing on the Silver Dawn with it's great layout and staff. I'm happy to hear that they are interested in correcting shortcomings when pointed out. Too bad they ended up with poor quality beef on your sailing and hopefully that is a one off out of Silversea's control. 

[Lois R]

Thanks for the detailed review. Sounds like you had a good cruise😀. I have sailed Dawn 3 times and she is one of my favorite ships!

[Globalia]

Hi Ashley - thanks for a wonderfully comprehensive review and well done! Moreover, delighted it was a very positive experience (we cruised more or less the whole of the Norwegian coast on the Seabourn Ovation in September 2018 and loved every minute - though sadly the same cannot be said of Seabourn, 2024-version).

If you have a spare moment and are so inclined, would love your overall thoughts re positives and/or negatives, such as you perceived them, when comparing the Nova vs Dawn. We cruised on the Nova last November-December NYC -> Lima and loved 90+% of it all. We are booked on the Dawn Stockholm -> NYC for c. 30 days next April-May and have never been on the Dawn before (in fact, the Nova cruise was our first and so far only on Silversea). So your observations and comparisons would be most gratefully received. 
 

[highplanesdrifters]

Thanks for a thoughtful and well written review. 

[goldengatecruisers]

Globalia.  Dawn is very similar in layout to other Silversea ships so it is easy to instantly feel 'at home'.  For the most part, the public rooms, ship layout, suite design is very similar to the sister ships in the Muse class, with some subtle differences.  Whereas the Nova (and Ray) both have innovative and refreshing design.  

 

There are some features that I absolutely love on Nova such as the pool deck, open deck space with various seating areas, the Dusk bar and the Marquee restaurant. But there are also areas that are not so appealing to me.  Personally, I do not care for the position of the Arts Cafe on Nova and as a result I only went a handful of times, whereas I visited every day on Dawn as I really enjoy a coffee sitting out on the back deck enjoying the fresh air. On Nova, I like the intimacy of Dolce Vita for cocktails whereas the Dolce Vita on Dawn is too large so it's not my favorite venue.  But you could ask another cruiser and they would tell you the exact opposite of my preferences.  I loved the newness of Nova and the accommodations were really top notch. I stayed in a Silver suite on Nova.  It is one of the best suites I have ever stayed in on any cruise ship - it truly felt like a mini-apartment.  I have not yet stayed in a veranda suite on Nova but I did take a look at one that friends were staying in. I resonated with the decor and color scheme and it was presented beautifully but instantly felt the difference in size from some of the Muse class ships.  As you know the Nova veranda suites are slightly smaller than those on Dawn (357 sq ft vs 387 sq ft).  I know it's only a small difference but to me it was noticeable especially in the closet design and I much prefer the layout on Dawn.  

 

In terms of positives and negatives, I have my preferences over certain public spaces but I would travel on either ship without any hesitation.  I would like to return to Nova when they are up and running with a more cohesive team on board.  We were on the same cruise as you but did not continue all the way to Lima.  Your onboard experience may have been entirely different to mine.  We enjoyed every minute of our voyage but were aware of the many 'new to cruising' crew members, not only new to Silversea but new to ever being on a ship.  As a result, some areas of the cruise experience did not deliver and it was hit/miss depending on which crew member served you etc.  But in saying that we still had a terrific cruise and we typically see the glass as half full so little things that might get under someone else's skin we can usually ignore.   They are both great vessels and what you will find Dawn offers a more 'conventionally designed' cruise ship experience.   You will enjoy your upcoming 30+ day voyage 🙂

 

Ashley

Edited August 15 by goldengatecruisers

[sea bright]

Interesting, goldengatecruisers! We much prefer the Silver Suites on the Muse class ships to those on the Nova/Ray. Didn't like the narrower living room on the Nova or the fact that the bedroom had sliders that couldn't be totally blacked out for sleeping. In fact, we preferred our aft Medallion to a Silver Suite on the Nova. In general, we prefer the Moon and Dawn, in part because of the Silver Suite and in part because we experienced some of the issues you mentioned when on the Nova.  It's nice to have choices! 

[mancunian]

I liked the idea of hot plates at dinner, SS have not really gelled with that idea very much previously!!

   However on Moon last year I was quite taken aback by a scaldingly hot plate in La Terraza at dinner. ……….. for a salad dish! 

[lincslady]

Obviously straight out of the dishwasher, and maybe no cold clean ones.

[RyanJCanada]

Thanks very much for the in-depth review, @goldengatecruisers! We usually go for expedition cruises but this one sounds much more active than I expected.

[Globalia]

On 8/16/2024 at 12:45 AM, goldengatecruisers said:

Globalia.  Dawn is very similar in layout to other Silversea ships so it is easy to instantly feel 'at home'.  For the most part, the public rooms, ship layout, suite design is very similar to the sister ships in the Muse class, with some subtle differences.  Whereas the Nova (and Ray) both have innovative and refreshing design.  

 

There are some features that I absolutely love on Nova such as the pool deck, open deck space with various seating areas, the Dusk bar and the Marquee restaurant. But there are also areas that are not so appealing to me.  Personally, I do not care for the position of the Arts Cafe on Nova and as a result I only went a handful of times, whereas I visited every day on Dawn as I really enjoy a coffee sitting out on the back deck enjoying the fresh air. On Nova, I like the intimacy of Dolce Vita for cocktails whereas the Dolce Vita on Dawn is too large so it's not my favorite venue.  But you could ask another cruiser and they would tell you the exact opposite of my preferences.  I loved the newness of Nova and the accommodations were really top notch. I stayed in a Silver suite on Nova.  It is one of the best suites I have ever stayed in on any cruise ship - it truly felt like a mini-apartment.  I have not yet stayed in a veranda suite on Nova but I did take a look at one that friends were staying in. I resonated with the decor and color scheme and it was presented beautifully but instantly felt the difference in size from some of the Muse class ships.  As you know the Nova veranda suites are slightly smaller than those on Dawn (357 sq ft vs 387 sq ft).  I know it's only a small difference but to me it was noticeable especially in the closet design and I much prefer the layout on Dawn.  

 

In terms of positives and negatives, I have my preferences over certain public spaces but I would travel on either ship without any hesitation.  I would like to return to Nova when they are up and running with a more cohesive team on board.  We were on the same cruise as you but did not continue all the way to Lima.  Your onboard experience may have been entirely different to mine.  We enjoyed every minute of our voyage but were aware of the many 'new to cruising' crew members, not only new to Silversea but new to ever being on a ship.  As a result, some areas of the cruise experience did not deliver and it was hit/miss depending on which crew member served you etc.  But in saying that we still had a terrific cruise and we typically see the glass as half full so little things that might get under someone else's skin we can usually ignore.   They are both great vessels and what you will find Dawn offers a more 'conventionally designed' cruise ship experience.   You will enjoy your upcoming 30+ day voyage 🙂

 

Ashley

Thanks very much Ashley. These observations much appreciated, and very helpful.

We also had a Silver Suite on the Nova and agree 100% with your positive assessment of it. The excessively tight, cramped positioning of Nova's Arts Cafe, its too-few seats (given 750 or so pax when full), and with no outside area attached to it is, without doubt, a serious design mistake and it's so obvious I am amazed the original SS designers could make it. Other than that, there's a huge amount to like about the Nova. We have just returned from a 10-day cruise with Seabourn Pursuit and, for us, the Silversea Nova experience in total was markedly superior and far more consistent (and the Pursuit has serious deficiencies in its walls and ceiling's acoustic insulation and we were in an Owner's Suite!).

We're looking forward to the Dawn and, based on your comments, with good reason.

[jeffbenton561]

Many thanks Ashley.

 

Your first paragraph captured our feeling exactly. We are going on the 136 day Controtempo Japan to NYC cruise starting Jan 2025. We have never done a cruise of over 2 weeks and were questioning the wisdom of doing this after reading all the negative reviews. 

 

The detail of your review was fantastic and did help to allay some of our concerns. 

[jpalbny]

2 hours ago, jeffbenton561 said:

We are going on the 136 day Controtempo Japan to NYC cruise starting Jan 2025. We have never done a cruise of over 2 weeks and were questioning the wisdom of doing this after reading all the negative reviews. 

 

Took me a minute, but I realized that you are going on the World Cruise this January. We will be there too, but only for the second leg (Hong Kong to Singapore). See you there!

[fdnycruiser]

Ashley, we’ve sailed on both, and your review is right on the mark. Agree 100% . We’ll be back on the Dawn in March for 32 days. 

[goldengatecruisers]

Jeffbenton561: Thank you for your comments.  We will hopefully meet on your first leg.  We board in Singapore and will stay on till the end of segment 1 in Hong Kong.  Sadly will miss the opportunity to meet JP and Chris in person.  Another time…

 

fdnycruiser: Enjoy your month of cruising in March. 

[jpalbny]

We'll be in HK for a few days prior to embarkation. We might see some of you around the city as you arrive there the day prior to changeover day.

[Port Power]

23 hours ago, jeffbenton561 said:

Many thanks Ashley.

 

Your first paragraph captured our feeling exactly. We are going on the 136 day Controtempo Japan to NYC cruise starting Jan 2025. We have never done a cruise of over 2 weeks and were questioning the wisdom of doing this after reading all the negative reviews. 

 

The detail of your review was fantastic and did help to allay some of our concerns. 

I really like Silver Dawn too.  I’ve been on her several times, the most recent in December.  I have also booked the complete 2027 world cruise on Silver Dawn, so you can see I do not have any major concerns with the ship.  Have a great time next year!

[PaulaJK]

Ashley, so enjoyable to read your comprehensive and balanced review. We just disembarked from Moon and share most of your impressions. Fortunately for us, we had not only hot plates but also good meats which were bring plated beautifully. Both our duck and steak were NYC worthy. We found the menu choices too few, especially since the majority of the menu remains for several day. For us, the problem is the plainness of many items.Essentially you select a protein and then one of their sauces, meaning composed dishes are few. Desserts are weak.

We found the entertainment seriously weak.

Silver Moon is a lovely ship with a terrific crew..and our final tally was positive.

 

Hope to meet both of you again somewhere on the seas. Paula

[goldengatecruisers]

Thanks for the comments, Paula.  I looked at your Moon thread and glad to hear you had NYC quality meat.  Yes, it has been a long time since we have cruised together.  Hope all is well with you, C, C & C 😀.

[Reunionmama]

We were also on this Silver Dawn sailing, and would echo most of this review’s comments. 
 

However, for us the poor quality of the meats and much of the fish was striking (trying to remember if we ever contemplated protein quality on another cruise). Every single venue (including La Dame, where 3 out of 4 proteins were substandard), so more a purchasing problem than a chef problem, we think. It was enough for us, first time Silversea cruisers, to relegate SS to backup status in our future cruise portfolio despite adoring the hard product and many of the other capabilities. 
 

A couple of other comments in the YMMV category:

 

1, We enjoyed Silver Note quite a bit.  Our nights there had live piano 8-9 and the duo from 9 onwards. Service was excellent. 
 

2. Entertainment was fairly weak, but the Nordic Brothers, a guest comedy/instrumental duo, were excellent. 
 

3. Excursion management was crisp and organized.  
 

4. We enjoyed the SALT lab cooking lesson option, finding it a nice counterpoint to the port excursions. 
 

 

[goldengatecruisers]

Thank you for commenting Reunionmama.  I am glad I was not imagining the quality issues with the meat and agree with you that it is likely a purchasing issue and not necessarily a chef issue.  It is encouraging to hear from PaulaJK who felt the duck and steak on her recent Silver Moon sailing were NYC worthy.  This comment was particularly relevant to me as I used to live in Manhattan and Paula and I have discussed NYC restaurants in the past.  I return to Silver Dawn in a few months and hope to see an improvement in this area.

 

Your later comments prompted me to realize I completely forgot to address entertainment in my review. I agree that overall it was fairly weak program but I did enjoy the shows featuring the singers and the dance duo. I like to attend them regularly to show support for the cast. They all worked very hard but did most of the heavy lifting throughout the entire entertainment schedule. The night of opera/broadway from the talented Asst Cruise Director, Sachelle was entertaining. The guest comedy duo were indeed excellent and glad they were able to perform twice during our short voyage.

[jeffbenton561]

On 8/18/2024 at 9:56 AM, jpalbny said:

 

Took me a minute, but I realized that you are going on the World Cruise this January. We will be there too, but only for the second leg (Hong Kong to Singapore). See you there!

JP and Chris,

 

The Hong Kong to Singapore leg is one we are particularly looking forward to. Wendy and I look  forward to meeting you guys on the trip. Singapore looks to be absolutely amazing. I am very jealous of all the places you have visited and the admire the time you put into both your blog and photos.

 

 

Jeff 

 

 

[fdnycruiser]

We’ll be on the Capetown to Southampton legs of the WC.  A few years back we the Sydney to Singapore legs of the WC, which included a Hong Kong to Singapore. It was a great cruise, and I hope you enjoy that Hong Long to Sydney.

[jeffbenton561]

FDNYcruiser

 

 

Looking forward to meeting you on that Western Africa leg. A lot of interesting ports we likely would never gotten to. Bunch of sea days so I am sure we will find each other 

 

Jeff and Wendy

 

 

[spinnaker2]

On 8/25/2024 at 8:47 AM, jeffbenton561 said:

JP and Chris,

 

The Hong Kong to Singapore leg is one we are particularly looking forward to. Wendy and I look  forward to meeting you guys on the trip. Singapore looks to be absolutely amazing. I am very jealous of all the places you have visited and the admire the time you put into both your blog and photos.

 

 

Jeff 

 

 

Is that the same Lake Dunmore with Camp Keewaydin????