A Glorious New Dawn – Silver Dawn

Lisa McAuley celebrates the latest addition to Silversea’s fleet.

There’s always a sense of excitement whenever a new ship launches and Silver Dawn, Silversea’s tenth ship and the third ship in the Muse class series, is worth getting excited about.

It was a privilege to be invited to the ship’s naming ceremony in Lisbon at the end of March. Here’s a few of the highlights from a few nights onboard this beautiful new vessel.

The luxurious all suite accommodation, each with the butler service for which Silversea is famed for is a given; small touches such as wireless phone charger on the notepad sit alongside the expected plush robe, slippers and Bvlgari amenities.

Dining has been stepped up a notch with 8 restaurants, with different wine offered to suit in each venue:

• La Dame, Silversea’s signature French restaurant
• S.A.L.T Kitchen, a concept restaurant where you’ll dine on food local to the area you’re sailing in
• Atlantide, serving seafood and steaks
• Kaiseki, offering Japanese cuisine
• Silver Note, with quirky international tapas style fare
• Spaccanapoli, a pizzeria that’s particularly popular at lunch time

And my 2 favourites:

• La Terrazza, where you can dine alfresco and the menu can’t fail in offering something for everyone
• The Grill, in the evening – an interactive restaurant where heated lava stones are brought to your table and you cook your own food. And not just any food: delicious jumbo prawns, various meats including filet mignon, fish or a vegetarian option.

With 596 guests, there are plenty of places to mix and mingle or space to seek solitude as you wish. The main bar, Dolce Vita, is an improvement – now a central bar, the ambience is much warmer than on the other Muse class ships and turned out to be a popular meeting spot for pre-dinner cocktails. The stand-out drinking spot for me is the S.A.L.T bar; tiny compared to the other venues onboard, the bar is intimate, dark, glamourous – and tended to by expert mixologists serving stunning cocktails, all of which are included.

Sadly, it was too chilly for either the pool or the whirlpools but the outside recreational space on Silver Dawn is chic and contemporary with sun loungers aplenty.

The ship takes the best of what Silver Muse and Silver Moon, the other Muse class ships, have to offer but goes one step further in its new spa concept, Otivm. ‘Otivm’, I learned, was a unique leisure time in ancient Roman culture in which the elite class could pursue their preferred activities to nurture their mind or enjoy the pleasures of life – so the spa brochure told me! But what does this mean onboard Silver Dawn? Well, I can happily report that I sampled both the in-suite bathing experience and a ‘Divine’ spa treatment, all in the pursuit of wellness of course!

The in-suite bathing experience was essentially a choice of 3 different types of salts (I chose figs and cedar). The butler prepares your perfect temperature bath at a time to suit (mine timed for my return from my day ashore), and sets up a drink of choice (champagne in this example!) and 3 delicate chocolates, along with a back and neck rest pillow. The bathroom smelled divine, faux candles and low-level lighting, with music specifically chosen to enhance the mood – were it not for a pre-dinner cocktail arrangement I had made earlier, I think I may have just settled there for the rest of the evening!

The spa on Silver Dawn includes the Thermal Suite which is complimentary for all guests. With two sets of steam rooms and sauna for both men and women, there’s a tempting array of snacks, cocktails, mocktails and champagne – and the salted caramels were the star of the spa show. That was until I was called for my 100 minute treatment. (With four 100 minute treatments to choose from, it was a tough decision. All are priced at $399, however there are other cheaper options; eg, a 50 minute facial starts at $199). My ‘Divine Experience’ included full body massage, facial, reflexology and I think a head massage, as that could have been what eventually woke me from a deep sleep. I’ve been fortunate enough to sample several spa treatments over the years but this one was up there with the best of them.

Life onboard Silver Dawn could become addictive; the sign of a great trip is one that leaves you wanting more and a few days onboard this gorgeous ship certainly did that…

Next steps

Find out more about Silversea’s cruises and ships by calling 0800 412 5678. Our Silver Travel Advisors have all the details.