We spent four days in lovely Barcelona before embarking the Spirit from Terminal Sur, WTC. We stayed at the Hotel Colón, fronting the Cathedral at Barrio Gotic. We had, not a balcony, but a terrace overlooking the cathedral, inclusive of lounging chairs and many plants. The location was perfect, everything walkable! On the fifth day, we embarked with a smile on our faces, as the ship looked just as inviting as when we last sailed, two years ago. The process was smooth and soon we were at lunch in the Pool Deck. When indicated, we found our cabin (520) and met with our butler, Rashet, and our housekeeper, Mill. I have to say they performed superbly, and always with the positive, helpful attitude one expects from Silversea. I made sure to state our pleasure with them in both the mid-cruise and final review.

Our first dinner did not give us a promising start to the cruise. Although we dined at The Grill, we opted for the food to be prepared in the kitchen, and not by us on the hot rock. My steak was rare (rather than the requested medium) and DH's fish was rock solid. The server's attitude was not at all conducive to other options; we were tired and left it at that. We did not return to the Grill and made sure to indicate this experience in the reviews. What a difference in La Terrazza and in the MDR! Service was excellent in all instances. Contrary to other guests, we do not ask for specific sections in the dining venues; we expect all sections to provide equally good service...and we were not disappointed. We found the food to be very good (except the meats, which always came rare) and the wines acceptable.

Breakfast offerings at La Terrazza were good though repetitive, but one can always ask for not included items, like pancakes, eggs Benedict, etc. Lunch had more variety, and then there were interesting luncheon buffets at the Pool Deck. Read more