Aboard Silver Dawn with Silversea Cruises
Cruise Overview
Like many southeast Florida neighbors, Fort Lauderdale has long been revitalizing.
In a state where gaudy tourist zones often stand aloof from workaday downtowns, Fort Lauderdale exhibits consistency at both ends of the 2-mile Las Olas corridor.
The sparkling look results from upgrades both downtown and on the beachfront.
Matching the downtown's innovative arts district, cafés, and boutiques is an equally inventive beach area, with hotels, cafés, and shops facing an undeveloped shoreline, and new resort-style hotels replacing faded icons of yesteryear.
Despite wariness of pretentious overdevelopment, city leaders have allowed a striking number of glittering high-rises.
Nostalgic locals and frequent visitors fret over the diminishing vision of sailboats bobbing in waters near downtown; however, Fort Lauderdale remains the yachting capital of the world, and the water toys don’t seem to be going anywhere.
It's not another Cancún yet, but Cozumel's days as a rustic divers' hangout are history.
Whether arriving by plane or at the island's gleaming ferry terminal, visitors soon realize there's nothing deserted about this island.
That has its advantages.
It's rare to find such stunning natural beauty, glass-clear aquamarine seas, and vast marine life combined with top-flight visitor services and accommodations, and as a result Cozumel's devotees are legion.
Divers sharing stories of lionfish and sharks sit table-to-table with families tanned from a day at the beach club, while Mexican couples spin and step to salsa music in the central plaza.
But the elephant in Cozumel's big and bountiful room are the throngs of cruise-ship passengers who take over the countless crafts and jewelry stores along the seaward boulevard downtown any day there are ships in port—which is to say, just about every day.
But take just a few steps off the beaten path and this little island offers big rewards.
Deserted, windswept beaches, wild and vibrant natural parks, and 600 miles of coral reef are still yours for the discovering.
Just 19 km (12 miles) off the coast, Cozumel is 53 km (33 miles) long and 15 km (9 miles) wide, making it the country's third-largest island.
Plaza Central, or just "la plaza," is the heart of San Miguel, directly across from the docks.
Residents congregate here in the evening, especially on weekends, when free concerts begin at 8 pm.
Heading inland (east) takes you away from the tourist zone and toward residential areas of town.
Most of the island's restaurants, hotels, stores, and dive shops are concentrated downtown and along the two hotel zones that fan out along the leeward coast to the north and south of San Miguel.
The most concentrated commercial district is between Calle 10 Norte and Calle 11 Sur to beyond Avenida Pedro Joaquin Coldwell.
Cozumel's solitude-seeking windward side also has a few restaurants and one hotel.
Unless you want to stick around your hotel or downtown San Miguel for your whole stay, you'll do well to rent a car or a scooter.
Most worthwhile sites, such as the island's Mayan ruins and pristine windward beaches, are only readily accessible with wheels.
Taxi fares are astronomical, and after just a few trips a rental car is clearly a better deal.
Christopher Columbus became Costa Rica's first tourist when he landed on this stretch of coast in 1502 during his fourth and final voyage to the New World.
Expecting to find vast mineral wealth, he named the region Costa Rica ("rich coast").
Imagine the Spaniards' surprise eventually to find there was none.
Save for a brief skirmish some six decades ago, the country did prove itself rich in a long tradition of peace and democracy.
No other country in Latin America can make that claim.
Costa Rica is also abundantly rich in natural beauty, managing to pack beaches, volcanoes, rain forests, and diverse animal life into an area the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
It has successfully parlayed those qualities into its role as one the world's great ecotourism destinations.
A day visit is short, but time enough for a quick sample.
In a state where gaudy tourist zones often stand aloof from workaday downtowns, Fort Lauderdale exhibits consistency at both ends of the 2-mile Las Olas corridor.
The sparkling look results from upgrades both downtown and on the beachfront.
Matching the downtown's innovative arts district, cafés, and boutiques is an equally inventive beach area, with hotels, cafés, and shops facing an undeveloped shoreline, and new resort-style hotels replacing faded icons of yesteryear.
Despite wariness of pretentious overdevelopment, city leaders have allowed a striking number of glittering high-rises.
Nostalgic locals and frequent visitors fret over the diminishing vision of sailboats bobbing in waters near downtown; however, Fort Lauderdale remains the yachting capital of the world, and the water toys don’t seem to be going anywhere.
It's not another Cancún yet, but Cozumel's days as a rustic divers' hangout are history.
Whether arriving by plane or at the island's gleaming ferry terminal, visitors soon realize there's nothing deserted about this island.
That has its advantages.
It's rare to find such stunning natural beauty, glass-clear aquamarine seas, and vast marine life combined with top-flight visitor services and accommodations, and as a result Cozumel's devotees are legion.
Divers sharing stories of lionfish and sharks sit table-to-table with families tanned from a day at the beach club, while Mexican couples spin and step to salsa music in the central plaza.
But the elephant in Cozumel's big and bountiful room are the throngs of cruise-ship passengers who take over the countless crafts and jewelry stores along the seaward boulevard downtown any day there are ships in port—which is to say, just about every day.
But take just a few steps off the beaten path and this little island offers big rewards.
Deserted, windswept beaches, wild and vibrant natural parks, and 600 miles of coral reef are still yours for the discovering.
Just 19 km (12 miles) off the coast, Cozumel is 53 km (33 miles) long and 15 km (9 miles) wide, making it the country's third-largest island.
Plaza Central, or just "la plaza," is the heart of San Miguel, directly across from the docks.
Residents congregate here in the evening, especially on weekends, when free concerts begin at 8 pm.
Heading inland (east) takes you away from the tourist zone and toward residential areas of town.
Most of the island's restaurants, hotels, stores, and dive shops are concentrated downtown and along the two hotel zones that fan out along the leeward coast to the north and south of San Miguel.
The most concentrated commercial district is between Calle 10 Norte and Calle 11 Sur to beyond Avenida Pedro Joaquin Coldwell.
Cozumel's solitude-seeking windward side also has a few restaurants and one hotel.
Unless you want to stick around your hotel or downtown San Miguel for your whole stay, you'll do well to rent a car or a scooter.
Most worthwhile sites, such as the island's Mayan ruins and pristine windward beaches, are only readily accessible with wheels.
Taxi fares are astronomical, and after just a few trips a rental car is clearly a better deal.
Christopher Columbus became Costa Rica's first tourist when he landed on this stretch of coast in 1502 during his fourth and final voyage to the New World.
Expecting to find vast mineral wealth, he named the region Costa Rica ("rich coast").
Imagine the Spaniards' surprise eventually to find there was none.
Save for a brief skirmish some six decades ago, the country did prove itself rich in a long tradition of peace and democracy.
No other country in Latin America can make that claim.
Costa Rica is also abundantly rich in natural beauty, managing to pack beaches, volcanoes, rain forests, and diverse animal life into an area the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
It has successfully parlayed those qualities into its role as one the world's great ecotourism destinations.
A day visit is short, but time enough for a quick sample.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Silver Dawn
Launch Year: 2022 Length: 213 Width: 26 Currency: USD Capacity: 596 Crew Count: 411 Deck Count: 8 Cabin Count: 288
A new Dawn has arrived! Our tenth ultra-luxury ship joined our fleet in April 2022, sailing a worldwide itinerary that promises authentic, immersive experiences.
A new world of luxury is waiting aboard Silver Dawn. Elegant and modern, Silver Dawn is the natural evolution of our fleet. Large enough to offer eight dining options – including the superb Sea and Land Taste (S.A.L.T.) programme – yet small enough for the famed Silversea onboard ambience, Silver Dawn inherits the best features of her sister ships Silver Muse and Silver Moon, but is in a class all of her own. With sumptuous suites, outstanding itineraries, plus cutting-edge design and technology and the outstanding OTIVM wellness concept, Silver Dawn sets new standards of luxury. Isn’t it time you woke up to a new dawn with Silversea?
Silver Dawn Facilities
Silver Dawn Includes
Cabin Details
Silversea suites offer one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any luxury cruise accommodations. All of our suites feature ocean views, and most with a private teak veranda. All guests will be pampered by the personalised services of an attentive butler, sailing in style aboard the best luxury cruise line.
