Recent Brilliance cruiser questions

[negc]

Has anyone experienced the aerial entertainment in the Centrum? If so, where is the best place to watch. I think my kids will really enjoy this.

 

We had a stateroom on Deck 9 immediately off the Centrum and were able to watch both the rehearsals and the formal performances by stepping outside our cabin and stepping into the area overlooking the Centrum. The areas overlooking the Centrum on that and all of the other decks can get crowded quickly, so it is advisable to secure your position several minutes in advance of the performances. There is some seating on the other decks where you can view the show but again those seats fill up quickly. The shows are only about 10 or 15 minutes long but are, I think, spectacular. On the TA the sea conditions sometimes caused the shows to be postponed in order to provide a safe environment for the aerialists, but eventually they were able to perform. We will be boarding the Brilliance next Sunday and look forward to seeing the Vacation Vignettes again.:)

With any luck we may also see the Sox clinch the World Series pennant during our cruise.:)

The coffee machines in the CL and DL are available 24/7 and a continental breakfast is provided in the morning, but cocktails and hors d'oeuvres are only offered from abt 5:30 until abt 8 pm in the evening. The Pub and other bars/lounges are open, some of them into the wee hours.

[xxoocruiser]

First off thank you so much for this info - is it all free? And is it open til like 2 or 3 am after the bars all close?

 

 

All free

 

It's not open 24 hours. There are 3 specific times during the day in which the Park Café is open. Times are posted in the Daily Compass.

[xxoocruiser]

Has anyone experienced the aerial entertainment in the Centrum? If so, where is the best place to watch. I think my kids will really enjoy this.

 

 

In order to see the show you have to be standing directly next to the railing on one of the upper decks or directly seated in the R Bar area. People being claiming a spaces at least 1 hour before the show.

 

Though not in full dress, there are rehearsals for both shows held during the day which tend not be crowded. It would give your kids a good insight to how it works. This might interest them more.

 

On the 9/29/13 cruise that I was on my group had a specific area reserved because most of us were in wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Even at that when we arrived to claim our area , knowing it was reserved specifically for us we went a little later. Had RCCL not been gracious enough to reserve the space for us we would have never been able to see the show. We arrived 30- 40 minutes before the show and other than our reserved spot everything else was already claimed.

[xxoocruiser]

Royal's website is not up to date in some places. I remember they listed Pizzeria on some ships where they had put Park Cafe. On Radiance class ships, Royal usually has pizza in Park Cafe (or Solarium Cafe on Jewel) and in Windjammer at lunchtime.

 

On the Brilliance there is no dedicated "Pizzeria" such as "Sorrento's. Pizza can only be found in the following places :

 

• Park Café - evenings only
  
• Windjammer - Lunch/Afternoon only
  
• Room Service ( Not there will be a $3.95 surcharge for room service between the hours of Midnight to 5:00 AM.
  

[xxoocruiser]

Um Clare...your awesome. Thank you! Im still learning about all the new stuff. Ritas Cantina??? Sounds wonderful.. Im assuming its Mexican and that makes me happy :D

 

Yes it's Mexican. Ate at Rita's when on the Allure and have to say was not impressed at all. Salsa is not freshly made but rather from a jar. I liken the overall quality of the food to that which a chain restaurant such as Chili's offers as to be Mexican food.

 

On the Brilliance Rita's Cantina is only open for dinner. However on my 9/29/13 cruise never once did I see anyone dining in Rita's Cantina.

[apexigsx]

First off thank you so much for this info - is it all free? And is it open til like 2 or 3 am after the bars all close?

 

I'm not sure what the hours will be for the Tampa cruise, but here's the dining hours from my recent Canada/New England cruise. The dining times will vary depending on whether the ship is at sea, or in port, and also depending on what time the ship gets into port. In the image day 4 is at sea, and day 5 is in New Brunswick.

 

[ansadler]

Does anyone know if the Brilliance has the new freestyle soda machines? (since the revit?)

[Clarea]

Does anyone know if the Brilliance has the new freestyle soda machines? (since the revit?)

No Freestyle machines on Brilliance.

[jamer]

Must say very disappointed with RC website about this ship. We will be sailing on 11/16. There are sooo many different "dining" venues since the refurb and none match any website.:confused: Asked RC about show times so we could plan our dinner times (MDR & Special places) got an answer that said the time for shows was unknown.:rolleyes: Spoiled from our Allure cruise in July. Trying to be hopeful about this cruise.:cool:

[Mid43]

The floor immediately surrounding the bar area does rotate, but it was not going every night.

The aerial show in the Centrum I felt was less than thrilling. Granted yes it is impressive that they can pull something like this off on a ship, but basically I felt they were just raising the performers in the air, a quick spin, then let them down. The show itself is less than 15 mins long.

Be sure not to miss the Brilliance Orchestra show one night in the theater. They dedicate one night to this terrific band; and the drummer is not to be missed; that is one impressive talent.

[timh111]

Must say very disappointed with RC website about this ship. We will be sailing on 11/16. There are sooo many different "dining" venues since the refurb and none match any website.:confused: Asked RC about show times so we could plan our dinner times (MDR & Special places) got an answer that said the time for shows was unknown.:rolleyes: Spoiled from our Allure cruise in July. Trying to be hopeful about this cruise.:cool:

 

Sounds like you'll be sailing with us jamer!!! Why not visit our thread for the Nov. 16th sailing on the B.O.S. We already have 122 registered for the M&M and the group of "Pirates" we have are going to be great. The CC thread can be found here.......

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1643895

Hope to see you on the thread :)

-Tim

[Beach4me]

Just off the Brilliance on Sunday.

 

Aerial show - I expected not much...but LOVED it! We found seats around the Centrum on the deck 5. They were perfect. The shows are short - but I found them very impressive. Really well done.

 

Rita's - I didn't eat there because of all the bad I heard about it from others in the WJ. The table next to us had plates they'd brought in from Rita's - none of them ate their food.

 

Pizza - the pizza in the WJ is pretty good because you get to make it yourself. They have several toppings that you put on your own piece (which is 1/4 pizza). I like mushrooms and green olives on my pizza so I snagged some of those off the salad bar and added them to my creations. Be sure to add more mozzarella to the pizza even if you're just having cheese pizza. It makes it a bit more fresh. (The pieces are pre-cut with sauce and some cheese on them already.)

 

The breakfast sandwiches from Park Cafe were a nice change for breakfast. Again, I snagged some onion slices from the bagel bar (also in the Solarium) and added it to the breakfast sandwich..

 

The 2 times I had beef on weck at Park Cafe, they were actually slicing prime rib for the sandwich. Be sure to let them put the gravy on the bun or it is quite dry. Not the best weck - but then again, it's not Charlie the Butcher's in Buffalo either. ;)

 

Nice salad bar in the Solarium at lunch too. (Replaces the bagel bar from breakfast.)

 

Concierge was Willie and he was AWESOME! By far, the best Concierge we've ever had in a CL. Rajiv was tending bar in the CL. That man can mix a wicked drink! LOL!

 

The filet mignon slices I had in the WJ on the second formal night were the best pieces of beef I've ever had on a ship. FAR better than the filet I had in Chops last time I ate there.

 

Any other questions, please ask!

[Host Kewlguy]

Just off the Brilliance on Sunday.

 

Aerial show - I expected not much...but LOVED it! We found seats around the Centrum on the deck 5. They were perfect. The shows are short - but I found them very impressive. Really well done.

 

Rita's - I didn't eat there because of all the bad I heard about it from others in the WJ. The table next to us had plates they'd brought in from Rita's - none of them ate their food.

 

Pizza - the pizza in the WJ is pretty good because you get to make it yourself. They have several toppings that you put on your own piece (which is 1/4 pizza). I like mushrooms and green olives on my pizza so I snagged some of those off the salad bar and added them to my creations. Be sure to add more mozzarella to the pizza even if you're just having cheese pizza. It makes it a bit more fresh. (The pieces are pre-cut with sauce and some cheese on them already.)

 

The breakfast sandwiches from Park Cafe were a nice change for breakfast. Again, I snagged some onion slices from the bagel bar (also in the Solarium) and added it to the breakfast sandwich..

 

The 2 times I had beef on weck at Park Cafe, they were actually slicing prime rib for the sandwich. Be sure to let them put the gravy on the bun or it is quite dry. Not the best weck - but then again, it's not Charlie the Butcher's in Buffalo either. ;)

 

Nice salad bar in the Solarium at lunch too. (Replaces the bagel bar from breakfast.)

 

Concierge was Willie and he was AWESOME! By far, the best Concierge we've ever had in a CL. Rajiv was tending bar in the CL. That man can mix a wicked drink! LOL!

 

The filet mignon slices I had in the WJ on the second formal night were the best pieces of beef I've ever had on a ship. FAR better than the filet I had in Chops last time I ate there.

 

Any other questions, please ask!

Is Brilliance still using the Crown & Anchor coupon books or have they gone paperless?

[Ourusualbeach]

Is Brilliance still using the Crown & Anchor coupon books or have they gone paperless?

 

As of Oct 1 she was not listed as one of the 7 ships that had gone paperless.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1921067

[vmom]

RCCL has expanded its pay dining options on the Brilliance. Rita's Cantina and the Asian eating areas are both extra charge places. We did not hear anything positive about Rita's Cantina, so we did not try it.

 

My daughter ate at the Asian dining area. Its ala carte and my daughter said the food was mediocre and not worth the extra charge.

 

What really bothered me about the Brilliance changes is that they have taken away space to add these new dining options which were not well utilized.

 

On the other hand, the Windjammer was often so crowded it was often difficult to find seating. Once on a sea day for lunch, i walked around with a plate full of food three times and could not find anywhere to sit. One morning for breakfast we walked around the deck for a very long time and still could not find seating. Finally we just went into the area that is roped off for gold pass holders (not Crown and Anchor Gold members). We didn't know what else to do. Granted, it was a cold day so no one was out by the pool and it was too cold to sit out there to eat an enjoyable meal. Limited seating in the Windjammer really was a huge issue and it was very irritating.

[Beach4me]

Is Brilliance still using the Crown & Anchor coupon books or have they gone paperless?

 

Still using the coupon books last week.

[Beach4me]

 

What really bothered me about the Brilliance changes is that they have taken away space to add these new dining options which were not well utilized.

 

On the other hand, the Windjammer was often so crowded it was often difficult to find seating. Limited seating in the Windjammer really was a huge issue and it was very irritating.

 

Glad to say we didn't experience this last week. There was always a place to sit - sometimes it was in the "side room" with the big, comfy mock wicker seats as you enter the WJ and there were always seats in the glassed area past the dessert areas - also comfy seats but there was always somewhere to sit. Seating was not any more limited than it has ever been on any of the Radiance class ships in my experience.

 

As for Izumi - it's in an out-of-the-way location so it didn't impact any of the WJ seating. And Rita's...folks sat there for breakfast and lunch so again, no impact on our voyage.

 

Sorry that you had problems finding a place to sit. It must have been very frustrating.

[Host Kewlguy]

Still using the coupon books last week.

Thank you.

[tiessa]

My question is if the coffee is any better on the Brilliance. When I sailed her in February she had the worst coffee I ever had. No matter what I added to it, it was undrinkable.

[2catfamily]

My question is if the coffee is any better on the Brilliance. When I sailed her in February she had the worst coffee I ever had. No matter what I added to it, it was undrinkable.

 

I had mine in the Park Cafe and it was very good but I did put milk in from the dispenser not using the creamer containers.

[Kevin's girl]

No, for a change CB is correct. The Seaview Cafe on the Brilliance had a pasta and panini menu and it was the only one of the Radiance Class ships to offer that menu. The menu posted by Patti and Jim was from Jewel, Serenade, or Radiance.

The pasta and panini menu was for a limited time, something I was very happy about. By the time we sailed the Brilliance last March it was back to the above posted menu. We just loved the Reuben sandwiches there. I really wish they would have left the Seaview Cafe on the Radiance class ships.

[ikirumata]

My question is if the coffee is any better on the Brilliance. When I sailed her in February she had the worst coffee I ever had. No matter what I added to it, it was undrinkable.

 

Just off the Brilliance. My wife thought that the coffee was bad. I found the coffee about the same as generic office coffee. Coffee at Lattitudes was where my wife went for her daily cup of white mocha.

[ikirumata]

Glad to say we didn't experience this last week. There was always a place to sit - sometimes it was in the "side room" with the big, comfy mock wicker seats as you enter the WJ and there were always seats in the glassed area past the dessert areas - also comfy seats but there was always somewhere to sit. Seating was not any more limited than it has ever been on any of the Radiance class ships in my experience.

 

As for Izumi - it's in an out-of-the-way location so it didn't impact any of the WJ seating. And Rita's...folks sat there for breakfast and lunch so again, no impact on our voyage.

 

Sorry that you had problems finding a place to sit. It must have been very frustrating.

 

The Brilliance is much better than the Radiance. The outdoor seating around the windjammer on the Radiance was taken up by Ritas and Izumi. On the Brilliance, they moved Izumi to deck 12 and that opened up more seating for the Windjammer. In addition, the area where the Dog House was on the Radiance was replaced by nice comfy chairs and tables.

 

I actually felt that there was plenty of seating when I needed it. It also helped the weather was nice, so outdoor seating was viable.

[vmom]

My question is if the coffee is any better on the Brilliance. When I sailed her in February she had the worst coffee I ever had. No matter what I added to it, it was undrinkable.

 

I found the coffee varied considerably. I would find a good cup of coffee someplace and then go back either several hours later or the next day and it was awful. No rhyme or reason to it other than maybe it depends on who is making it and how long it had been sitting. On the whole I did not care for the coffee and had to add a lot of creamer to make it drinkable.

 

One thing I really like about Princess cruises is that there is usually a waiter walking around with a coffee pot to give refills. I missed that.

 

As for lack of seating in the Windjammer. We were on a northern European cruise and it was usually too cold to sit outside so there were more people looking for inside seating than is likely typical.