Brilliance Of The Seas - 5 night Western Caribbean sailing 24th February 2014

[ho-hum]

Dear peteukmcr,

 

Just how do you get your photos uploaded like that ?

I love them

Mine turn out as Thumbnails

Any advice very gratefully received.

Cheers

[peteukmcr]

Great review Pete. Nice pics of 9256. We have that on Jewel for Alaska next year.

Loved that cabin, especially the balcony. Hopefully you'll get a bigger table, which was the only thing we'd have liked.

 

Dear peteukmcr,

 

Just how do you get your photos uploaded like that ?

I love them

Mine turn out as Thumbnails

Any advice very gratefully received.

Cheers

I upload to a photo hosting site like Flickr then copy the link from there where you can choose the size you want.

[peteukmcr]

Heavy rain has battered Brilliance through the night. As we wake and peer out, we see that the dark clouds that brought the rain are receding. It’s still pretty overcast, but there are glimmers of sunlight and patches of blue peeking through.

 

We are both a little hung-over from last nights activities but not badly so. We head to Windjammer again for breakfast and again sit outside to enjoy breakfast.

 

 

Brilliance docks at the International pier and we arrive after Carnival Triumph and are followed in shortly afterwards by Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

 

 

 

 

Today we are going to Nachi Cocom. It's a beach break resort situated about 10 miles south of the port. There is a group of eight of us so as agreed we meet on the pier at 9.30 am and make our way to the entrance where we hail a mini-bus to take us the short distance to the resort.

[peteukmcr]

 

Once we arrive we are greeted by a pleasant lady who provides all with Sombreros for a photo opportunity.

 

 

Once done, we check in and immediately find sun loungers by the poolside. We have paid $55 each for this break and it includes all food, drink (incl. alcohol) and beach facilities such as kayaking, snorkelling. The resort limits the number of guests to 100 per day, so it will not be crowded and there are sufficient sun loungers, hammocks, tables and chairs and more importantly shade for everyone.

 

 

The temperature is rising steadily but the pool is a welcome respite from the heat. There is a swim up bar so you don't even have to get out of the pool to order a drink. The staff are very attentive and there is always someone walking by asking if we need anything. One of our group unfortunately takes a tumble getting into the hot-tub. She seems OK at first and laughs it off. Later it becomes obvious she has injured her knee as she is finding it difficult to walk. The resort calls for an ambulance who pack ice on her knee and decide to take her back to our ship where her knee can be x-rayed. We bump into her later once back on-board and it seems nothing was broken and looks like just a sprain thank goodness.

 

 

We order lunch at the resort. We have Nachos and Guacamole (which is excellent and is freshly made). The Fajitas we have to follow are equally good. All washed down by ice cold beers.

 

 

By mid-afternoon the heat is getting oppressive and so we cool off in the pool before gathering our things to head back to the ship. Some of the others stay on for a little longer but we grab a cab (ordered by the resort staff and arriving within 5 minutes) so we can have a look around some of the port shops before getting back on-board. We find nothing of interest in the port shops despite the vendors constantly beckoning us in. Pretty soon we are back on Brilliance.

[peteukmcr]

We spend late afternoon on our balcony. We slip anchor about 5.30pm and leave just behind Carnival Triumph and start to make our way northward.

 

Brilliance is soon tracking northward at a steady 16 knots as she needs to be in Tampa by early Saturday morning. We see some dark clouds gathering over the Mexican mainland heading in our direction. Sure enough an hour or so later the heavens open and so were retreat back into our cabin to get ready for the evening.

 

Tonight there is a special event in the Colony Club for Crown and Anchor Members. As we have an invite we make our way there passing through the Schooner Bar on the way.

 

 

 

 

Most of the senior staff are there to greet us as we arrive. The Hotel Director is a fellow Brit and recognises our accent. It turns out he was raised within a couple of miles from where we live, although he’s not been in the area for quite a few years.

 

There are plenty of free drinks and canapés on offer. Various presentations are made to those guests that have reached Pinnacle status. To reach Pinnacle you practically need to live on the Royal Caribbean ships! Our next cruise will see us reach Diamond Plus status which is the step below Pinnacle but there is a huge gulf between the two so I doubt we’ll get there anytime soon!

 

We leave the event early as we have dinner reservations at 8.30pm. It's lobster night in the main dining room, which we avoid, as we both think lobster is overrated. Personally I find chewing a rubber doorstop just as tasty. Instead we order Thai Chicken and Prime Rib. We enjoy a couple of cocktails after in Starquest in the Viking Crown after donating a few more $ in the casino, before heading back to the cabin and bed.

 

Tomorrow is our final day on board and will be a relaxing day at sea.

[peteukmcr]

We have both slept for 10 hours which is something of a rarity in our lives. I think on average we get less than 6 hours each most nights so it's nice to have a lie in.

 

We can feel some motion from the ocean and we know there has been some heavy rain as we could hear it throughout the night. As usual I head off for coffee to enjoy on the balcony. Heavy clouds and a brisk wind greet us.

 

We have a stowaway on our balcony. A large green bug that we name Fidel on account of our proximity to Cuba! I have no idea what manner of creature it is but it's as big as my thumbnail. I guess it's just taking a migratory rest as there is no land for many a league. (I've since been informed that this is a Southern Green Stinkbug).

 

 

We have breakfast in the main dining room and then head up to the pool deck for the T-shirt sale. It takes a brave sole to take on those old ladies who have made rummaging for bargains into an art form. Those elbows are lethal! LOL We then head down to the relative quiet of deck 4 to read and listen to some music.

 

 

We have reservations for lunch at Giovanni's Table today and we are quickly seated with an ocean view table. We are served with some warm bread, olive oil and balsamic. We order a bottle of wine and we share some antipasti for starters, which is delicious.

 

For main course we order Taglierini al Pomodorini, Calamari, Capesante e Pesto (tagliatelle tossed with cherry tomatoes, squid, bay scallops and pesto) and Pappardelle alla Crema di Radicchio e Pancetta (pasta in a radicchio creme and pancetta). We both enjoy them. The desserts are even better. The Tiramisu is excellent and I enjoy Cannoli of which there are two options available, so I try both!

 

We then decide to head up again to the pool deck to enjoy our last afternoon on board. The clouds have vanished and even though the sun is beating down there is a strong breeze gusting around.

 

 

So we retreat to our balcony which is perfectly situated for this northbound sector as the sun is shining full on it. It's a real sun trap, with no breeze.

 

We then have to start the dreaded packing as our bags have to be out in the hallway by 11pm tonight. It doesn't take too long. We take the longest time deciding what to wear tonight and what to travel home in tomorrow. That done we head out onto the balcony as the sun is slipping close to the horizon and hopefully we will have a nice sunset. It's not spectacular as skies are fairly clear.

 

We dress and head for early evening drinks and say goodbye to the staff in the Diamond Lounge for their excellent service. Walter, the concierge persists with the Virgin Atlantic online check in process (which is very lengthy and at times confusing) and prints our boarding passes for the flight home tomorrow. He's deserves and receives my WOW card this trip.

 

We eat a little earlier than usual and again, food in the main dining room is excellent. Overall we found the staff on this ship to be very good. A lot more so than our last ship, Splendour of the Seas.

 

 

We meet up with our friends for some farewell drinks in Vintages. We part ways and head back to our cabins for our last night sleep.

 

Tomorrow, disembarkation, non-US immigration in Tampa, shopping in Orlando and then a flight back to the UK.

 

Once that's complete I'll provide a summary of this 5 day sailing and our 8 day jaunt to the USA.

[peteukmcr]

My iPhone wakes us at 7.30am. Actually it's only 6.30am as it's got itself in a knot with the gaining and losing an hour whilst we were in Cozumel.

 

Surprisingly Brilliance is still not docked but she's not far from the cruise terminal. I go for coffee and we go out onto the balcony as we finally dock back in Tampa. We spot a sole dolphin near the aft of the ship just playing around near the docks. A flock of gulls seem excited by our arrival and wheel about overhead. We narrowly avoid a couple of mishaps as their bomb doors open to deliver their payload!

 

 

At around 8am we gather our things and say goodbye to Cabin 9256 and head down to the Minstrel dining room on deck 5, where they have provided coffee and snacks for Diamond Members.

 

Our friends who are travelling back to Chicago show up and sit with us. US citizens are able to leave first using the express departure program, but non-US citizens are not, which is a first for us. Apparently it’s something to do with the official process in Tampa as we have done this at other ports. However, we soon follow at around 8.20am.

 

Although initially we are directed out onto the promenade on deck 5, port side, where we walk forward and back into the ship, entering the theatre on the port side, crossing the theatre and out again on the starboard side, outside onto the promenade deck again walking towards the aft before having our SeaPass cards scanned for the final time and exiting the ship!

 

As non-US citizens we have to go through immigration again complete with hand prints, and whilst the line looks long when we join it goes down once the number of officers is increased from 2 to 3. Meanwhile our US friends can just show the cover of their passports and they are waved through a separate line.

 

Mmm, that doesn’t seem very secure to me, as even in the UK when departing a ship and re-entering the country as British citizens our passports have to be inspected by an immigration officer.

 

Anyway we are through and collect our luggage. However, once again we join another long line winding its way around the terminal to reach US customs. We are constantly reminded to keep ‘tight in line’ and if we were to use a porter (who we are told are employed by the port), we can jump the line as they have their own dedicated exit.

 

Once through customs we head to the Hertz car rental desk to pick up our car for the day. It's a VW Jetta, but are reminded that it runs on diesel and the first thing I have to do is fill up for our trip to Orlando. Luckily (because as compared to the UK, diesel is not as widely available in the US as it is here) the BP gas station I used 6 days earlier to fill up my previous rental car stocks diesel. As usual (as I can’t use my credit card at the pump as I don’t have a zip code) I leave a cash deposit with the cashier and proceed to fill up, or try to! Apparently in the US you have 2 sizes of diesel nozzles and I’d pulled up at the wrong side of the pump! After advice from the cashier, and pulling the car around we leave the port and have breakfast in a very busy Denny’s and then we are on the road toward Orlando not long after.

 

It's a beautiful day so the air-con is on full. Traffic on the I4 is very busy and on a few occasions we nearly come to a standstill. We finally reach Orlando around 11.50am and we head straight to the Premium Outlet Mall on Vineland Ave.

 

 

After catching up on Facebook using the free Wi-Fi I buy some new jeans from Tommy Hilfiger. We then decide to head to the Florida Mall to stock up on some more Hand wash Gel from Bath & Body Works, stopping at Publix on the way to buy candy for our work colleagues back home.

 

 

That done we have lunch at Ruby Tuesdays in the mall before heading to the airport to drop off the car.

 

Virgin Atlantic check-in is a bit chaotic as usual. We buy some duty free Bourbon and Gin and then sit down for a beer before boarding the plane.

 

For the return journey we have Jersey Girl (Pretty Woman who we had on the outbound flight is sat next to us doing the London Gatwick run tonight). This time we are sat upstairs in what is called the ‘bubble’. We are in 24H & K in the last row of Premium Economy. There are about 5 rows of economy seating behind us. Flight time is a nifty 7hrs and we push back on time and climb to altitude passing over Cape Canaveral and also Port Canaveral (the place where we set out on our first cruise 10 years ago).

 

 

If the cabin crew on the outbound flight were perfunctory, this return crew are woeful. Not a single personality amongst them. The meal was just OK and so was breakfast. We landed about 6.40am on Sunday morning to a remote stand in pouring rain. Not fun. Still, we had our bags and were in the car by about 7.50am.

 

Although we had only been away for a week it felt longer as we had done so much in the time. It was wonderful meeting up with friends and making new ones. Brilliance and the Radiance class ships in general are very nice (however, we still prefer Voyager/Freedom Class). The crew and service overall added to the memorable experience. Roll on April 18th 2014 and a Transatlantic crossing on Adventure of the Seas.

 

Tomorrow I’ll summarise, but if you want to see the full set of photos, click here

https://www.flickr.com//photos/peteukmcr/sets/72157641398087543/show/with/12716777135/

Edited March 12, 2014 by peteukmcr

[cdscooby1]

Thank you so much for this pics. I was wondering how long was your drive from Orlando to Tampa?

[willing292]

Great review, thanks. We did the Suez Canal on the Brilliance in 2011, and have a ton of fond memories of her.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[peteukmcr]

Thank you so much for this pics. I was wondering how long was your drive from Orlando to Tampa?

I'd say the trip took around 90 minutes, depending on traffic.

[nolesrule]

I'd say the trip took around 90 minutes, depending on traffic.

 

Yeah, that's typical driving time. If there's an accident, it gets much worse though.

[samben]

Hey Peter................loved your review! Lots looked very familiar.........LOL

Miss YOU guys!

[Justmekaren918]

Thank you so much for the great review! I am really getting excited for my up coming time on Brilliance! Were the non diamonds able to embark that early as well?

 

Spending two days in Fort Lauderdale before cruise! I want to take full advantage of getting on the ship as early as possible and head-up to the solarium to read and swim.

 

Any recommendations on where to stay in fort lauderdale?

[peteukmcr]

Thank you so much for the great review! I am really getting excited for my up coming time on Brilliance! Were the non diamonds able to embark that early as well?

 

Spending two days in Fort Lauderdale before cruise! I want to take full advantage of getting on the ship as early as possible and head-up to the solarium to read and swim.

 

Any recommendations on where to stay in fort lauderdale?

Hi Karen, to be honest, I don't think it would have been long after we boarded that general boarding would have taken place, especially when we saw the lines waiting for the Windjammer to open :D

 

As for Fort Lauderdale, for this cruise we sailed from Tampa, so we stayed there overnight. Are you planning to stay in Fort Lauderdale and then travel over to Tampa on the day of boarding?

 

As for Tampa, I'd suggest the Embassy Suites on South Florida Ave as this looks like the most reasonably priced hotel closest to the port terminal and looks very popular. We stayed further out at the Grand Hyatt, Tampa Bay.

Edited March 13, 2014 by peteukmcr

[peteukmcr]

Hey Peter................loved your review! Lots looked very familiar.........LOL

Miss YOU guys!

LOL, I wonder why it looks familiar? Miss you both too.

[peteukmcr]

Well here's the final part, the review of the ship, sailing & staff in summary.

 

Check in & Boarding

 

One of the easiest and best we’ve experienced (expect for Allure which is on another level).

 

Ship

 

Brilliance is well maintained and there is plenty of space for everyone, even on sea days. OK space maybe at a premium on sea days around the main pool and especially in the Solarium, but there are plenty of empty sunbeds in other quieter areas.

 

A good variety of venues, with a lot of emphasis on the Centrum with the aerial shows that take place there. New venues like Vintages were fairly quiet but with great staff. Similarly the Colony Club was very quiet unless planned activities were taking place there.

 

The Viking Crown and the Starquest disco seem very under used unless, once again, planned activities were taking place.

 

The reason for a lot of the venues being quiet may have had something to do with the demographic of this particular sailing.

 

Entertainment

 

Unfortunately as we didn’t attend the shows or some of the activities in the Colony Club I can’t comment on those. However, it would appear the outdoor movie screen was watched by a good crowd, but obviously depends on the movie!

 

The cruise director didn’t seem very dynamic nor visible to us, but to be fair we didn’t attend many of the organised events.

 

Guest Services

Often staffed by too few representatives resulting in long lines, although the staff were friendly, a few did seem to need some more training (one admitted as such) and they were unsure of some procedures (like making cash deposits to your SeaPass account).

 

Casino

 

Didn’t appear too smoke filled, but again could have been the demographic aboard. Some of the slots seemed quite generous though.

 

Shops

Standard RCI types with regular ‘one off’ sales as usual. Well stocked but seemed short staffed.

 

Wi-Fi – appeared to work well around the ship, albeit slow as usual but with a mid-week half price offer overnight.

 

Food and Beverages

 

MDR was great for us with MTD. Staff attentive and very charming. Food is subjective, but we found it great.

 

Windjammer, never seemed too crowded, especially with the outdoor seating areas. Great choice as usual, fantastic service at the omelette station.

 

Park Café, good selection of snacks and fresh salads in the Solarium.

Well stocked coffee and soft beverage stations just outside the Windjammer and inside the Solarium.

 

Speciality Restaurants

 

Chops Grille – good with nice staff

Giovanni’s Table – good, but not great lunch

Izumi – not sampled

Rita’s Cantina – poor location, only listed as providing al a carte snacks for a fee. Venue uninviting so didn’t use, and apparently neither did anyone else

 

Cabin

 

Great aft location with fantastic wrap-around balcony with no superstructure to hinder the view.

Stateroom attendant was very friendly and did his job satisfactorily.

 

Service

 

Very inconsistent. In the Diamond lounge – excellent. MDR – great both at breakfast and dinner.

Windjammer – the service of coffee/juice is no longer offered by staff during breakfast & lunch which used to be the norm.

 

Bars – inconsistent. In some excellent with staff entering into conversation when quiet, in others terrible, especially when there were no customers, having to wait an age for wait staff, and bordering on downright rude in the Colony Club.

 

Disembarkation

 

At one port following a late morning scheduled arrival – chaotic and badly managed.

 

At Tampa, again poorly managed resulting nearly in a lap of the ship as detailed in my review. Immigration – poor for non-US residents, but no doubt due to federal cutbacks. This also applies to customs clearance too.

 

Conclusion – would I sail on Brilliance again? Yes, would I sail out of Tampa again? Yes. It was a great shorter cruise, but would have liked longer in Key West, an 11:30 am arrival is too late.

 

Hope you enjoyed it, we did.

[cmallie]

Loved your review and photos. On question-is there a theme night on this cruise? Sailing early April on Brilliance and I've read a couple of reviews that said there was. I think one was a 70's night

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[2catfamily]

Loved your review and photos. On question-is there a theme night on this cruise? Sailing early April on Brilliance and I've read a couple of reviews that said there was. I think one was a 70's night

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

There is a 70's night with the Cruise Director that does a wonderful job getting the crowd going with his cruise staff. If you like to learn the "Thriller Dance" and perform on the last night of the cruise, Steve teaches this in three practices. So bring something along for a zombie look if you would like to join. There are a lot of you tube video's of the past performance if you are interested.

[cmallie]

Thanks so much. I will inform my cruise mates!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[oceanlovinmama]

peteukmcr - Great review!! I'm leaving on the Brilliance on May 26th out of London. Nice pictures of the ship and I think I even spotted my balcony! It's on the bubble going out on the 8th deck. We are taking the Baltic cruise and staying in London a couple days first. There were 6 of us originally, but 4 dropped out due to the tension in Russia. They are afraid we won't dock in St. Petersburg. This is a 60th Bday cruise for my partner so I'm kinda bummed 4 friends dropped out. I totally understand their position though. Hey, strange question, but I think you are from northern UK, correct? London is south but would you have any suggestions on transportation to the ship in Harwich? Just curious if you've ever sailed from there. Anyway...until your next cruise, enjoy life!

[peteukmcr]

peteukmcr - Great review!! I'm leaving on the Brilliance on May 26th out of London. Nice pictures of the ship and I think I even spotted my balcony! It's on the bubble going out on the 8th deck. We are taking the Baltic cruise and staying in London a couple days first. There were 6 of us originally, but 4 dropped out due to the tension in Russia. They are afraid we won't dock in St. Petersburg. This is a 60th Bday cruise for my partner so I'm kinda bummed 4 friends dropped out. I totally understand their position though. Hey, strange question, but I think you are from northern UK, correct? London is south but would you have any suggestions on transportation to the ship in Harwich? Just curious if you've ever sailed from there. Anyway...until your next cruise, enjoy life!

Hi Katy, thanks for your kind feedback. As for getting to Harwich from London, the way we have done it in the past is by rail from London Liverpool St station. There are direct rail services to Harwich and some that involve 1 change. The rail station at Harwich is connected directly to the port terminal. However, I totally understand if people prefer an alternative method of transport if they have a lot of baggage to carry on and off trains.

 

Perhaps there is more info on the port board threads for departures from the UK.

[Chicagocrooza]

We are sailing on jewel next fall which I understand is a sister ship to Brilliance.

 

 

Library Lady, nice to see you here and am glad that you will be sailing on the Radiance Class, we are going to be on the Serenade in less than 2 weeks and a sister ship of the Jewel and Brilliance also.

 

:)

[Chicagocrooza]

Love your review and excellent photos, the best cure for a hangover is to sit at the back of the ship, open air and sip some coffee.

 

 

We are both a little hung-over from last nights activities but not badly so. We head to Windjammer again for breakfast and again sit outside to enjoy breakfast.

 

[librarylady19]

Library Lady, nice to see you here and am glad that you will be sailing on the Radiance Class, we are going to be on the Serenade in less than 2 weeks and a sister ship of the Jewel and Brilliance also.

 

:)

 

 

Thanks! Yes, we decided to branch out from X - I am probably one of the biggest fans of the s class ships but the US based itineraries are so boring! Our friend Deirdre convinced us to try both Azamara and RCCL - nice to keep our Elite benefits and have some variety too.

[Chicagocrooza]

Oh yeah, it's nice to be keep that status on RCCL, I know how much you love the S class on Celebrity and so did we, but the Radiance Class is famous and loved for it's reason, so we want to try it out as well. I think a smaller ship will allow us to be more relaxed. :D

 

 

Thanks! Yes, we decided to branch out from X - I am probably one of the biggest fans of the s class ships but the US based itineraries are so boring! Our friend Deirdre convinced us to try both Azamara and RCCL - nice to keep our Elite benefits and have some variety too.