comments on our Brilliance cruise

[kimberlym4]

Just wanted to offer a few comments on our Brilliance cruise this past week. We are a married couple in our 40’s who traveled without our teenage kids. I have cruised the Majesty several times and my husband has cruised the Majesty once before. I was excited to try a different ship and a slightly longer (5 vs. 3 night) cruise. Here are some comments in no particular order about our trip, which, by the way, we totally enjoyed overall!

* Checking in in Tampa was very easy. Arrived at 11 and was on the ship within about 10 minutes.

* Was somewhat disappointed in boarding the ship. On the Majesty you enter at the Centrum and there were lots of waiters with drinks of the day to greet you. On the Brilliance you entered in a less impressive way down a hallway no one really greeting you. No biggie, lasted only a few minutes as we quickly began exploring the ship.

* We got the drink package. Debated it for weeks before. We weren't sure we could drink our share EVERYDAY. Plus, I am not above smuggling, which we have done in the past, so we could have saved by doing that. However, in the end, we decided the package was worth it for the following reasons... I didn't keep a running tally in my head of how much we were spending - which is a daily problem for me in my everyday life…lol. We both tried things that we wouldn't have tried without the package and we both discarded beers and drinks that had gotten warm. We also took advantage of the soda and bottle water options which helped make it worth it. We didn't have to worry about returning to our room for smuggled alcohol. I guess in the end, getting the package for me was like buying an expensive purse (which I don’t do!) is for some other people. No one needs to spend that much for a bag to hold a credit card and some make up but it gives some people happiness to do so. My drink package was your Coach purse. I didn't need it but it made me happy and in the end made me less stressed. Now, I will say that if we ever went on a longer cruise I’d have to rethink our decision. After 3 or so days of easily breaking even, I’m not sure we did so on the last one or two. But still worth it for us this time. Also - we did have to sign for EVERY drink but never noticed poor service due to our having the package.

* Our room… LOVED it. LOVED our room steward. Loved that we had a couch and a bed that was very comfortable. But especially LOVED our balcony. Put us in the category of “having a hard time going without one now.” A lot of people say they don’t spend much time on theirs. But we did. Also loved just being able to feel fresh air in the room.

* The entertainment… the headlining evening shows (musicals and comedians) were great. Really enjoyed them. The entertainers at the various venues were VERY talented, but they played the most subdued music. Pablo was in the Schooner bar and dang he knows the guitar! But the songs were so mellow! I love Stairway to Heaven but not when I’m trying to gear up for a fun, exciting evening. The same was true of the piano player in the Schooner. Talented but mellow. There was a guy who played more Buffet-type guitar music in the Pub. Unfortunately, he was… not as talented. The band that played at the pool was good but they only played for short periods of time. I do understand that passengers have different feelings about what is "good" music and it must be difficult for the cruise line to try to please everyone.

* Speaking of the pool… Why is the pool deck so small? I didn't expect less space than on the Majesty. I was always able to find a chair but that’s because I was either alone or with just my husband. It would have been harder to find chairs for a bigger group. OH – and what is with the naked sculpture of the women lounging at the end of the pool. We are far from prudes but it wasn't just the nakedness but the placement of the thing. She’s right where people stand to go in (she takes up valuable pool area!) and people lean on her. In doing so, they touch her in inappropriate places! Lol… one 10 year old boys sort of sat on her head/face. Just a weird thing to have by the pool. Haha.

* The Solarium… was just OK. I think if they had music in there it would have been 10 times better. But all the sounds echo in the room and when you lay there and close your eyes it feels like you are in a bus station or something.

* Note – Florida kids get the whole week of Thanksgiving off. And every Tampa family took their kids on this cruise! We had lots of kids. However, I must say that we thought they were all very well behaved and I didn't notice any of them doing things that they shouldn't… except for the one boy who was cannonballing into the pool – while his grandfather watched and everyone around him got soaked. He was easily overlooked though.

* The Main Dining room was great. Had escargot every night and lobster one night. We did My Time Dining. Made a slightly different reservation time every night. Each night we were seated within 1 minute and each night we sat at the same table with the same wait staff. We didn't try the specialty restaurants – no real need for us to pay when we love the MDR. Similarly, we liked the Windjammer. We thought it was clean and the food was tasty. Also liked the sandwiches and panini’s in the Park Café.

I think that’s it! Can’t wait till the next cruise! Let me know if you have any questions.

[jules815]

Thanks for your review. I'll be sailing on Brilliance in January and can't wait.

[janeyzee]

Thanks for your thoughts. We will be on Brilliance in March and didn't know what to expect from the boarding process in Tampa. Glad to know it was quick and easy.

 

 

Tapatalk posting

[tsconley19]

Enjoyed your review, sailing on the 11th. Looking forward to our first time on a Radiance Class ship.

Tom

[leinhto]

Great review. We sail in Jan. I wonder how different JOS is from BOS. I don't recall the naked sculptures on JOS.

[kimberlym4]

Not sure about JOS. Just to be clear, there was only one sculpture. It is just an odd place for her. Wonder if there is any significance to her. I am trying to attach a picture but not sure you will be able to see it well. She is reclining just to the right of the hot tub.

[dagadget]

Enjoyed your review, sailing on the 11th. Looking forward to our first time on a Radiance Class ship.

Tom

 

Cathy and I were on this same cruise and it was very enjoyable we had My Time dining as well and had the same wait staff each night. One the last night some people just walked in and sat where they wanted and that made the wait staff a little upset. But we got the same staff the same anyway. Peter and Francisco were fabulous.

[leinhto]

Not sure about JOS. Just to be clear, there was only one sculpture. It is just an odd place for her. Wonder if there is any significance to her. I am trying to attach a picture but not sure you will be able to see it well. She is reclining just to the right of the hot tub.

They must have just put it in. I looked up online pics and videos and saw cruises as recent as Jan 2014 where it was not there.

[Podie]

I was also on the Nov. 22 Brilliance cruise and was impressed with everything except the casino. Everything is so old and the smoke smell is horrible. There were even ashes laying on things. I spend a lot on gambling on Celebrity because their casinos are quite modern and don't allow smoking.

 

The two times I was in the solarium, I enjoyed an impromptu "Phantom of the Opera" concert from one of the passengers who had an amazing voice. I didn't get a chance to ask him if he'd been in the show but he was certainly talented enough.

 

I was super impressed with the food. I'm going on Vision next Saturday and will be pleasantly surprised if the food is that good.

[roseshayit]

We'll be on Brilliance in a few weeks, so very nice to hear about your experience!

[cruiseapril]

How were the ports?

[kimberlym4]

The ports were great. Spent an afternoon walking around Key West and sampling the local food and drink. We were going to rent scooters but changed our minds as we pop in various places along the way to the Southernmost Point. Once there, the walk back was going to be waayyy too long after all the food and drink so we took a buggy pulled by a bike rider. Took about 15 minutes and cost about $20. WELL worth it at that point. :)

 

In Cozumel we snorkeled at the Money Bar. Cab ride was $10 each. Once there, there were several packages to chose from or you could bring your own equipment. We spent $40 each for equipment, 30 minutes with a guide, a lunch entree and a cocktail. The water was beautiful, the fish were amazing and the guide really helpful. The Money Bar just has a very small beach area, a good size restaurant and a "ramp" to walk down into the water. We both had tacos for lunch and they were very good. Really only stayed for a couple of hours then went back to the ship to enjoy already paid for food and our already paid for drink package and the less crowded pool deck. Fun day.

[Podie]

My cabinmate and I used to live in Key West, so while there we just visited friends and ate at Hogfish Grill on Stock Island.

 

Went back to Nachi Cocum in Cozunel, love their all-inclusive!

[Big_G]

They must have just put it in. I looked up online pics and videos and saw cruises as recent as Jan 2014 where it was not there.

 

March 2005:

 

[MuffyKismet]

What night is formal night on this itinerary? We leave Saturday Dec 6th on the Brilliance!!!

[Sailor_Sally]

What night is formal night on this itinerary? We leave Saturday Dec 6th on the Brilliance!!!

 

Formal night was the third night .

[nolesrule]

I love Brilliance. She's currently my favorite ship, and the only ship I've sailed more than once (although Enchantment will be joining the ranks in 3 weeks).

 

So far we've done the 4 night Cozumel and 5 night Grand Cayman/Cozumel. We have the 5 night Key West/Cozumel scheduled in late March that we booked before we moved from Florida. Hopefully we will still be able to do it.

[MuffyKismet]

Formal night was the third night .

 

Thank you so much!

[janeyzee]

Have any of you been on Brilliance lately? I was wondering what type of entertainment is on this class of ship. Have done Oasis and Allure most recently and didn't know how scaled back the entertainment was on the other classes of ships.

[QTBabyNurse]

Just to let you know....Florida kids don't always get all of Thanksgiving week off. Most school districts factor in Hurricane Days and if they don't use them by Thanksgiving week, then they get the whole week off.

 

 

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[Podie]

Just off Brilliance. I don't go to shows but heard the comedian/ventriloquist was very funny. The aerial show in the Centrum was cancelled, no reason given. There was an excellent guitarist in the Schooner Lounge, and some very talented ladies playing violin, cello, and piano. There was also a pool bar (ok) which sometimes played the Centrum. Except for 80's night at the Centrum (which was lots of fun), most of the music in the Centrum was ballroom dancing type stuff.

[janeyzee]

Just off Brilliance. I don't go to shows but heard the comedian/ventriloquist was very funny. The aerial show in the Centrum was cancelled, no reason given. There was an excellent guitarist in the Schooner Lounge, and some very talented ladies playing violin, cello, and piano. There was also a pool bar (ok) which sometimes played the Centrum. Except for 80's night at the Centrum (which was lots of fun), most of the music in the Centrum was ballroom dancing type stuff.

 

 

Thanks for the info. Do they advertise the Centrum show? Where do you sit for that, or is it just a stand up wherever you can see it kind of show?

 

 

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[Colorado Babe]

We sailed on the Brillance for a NE cruise in October. I must say -- The staff and the food in the MDR was one of the best ever. We were amazed how great the food was. We also agreed that it was one of our best cruises thus far. Kudo's to the staff in the Diamond Lounge--They took care of our very big group and service was exemplary. Our room steward was awesome as well. Never bothered us but when we saw him he was very friendly and personable.