"LIVE" from the Brilliance of the Seas 2/18 and 2/22 BTB

[Yorkvillain]

Great start. Have fun!

[cruisingsince94]

Vacation has officially begun....

 

 

"Mystery" egg strata....I don't even want to know what's in this sausage! Note second Bloody Mary in the foreground....liquid courage needed before I dig into this yummy meal.....

 

 

 

Next up, photos from Tampa!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Wow, for all those who complain about the food in the WJ or MDR, how would this work for you?

[SoALcruiser]

We will be joining you on the first leg of your B2B. This is our first cruise on Brilliance. We drove to Ocala today, and will be in Tampa early tomorrow. Ready to sail! Looking forward to your review when I get home; no electronics for us this week.

Happy sailing!

Kaye

[niksmom630]

It's officially Day 1! And I have been awake since 4:30 a.m. 😳

 

We enjoyed a nice dinner at the Rusty Pelican last night. The views were stunning, and it was a very short walk from the Sailport.

 

This small pond provided for some great afternoon entertainment yesterday....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[niksmom630]

The sunset.....

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[jenlaur]

We are sailing Brilliance on 2/27. We will just miss you. Love your Golden. We have 3

[jules815]

We sailed on Brilliance last year and really enjoyed it. Also from Chicagoland...enjoy the warm weather!! :)

 

Your Golden is beautiful! I'm a pet sitter and have quite a few Golden clients. Always my favorites!

Edited February 18, 2016 by jules815

[niksmom630]

Yesterday afternoon I discovered I made a BIG mistake---AT&T recently offered an unlimited data family plan, and I switched over from my 20GB package to the new plan, which saved me a few $$.... However, somewhere buried in the fine print...no "tethering".....so I am no longer able to establish a hot spot using my iPhone. Since I am downloading all my camera photos to the iPad, I am now completely dependent on WiFi.....😡 feeling pretty salty about this....

 

 

While the views and property are lovely, I probably would not stay here again....all of the units are individually owned, and our unit is pretty tired looking. The "convenience" store located on the property has a very limited selection and the onsite restaurant that just opened is nothing more than an oversized trailer next to the pool. I don't think there are any breakfast options onsite...

 

Here are a few "ho hum" interior photos....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Clarea]

Beautiful sunset photos.:)

[jimbri]

Photos are great!

[niksmom630]

Thanks for all the nice comments from those of you following along. In an effort to make this "readable" I'm not going to quote each one!

 

For you "Golden" lovers out there, we actually have two 😊

 

 

Well, I'm off to see if I can scrounge up a granola bar to tide me over...we arranged for a shuttle to pick us up at 10 a.m....next post from Port of Tampa!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[A&L_Ont]

Chris when life gives you salt, you need to have tequila. It might have helped you in sleeping in too. :p

[LuCruise]

Great review so far and you're not even on the ship.

Such beautiful retrievers. I had one as a kid and they are the gentle kind dogs.

[Locobill49]

Sailing on Apr 4 on Brilliance for 5 days. Did this same itnerary 2 years ago.

[roswellcruiser]

Hope you have a terrific time. I did a B2B on Brilliance in January and cruised solo. Enjoyed every minute of the cruise. Especially liked the band Kronos. This group is amazing. They play a variety of music and appeal to both young and old.

[rnr4thatsme]

Really looking forward to seeing your pictures of the public areas on the ship! Debating whether this will be my next...

[niksmom630]

Arrived at the terminal at 10:30. Onboard and in the Windjammer by 10:50 [emoji106] bought the premium beverage package ... No discounts for c & a.....they also had a table set up in the boarding area selling the various packages.... The line was long, so I purchased mine at the pool bar

 

 

 

Had to turn off Wifi.... Keeps prompting me to sign up for Internet package! [emoji23]

[StretchamI]

Keep posting as much as you can. We'll be on the Brilliance Dec. 3rd for the fifth time. We have done 3 - eleven day cruises on her and 1 - twelve day Med. cruise on her. My far our favorite ship.

Stretch

[mmcruise]

Following! I'm going on this cruise in two weeks. Thanks for sharing!

[niksmom630]

A few photos from this afternoon before the rooms were ready....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[niksmom630]

Cabin photos... We are on Deck 7 forward....these cabins have a larger balcony....

 

 

 

This room is a connecting cabin...

 

 

 

Dreaded shower curtain....

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[monctonguy]

Great pics...makes me wish I was there right now...weather looks really nice...can't wait to enjoy the weekend in Tampa if its going to be that nice when I am there starting tmrw.

 

Cant wait to see some pics posted from inside the ship....

[niksmom630]

Chris' packing tip of the day.....no need to fight with the slimy bar soap all week, if you bring along one of these....

 

 

Best packing tip I ever got on CC , pictured below! Thanks, Bob! (Clarea)

 

 

So, out of curiosity, when did the C &A water that used to be Evian get replaced with this knock off brand? I don't mean to nit pick, but I used to swap these out for the tepid water bottles in the fridge, and just made sure I kept the same initial quantity in the fridge....guess I should remove the Evian....maybe there's an up charge over the Ice River Springs! 😂😂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[CruisinMomma2]

We will be taking our 1st Royal cruise on board the Brilliance next January. The long wait is killing me especially when I see others already enjoying her. I will be following your posts over the next week. Love the pics:)

[niksmom630]

Great pics...makes me wish I was there right now...weather looks really nice...can't wait to enjoy the weekend in Tampa if its going to be that nice when I am there starting tmrw.

 

 

 

Cant wait to see some pics posted from inside the ship....

 

 

Will definitely post ship pics tomorrow...at sail away now. I'm an early riser so I tend to photograph the venues when they are empty [emoji4]