*Live* Brilliance of the Seas Western Caribbean Jan7th-Jan12th!

[manders175]

Day 4 Cruise Compass: Cozumel. 

[manders175]

We did not eat dinner in the MDR this evening, we felt everything was on repetition and opted for a casual buffet in the Windjammer (it was Mexican night with nachos, burritos, and a chef making quesedillas).

 

Here is the MDR menu for night 4.

[njship3]

Just wanted to let you know I am enjoying your daily reports & pictures.  We sail on the Brilliance 4/29/19 - looks like a beautiful ship.  Enjoy!  (PS: I'm an explant from the Cleveland area now living in FL)

[lizzy911]

Thanks for the review so far. If you get a chance, could you let me know what the earliest time is for self debarkation? 

[SailorJeff66]

Manders, out of curiosity, are you using the RCCI app onboard? I found out after my cruise that Brilliance supports it. Curious how it actually works.

[lovesthebeach2]

On 1/3/2019 at 8:12 PM, CatLadyFemme said:

Excited to see this. We'll be on the Brillance in March (first time on that ship) and cannot wait.

 

If you can a chance, would you let us know if there is a specific GF section in the WJ? Some ships have it, some don't. I know I can always go track down and chef and have them pull stuff from the main kitchen,  but it was so nice to be able to pop in and grab a GF roll or dessert when in a hurry. Also excited to hear about what menus the MDR uses.

 

Thank you so much! Enjoy!!

 

Weve been on Brilliance many times and yes there’s a GF section in the WJ.

[lovesthebeach2]

On 1/8/2019 at 5:36 AM, BIBPhotography said:

I cant wait!  We will be sailing on Brilliance March 23 and it will be our first time on this ship!  We've only got one other cruise to compare it to and that was Freedom of the Seas this past June.  So looking forward to your review, we've already booked the same excursions as you.

Once again, thanks for letting us tag along!

Oh yea, I can't wait to sail under the bridge, LOL!

 

We love Brilliance more than Freedom class ships. There’s so much glass you have great views. We also like the schooner Bar better. In Freedom it’s outside the casino and so it’s smoky and no windows.

[manders175]

2 hours ago, lizzy911 said:

Thanks for the review so far. If you get a chance, could you let me know what the earliest time is for self debarkation? 

Per the letter we got self assist is between 7:30 and 8am in the Pacifica Theatre. 

[manders175]

Here is the Cruise Compass for Day 5, At Sea. 

[manders175]

This morning we did the All Access Ship Tour. It was incredible hearing how these ships operate. They are very much so a well oiled machine. 

The tour took us to different spots including the galley, the laundry facilities, the garbage/trash/recycling facilities, the engine control room, and the bridge where the captains are.

Here are a few pics. You are allowed to take pictures but no video. Also long pants and closed toed shoes are required. This tour lasts about 2 hours. 

[manders175]

2 hours ago, SailorJeff66 said:

Manders, out of curiosity, are you using the RCCI app onboard? I found out after my cruise that Brilliance supports it. Curious how it actually works.

SailorJeff, 

I have the Royal app and Brilliance does support it. I didn't use it at all. If you need to see what the events are and aren't near your compass it could be helpful, but we didn't need it. 

[manders175]

After the all access tour we went up to deck 12 aft to play some miniature golf. This is a 9 hole putt putt course. You will also find the rock wall back here.

Just underneath both of these, or deck 11 aft, is the basketball course and kids play area with a splash pool and water slide. Fyi, adults, you will get stuck on the slide if you try to go down it. Lol. 

[dpostman]

 

What are your impressions of the onboard Wi-Fi service, did you have the Voom Surf & Stream package?

 

And BTW, thanks for all the info & pics

dp

Edited January 12, 2019 by dpostman

[dpostman]

3 hours ago, manders175 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now there is somebody with a nice hat 😉

 

dp

[manders175]

Dinner was in the MDR again tonight. Finally the duck! Lol. That is our favorite and tonight did not disappoint.

 

I had the Lobster Bisque for an appetizer. Not had this much lobster in the soup in a very long time. Was excellent. 

 

Dessert was the No Sugar Added Peach Shortcake. 

[manders175]

41 minutes ago, dpostman said:

 

What are your impressions of the onboard Wi-Fi service, did you have the Voom Surf & Stream package?

 

And BTW, thanks for all the info & pics

dp

Dpostman,

Yes I did have the Surf & Stream package. It worked great for me! No issues even with uploading photos! 

[Lovetotraveltami]

Thank you and hope you had a great time!  Did you like your portexcursions?

[Adian80]

Thanks for all your posts! We can't wait to get on tomorrow! 

[SailorZorro]

Thanks so much for the review. My parents are taking me on this itinerary Feb. 9 for my birthday. I’m so excited to go and have been looking for any information. Day 2 is my actual birthday, and I’m glad that’s formal night because I love to dress up. Do you happen to remember what the menu was for that night? We are trying to decide between MDR and a specialty restaurant, but we all love seafood and don’t want to miss that night in the MDR. This is the third cruise for me and my mom, but we haven’t been on the Brilliance or one that size. 

[dpostman]

5 hours ago, SailorZorro said:

Thanks so much for the review. My parents are taking me on this itinerary Feb. 9 for my birthday. I’m so excited to go and have been looking for any information. Day 2 is my actual birthday, and I’m glad that’s formal night because I love to dress up. Do you happen to remember what the menu was for that night? We are trying to decide between MDR and a specialty restaurant, but we all love seafood and don’t want to miss that night in the MDR. This is the third cruise for me and my mom, but we haven’t been on the Brilliance or one that size. 

 

Just to help out, I remembered having seen it in one of her earlier posts here

dp

Edited January 12, 2019 by dpostman

[manders175]

12 minutes ago, dpostman said:

 

Just to help out, I remembered having seen it in one of her earlier posts here

dp

Thank you dpostman!

[manders175]

We decided to do the self embarkation off the ship. Per the letter we got in our stateroom yesterday, it would start at 7:30 am meeting in the Pacifica Theatre on Deck 5. 

At 7:10 they started letting us off the ship and less than 10 minutes later we were out of the terminal!!

I will post a few other random thoughts on our cruise shortly but all in all we had a fabulous time! 

[kelbell]

Welcome back!   Really enjoyed all the pics and info. Do you remember if

the Windjammer had bread pudding? LOL  I just love RC bread pudding.

Thank you again for taking time out of your vacation to bring us

along!!!!

 

[manders175]

4 minutes ago, kelbell said:

Welcome back!   Really enjoyed all the pics and info. Do you remember if

the Windjammer had bread pudding? LOL  I just love RC bread pudding.

Thank you again for taking time out of your vacation to bring us

along!!!!

 

Yes! I do remember there was bread pudding!

[manders175]

One of the fun highlights of our trip was the Men's International Belly Flop competition on the last sea day. Obviously a crowd favorite!