Brilliance vs Rhapsody out of Tampa

[PinkSand26]

Hi All,

We want to take a last minute cruise out of Tampa next month(Feb)(we live 45 min from port and want to leave out of this port for convenience and timing with work schedules). Our options are the Brilliance for 5 nights(Cozumel/Cayman Islands) or Rhapsody for 7 nights(4 stops western Caribbean). The price difference is only about $250 total for the 4 of us(husband, myself and 2 young kids(3 & 6). I know I could get a better ship if I went to Miami or FLL but that is not in our plans right now so I am going to take one of these two.

 

Has anyone been on both or either and think one or the other would be better? I'm leaning towards the Brilliance because it looks like it has a better pool area for kids and is a little bigger ship overall but curious to hear your responses. Trying to figure out if the extra 2 nights and 2 stops is well worth it and we should go on the Rhapsody. I'm torn because 5 nights and two stops with little kids might be better... or will I be mad I didn't get one for the extra 2 nights once I'm on it? LOL

 

Thank you for helping a torn mom! 

Edited January 4, 2020 by PinkSand26

[Clarea]

Brilliance has a kiddie pool with slide.

[alfaeric]

IHMO.....

Size wise, the ships are very similar.  Look wise, we would prefer the Brilliance- the design is nicer.  I kind of remember that the pool area is a little better on the Brilliance than Rhapsody, as Bob pointed out.

 

But, to us, the ships are so similar that the deciding factor would be the itinerary.  Which one can you find fun things to do for your family.  $250 is so very close in price, that makes it a lot easier to weigh them w/o the price.

 

Back to your original question- we do think the Brilliance is a nicer overall ship.

Edited January 4, 2020 by alfaeric

[MommaBear55]

I prefer Brilliance, but I prefer 7 days and the Caribbean over 5 days and Cozumel/Cayman. If you end up going to Grand Cayman, your kids would love the Turtle Sanctuary, they can hold them!

[DoctorWhoGirl]

I haven’t sailed Rhapsody (yet), but when I sailed Brilliance last month I fell in love with her. In fact, I’m sailing her again in four weeks and can’t wait for my youngest son, 11, to experience a smaller ship. Last month was a rare 7 day cruise without the kids and we loved all the public venues where you could relax and enjoy ocean views. Our favorite place was the outdoor seating area for Windjammer - rarely crowded and nice and quiet compared to the activities closer to the main pool. I think there are still things to keep the kids busy on a shorter cruise and wouldn’t hesitate to take both of our kids with us on Brilliance. 

[nivek82]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

Brilliance has a kiddie pool with slide.

What Bob said.... For the ages you listed I would do the Brilliance instead.  Now if you can move your weeks around you can do a B2B on the Brilliance.  You leave on a Saturday and depart on a Monday but if you're only 45 minutes away you can do express walk off and get to work by 9 (of course that is if there isn't a fog delay.)  We have done this many times and you do have to remember that second Sunday you have to "work" the next day so it has to be an earlier night than other nights but it's a good exchange for 9 nights instead of 7.

[PinkSand26]

27 minutes ago, nivek82 said:

What Bob said.... For the ages you listed I would do the Brilliance instead.  Now if you can move your weeks around you can do a B2B on the Brilliance.  You leave on a Saturday and depart on a Monday but if you're only 45 minutes away you can do express walk off and get to work by 9 (of course that is if there isn't a fog delay.)  We have done this many times and you do have to remember that second Sunday you have to "work" the next day so it has to be an earlier night than other nights but it's a good exchange for 9 nights instead of 7.

What a fantastic idea!

[kruzerci]

I would do Rhapsody. The Vision and Radiance class are pretty similar. The kiddie area on Brilliance is so small I wouldn’t let that be a deciding factor. It is nothing like splashaway bay or an h2o zone on other ships. 

[John&LaLa]

57 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

I would do Rhapsody. The Vision and Radiance class are pretty similar. The kiddie area on Brilliance is so small I wouldn’t let that be a deciding factor. It is nothing like splashaway bay or an h2o zone on other ships. 

 

Its closed a lot as well

[island lady]

As far as ships go...I prefer the Brilliance (as well as her other 3 sisters) to the Rhapsody, though I love them both.  

 

The reason I am doing Rhapsody over Brilliance next month (again) is because it is a 7 night versus 5 night.  (Actually doing B2B).  

[Norwich Cruiser]

For the price difference I’d definitely sail on Rhapsody and as kruzerci correctly says the kiddies area is extremely small.

[shipshape sam]

8 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

Brilliance has a kiddie pool with slide.

 

Absent any specific benefit of one over the other that you will have to place a value on, I like more days always.

 

We enjoyed Brilliance on a 5 day cruise a few years ago out of Tampa.  Would sail her again.  As mentioned, check on pool for kids and other kid activities.

[retired dude]

we live in clearwater and like the brilliance. Very comfortable ship and great staff...We have not sailed the  rhapsody for that reason and the fact the brilliance is much more reasonably priced  if you break down the rates per day....We are doing a back to back on brilliance for half of today's published rates,,,,,just a matter of buying at the right time which for these ships is many months in advance...I never see the rhapsody for less than $1000 for the 7-day balcony and the brilliance can be an absolute bargain compared to those rates if booked in advance....Don't know what to say about the kid experience as we have no kids..I am still trying to figure out how parents take their urchins out of school whenever they want to for cruises.  When i grew up you needed an edict from the president take a child out of class for a single day.....liked it better then.

[PinkSand26]

3 hours ago, retired dude said:

we live in clearwater and like the brilliance. Very comfortable ship and great staff...We have not sailed the  rhapsody for that reason and the fact the brilliance is much more reasonably priced  if you break down the rates per day....We are doing a back to back on brilliance for half of today's published rates,,,,,just a matter of buying at the right time which for these ships is many months in advance...I never see the rhapsody for less than $1000 for the 7-day balcony and the brilliance can be an absolute bargain compared to those rates if booked in advance....Don't know what to say about the kid experience as we have no kids..I am still trying to figure out how parents take their urchins out of school whenever they want to for cruises.  When i grew up you needed an edict from the president take a child out of class for a single day.....liked it better then.

Thanks. We decided on the Brilliance.

My "urchins" are allowed up to 10 days out of public school for time with family such as this. For us, this is 3 days out of school of invaluable family time. I think our Kindergartner will manage in the long run with these few missed days. :) 

[Ballwin Babe]

On 1/5/2020 at 2:59 PM, PinkSand26 said:

Thanks. We decided on the Brilliance.

My "urchins" are allowed up to 10 days out of public school for time with family such as this. For us, this is 3 days out of school of invaluable family time. I think our Kindergartner will manage in the long run with these few missed days. 🙂

There are SO many ways to teach during this time (especially at this age).  Counting change, reading the signs to find your cabin, reviewing the newsletter to understand what's offered at what time, asking what they notice that's different when they go ashore, and on and on.  We never hesitated to take our daughter out through about 3rd grade.  The "lessons" got more involved as she got older, and often involved solving a temporary problem.