Brilliance of the Seas

[ksrgatorfn]

Hi all! I am new here, although not a new cruiser. That said, I am going on the Brilliance of the Seas on it's June 28 departure, and am wondering a few things since I have never been on a RCCL ship before. :)

 

I am bringing a laptop and a camera charger. Both are North American plugs...do I need to bring a converter for them on the ship? Also, I read that this ship has internet in the cabins...does anyone know if it is wireless or ethernet, and do they provide a plug? :confused:

 

The last criuse I was on (Celebrity Century to the Carribean 7/04) they had the Soda deal where you paid for unlimited sodas, and they gave you a special Coke cup/mug that you had to use for each refill. Is that the same deal here or is it just added to your card? (While the mug was cool...it was a pain to carry around "just in case" you wanted a coke).:rolleyes:

 

while I can speak Spanish and some french. I am going to make the general assumption that the ships staff speak English? ;)

 

I think that is about it for now. I am getting pretty excited...well, except the conversion from Dollar to Euro is pretty bad right now....but I am waiting to see if it rebounds a bit before making the change.

 

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

[Host Karen]

First of all, welcome to CruiseCritic! You've come to the right place for the answers to your cruising questions.

 

I'm envious that you'll be sailing Brilliance in the Med -- my favorite ship and best cruise to date!! You will not need converters or adapters on the ship but you may need them if you are staying in Europe pre- or post-cruise. The Cybercabin service is not wireless. You will need to go to the purser's desk after you board to get a new phone and associated cables. They will provide instructions for how to hook the phone and your laptop up. Be warned: the connection is essentially dial up so it will be slow.

 

I believe if you purchase the soda plan, they put a sticker on your card. Another poster will be able to confirm that -- or correct me. :)

 

Yes, the crew, although from many different countries, speaks English.

 

Forgot to mention: If you have any questions about your time in the Med, be sure to check out the Europe Port of Call board. Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

Have a great cruise!

[ksrgatorfn]

Thanks! I am really excited about the cruise because 1: it is going to places I have never been before and 2: it means 2 weeks away from the office! :D

 

Dial up is better than nothing. When I was on the Century, I ended up going to internet cafe's in between excursions because it seemed teenagers were always camped on the ship's computers. This way, I'll also be able to send one or two pictures back to the folks at home during the course fo the cruise.

 

Any other suggestions as someone who has been on Brilliance several times? :D

[cb at sea]

Soda plan--yes, you have to carry that huge cup around with you. If you don't drink constantly, it may be easier just to buy one when you want one!

The plugs are American-style and almost everyone speaks English--(at least the folks you need to speak with!)

Brilliance is a great ship!! Have fun!

[critterchick]

I did see an email somewhere saying that all of the RCI ships are now equipped with WIFI, so you won't need Cybercabin anymore (unless it makes sense economically). The way it worked in January on Vision was: I went to the Internet cafe and created a user name & password. I returned to my cabin, fired up the laptop & the laptop found the Royal Wifi network. (it's not available everywhere on the ship, but we were lucky, I guess). Once connected, I picked a payment plan - it was .50/minute or I could buy a package of minutes for as low as .33/min (for 180 minutes as I recall). It was much faster access than the ship's computer terminals. If you're going to be on the Internet a lot and think that you'll spend more than the flat Cybercabin fee, then it's a matter of trading faster access for a lower bill.

 

The outlets are standard US power, so you won't need an adapter, although if you're staying overnight in Barcelona, you may want to bring the adapter & converter for Spain.

 

Also, check the Roll Call threads to see if there is a Cruise Critic group on your cruise. That's a great way to make new friends!

 

Have a great cruise!

[ksrgatorfn]

Thanks CB!

 

I see you are just a few miles South of me. ;) (Manassas)

 

Which of the Brilliance cruises did you go on?

[ksrgatorfn]

Thanks critterchick! What are Cruise critics roll calls? Is that a bunch of folks who will be on the same cruise?

[critterchick]

WE are Cruise Critics - that's the name of this cyber-community!:D

 

Here's the link to the Roll Call for your cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=177224

 

If you want to join in & chat with the people who have posted, just jump right in. You can also register for a Meet & Mingle party onboard the ship - if 25 people sign up, the ship will host a party (meaning they'll set aside a place for you to meet, provide some munchies and maybe iced tea or lemonade, plus some crewmembers may show up to mingle with you). Navigate to the Roll Call threads and I think there will be a post showing you how to sign up.

[lul113]

Welcome, just to clarify the soda deal.....

 

You are given a cup, which you can just give to the bar staff and they will fill it from the soda taps (NOT premium soda).

 

You also get a sticker that is placed on your seapass card. This sticker can be shown, and they will give you soda at any bar. You do not need to carry the cup around, and you always carry the card, so it is very easy if you don't have the cup.

 

We love the Brilliance, and she is a great choice for your first RCL ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[cruisersnorkler]

The sticker on the card is all you need. We never used the mug. The connection in the room is too too slow. Don't bother with it. People were frustrated with it and gave up. My husband went to hot spots with his lap top around the ship. The place he liked the best was the library. There were no kids there and sitting at a back desk was very quite. There, it is a much faster connection. He brought a plug strip for the room which worked nicely for the extras like my hair dryer.