Briiliance Terminal in Barcelona

[MamaBirdie85]

Help! What terminal will the Briliance be at for the June 3 sailing? DD is signing on and we need to get a plan set! :confused:

[Olderbutwiser]

We just came back from a cruise to Eastern Med on Brill of Sea. The terminal was Moll D'Adossat Terminal.

The ship was great but the food was a major disappointment. There was no 'Luster' or 'Excitement' in the various dishes served. No more Lobster. Just schrimp.Lots of LAMB dishes were on the main menue. Portions were very small. The main dining room windows were very cruddy looking, Dirty streaks and a coating of grime were on all the dining room windows. Disgraceful. I think RCL has cut staffing. The waiter service in main dining room was OK but there seemed to be long waits in between courses. There were times when we felt abandoned.

It wasn't just us either. Believe me when I say that everyone was complaining about the boring food choices. Windjammer served the same stuff everyday, day in and day out. Even that was 'dull' for cruise ship food that used to be be outstanding. What do folks talk about on cruises?? FOOD?? Well, let me tell you, there was plenty of talk and it was very negative.

No more Chocolates on the pillows. The orange juice was crap. Of course, they had a 'Fresh squezzze" juice machine in the jammer but it cost extra. They ran out of lemonade once or twice and served water.

It was obvious that RCL has decided to cut the food menue to everyday style dinners that 'Mom' used to served when we were little.

It was also obvious to us that passengers were VERY unhappy about the food served. Royal Crib better be careful or they'll be losing customers when folks start to read about the low grade food RCL has decided to try and push on folks. You won't starve, but the exotic dishes don't exist on RCL anymore.

[sddsddean]

Heres a map of the port. Brilliance will dock in Moll d'Adossat, normally in berth A or B. http://www.barcelonayellow.com/content/view/193/

If you look at the photo below, the 2 NCL ships are in berths A and B, though the RCI ships normally berth the other way round (facing right).

 

Simon

[ShipsInBergen]

Just to let you know, in the terminal where Brilliance docked for our recent eastern med cruise, the duty free shopping is AFTER the last security check, so if you want to can buy a couple of bottles of wine, place them in your carry-on and noone stops to take them from you. Many people on the boat did this, and nobody had a problem.

 

And to reassure you, we had a fantastic time on the Brilliance. The food was fine (not 5*, but chops is there for that) and we had great waiters and service every night. Don't be put off by the negative comments above!

[Sue L]

We just came back from a cruise to Eastern Med on Brill of Sea. The terminal was Moll D'Adossat Terminal.

The ship was great but the food was a major disappointment. There was no 'Luster' or 'Excitement' in the various dishes served. No more Lobster. Just schrimp.Lots of LAMB dishes were on the main menue. Portions were very small. The main dining room windows were very cruddy looking, Dirty streaks and a coating of grime were on all the dining room windows. Disgraceful. I think RCL has cut staffing. The waiter service in main dining room was OK but there seemed to be long waits in between courses. There were times when we felt abandoned.

It wasn't just us either. Believe me when I say that everyone was complaining about the boring food choices. Windjammer served the same stuff everyday, day in and day out. Even that was 'dull' for cruise ship food that used to be be outstanding. What do folks talk about on cruises?? FOOD?? Well, let me tell you, there was plenty of talk and it was very negative.

No more Chocolates on the pillows. The orange juice was crap. Of course, they had a 'Fresh squezzze" juice machine in the jammer but it cost extra. They ran out of lemonade once or twice and served water.

It was obvious that RCL has decided to cut the food menue to everyday style dinners that 'Mom' used to served when we were little.

It was also obvious to us that passengers were VERY unhappy about the food served. Royal Crib better be careful or they'll be losing customers when folks start to read about the low grade food RCL has decided to try and push on folks. You won't starve, but the exotic dishes don't exist on RCL anymore.

 

 

Just had clients on the Brilliance who were RAVING about the food and how everything was so beautiful . This was their 47th cruise and they have been sailing for 30 years and couldn't say enough.

[oldandslow]

We are sailing on Brilliance on June 3rd as well. Not sure if you are aware of it, but there is a pretty extensive roll call going for this sailing at the link below:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=762775

There are a couple of people that are looking for others to join their private tours so you might want to check that out.

I am organizing a pre-cruise get together in Barcelona on June 2. If you are interested in joining us on the 2nd reply to one of the posts on the roll call and let me know so I can let the restaurant know how many to expect.

Looking forward to seeing you on the cruise!

Help! What terminal will the Briliance be at for the June 3 sailing? DD is signing on and we need to get a plan set! :confused:

[ricntina]

Old and Slow:

Don't pay any attention to that very Negative Review. We were recently on the Brilliance with your itinerary and it was great. Am sure you will enjoy meeting Sheila and Andre too.

Rick

[oldandslow]

Rick,

 

Thanks for the encouraging words. Not really sure what to expect since I have been reading about all the cutbacks, but I do know that I won't go hungry or have to cook any of meals myself so I should be good.

 

And yes, I am greatly looking forward to meeting Sheila and Andre - we have a very active roll call for this cruise - feels like I already know most of them.

 

Old and Slow:

Don't pay any attention to that very Negative Review. We were recently on the Brilliance with your itinerary and it was great. Am sure you will enjoy meeting Sheila and Andre too.

Rick

[Rala]

Just had clients on the Brilliance who were RAVING about the food and how everything was so beautiful . This was their 47th cruise and they have been sailing for 30 years and couldn't say enough.

 

We were on Brilliance just two months ago and everything was delightful. The ship was very clean, service was great and the food was very good. I will say that the food is not like what you got 15 or 20 years ago, but a far cry from what Olderbutwiser was describing. I wonder when was the last time he/she cruised? An example....most folks know that lobster has not been served on many RCI ships for quite awhile now. Also, we had lamb once and it was those delicious little baby chops...one of the best meals we had onboard.

 

Go with an open mind and I'll bet you have a wonderful cruise!

[Olderbutwiser]

On my last post, the comments about the food were given because I have been on a few cruises that served outstanding menues. I am very aware that Lobster has not been served on board for a while now. Cost cutting?? Shrimp is cheaper. That is exactly my point I was making. As RALA stated in their comments, "They had lamb chops and it was the best meal they had on board". You can have lamb chops at home. How often do you have LOBSTER at home?? This is what I mean. They are cutting down on the most important time of a cruise, in my opinion. The quality of exciting menues has decreased from what menues used to be offered. Maybe some folks think what they're getting is OK, but I think we're loseing the thrill of outstanding meals. I can honestly say, I get better servings in my local resturants. What happened in the last few years??? My last cruise was on RCL in 2005 where the meals were out of this world. You are right about the lenth of time when I was on one last. Due to Illness, it's been a few years.

On the Brill of Seas, I wish to say the service was excellent from the staff, the ship itself was in tiptop condition. State rooms were outstanding and beds very comfy. Entertainment shows were excellent. I have no complaints what so ever of the cruise ship and the ports of call. It was what I expected from RCL.

My concern was the food and I will stand by my comments that the menues were nothing to rave about. They were not awful or uneatable. They were just smaller portions and not as exciting as to what I have experienced in past cruises.

It was just not me making these observations. While at the Barcelona Airport, waiting for our flight home , we engaged a few folks that we recognized as sailing companions in conversation. The topic of discussion turned to the types of meals served on the ship and the 10 folks there all had the same comment. It was not what it used to be on Royal Carb. And they were Diamond members. One possible explanation given was that it was a European cruise and the way meals are served, are smaller in portions than what Americans are use to and placed on top of each other and more displays of fancy sauce on the rims of the plates.. The ship was a floating United Nations on board and that might explain the servings. Maybe Europeans like shrimp more than lobster. I feel that on a cruise, lobster would be more to the level of exciting cruising than plain old shrimp cocktail. I can't say I starved on my 11 days on board. The meals were OK but just missing that something special that makes a cruise, a cruise to write home about.

BUT!! I can tell dirty windows from clean windows and the windows on the Main dining room were filthy. They were that way on the first day and remained dirty on the 11 th day. Our stateroom windows got a cleaning around the 3rd port of call. These all should have been cleaned before sailing from Barcelona. Cutting Staff?? I even checked out other comments from other Cruise critics on this site and there were a few that mentioned the ship was great, the ports were fine, entertainment was good. But RCL could do better in the menue department.

I'm sure that anyone taking a cruise on BOS will have fun and should not be discouraged from going. Maybe my expectations are too high. Ummmm. Lobster vs Shrimp. What would you prefer?

[hellosailer]

Hmm.... we were on the Brill for 21 days in Feb/March.

 

I honestly didn't notice whether the windows were dirty or not. The DR is at a low level and keeping free of salt etc. unless in perfect summer conditions is difficult. I suspect that in these times, the staff are fully employed on keeping the interior as clean as possible, to avoid viruses etc. Obviously, we are not that picky - dirty windows at sea, are not a problem for us - but everyone has a right to be critical.

 

As for the food - well, we thought it was extremely good - great variety to suit all tastes. The lobster was never very good - not possible when serving 2,000 meals in a couple of hours. However, lamb is very expensive at home and we really appreciated the lamb meals - also the steak every evening!! Not too sure about the Asian selection every night - I wonder how popular that is?

 

Portions are smaller in Europe and in the best restaurants in the US, they are following this trend - presentation is all important!! The crucial difference is that on a cruise you can just request an extra dish - free!!:D:D The food waste on ships is sinful - smaller portions beautifully presented, are appreciated by many. I am desperate to lose weight and feel fat - until I go on a cruise!! Then I feel relatively thin - hehehe!!!

 

But, you can never please all of the people all of the time!!!

[Rala]

I like shrimp and lobster equally and those pitiful crawfish(rock lobster) tails they used to serve and called lobster were certainly nothing to write home about.

 

I live in New England and we do have lobster fairly frequently especially in the summer...real lobster(with claws)!! I agree with hellosailor, those baby rib lamb chops we had on the Brilliance are very expensive to buy and they were a real treat.

 

I do basically agree with some of olderbutwiser's comments, but obviously not all!

[HMSDingy]

On my last post, the comments about the food were given because I have been on a few cruises that served outstanding menues. I am very aware that Lobster has not been served on board for a while now. Cost cutting?? Shrimp is cheaper. That is exactly my point I was making. As RALA stated in their comments, "They had lamb chops and it was the best meal they had on board". You can have lamb chops at home. How often do you have LOBSTER at home?? This is what I mean. They are cutting down on the most important time of a cruise, in my opinion. The quality of exciting menues has decreased from what menues used to be offered. Maybe some folks think what they're getting is OK, but I think we're loseing the thrill of outstanding meals. I can honestly say, I get better servings in my local resturants. What happened in the last few years??? My last cruise was on RCL in 2005 where the meals were out of this world. You are right about the lenth of time when I was on one last. Due to Illness, it's been a few years.

On the Brill of Seas, I wish to say the service was excellent from the staff, the ship itself was in tiptop condition. State rooms were outstanding and beds very comfy. Entertainment shows were excellent. I have no complaints what so ever of the cruise ship and the ports of call. It was what I expected from RCL.

My concern was the food and I will stand by my comments that the menues were nothing to rave about. They were not awful or uneatable. They were just smaller portions and not as exciting as to what I have experienced in past cruises.

It was just not me making these observations. While at the Barcelona Airport, waiting for our flight home , we engaged a few folks that we recognized as sailing companions in conversation. The topic of discussion turned to the types of meals served on the ship and the 10 folks there all had the same comment. It was not what it used to be on Royal Carb. And they were Diamond members. One possible explanation given was that it was a European cruise and the way meals are served, are smaller in portions than what Americans are use to and placed on top of each other and more displays of fancy sauce on the rims of the plates.. The ship was a floating United Nations on board and that might explain the servings. Maybe Europeans like shrimp more than lobster. I feel that on a cruise, lobster would be more to the level of exciting cruising than plain old shrimp cocktail. I can't say I starved on my 11 days on board. The meals were OK but just missing that something special that makes a cruise, a cruise to write home about.

BUT!! I can tell dirty windows from clean windows and the windows on the Main dining room were filthy. They were that way on the first day and remained dirty on the 11 th day. Our stateroom windows got a cleaning around the 3rd port of call. These all should have been cleaned before sailing from Barcelona. Cutting Staff?? I even checked out other comments from other Cruise critics on this site and there were a few that mentioned the ship was great, the ports were fine, entertainment was good. But RCL could do better in the menue department.

I'm sure that anyone taking a cruise on BOS will have fun and should not be discouraged from going. Maybe my expectations are too high. Ummmm. Lobster vs Shrimp. What would you prefer?

 

If you dine in any 5 -Star restaurant even in the US, portions are generally small and more like works of art. I can also attest to the contrary that Europeans prefer lobster over shrimp. I also agree with the poster from Toronto that, at least here in Canada, lamp specifically milk bred is just as expensive as lobster and a favourite among Europeans.

 

Our previous 4 cruises have been with Princess and I can assure you that the portions are also generally small on their ships but delicious nonetheless. I cannot understand your fixation with lobster and why the lack of this dish would ruin your vacation. IMHO of course.

[Sue L]

Lobster is still served on other itineraries just not Europe as RCCL was having a hard time getting the quantity they needed in the European ports. It was not cost cutting but rather a procurement issue.

[crischickie]

Princess cut portion sizes a couple of years ago and I was happy to see it. It significantly reduced waste. So I was happy to see RCI do that too. Even with the smaller portions I never have room for dessert. If you need more just order it. It's not as though they bill you for extra orders.

 

My DH is allergic to lobster, crab and shrimp so whether that's on the menu or not doesn't affect him. He likes the vegetarian chili and the mozzarella tower and looks forward to RCI for those dishes.

 

Lamb is not served often in the Caribbean so it must be a European adjustment to the menu.