Live Report Brilliance of the Seas through the eyes of Art & Ellie

Since this is only a 6-day, 5-night cruise, the thread will be abbreviated. Please remember that what you read here is only our opinion. I do most of the writing, but I also include some of my partner's opinions since she and I often go to different venues and have different opinions. I believe you will find that I try to be very objective so that someone trying to evaluate whether or not RCCL and the Brilliance of the Seas would be right for them. I am not a shill for the cruise line, nor will I only be telling you the bad things we found.

Our cruise began yesterday, December 5, 2015. It began in Tampa and we will be going to Key West and Cozumel before returning to Tampa. We also have 2 full sea days.

The Very Good - Embarkation went very smoothly. We were on board in approximately 20 minutes. Our room was ready even earlier than they promised and our luggage arrived in a reasonable amount of time. We had several reservations to make and were lucky to run into Otto as we were outside the Concierge lounge. He helped us make all our reservations, which we couldn't do beforehand or our OBCs would not be applied.

We are in a Grand Suite and are very, very pleased with the the size, layout, drawer and closet space and balcony. We had a similar suite on the Oasis, but I think this one is even nicer. Our cabin steward has been fabulous as has nearly all of the staff on board. That is a far cry from our very negative experience with the staff on the Oasis. Of course we thus far have not run into any problems. That is where the true test would come. Hopefully we won't.

The Good - Our first night we reserved at Chops. This had been our favorite restaurant on the Oasis. While we enjoyed the food and the service, the quality did not equal our previous experience. We then went to the opening show and were very pleased with the cruise director's presentation and the headline comedy act. RCCL is well know for their entertainment and our first night's experience did not disappoint.

The Not so Good - Breakfast in the room. We have this fabulous balcony and love having breakfast on the balcony. Unfortunately we did not find out until too late that there is a premium breakfast for suite guests. We ordered the one where you put out your choices the night before. Oh my. The choices were few, the quality horrendous and the service non existent. We also heard about the special breakfast for suite guests and will probably be trying that tomorrow.

The blatant sales promotions are really over the top. We went to the Key West sales pitch, which was supposed to be a shopping guide. I was most surprised to see that RCCL is still associated with Diamonds International, a company that has been closely associated with "questionable" practices (I am trying to be nice). Anyone who does their homework would not want to business with such a company. You can do a google search and find numerous examples, including many here on cruise critic.

I think that is enough to start with...more to follow. If you have any specific questions, please add your requests. I will try to respond.

... The blatant sales promotion are really over the top. We went to the Key West sales pitch, which was supposed to be a shopping guide. ...

We too fell for that on our first Royal cruise. I've always felt that they should makr those events in the Cruise Compass as "informercials". Another one to watch for are the so-called "seminars" in the spa area. Also informercials.

Looking forward to the rest of the review.:)

We too fell for that on our first Royal cruise. I've always felt that they should makr those events in the Cruise Compass as "informercials". Another one to watch for are the so-called "seminars" in the spa area. Also informercials.

 

Looking forward to the rest of the review.:)

I think going to the spa could be the most stressful thing on the ship. I once got a mani/pedi and I had no idea there was so much wrong with me!!

Also looking forward to the review. Sounds like a nice short itinerary.

... I once got a mani/pedi and I had no idea there was so much wrong with me!!....

And how much it was going to cost (on a recurring basis) to fix all those things!!!:eek:

Ohh boy... I think the Bella and Rose purchases now may have been the best "deal" I got while on Brilliance last week. Between Effy and DI... I'm hoping that the pearl pendant we got is at least somewhat of a deal - can't remember the shop in Cozumel...

We just returned from our Key West excursion - the City Trolley and Butterfly Conservatory. They were both wonderful and I believe fairly priced. So many of the on board excursions are way overpriced and often the quality is not as good as you can get on your own. This was grade A. Our driver/guide(s) on the hop on - hop off trolleys were amusing and knowledgeable and although I have been to several butterfly farms, the one in Key West compares favorably with any of them.

Thank you Royal Caribbean.

On the way back to the ship we stopped to get some Key Lime pie and also bought some Key Lime fudge to give as gifts. Scrumptious!! I would have bought some of the other products, but they were in glass containers and I am wary of doing that.

Looking forward to your review as we board December 14th :) Hope you have a wonderful time!

We are enjoying Brilliance as well this week. Tomorrow I am going to walk over to the park cafe and grab our balcony breakfast. The room service eggs are inedible - which is common this year. I will also grab fresh coffee at the diamond lounge since I am not a fan of the "free " coffee.

So far everything else has been great.

We will be on Brilliance in February , Very much interested in your thoughts

and observations.

Thanks so much

I will be sailing on Brillance once your cruise returns. Are there any drink package specials being offered on board? I am debating on buying a drink package and received an email saying if I bought premium there would be a free upgrade to the ultimate package but you have pre purchase. I have on board credits that I would like to offset the costs. In addition, I heard some times of discounts once you get on board so just thought I would ask.

Thanks for your comments. We'll be on this cruise in early 2016.

How do you order from the suite breakfast menu? Is it a different hanging tag to put on the door?

There should be a padded brown folder in your room or desk drawer. It has all of the daily menus in it.

Is there a coffeemaker in the Grand Suite

Chops has a nice breakfast. The espresso machine was out of order last weekend so they ran down to Cafe latitude for our coffees.

You do have to share the venue with the D+ guests. ;)

Great to read this. We will be in the Brilliance in about two weeks. Can't wait.

A word about all the selling. I realize that the cruise lines will not rest until every inch of the ship is monetized. At first, as I noticed how this was growing, it bothered me. Then I realized that it was just keeping the cost of my cruise down. If I ignore most if it, and others don't, it's just a subsidy for me. True or not, it helped me to remain in a cruisin' state of mind. As a minor example--we have never actually purchased anything at Diamonds International, but we have the free charms from all over.

Also--everything that was free, or included, on a cruise 20 years ago is pretty much still included. Your room, all your food, the entertainment, and the pool area. They just have more things to sell, and perhaps a few more ways of trying to get your attention.

So yes, I notice this as well, but have pretty much decided not to care. I like cruises too much, I suppose!

Is there a coffeemaker in the Grand Suite

Yes, on all of Royal's ships in all GS or better staterooms, plus a kettle.

Also--is there shuffleboard on the Brilliance, and if so, where? Thank you.

Also--is there shuffleboard on the Brilliance, and if so, where? Thank you.

Deck 5, outside promenade.

re: shuffleboard. Thank you! We have a family tradition of after dinner tournaments.

Thank you so much for your post. We will be on Brilliance in late January 2016. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

It's great to have so many CC readers to answer all of your questions. ;) It makes my job so much easier and they have so much more experience on RCCL's ships.

I have sailed on nearly 30 cruises, but they are spread between many different cruise lines, and between ocean and river cruises; so I hope my perspective is a little different from those you might get from others who sail primarily (or only) on Royal Caribbean. But for those questions particularly related to RCCL, thank you for answering their questions.

Tonight we went to Izumi for dinner. Any resemblance to the wonderful meal we had on the Oasis is strictly coincidental. The menu is greatly changed and I don't believe for the better. The restaurant was nearly empty and I believe if they want to keep this as a specialty restaurant, there will need to be some positive changes.

After dinner we went to see the production show and once again were very pleased with RCCL's entertainment. We have visited the casino several times with mixed results. Our biggest objection is the amount of smoke.

I took some photos today, but may not be able to post them until we get back to Tampa. The computer connection, while reliable, is just too slow to post the photos unless I greatly reduce the pixels.

Tomorrow is a sea day and I should be able to get a much better handle on life on the Brilliance.

... Tonight we went to Izumi for dinner. Any resemblance to the wonderful meal we had on the Oasis is strictly coincidental. The menu is greatly changed and I don't believe for the better. The restaurant was nearly empty and I believe if they want to keep this as a specialty restaurant, there will need to be some positive changes....

I agree with this. Last time we went to Izumi, I was disappointed to see the sukiyaki and tempura choices gone. The combination choices were also gone.

Whenever you get a chance a current compass would be great . Hold me

until we go in February.

Thanks !!

 

The Good - We then went to the opening show and were very pleased with the cruise director's presentation and the headline comedy act. RCCL is well know for their entertainment and our first night's experience did not disappoint.

 

Please share the name of the Cruise Director and the Activity Manager....thanks.

Please share the name of the Cruise Director and the Activity Manager....thanks.

The cruise director is Tim Connor; the activity manager is Alison