New to RCI and Brilliance of the Seas - favorite things please!!

Hello all!

Have been on 6 cruises (all Carnival), but this will be our first on any RCI ship. We will be on the Brilliance of the Seas next week. What are some of your favorite things about RCI or the Brilliance, in particular? Excited to discover new things aboard a new vessel!

Thank you!!

Outdoor Windjammer (buffet) seating, aft of Windjammer.

The glass lifts looking out to sea.

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English pub is nice.....pool tables are pretty cool(when they are working)......check out the little movie theatre they have....revolving bar in the nightclub is awesome too

English pub is nice.....pool tables are pretty cool(when they are working)......check out the little movie theatre they have....revolving bar in the nightclub is awesome too

I think they have given up on the pool tables. Last time on Brilliance, there were signs in the area indicating they were permanently stationary.

I think they have given up on the pool tables. Last time on Brilliance, there were signs in the area indicating they were permanently stationary.

That's a shame. We really enjoyed the pool tables. But in 3 sailings on Brilliance, I recall only 2 of 6 (cumulative) tables were working... and not at all back in March.

Guess I played my last pool game at sea last Feb then...was still one working.....pity really

Definitely listen to Bob's comment. Go outside at the back of the Windjammer and enjoy all the empty tables. Beautiful place to eat. Was especially nice when we were in Alaska watching the mountains and glaciers past by.

Yeah. This is why we ate out there everyday.

The pool tables were stationary in December 2016 ... but we still managed to play two very non-serious games fairly decently. The balls were beginning to migrate all to one side of the table by the end of the second game tho ... so 'serious' players might not want to bother.

In addition to all the general 'wonderfulness' of the whole cruise experience ... some specific things that were my favs include:

The THERMAL SPA ... if you enjoy such things it is WELL worth at least a day pass ($30) ... and probably the week long pass ($99) ... heated tile loungers with a view of the ocean, mild (though still hot) steam room, hot hot steam room, aromatherapy room, tropical showers with optional ice drench ... a great way to start the day or relax mid-afternoon while my travel partner did his own thing too.

The strawberries and ice cream in the main dining room. Seems like a very 'blah' dessert choice with so many other options ... but they were truly yummy!

Pre-ordering coffee &/or breakfast from room service ... something about having it arrive with absolutely no hassle or effort each morning was such a treat.

We really enjoyed our time on Brilliance even though I had concerns of it being a "smaller ship."

Enjoy all the glass - like the views of the ocean sitting at the Schooner, you wont see that as much if you continue with some of the larger RC ships.

I'll second the pool tables, outdoor seating at the Windjammer and little movie theatre, we have only done those things while we were on Brilliance.

We enjoyed the Solarium, great bar and fun design with Elephant columns. My hubby liked the Wine Bar. There are several nice, oversized seating areas in front of the bar and also nice seating behind the bar, by the windows. My daughter loved the ship layout, particularly the Centrum. She liked being on the 10th or 11th floor, and being able to look down and see all the floors surrounding the Centrum, which helped her quickly spot members of our family group. One of the best things for me was looking out at the ocean while riding up and down the glass elevators. Really a lovely ship!

We were on BOTS last March. I spent a lot of time in the British Pub.

I enjoyed walking the multi-layered decks on the front of the ship at night. Since nobody was there and some of the decks are not easily accessible, it had a "I am the only one on the ship" kind of feel.

We enjoyed the Solarium, great bar and fun design with Elephant columns.

:D ... the very first picture I took on the Brilliance was of the elephants in the Solarium Pool ... to send to a friend who is elephant-crazy ...

:D ... the very first picture I took on the Brilliance was of the elephants in the Solarium Pool ... to send to a friend who is elephant-crazy ...

 

What a great photo!

Another vote/thumbs up for:

Outdoor Windjammer (buffet) seating, aft of Windjammer.

and

the Solarium area (pool + after hours eatery)

Beautiful artwork on that ship. It's in every stair well, on all the walls to the cabins, and in the centrum. Is this the ship with the glass flowers? Sorry I get this Radiance class mixed up, I choose them all the time. But if the Brilliance has the glass flowers on the Guest Services level, those are the flowers by the artist that made the ones in the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. Gorgeous.

Take time on this ship to look at the art that is everywhere. Millions of dollars of art, better than you see in some galleries. You don't have to be an expert or even have knowledge. Just look at it. If you like some of it, spend more time looking at it. There is an immense amount of beautiful expensive art on the Brilliance.

Outdoor Windjammer (buffet) seating, aft of Windjammer.

Bob, as usual, is correct! I'll be out there in just 9 days!

Bob, as usual, is correct! I'll be out thee in just 9 days!

Us too.:)

That is the main "plus" of Radiance class ships. The "con" (IMO) is the enclosed Solarium...if you want to tan, you will have to do that on the main pool decks.....I prefer the less hectic solarium, if it's open-roofed!

Bob, as usual, is correct! I'll be out there in just 9 days!

Me too!

And to Mickey......don't miss the Quest. It's on all RCI ships and I guarantee you'll love it and laugh like you haven't laughed in years.

Corner aft balcony cabins on Brilliance and her three sisters! :D

Bob, as usual, is correct! I'll be out there in just 9 days!

Us to we are on count down 6 more sleeps to the 23rd now. It is Chihuly Glass. If you have time in the Tampa area there is a Chihuly museum in St Pete not far from the DALI museum

I'm not sure if its on the Brilliance, or RCI in general, but escargot every night is a huge win for me. I had it on Grandeur and Independence. Would have had it on Anthem, if it wasn't for the Dynamic dining. Apparently they had it every night in one of the restaurants.

We sailed on this ship late last March for 5 nights out of Tampa. We had never sailed on this class and were concerned about it.

One of the best times ever on a ship. The Park Café with its salad bar and roast beef sandwiches were great at lunch time. The late night availability was also delicious from the PC.

Sitting outside having breakfast or lunch at the Windjammer is the best dining experience I have ever had on an RCCL ship. Reminds me of sitting outside on the back of the Horizon ships on Celebrity. Best "free" burgers ever were enjoyed on that ships outside grill....sorry I got off topic there for a second.

The view of the ocean from the ceiling to floor glass elevators was lovely. Sailing under the Sunshine Bridge out of Tampa was fun. Tampa Bay is one large body of water.

So very easy to board at this port. While the Solarium Pool area does not have an open roof, we loved having clean and uncrowded bathrooms so close by.

I cannot speak to Carnival vs. RCCL but 2 shows that are a bunch of fun on RCCL are the Quest and the Love and Marriage game show.

Hope your cruise is great.

We sailed on this ship late last March for 5 nights out of Tampa. We had never sailed on this class and were concerned about it.

 

One of the best times ever on a ship. The Park Café with its salad bar and roast beef sandwiches were great at lunch time. The late night availability was also delicious from the PC.

 

Sitting outside having breakfast or lunch at the Windjammer is the best dining experience I have ever had on an RCCL ship. Reminds me of sitting outside on the back of the Horizon ships on Celebrity. Best "free" burgers ever were enjoyed on that ships outside grill....sorry I got off topic there for a second.

 

The view of the ocean from the ceiling to floor glass elevators was lovely. Sailing under the Sunshine Bridge out of Tampa was fun. Tampa Bay is one large body of water.

 

So very easy to board at this port. While the Solarium Pool area does not have an open roof, we loved having clean and uncrowded bathrooms so close by.

 

I cannot speak to Carnival vs. RCCL but 2 shows that are a bunch of fun on RCCL are the Quest and the Love and Marriage game show.

 

Hope your cruise is great.

Love and Marriage show is dependent on cruise directors. Some do it better than others. Same thing with the Quest. The one I went to on the Independence was downright wild. The Anthem, was tame. Carnival tends to be more raunchier and wilder from my experience though.