sail-a-bration

I would book an ocean view and use the money for excursions. I found it way too cold to enjoy being out on a balcony except while sitting in the port, then I am in the city not on the ship. When you are doing Alaska you have ice all around you in the glacier areas and it is freezing. It may be in the 60's and 70's in port but out at sea it feels like it is in the 30's and 40's. Also we did a lot of the excursions by getting off the ship and booking with a local Eskimo American. In Juno there is a local trolley that takes you to Mendenhall Glacier three years ago it was only $7.00 and the ship was charging over $30.00 and Roberts Tram is at the cruise port. Search the reviews for details on the best excursions. Have the trip of your life time. My advice brings Jackets and sweat pants and shirts. it is way colder than you expect it to be. Top sellers on the ship was Fleece jackets, hats, gloves and Sweatshirts. Bring Binoculars I went up to the Lido deck which is covered and watched the sea I saw two whales and a seal as we were cruising to Juno.

We are also hot natured and found 72 to 74 too hot. I would get a small portable fan in case your room is too hot. By small I mean one of those tiny little fans that are about 3 or 4 inches, they do put out enough air to cool you if it is right next to the bed. The room was cool enough when we had the balcony door opened. We put the chair in front of it to hold it open. It was in the upper 60's and low 70's outside at night so that also helped with the cool breeze. Your cabin is on the starboard side and I do not think that side had any problems. It was the port side that was hot. You could literally feel the change of temperature from the elevator and our portside corridor. I hope your cruise is awesome.

We asked the steward about the lack of air he said he would report it. We went down to customer services the next morning and reported it. The maintenance man checked it and said it was within their standards which is 72 to 74 degrees. 74 degrees without air blowing in the room is hot. We slept with the balcony door open it was the only breeze we could get. Others in the 7400 corridor also complained of the heat and got the same reply " it meets our standards" answer. One lady in an inside cabin said she could not sleep and by day 3 you could tell she was not kidding. She looked exhausted. If you book on deck 7 avoid the 7400 portside corridor there is a problem with the a/c or bring a small fan. I do not think they will fix it until dry dock. I read a post from December saying 7426 was hot and we went Feb 15 and it is still really hot.

I really enjoyed the story and pictures. I am excited to cruise the Liberty and your review really gave me some insight. I like that everyone waited until the end to post questions so that I could see and read about your trip.

I am aware that I left an O off in the sentence the mattress was to hard instead of too hard.

Brilliance is a beautiful ship. I never felt overcrowded even though the ship was fully booked. We really enjoyed our dinner in the Main Dining room. We had wonderful servers Rigo and Pravid. Our food was always hot and everything but the steak was superb. The steak is a little tough, but not so tough I would send it back. I loved the eggplant parm. We only went to the windjammer for breakfast and lunch and preferred it over the main dinning room because it is quicker and has a larger selection. We were in 9078 and it is the first room on the corridor very near the Centrum or atrium you could hear the music in the cabin but it stops by 11pm. I enjoyed it, they have a female trio who play violins and a piano, a very talented singing couple and a group. If you are a light sleeper you may not want this cabin, But the balcony is HUGE!! you will love it. We also will save a ton of money on our Alaska cruise because we spent less than a few minutes a day on the balcony because it was so cold. It may be 45 or 55 degrees outside but if the ship is moving it is freezing. The ocean view would have been just as good; and the ports were so beautiful we were away all day. We really liked the shows and went to the trivia and dance classes. The shows were very good and the Brilliance orchestra was excellent. We stayed busy the whole time. Now for the dislikes. I asked for a pad for the bed because the bed was to hard for me and the cabin steward said they do not have mattress pads any longer If you are a first time cruiser they do not offer bathrobes or toiletries. The showers are small and have shower curtains. They close the Windjammer buffet early. We went to the early show and wanted to get a bite to eat afterward to discover it was closed. They have a little cafe that has a few deserts, sandwiches and pizza but that is about it. We went back to our room and ordered the cheese plate and cheesecake. It was better than a sandwich or the pizza. They do not discount the drink of the day if you do not want another souvenir glass. You can not order pre-order alcohol from bon voyage for your cabin. They only offer $55.00 a day drink package or the lesser $45.00 a day which has very limited selections. In summary, Royal Caribbean's food and entertainment was better than Carnival, but Bon voyage and the buffet hours are better on Carnival. We have also cruised on Holland America's Westerdam to Alaska, it was a little above Royal Caribbean and is still my favorite and they have bathtubs. Also no luggage valet in Boston. Bottom line, the ship is beautiful, the ports are fabulous and cruising is the best.

Hypnosis has been used in surgery, dental work, and trauma recovery. The hypnotist on the ship is an entertainer first and hypnotist second so enjoy the show, some people will be hypnotized others may just play along. I can't imagine the hypnotist calling the fakers out and embarrassing them.

allow one bottle of alcohol (rum) in carry on. Sell beer at a reasonable price by the six pack.:D

For those that stayed on board, how many others do you think stayed on board? For those who get seasick, how was the tender ride into the port?

I wanted AYWD, I am looking forward to sitting with different people each night. They feed you so much on these cruises that waiting 10 min will not be a big imposition and best of all I can ask for a table away from familes with small children. Not that I do not love small children my grandboys are 5 and 7 and I also am a sunday school teacher, that being said I understand when a child crys because it is tired, I just do not want to sit with parents who care more about themselves than the child. Order room service or get pizza at the Lido and let the poor kid go to bed.

In the words of another great southern man Jim Neighbors (aka Gomer Pile) Thank yeh, thank yeh, thank yeh. Your story reveals how much fun life can be if you have a positive attitude under negative conditions.

To the CC monitor, I hope you can find all of my report clicks and clear any that I made.

I guess I should have read this first, I thought you clicked the red triangle to ask the poster a question. Sorry to all whom I have clicked your little red triangle. I have seen little if any ugly posts, on whole I find CC'ers to be fun and informative.