Pictorial Review: Brilliance OTS 12/16/13 ~B2B~ with Carnival Ecstasy

[DarthGrady]

Day 8, Brilliance, Cozumel:

We were in no rush to debark in Cozumel. I had a slight hangover. So we had a nice breakfast from Park Cafe before going ashore.

There are three piers in Cozumel for cruise ships. One is the downtown pier, and as the name would imply is conveniently located right downtown. The Puerta Maya pier is owned by Carnival and is the furthest from downtown. The Carnival pier makes up for this by having a nice shopping area with equally nice bars and restaurants. Royal Caribbean pulls up to the International Pier most of the time. The International Pier isn't conveniently located, nor does it have a nice shopping/dining area.

The one good thing about the International Pier is that it's only a few blocks from Carnival's. We walked down there and had some drinks at Pancho's, taking advantage of their free WiFi as well.

L.T. and Patrick also showed us the new shopping area being built across the street from the International Pier. It has apparently been under construction for some time now. There were plans for a Hard Rock Cafe to be one of the anchor stores, but they seem to have fallen through. Hopefully they can finish the complex, it would be nice to have something else to do around the pier complexes.

 

 

From the pier at Cozumel

 

I guess RCI is no longer proud of the fact that the Radiance Class ships are GTV (gas turbine powered), its been painted over

 

The now infamous Carnival Triumph at the CCL pier next door

 

At the Carnival pier complex

 

HAL Nieuw Amsterdam pulls into port

 

Luckily for the MSC ship, they got to dock downtown

Edited December 24, 2013 by DarthGrady

[Topo Gigio]

Could have been Serenade. Same everything!

[DarthGrady]

Could have been Serenade. Same everything!

 

Good to know, Serenade is the only Radiance Class ship I have not cruised on yet.

[DarthGrady]

Back on the ship we got our workout done and went upstairs for the cocktail party. Dinner that night was good and the service was decently paced. I enjoyed the four cheese tortellini dish.

In the evening we had drinks in the King and Country pub for the first time. It's a very nice bar, and seemed to be used more than the sports bar it replaced. They still have tv's in the walls for sporting events, so the area serves more purposes now. We also stopped by the late night comedy show but didn't stay long. I don't know if the ship comics are less funny now, or if my expectations are higher, but walking out of comedy clubs was an ongoing theme this cruise.

The new King and Country pub

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2013 by DarthGrady

[DarthGrady]

The foyer outside of the King and Country

 

The comedy show was our only visit to the main theater this cruise

 

We had a couple of good sing alongs in the Schooner Bar while the piano player was on

 

 

The entrance hall to the Schooner bar has an awesome smokey smell to set the old ship theme

 

[DarthGrady]

They held the Crown and Anchor Top Tier Party the same evening that we left Cozumel in the Colony Club Lounge. Congrats to LT on being top cruiser, and to Jim and Lynn on making Pinnacle Club!

 

The Colony Club is a multi use area that typically hosts smaller shows and events at night (karaoke, The Quest) and also has the self-leveling pool tables. It's also got big windows that face out over the stern of the ship. RCI will be using the same concept on a much bigger scale on the new Quantum Class ships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiserking]

Wow, Brilliance is really gorgeous. Thanks for the fabulous crystal clear and colorful pictures.

 

Jonathan

[DarthGrady]

Day 9, Brilliance, At Sea:

Our last day at sea started with one last breakfast from Park Cafe. We mostly just relaxed around the ship in the morning then had the salad bar in the dining room for lunch.

We watched the belly flop competition in the afternoon, followed by the crew versus guests pool volleyball game. After some snacks in Park Cafe we got a final workout in before heading up to the VCL. As always, Vishnu took good care of us and everyone had a great time.

We had dinner in the dining room that evening. I had to get the escargot again, since they may not be in stock on our next cruise. Kateryna and Makram had been an excellent serving team overall.

In the evening we again went to the King and Country pub to have pints with some of the folks from the CL/DL. We then went by the Schooner Bar for more piano sing alongs. We eventually ended up in the disco which was much busier than I expected it to be on the last night of a cruise. The final stop of the evening was at Park Cafe for some late night pizza.

During the belly flop competition and crew -v- passengers volleyball game

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2013 by DarthGrady

[DarthGrady]

Conclusion:

We got an early breakfast in the dining room and then made our way to the terminal. The crowds were pretty light, but the card scanner kiosks (the machine that goes ping!) were down. Apparently their solution was just to collect everyone's Seapass cards as they left. This was a problem since we like to keep them as souvenirs. We protested and they eventually gave them back to us after writing our information down. After that, it only took a few minutes to get through customs and out of the terminal. We caught the first shuttle to our parking lot and were on the road by about 7:45.

It had been an excellent cruise and I was sorry that it went by so quickly. The Brilliance is an awesome ship and looks great after the renovations. I look forward to many more cruises on her!

[DarthGrady]

The new atrium show, it was scaled back and cut short due to rough seas that night

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

The 70s party in the atrium

 

Starquest disco in full swing

 

 

 

 

Each of the Radiance Class ships has an odd sculpture at the top of the glass elevators

[DarthGrady]

Guest relations

 

Teen club

 

 

Beauty salon

 

Spa area

 

The view from the glass elevators

[swim13]

Brilliance is gorgeous! I've always payed attention to the bigger ships but I am very eager to try a Radiance Class ship! Wow! Thanks for the great review, keep it up. :)

 

Merry Christmas!

[DarthGrady]

Cafe Lattetudes

 

 

Giovannis Table

 

Some new hardware seen on the bridge tour. Apparently it allows the Captain to communicate his needs to the engine room.

 

 

Art and photo gallery

[DarthGrady]

Brilliance is gorgeous! I've always payed attention to the bigger ships but I am very eager to try a Radiance Class ship! Wow! Thanks for the great review, keep it up. :)

 

Merry Christmas!

 

They are definitely worth a try. Many folks like them better than the mega ships, especially now that RCI is installing some of the features of the bigger ships on them.

 

Merry Christmas to you too!

Edited December 25, 2013 by DarthGrady

[DarthGrady]

The movie theater

 

 

 

The rock wall

 

Mini golf

 

[DarthGrady]

 

Kiddie pool area

 

 

The arcade

 

 

Edited December 25, 2013 by DarthGrady

[DarthGrady]

Royal Caribbean always has interesting works of art in the staircases, which makes traversing them a little more enjoyable. And unlike other cruise lines, not all of it is a sales pitch for Park West. :rolleyes:

 

 

I really liked this one since I've actually been aboard the RMS Queen Mary

 

The RMS Titanic, a bit morbid to have aboard a passenger ship

[DarthGrady]

And that's it! Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed it. Feel free to ask any questions. I'll try to give you an answer, or at least a plausible fib. :D

[Eng23]

 

Nice shot!!!! :)

 

I'm hoping to get some great shots like this soon. I just received a new Nikon D3200 for Christmas!!!

Edited December 25, 2013 by Eng23

[Clarea]

And that's it! Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed it. Feel free to ask any questions. I'll try to give you an answer, or at least a plausible fib. :D

Excellent review Grady, really enjoyed it.:)

[July4]

And that's it! Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed it. Feel free to ask any questions. I'll try to give you an answer, or at least a plausible fib. :D

 

Thanks for the great review and write up. We will be on it 1/13, Can't Wait.

:)

[seaofwonder]

Great review!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[beej]

Grady, thanx for the great review, as usual. have a Merry Christmas. See you on the Freedom

[DarthGrady]

 

Nice shot!!!! :)

 

I'm hoping to get some great shots like this soon. I just received a new Nikon D3200 for Christmas!!!

 

Thanks, and congrats on the new Nikon, the 3200 is a great camera!