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

[DarthGrady]

Excellent review Grady, really enjoyed it.:)

 

Thanks Bob!

 

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

:)

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Great review!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thank you!

 

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

 

Definitely! You have a merry Christmas as well. :)

[dadatsea]

Great review we really enjoyed it. Kathy and I are D+ and were on the ship same time you were. Your review was spot on . We took advantage of the bridge tour perk and were told by the officer on deck one of the main turbines were removed and replaced by new cleaner more efficient diesel powerplant to save fuel as the jet turbines are more costly to run. The Brilliance can still do 25 knots so is still one of the fastest ships in the fleet. Now about the soup spoon, We ate at Chops Sunday night and had a Wonderful meal. Mushroom soup was a pick we had and really loved the taste and recommend as a choice. We ordered the mushroom soup in the main dining room 2 days later and it was lacking to say the least. We commented to the head waiter and he said they use a much different recipe than does Chops. I also commented where the soup spoons went to. The Head waiter said RCI is using large spoons instead of real soup spoons as they are easier to clean and store. Yikes ! Talk about cutting corners . Why not serve soup in a mug so they can eliminate the big spoon altogether. lol Really...A soup spoon is that big a deal that RCI has eliminated it unless you pay extra at chops for better flatware. We first missed the soup spoon on our Nov 03rd cruise on the Allure and there also the soup spoon and soup quality was excellent in Chops and lacking in the MDR. We enjoyed our cruise and are booking the Jewel in Jan to ENJOY the Sea View Café BEFORE it is eliminated when they refurbish the last Radiance class ship. :)

[Chelleum]

Great review and pics!!

 

Sent from my GT-P5113 using Forums mobile app

[DarthGrady]

Great review we really enjoyed it. Kathy and I are D+ and were on the ship same time you were. Your review was spot on . We took advantage of the bridge tour perk and were told by the officer on deck one of the main turbines were removed and replaced by new cleaner more efficient diesel powerplant to save fuel as the jet turbines are more costly to run. The Brilliance can still do 25 knots so is still one of the fastest ships in the fleet. Now about the soup spoon, We ate at Chops Sunday night and had a Wonderful meal. Mushroom soup was a pick we had and really loved the taste and recommend as a choice. We ordered the mushroom soup in the main dining room 2 days later and it was lacking to say the least. We commented to the head waiter and he said they use a much different recipe than does Chops. I also commented where the soup spoons went to. The Head waiter said RCI is using large spoons instead of real soup spoons as they are easier to clean and store. Yikes ! Talk about cutting corners . Why not serve soup in a mug so they can eliminate the big spoon altogether. lol Really...A soup spoon is that big a deal that RCI has eliminated it unless you pay extra at chops for better flatware. We first missed the soup spoon on our Nov 03rd cruise on the Allure and there also the soup spoon and soup quality was excellent in Chops and lacking in the MDR. We enjoyed our cruise and are booking the Jewel in Jan to ENJOY the Sea View Café BEFORE it is eliminated when they refurbish the last Radiance class ship. :)

 

I agree with Chops food being of a much higher quality than the MDR. We went there for breakfast on the Jewel with a Pinnacle friend of ours. The eggs benedict were excellent, and the coffee seemed much better than what they serve in the MDR.

 

Lucky for you that you get to go on Jewel before they remove the Sea View, that used to be my favorite spot to eat on the Radiance class ships.

[samben]

Great pictures, thanks.

[oncruisecontrol]

Great review, Grady. I always enjoy your reviews. I am going on my first RCI cruise in 2 weeks thanks to a Christmas present from my sister and brother-in-law.:D

[stevejco]

I truely enjoyed your review, Grady. My wife and I will be sailing on her for the first time in October(our first repo cruise). Again, many thanks for a wonderful review.

[DarthGrady]

Great review, Grady. I always enjoy your reviews. I am going on my first RCI cruise in 2 weeks thanks to a Christmas present from my sister and brother-in-law.:D

 

Awesome! Which ship?

 

I truely enjoyed your review, Grady. My wife and I will be sailing on her for the first time in October(our first repo cruise). Again, many thanks for a wonderful review.

 

I think you'll enjoy it. We did our first repo in May on the Jewel.

[jty1220]

Great review. We are going on Brilliance in 2 weeks and cant wait.

 

Couple questions for you.

 

What breakfast sandwiches are offered at Park Café?

Does the movie theater only show kids movies? Do they have popcorn?

 

 

Thanks

[DarthGrady]

Great review. We are going on Brilliance in 2 weeks and cant wait.

 

Couple questions for you.

 

What breakfast sandwiches are offered at Park Café?

Does the movie theater only show kids movies? Do they have popcorn?

 

 

Thanks

 

The only things I remember seeing were the "egg mcmuffin" style sandwiches and also breakfast burritos (my wife got a few of them). They also have bagels with lots of toppings to choose from, different cream cheeses, salmon, onions, etc.

 

The movie theater shows what I would call "general audience" movies most of the time. It's usually the same film they play on the televisions. I think it was Ironman 3 one day. The movie of the day will be in the Cruise Compass, as well as on a info screen outside the Cinema. They also do a big screen movie up on the pool deck a couple of nights.

[Cupcrazy]

Another great pictorial review Grady! Thanks so much!

 

Happy Holidays!

[amomof3kids]

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sailing in March on the Brilliance and was wondering if the Colony Club is open for all passengers or only those in certain staterooms or the RCI club?

Thanks for a great review and excellent pictures!

[G85 SS]

Sailing in March on the Brilliance and was wondering if the Colony Club is open for all passengers or only those in certain staterooms or the RCI club?

Thanks for a great review and excellent pictures!

 

Colony Club is open to everybody at nearly any time.

 

They host events in there such as Bingo, Karoke and the game show favorite, The Quest. The only time it may be closed is for a private function such as a wedding (as was the case for this specific cruise we were on. Though it was only the first day and was back open to the public once the event was finished.)

 

Also to note, to play pool is free of charge if you want to do that. It's pretty awesome to watch the tables move around and the balls to sit perfectly still.

Edited January 29, 2014 by G85 SS

[hannibal54]

Grady, as always another great review. I was looking at this ship for a cruise in March, now I know what to expect.

[DarthGrady]

Grady, as always another great review. I was looking at this ship for a cruise in March, now I know what to expect.

 

Thanks very much, I think you'll definitely enjoy it.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[L-in-CLT]

Thanks for the awesome review! I'll be on Brilliance for my first RCI cruise this Spring. Can't wait!!!

L

[DarthGrady]

Thanks for the awesome review! I'll be on Brilliance for my first RCI cruise this Spring. Can't wait!!!

L

 

Hope you enjoy it. I'll be back onboard for the 3/20 sailing. It should be a blast, I love the four night weekend trips, usually a fun crowd.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[mpoole3]

Thank you for taking the time to post this review. I love how detailed you were with all the pictures.

 

You must have carried that camera with you the whole time! Thank You!

 

I'm sailing on the Brilliance March 6th and couldn't be more excited to try a Radiance class ship for the first time.

 

I will be posting a review once I return but no way can I top this one!

 

Michael

[DarthGrady]

Thank you for taking the time to post this review. I love how detailed you were with all the pictures.

 

You must have carried that camera with you the whole time! Thank You!

 

I'm sailing on the Brilliance March 6th and couldn't be more excited to try a Radiance class ship for the first time.

 

I will be posting a review once I return but no way can I top this one!

 

Michael

 

I think you'll enjoy the Radiance Class, they have replaced the Freedom Class as my ships of choice. I like the big ships for the grandeur of scale, but I feel more comfortable on the smaller classes. Enjoy your cruise, I'll keep and eye out for the review. It'll be nice to see, we are going back on here for the 3/20 sailing.

[ellagirl]

Very nice shot!!!!

[DarthGrady]

Very nice shot!!!!

 

Thank you!

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[miXterOB]

Great review Grady!

My PIC and I will be boarding on 4/12 for a 5 day getaway so your review reassured me of my choice. Having done and been sold on Celebrity Solstice class was concerned I'd be disappointed but this review alleviated those fears...can not wait to board now.

It'll be my partner's first cruise so want her impressed.

 

Thanks

[DarthGrady]

Great review Grady!

My PIC and I will be boarding on 4/12 for a 5 day getaway so your review reassured me of my choice. Having done and been sold on Celebrity Solstice class was concerned I'd be disappointed but this review alleviated those fears...can not wait to board now.

It'll be my partner's first cruise so want her impressed.

 

Thanks

 

I think you'll enjoy the ship. Obviously she's not as big and new as a Solstice Class ship, but she does look very nice post-refurbishment. For the 4/5 night cruise segment, you really can't do much better than Brilliance IMO.

 

Sent from my Tricorder

[kwazi07]

Sorry for resurrecting this thread.

 

I am split between a five night cruise on Brilliance in December or January (Key West and Grand Cayman) or the new Vision 7 nights from Tampa. By the time of the cruise, we would have already been on Enchantment, sister to Vision. However we have never been on a 7 night cruise. What would you recommend? The price is the same: one inside and one balcony on BOTS or one inside and one oceanview on VOTS. To me, Brilliance looks absolutely STUNNING. Would you suggest that we book it now or on our August Enchantment cruise?

 

Your TRs are GREAT. Amazing pics. I love your Enchantment one, it gets me really excited. Oh, and I noticed you will be going on the Carnival Paradise. It is a nice ship, but a little worn on the edges. I love the aft lido buffet area and the Queen Mary Lounge. Have fun!

[DarthGrady]

Sorry for resurrecting this thread.

 

I am split between a five night cruise on Brilliance in December or January (Key West and Grand Cayman) or the new Vision 7 nights from Tampa. By the time of the cruise, we would have already been on Enchantment, sister to Vision. However we have never been on a 7 night cruise. What would you recommend? The price is the same: one inside and one balcony on BOTS or one inside and one oceanview on VOTS. To me, Brilliance looks absolutely STUNNING. Would you suggest that we book it now or on our August Enchantment cruise?

 

Your TRs are GREAT. Amazing pics. I love your Enchantment one, it gets me really excited. Oh, and I noticed you will be going on the Carnival Paradise. It is a nice ship, but a little worn on the edges. I love the aft lido buffet area and the Queen Mary Lounge. Have fun!

 

Although the Radiance Class ships are my favorite, the seven day cruise would be my choice for the extra time on board and extra Crown and Anchor points.

 

Plus, Vision has been refurbished since my cruise on her, and now has most of the features you'll find on BR. She's got the new R-Bar, a CL and DL, a Park Cafe, poolside movie screen, Chops and Giovanni's.

 

Yes, only about five months until my guys cruise on Paradise. I've been on her once before, I love the Fantasy Class ships. Especially the ones that haven't gotten the waterslides, and still have their aft pools in place.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk