March 1st Brilliance Review with pictures

[missync]

eggplant and artichoke tart - roasted red pepper hummus, arugula, marscapone cheese, and a red wine reduction

it was AMAZING!! it had a little sweetness to it but just a nice flavor. I LOVE hummus so I was really excited for this. I couldn't really taste hummus specifically but i think the flavors just mixed well together. definitely one of my favorites.

escargot - (they had it every night btw) i didn't order this but decided to try it for the first time. it was very buttery and cheesy but really good. it was a little too rich for me but i did like it. didn't taste at all like i was expecting.

watermelon soup - with mojito foam and pistachio dust

i'm a big fan of the cold fruit soups (as you will find out) and this was didn't disappoint. i didn't notice any pistachio and the foam tasted sort of like whipped cream but it was really good and light. just tasted like watermelon

[missync]

coconut seafood soup (not mine) - shrimp, scallops, mussles, ginger, and lime

she said it was delicious but wasn't her favorite

 

horseradish crusted filet of atlantic salmon with celeriac potato mash and snow peas

i was really concerned about the horseradish being too overpowering as i don't care for horseradish but you could barely taste it. the salmon was really tasty as were the potatoes. nothing overly special about this dish but it was really good

slow roasted prime rib - not mine

i'm not a big prime rib fan and am very picky about meat but i'm told this was delicious and very well done

 

amazingly I only ordered 1 entree tonight...don't worry, it won't happen again :D

[missync]

almond chocolate cake with cherries and raspberry coulis

light and moist. nice chocolate flavor without being too rich. good cake but nothing overly impressive

blueberry peach crumble - warm with vanilla ice cream - AMAZING!!

this was one of my favorite desserts. the fruit tasted very fresh (even if it wasn't) and had a nice little tart flavor but also the sweetness. the crumble wasn't soggy but had a little crunch to it. it was just really really good.

[missync]

to end out day one, we went to karaoke which took place at the end of the cash bingo game...watched some dude win $400

 

karaoke was fun to watch but there were a lot of people there so actually getting to sing was a problem. i was surprised they didn't do karaoke any other time the entire cruise (unless i just missed it). there was a large group there that all seemed to know each other that were quite drunk and acting silly. it was funny for awhile but they started being annoying. one guy kept getting up and singing with others and acting like it was a performance for him. sorry dude, you were being a douche

 

but it was fun to watch. some people really got into it. that was pretty much the end of the night.

to be continued........

[Bella8286]

Great so far! Thanks!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[missync]

Day 2 - At Sea

 

I woke up at around 9am and got my stuff ready for the pool and headed up to the windjammer for breakfast. My friends had left earlier to go to MDR but I prefer sleep so stayed behind. The Windjammer breakfast was pretty good but nothing exciting. I didn't care for the sausage links. I had a hashbrown patty (very good but tasted like McDonalds), pancake (ok), raspberry danish (very good, little tart), wheat toast (hard and kinda dry), and fresh pineapple chunks (AMAZING!)

I definitely ate enough but it wasn't overly exciting. I'm sure it was my fault for my selections as they had a omelet or eggs made to order station but I didn't want to wait in line.

After breakfast I went to the pool area to find a chair. obviously there weren't any anywhere near the pool because people hog them. SERIOUSLY PEOPLE...KNOCK IT OFF!!

but I found one on the 12 deck near the railing overlooking the pool which was ok for me. the only downside was that it was ridiculously windy (I saw several hats fly off people's heads) but i figured i wouldn't have to worry about getting too hot.

I sat there for a bit (was actually kinda chilly) and then saw my friends who had a seat waiting for me next to the sky bar on deck 12 so i moved to be with them. They had apparently spent almost an hour and a half at MDR for breakfast so just a heads up to everyone.

We lounged in the sun WEAR SUNBLOCK! and got in the pool a few times to cool off.

complaints here? there is only 1 outdoor pool on this ship. the "adults only" pool is inside a solarium. there are skylights and it's a nice area but really hot in there and no actual sun. plus the park cafe is in there so you do have a lot of traffic coming through. loungers are much nicer and padded though if you just want to relax and look at the water.

the outdoor pool is quite crowded as are the 2 bars (11th right next to pool and 12th (skybar) directly above). again i will mention the drunk college kids. they crowded around the bars which was annoying if you wanted something and clogged up the pool. There weren't a ton of children on this ship, I'm guessing due to schools being in session, so that wasn't an issue with the pools.

we went down to the windjammer for lunch. I had: grilled fish (good), french fries (good), veggies (good), a large salad (decent but I think it was my fault for what I put in it) and then dessert. I had a chocolate cake roll thing (that wasn't the name but I can't remember it) that was good. had a nice flavor that wasn't too rich or too sweet. a strawberry mousse cake also very good. and tried the white chocolate mousse. it was good but not great. i'm just not a huge white chocolate fan.

after lunch, we sat by the pool some more. i know...we are boring...but we wanted some sun. around 2:30pm or so we got a snack from the park cafe. the park cafe has a small area of premade sandwhiches and little snacks and another area with made to order salads. i got a salad first. it was small but very tasty. they had chicken, ham, and shrimp as well as an assortment of veggies and feta cheese which i LOVE and then a few different dressings. it was a very good salad but a little on the small side. I also got a grilled veggie quesadilla. it was premade but they warmed it up on the panini grill. it was pretty good but nothing exciting. they had a few other choices like ham and cheese, egg salad, turkey, chorizo and cheese quesadilla, roast beef cut to order, and some soups. they also had premade salads and a few desserts. I got a really delicious praline cake but it was about the size of my thumb and a chocolate chip cookie. the cookie was good but hard.

I went down to the room at about 4pm to shower and nap before dinner.

 

complaints about the day:

*if you want to sit in the sun, you will miss most of the days activities.

*good luck getting a chair by the pool if you don't get there before 9am.

*buffet closes at 3pm (i think that's the time) and doesn't open back up until 5pm or so...basically plan out your food accordingly.

*limited music by the pool. they had a group who sang but the lady was AWFUL. i'm sorry if she reads this but she isn't good. she ruined many songs. I think they should have a DJ out there during the busy times and let them perform other times.

[missync]

Tonight was formal night so after getting all dolled up we headed to the centrum for the high wire performance and champagne toast.

The captain also made an appearance.

 

The high wire performance was short but really cool. They have a few different versions of this but we only saw this one. we were seated just outside the casino and found some good seats to watch the show.

 

 

[Folk Singer]

Day 1 cont.

 

After we ate, we wandered around for awhile and then found lounge chairs on deck 12 overlooking the water and sat down to relax. We weren't allowed in our rooms until 1pm so we figured a rest would be nice. it was kinda cold sitting there as there was a nice breeze and we were in the shade but I had a sweatshirt and was ok. i believe that i actually fell asleep for a few minutes so i obviously was comfortable. at about 1pm we went down to find our room 9558.

room was a decent size with a balcony (superior stateroom I believe). this is my first time with a balcony and it was nice...but i honestly don't think i would spend the extra money for it. i didn't use it that much and don't think it's worth it.

 

well, I had planned on finishing day one but I have to get back to work so maybe i'll be able to do it later :roll eyes:

 

Sailing on her next year. will enjoy any information.

[missync]

now my favorite part...DINNER!

bay scallop gratin with olive breadstick - very buttery and cheesy. there were tiny little scallops in this dish but it was good. a little too rich for me

roman vignole salad with proscuitto, sugar snap peas, artichokes, spring onions in a bacon balsalmic vinegrette - i tried this one because it was different. i'm not a huge vinegar person(actually really dislike it) but don't have a big problem with balsalmic so i decided to try it. it was good but slightly drowning in the dressing. i did like it but probably wouldn't order again.

[missync]

pan fried filet (can't remember the type of fish sorry) with saffron infused cauliflower and potatoes - very good! the fish was light (think whitefish) and not real fishy. i didn't notice the saffron infusion with the cauliflower but it was good.

shrimp ravioli - very good also. the sauce was a little weird. kind of sweet

[missync]

bittersweet chocoloate souffle with espresso sauce

VERY GOOD!! i was worried about the espresso sauce being too coffee-y, as i'm not a coffee drinker but it was quite light. the souffle was excellent. light and fluffy and nice taste, not too sweet

double strawberry cheesecake - also good. nice and sweet but not overpowering. light and fluffy cheesecake

lemon meringue pie - LOVE IT! i was expecting a tiny little slice but liked that it was more of a little tart. the meringue was light and sweet but not too sweet. the lemon was nice and tart, just the way i like it

hot chocolate - decided to try it because on carnival we had it every night and it was made with steamed milk and was just amazing...

sadly, this was not like that. it was obviously mix just thrown into water. tasted ok but basically it was Swiss Miss

[missync]

just found this review on the brilliance

they have a lot of pictures of the ship and rooms and such that I just don't have. worth checking out if you are interested in that

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2005180&highlight=5+day+compass&page=2

[missync]

Day 3 - Grand Cayman

 

Today we sailed into Grand Cayman. We decided to eat in the MDR so that we got a good breakfast before going onto the island. They have a limited breakfast menu and some specials that change daily. Today's special was eggs benedict.

I decided to go with their classic special which is 2 eggs, potatoes, toast, and meat. i also had an order of pancakes. they have banana caramel pancakes for children and they will allow adults to order them just FYI. so I did :)

The banana pancakes were very good but the caramel sauce was a little odd. I wouldn't use that agan but really enjoyed the banana in the pancakes.

The rest of the breakfast was good but nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Grand Cayman is a tender port meaning you take a smaller boat from the cruise ship in to the port. The "smaller boat" still holds a good number of people (I'd say around 200 maybe?!?) so it's not a tiny little row boat or anything. They run about every 15-20 minutes throughout the day so you may have to wait for a few minutes but they run pretty smoothly over all.

 

We shopped around for a bit (I sat and watched) and then caught a taxi on the street to go to the beach. Make sure you discuss cost ahead of time with the driver and only go with a clearly marked vehicle. I've heard some crazy stories about people just getting in random cars.

 

We asked the driver about a good free beach that had bathrooms and he took us to Calico Jacks.

 

 

bathrooms were decent. semi clean and had toilet paper and paper towels. weren't anything fancy but had running water. no soap so i recommend bringing hand sanitizer

[missync]

The taxi was $4 per person from the port area. Our driver was friendly and answered a lot of questions. Seemed pretty excited that some Tom Cruise movie was filmed there one time several years ago because he talked about it for awhile and apparently drove Tom somewhere.

It was slightly awkward at the end because he made us repeat a prayer. I appreciated the gesture but it was very odd and just kind of awkward. He wasn't rude about it. No idea what would have happened if we hadn't complied though :p

 

We met Christina (happened to be our taxi driver's mom) who sold us chairs $5 each (umbrellas were also $5 each). She was very sweet and collected empty cans to recycle. She also called the driver (her son) to come back and get us when it was time to go back to the ship so we didn't have to worry about that.

 

The sand was nice and white. a little rocky but small pieces and wasn't awful to walk on. I've been to other parts of Grand Cayman and the rocks along the water and even in the very shallow water were AWFUL. Calico Jacks weren't bad at all.

 

 

Water was a little chilly at first but nice and refreshing once you got used to it. there was a small bar about 100yds away if you wanted drinks. my friends got a bucket of 5 beers on ice for $20. it was a local cayman brew and they said it was pretty tasty. they had some inflatables in the water and jetskis if you wanted to pay to enjoy those also. the snorkling was not good. nothing really under the water to look at so i would recommend going off the island with the cruise line or a charter company for that.

The taxi came right when called and it was another $4/person back to the port.

We shopped around at the port and then boarded the tender back to the ship.

brilliance from the road (just outside the port)

you can see the tender dropping people off

another ship in port

[cruiseapril]

Enjoying your review. We'll be on the Brilliance next March.

 

Great photos.

[Folk Singer]

Enjoying your review. We'll be on the Brilliance next March.

 

Great photos.

 

 

Thank you as well.

[Lady Hudson]

Great pictures. Thank you.

[missync]

so now it's time for the worst part of the trip...

 

i know i've mentioned the drunk idiot college kids before but this is the moment where they were completely out of control and rude.

 

We waited for about 15 minutes in line for a tender back to the ship. We were on one of the last few so figured there would be a slight wait. while we are standing there we hear yelling and "singing" from a group who are just arriving at the port. i'm not going to type what was said because it was completely inappropriate but there was A LOT of cursing and other innapropriate words especially because they were yelling them. They acted like they were at a frat party vs in public around some elderly people and even more importantly lots of CHILDREN! i wasn't offended by anything they said but had my parents or my nieces or nephew been around, we would have had a problem. we were standing next to several college aged kids who also commented on this group's lack of class so you know it had to be bad.

Sadly, this group, who was also chanting UCF (University of Central Florida) so they gave that entire school a bad name not to mention the USA. THIS is exactly why other countries hate us...

they kept this up the whole time we waited in line and the whole tender ride back. I understand they were having fun but their fun shouldn't ruin someone else's day.

My day wasn't ruined however, they were just completely rude and classless

 

ok, enough about them...

 

DINNER TIME!!

[missync]

creamy garlic soup - AMAZING!! this was one of my favorite soups. I happen to love garlic anyways but it was really creamy and had a great garlic flavor but it wasn't too much. i think there's a very fine line there and they nailed it!

 

arancini - fried rice and mushroom balls - very good. they were nice an crispy and had a mozzerella stick like texture. the inside was very tasty. mushroom wasn't overpowering.

garlic tiger shrimp - VERY GOOD! the head waiter came around and detailed the shrimp for us which was nice. the shrimp were very well done and had a nice garlic taste. I thought the asparagus was done perfectly as well. wasn't overly filling but i obviously got more than one meal (like i have pretty much every other night) so i was fine :D

lasagna - good - i was honestly just curious about if they would change things or do a simple lasagna. it was good but nothing to write home about.

[missync]

sticky bread and butter pudding with ice cream - good - it was tasty but wasn't my favorite. it had a good texture though. sometimes bread pudding can be just mushy and this definitely wasn't. i enjoyed the flavor but probably wouldn't order again

dessert sampler - rum chocolate cake, vanilla cheesecake, and elderberry mousse with strawberry jelly - this one was also pure curiosity - it was ok. i liked the cheesecake but it was just sort of plain. the chocolate cake was good but again plain. the mousse was...weird. it had a weird consistency and a very odd flavor. i didn't hate it, i don't think but i'm not sure I liked it either. it satisfied my curiosity though. wouldn't order any of those again though

tiramisu - very good! the cream was excellent. i liked the fact that it wasn't too coffee-y as i'm not a coffee person. i don't think it was anything special but it was very good.

i shared this with my friend and she felt the same way...good but nothing exciting.

[missync]

Day 4 - Cozumel

 

Windjammer for breakfast again. We didn't want to wait and be delayed by breakfast in the MDR. plus i LOVE the fresh pineapple at the buffett.

 

We docked in Cozumel and THIS is where I really enjoyed the balcony....

view from our balcony. you can see Carnival's port. RC uses a different one which I actually liked better than Carnival's

zoomed in view of Carnival's port

 

 

[Essexlass2]

Are RCI's meal portions all small?

[missync]

there were 6 ships in Cozumel today which was a bit much I think. You could definitely tell at the beach, it was packed.

 

We had originally planned on going to Chankanaab as I had been there before and knew what to expect. We got into a taxi (there was a long line so be prepared) with a family of 3. The driver asked us about location and the other family was planning on San Franciso beach because they had heard it was free. Chankanaab is $21 but you can find coupons on line for $2 off. So we all discussed it and the other family was prepared to go to Chankanaab with us but the driver described both and San Franciso won for the whole group. it was $30 for all 6 of us for an approximately 10 minute ride. This happened to be on Fat Tuesday of Mardi Gras so there was a lot of traffic in town as well. The driver warned us to not wait too late to get back to the ship

 

San Franciso beach is "free". but there is a sign right when you walk in that says $10 mininum food or drink purchase per person required so it's obviously NOT free. since this was a long day at port we had planned on a snack around lunchtime anyways but be ware that free isn't always free.

 

we walked past little "shops" and onto the beach. we were escorted to chairs which were free as well as umbrellas (if you want them). they have a tiny little beach area that is San Franciso. The funny part is that all of these separate beaches are literally next to each other and are separated by like a rope

San Franciso beach ends on the other side of that brown boat in the water. then it becomes something else.

so i just turned around and shot in the other direction from the previous picture, and the end on this side is on the other side of these jet skis.

 

it's pretty small but was a nice little beach that I would absolutely go back to.

 

San Franciso has a lot to do if you are interested. scuba and/or snorkeling trips, massages, jet skis, bouncy inflatables (theirs were as good as some of the other beaches though), banana boat rides, hair braiding, plus probably a lot more.

 

We decided to go snorkeling since my friend had never been. Fabian assisted us (that brown boat in the picture is the one we took). He was very sweet and spoke very good english. I highly recommend Fabian!

it was $35/person for about an hour trip. we went to 2 different reefs plus had free water, pop, or beer.

 

the snorkeling itself wasn't great. if you are looking for a great snorkeling trip with lots of different things to see...don't go here. it just wasn't a good area. i don't think the trip was bad. our guide and captain were both really cool but i just don't think the snorkeling here was good in general.

 

they had snorkels and fins for everyone and life jackets if you wanted them. they didn't have the usual snorkeling vests though, they were regular orange life jackets. my friend and I didn't use them because i think they are hard to snorkel in plus we are decent swimmers. i was never scared or in any position that i felt it was necessary though. however, i would never recommend that to anyone else. if YOU think you need it, get it. our guide had a life ring out there with us which a couple other people from our group hung onto the entire time (also wearing life vests) so he had to drag them around.

we stopped at the first reef and you could either jump in or take the small ladder. i jumped of course :D once in the water i put the mask and fins on and then treaded while the rest of the group got in.

there was a decent current so it pushed us a bit and some boats driving by from other beaches or other trips so it was sorta choppy. the boats were never close to us but they created a wake that made some of the snorkeling kinda rough. our guide fed the fish so we did have some come right up to us but for the most part we didn't see a lot. he said the bottom was about 70 feet down though it didn't look that far. you could clearly see the bottom. we did see a barracuda which made me slightly nervous because those things are mean but it never moved. we also saw a sting ray which was pretty cool. we got back in the boat which was actually very difficult because it was a short metal ladder and you had to basically pull yourself up with your arms. there were some older people with us and a couple of the ladies wouldn't have gotten in if the guide hadn't helped them.

we then rode a short distance to the other reef and then jumped in again. after snorkeling for awhile the guide asked if we wanted to see the edge of the island. not really understanding what he meant, we of course said yes and followed him. it soon became clear. he showed us where the island literally drops off. he said it drops from 70 feet to 3000 FEET DOWN! :eek: it was crazy! there was sand and then NOTHING. the boat was right next to us the entire time but i still felt the need to swim out just to say i swam in open water. think Finding Nemo wanting to touch the butt. that was me. so my friend and I did. and then quickly swam back so we were over the sand again. now everyone started loading the boat again and my friend and I waited like last time for the others to get in. eventually we look down and realize that we have drifted and the boat has turned and we are again floating in open water. only this time we can't see the sand anymore. IT. WAS. FREAKY. we kept looking down with the masks and seeing just blue. we both decided that if we saw anything, even a piece of paper, we probably would have had a heart attack. thankfully we didn't see anything but i kept hearing the Jaws theme in my head. i laughed and told her that we didn't have to outswim any creatures, we just had to be faster than everyone else around.

we made it in safely and it's become a great story to tell everyone. it was really cool but soooo unnerving.

[missync]

Are RCI's meal portions all small?

 

kind of. they aren't tiny tiny but I think they are smaller than what you would get at most restaurants in the US. BUT, you get an appetizer and dessert with every meal. i don't think you'll be hungry with most of the meals though. some are definitely more filling than others. the garlic tiger shrimp was delicious BUT not a filling meal. it was like 4 tiger shrimp, some rice, and veggies. it was really really good but that isn't a filling meal...for me at least. but again, i ordered 2 entrees so i was fine :D i personally LOVE food but more importantly just love trying things so that is the main reason why I order multiples at every meal. i appreciate that the meals are smaller because i don't like wasting food but really want to try everything. most of my meals were shared by other people as well because again, we don't like to waste food.

[SoonerGirlOKC]

Missync,

First of all - Thank you.. we are going on Brilliance in October with different ports obviously, but reading your review helps us get ready. Do you remember what show you had last night? I know it will change but just curious...

 

Thank you again,