1st timer's likes and dislikes

[trouble1964]

This was our first time on RCI. We did the Canada/New England cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas.

 

Maybe I'm just overly picky, but there were several things I didn't like about the ship, and possibly the cruise line.

 

The main thing that bothered me about the cabin was the bathroom smell. It smelled like a sewer leaking somewhere. It was even noticeable in the hallway right as you entered it from the centrum. This was several doors down from us, so I know it wasn't just our cabin that was affected.

 

The shower was alot smaller than other cruise lines I've been on. Or so it seemed anyway. I'm not too big a person for it, but I felt crowded. I never bumped into the walls trying to use it, but there was no way I was able to shave my legs without becoming creative! I also didn't like that there wasn't a magnifying mirror. I'm new to bifocals and probably looked like I put on my makeup in the dark since I couldn't really see to do it.

 

The pillows were super thin. We asked our stateroom attendant if there were other kinds and she was able to produce a couple that were much better.

 

The movies shown on sea days were "old" movies. Ghostbusters is probably 30 years old. If were a teen, I might have been interested in seeing it. Likewise, the other sea day activities were not up to par for us. We were bored.

 

The nightly shows were just average, to me. There were many talented performers, and interesting acts, but they just didn't WOW us.

 

We were on deck 7 and somewhere over the casino, I guess. Every night---LATE---there was some sort of drawing that required the use of a microphone. It took us a couple of nights of being woken up to realize that it wasn't a neighboring cabin's tv turned up too loud. I started staying up past the drawing so I wouldn't be woken up from it. The last night, the drawing was at 11:30. I felt that is really too late to be risking waking people. DH usually sleeps thru anything, but he even woke up when this happened.

_______________________________________

 

NOW, the GOOD parts!

 

I loved the touch screens that had the Compass, the menus, and the ship layout diagrams on them. That was so helpful for finding things on the fly, and was much easier to read than the small print of the Compass (again, bifocal issues :) )

 

The theatre seating was probably the most comfortable of any ship's seating I've been in before. The aisles in front of the seats were wide enough for people to get by you, without you having to stand up and let them by, the cup holders were handy, and the seats wide and comfortable. I've been in others that were worse than airline seating, so this was a real surprise to be so comfortable.

 

The food was better than expected. We didn't eat in any of the specialty restaurants---there just was no need to. The main dining room food was probably the best I've had on a cruise. The only time we ate the lunch buffet was when we arrived on the ship the first day. All the other times were breakfast. The omelet station was really good and there was everything else you could think of available. This was the favorite breakfast buffet I've ever had.

 

Service was fantastic and above expectations. From guest services, who took the extra step to help us, to the exceptional dining room service, and a room attendant who made us feel like we were the only people she was working for----it was all very appreciated. I realize "that's their job", but they are the faces of Royal Caribbean and they represented it well.

 

My final opinion was that my dislikes were not enough to keep me from cruising with RCI again. They were important things to me at the time, but in the grand scheme of things, were minor. I just felt they were important enough to mention when giving my opinion. The most annoying was the smell that never seemed to completely go away. I carry a bottle of febreeze on cruises for bathroom smells, but it didn't completely cover it.

[kc320]

I am another who does not appreciate being woke up in the middle of the night & for the most part am VERY CAREFUL to choose a cabin that is not above or below any public venue...but sometimes it just can't be avoided...I travel with ear plugs..and while it helps it sometimes is not enough to keep me asleep either.

Did you mention the smell to your cabin steward or guest services? Sometimes it is an issue with a seal & can be corrected.

 

I'm glad to see you have not ruled out sailing on RCCI again...I felt your review was honest & balanced & hopefully the next time you will be WOWED...

[cathykb]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

 

Cathy

[Big_G]

Thanks. Good info about the casino.

[Toddcan]

I suggest you try out a Freedom Class (Independence, Freedom, or Liberty), or the Oasis/Allure. These are much newer/bigger ships with a lot more to do on board. Sounds like lounging about on sea days is not your thing... those larger ships have a lot more to offer.

 

I have smelled that sewer smell on every ship we've ever sailed on, except for the Liberty of the Seas. I've never considered it overpowering, or affecting my cruise.

 

One suggestion that has already been made - when you book your next cruise (on any line), check the deck plans and see what is both above, and below the staterooms. Stay away from the late night noise makers like bars, lounges etc. I've also read people mention that if they are below the pool deck, or the Windjammer - there is some noise in the middle of the night as crews clean up and move chairs around.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

This was our first time on RCI. We did the Canada/New England cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas.

 

Maybe I'm just overly picky, but there were several things I didn't like about the ship, and possibly the cruise line.

 

The main thing that bothered me about the cabin was the bathroom smell. It smelled like a sewer leaking somewhere. It was even noticeable in the hallway right as you entered it from the centrum. This was several doors down from us, so I know it wasn't just our cabin that was affected.

 

We smelled it too. But I think I have smelled sewage on nearly every ship I have cruised!

 

The shower was alot smaller than other cruise lines I've been on. Or so it seemed anyway. I'm not too big a person for it, but I felt crowded. I never bumped into the walls trying to use it, but there was no way I was able to shave my legs without becoming creative! I also didn't like that there wasn't a magnifying mirror. I'm new to bifocals and probably looked like I put on my makeup in the dark since I couldn't really see to do it.

 

The pillows were super thin. We asked our stateroom attendant if there were other kinds and she was able to produce a couple that were much better.

 

The movies shown on sea days were "old" movies. Ghostbusters is probably 30 years old. If were a teen, I might have been interested in seeing it. Likewise, the other sea day activities were not up to par for us. We were bored.

 

I was on the Brilliance Oct 5-12th. I don't remember Ghostbusters being shown. There were a number of newer movies that we watched onboard that week: Lee Daniels- the Butler, American Hustle, Breath In, NFL, Man of Steel, etc. Where did you see Ghostbusters??

 

The nightly shows were just average, to me. There were many talented performers, and interesting acts, but they just didn't WOW us.

 

We were on deck 7 and somewhere over the casino, I guess. Every night---LATE---there was some sort of drawing that required the use of a microphone. It took us a couple of nights of being woken up to realize that it wasn't a neighboring cabin's tv turned up too loud. I started staying up past the drawing so I wouldn't be woken up from it. The last night, the drawing was at 11:30. I felt that is really too late to be risking waking people. DH usually sleeps thru anything, but he even woke up when this happened.

 

We also stayed on Deck 7, but we were above the Schooner Bar. Which was Aft Starboard. We had a 19 month old with us who was also woken up due to the music coming from below us. After 4 sleepless nights they moved us to Deck 7 Aft Port above Giovanni's and we slept soundly for the last 3 nights of the cruise. Sounds like Deck 7 is more "miss" than "hit"

_______________________________________

 

NOW, the GOOD parts!

 

I loved the touch screens that had the Compass, the menus, and the ship layout diagrams on them. That was so helpful for finding things on the fly, and was much easier to read than the small print of the Compass (again, bifocal issues :) )

 

The theatre seating was probably the most comfortable of any ship's seating I've been in before. The aisles in front of the seats were wide enough for people to get by you, without you having to stand up and let them by, the cup holders were handy, and the seats wide and comfortable. I've been in others that were worse than airline seating, so this was a real surprise to be so comfortable.

 

The food was better than expected. We didn't eat in any of the specialty restaurants---there just was no need to. The main dining room food was probably the best I've had on a cruise. The only time we ate the lunch buffet was when we arrived on the ship the first day. All the other times were breakfast. The omelet station was really good and there was everything else you could think of available. This was the favorite breakfast buffet I've ever had.

 

Service was fantastic and above expectations. From guest services, who took the extra step to help us, to the exceptional dining room service, and a room attendant who made us feel like we were the only people she was working for----it was all very appreciated. I realize "that's their job", but they are the faces of Royal Caribbean and they represented it well.

 

My final opinion was that my dislikes were not enough to keep me from cruising with RCI again. They were important things to me at the time, but in the grand scheme of things, were minor. I just felt they were important enough to mention when giving my opinion. The most annoying was the smell that never seemed to completely go away. I carry a bottle of febreeze on cruises for bathroom smells, but it didn't completely cover it.

 

Glad to hear the good outweighed the bad. It wasn't our best trip either as we had a lot of hiccups and issues along the way. However we still enjoyed ourselves because it was a vacation afterall. Did you complain about the nightly noise in your room? Perhaps next time Brilliance goes in for a refurb they can add some extra insulation under deck 7!!

Edited October 23, 2014 by smileyperry

[Merion_Mom]

Did you play pool?

 

:)

[kirian]

Thanks for the review! I like that it was balanced and well written... good job!

 

Melissa

[Paulette3028]

This was our first time on RCI. We did the Canada/New England cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas.

 

Maybe I'm just overly picky, but there were several things I didn't like about the ship, and possibly the cruise line.

 

The main thing that bothered me about the cabin was the bathroom smell. It smelled like a sewer leaking somewhere. It was even noticeable in the hallway right as you entered it from the centrum. This was several doors down from us, so I know it wasn't just our cabin that was affected.

 

The shower was alot smaller than other cruise lines I've been on. Or so it seemed anyway. I'm not too big a person for it, but I felt crowded. I never bumped into the walls trying to use it, but there was no way I was able to shave my legs without becoming creative! I also didn't like that there wasn't a magnifying mirror. I'm new to bifocals and probably looked like I put on my makeup in the dark since I couldn't really see to do it.

 

The pillows were super thin. We asked our stateroom attendant if there were other kinds and she was able to produce a couple that were much better.

 

The movies shown on sea days were "old" movies. Ghostbusters is probably 30 years old. If were a teen, I might have been interested in seeing it. Likewise, the other sea day activities were not up to par for us. We were bored.

 

The nightly shows were just average, to me. There were many talented performers, and interesting acts, but they just didn't WOW us.

 

We were on deck 7 and somewhere over the casino, I guess. Every night---LATE---there was some sort of drawing that required the use of a microphone. It took us a couple of nights of being woken up to realize that it wasn't a neighboring cabin's tv turned up too loud. I started staying up past the drawing so I wouldn't be woken up from it. The last night, the drawing was at 11:30. I felt that is really too late to be risking waking people. DH usually sleeps thru anything, but he even woke up when this happened.

_______________________________________

 

NOW, the GOOD parts!

 

I loved the touch screens that had the Compass, the menus, and the ship layout diagrams on them. That was so helpful for finding things on the fly, and was much easier to read than the small print of the Compass (again, bifocal issues :) )

 

The theatre seating was probably the most comfortable of any ship's seating I've been in before. The aisles in front of the seats were wide enough for people to get by you, without you having to stand up and let them by, the cup holders were handy, and the seats wide and comfortable. I've been in others that were worse than airline seating, so this was a real surprise to be so comfortable.

 

The food was better than expected. We didn't eat in any of the specialty restaurants---there just was no need to. The main dining room food was probably the best I've had on a cruise. The only time we ate the lunch buffet was when we arrived on the ship the first day. All the other times were breakfast. The omelet station was really good and there was everything else you could think of available. This was the favorite breakfast buffet I've ever had.

 

Service was fantastic and above expectations. From guest services, who took the extra step to help us, to the exceptional dining room service, and a room attendant who made us feel like we were the only people she was working for----it was all very appreciated. I realize "that's their job", but they are the faces of Royal Caribbean and they represented it well.

 

My final opinion was that my dislikes were not enough to keep me from cruising with RCI again. They were important things to me at the time, but in the grand scheme of things, were minor. I just felt they were important enough to mention when giving my opinion. The most annoying was the smell that never seemed to completely go away. I carry a bottle of febreeze on cruises for bathroom smells, but it didn't completely cover it.

 

As you have said, overall your likes outweighed your dislikes, and that is good. The most significant dislike to me, would have been the bathroom odor. What did the cabin steward have to say? Did they bring in maintenance to see if there was a problem that needed to be rectified?

 

Others have mentioned that some of Royals cabins are smaller than those on other cruise lines. It isn't something that can be remedied in a dry dock situation.

 

Glad that you had such a good 'food experience', since that is a highly subjective issue. We have cruised 15 times on Royal and have always found the food in the MDR just fine and often very good. It was only this past cruise when we did a specialty restaurant, Izumi, because the MDR doesn't have Japanese food on any menu night.

 

Try out one of Royals newer ships and you may have a different opinion of the cabins and a larger choice of things to do.

[reallyitsmema]

We were on the same cruise as trouble and agree that the movies were old, even Clo was making a joke about them on her morning show. Movies offered during the week were Veronica Mars, Gigi, Planes:Fire and Rescue (newest movie of the week), Sleepless in Seattle and Ghostbusters. We don't usually watch movies on a cruise but would have expected some newer offerings.

 

We were also on deck 7 on the hump and would never book in that area again on this class of ship. While the location was very convenient, the music from the centrum entertainment was very loud until about midnight every night.

 

I was also surprised we didn't have a Captain's Corner or a Quest. Not sure if this is something new or just this particular cruise.

 

Hopefully, the person who required medical attention is recovering. This was the first cruise we have been on that has come back to the disembarking port early. We saw the Boston skyline in the distance at about 1am but then fell asleep so I am not sure if we got in at the projected 2am or not. Next time I woke up was about 4am and we were docked.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We were on the same cruise as trouble and agree that the movies were old, even Clo was making a joke about them on her morning show. Movies offered during the week were Veronica Mars, Gigi, Planes:Fire and Rescue (newest movie of the week), Sleepless in Seattle and Ghostbusters. We don't usually watch movies on a cruise but would have expected some newer offerings.

 

 

 

We were also on deck 7 on the hump and would never book in that area again on this class of ship. While the location was very convenient, the music from the centrum entertainment was very loud until about midnight every night.

 

 

 

I was also surprised we didn't have a Captain's Corner or a Quest. Not sure if this is something new or just this particular cruise.

 

 

 

Hopefully, the person who required medical attention is recovering. This was the first cruise we have been on that has come back to the disembarking port early. We saw the Boston skyline in the distance at about 1am but then fell asleep so I am not sure if we got in at the projected 2am or not. Next time I woke up was about 4am and we were docked.

 

 

What date did you cruise? It's so weird that the movies varied so greatly in the same itinerary but different dates!

 

We had a Quest but no Captain's Corner on our trip.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[reallyitsmema]

What date did you cruise? It's so weird that the movies varied so greatly in the same itinerary but different dates!

 

We had a Quest but no Captain's Corner on our trip.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

We sailed the week after you did, October 12-19.

[mattwright]

We were bored.

 

Any time I see these words in a review, I can't take any of the rest of it seriously. If you get bored on a cruise, you must just be doing it wrong. That, or cruising simply isn't for you.

[alfaeric]

RE: The smell

 

If you really notice it in your bathroom, one thing to try is to pour some water down the floor drain. That's been suggested a few times here, and I've encountered that in a lab I worked in once- they dried out, and all of a sudden, the room stunk.

 

Worth a try in the future, at least.

[Podie]

I suggest you try out a Freedom Class (Independence, Freedom, or Liberty), or the Oasis/Allure. These are much newer/bigger ships with a lot more to do on board. Sounds like lounging about on sea days is not your thing... those larger ships have a lot more to offer.

 

I have smelled that sewer smell on every ship we've ever sailed on, except for the Liberty of the Seas. I've never considered it overpowering, or affecting my cruise.

 

One suggestion that has already been made - when you book your next cruise (on any line), check the deck plans and see what is both above, and below the staterooms. Stay away from the late night noise makers like bars, lounges etc. I've also read people mention that if they are below the pool deck, or the Windjammer - there is some noise in the middle of the night as crews clean up and move chairs around.

 

I have just started trying out RCCL from Celebrity and have to comment I have never smelled a sewer odor or any other offensive odor on any of the Celebrity ships. So it is not something a cruise ship HAS to have and it will be a BIG turnoff for me if I encounter it.

[trouble1964]

Matt Wright--Maybe I should clarify that I wasn't the one that was really bored....it was my husband moreso than me. He doesn't like to read (I do, so I was really fine with reading), and just didn't find anything that he wanted to do. We're not really drinkers, so we didn't find any reason to go to the lounges. The previous lines we've been on had more than one thing going on at a time that we wanted to do, and we've had to choose which one we wanted to do the most. Sorry that you don't take me seriously.

 

KC320--We didn't mention the odor because we felt like they were probably doing the best they could to control it. I neglected to mention how clean the ship was. When I say clean----it was CLEAN! So I felt that it was probably something that was just an issue that they were doing their best about.

 

I loved the Brilliance. It was the perfect size for us and I really have no desire to go on a mega ship.

 

The ONLY time we heard anything from the casino was when that microphone was used. DH called security thinking it was next door to us (we both have a hearing problem---he can't hear some sounds and I can't tell what direction sound is coming from because I am deaf in one ear). In between the time that he called and the officer showed up (a very short wait), we figured out it was the casino. The next day security followed up with us, which was a nice touch. They didn't just brush off our complaint but of course, with it being the casino, there was nothing they could do. No biggie.

 

We were probably 6 doors down from the Centrum. We could hear the music from it faintly. It didn't keep us awake though.

 

Smiley Perry---we didn't see Ghostbusters. We both saw it a LONG time ago. It was shown in the cinema. They had a couple of newer movies that were shown outside but it was just too cold at night to be out there for us. We didn't watch any that were offered on tv.

 

Merion Mom---no, we didn't play pool, but we did watch a little bit.

 

Really its mema----There was a lady taken off in Halifax on a stretcher. There was an ambulance waiting for her. Friday night when we came out of the theatre, there were 3 guys in suits that went rushing down the hall. Afterwards, Clo came thru the dining room in a rush. (I think that was the same night, it might have been Saturday). Later it was announced that we were going to be arriving early due to a medical issue. So if they knew that far in advance there was a person with a medical problem that needed to get back early, that issue had already been waiting for a day and a half. I don't understand why we couldn't have gone closer to the coastline and had a boat evacuate if the wind was too bad for a helicopter. It was all mysterious to me. I woke up around 3 and we were in Boston.

[momof3cruisers]

Any time I see these words in a review, I can't take any of the rest of it seriously. If you get bored on a cruise, you must just be doing it wrong. That, or cruising simply isn't for you.

 

Have you ever been on Princess? On a sea day, there were over 50 people at the origami class because there was NOTHING else to do.

 

I have been bored here and there on a cruise, but unlike most, I don't mind hanging out in my cabin and reading a book.

 

OP, nice report. Glad that overall you had a good trip. We'll be sailing Brilliance but not til 2016. It's a long year and a half away!

[SC_Floaters]

We have started using a Glade Hanging Air Freshener in the bathroom on all our cruises. Take out of the cellophane and just hang it. Works pretty good. Get a 3 pack at a wal mart.

 

(That is not a candle, it's a piece of scented fiberpaper with a picture of a candle)

Dennis & Sue

Edited October 24, 2014 by SC_Floaters
added caveat

[crazy4themouse]

The movies shown on sea days were "old" movies. Ghostbusters is probably 30 years old. If were a teen, I might have been interested in seeing it. Likewise, the other sea day activities were not up to par for us. We were bored.

 

 

 

It has been 30 years since Ghostbusters came out -- exactly. It's the 30th anniversary of the iconic movie, and there have been re-screenings all over the place. Does Brilliance have the movie screen by the pool?? If so, I wish I had been on your cruise to see it like that!!

 

Also, no ship I have ever been on has had magnifying mirrors...

Edited October 24, 2014 by crazy4themouse

[Sitzmark]

regarding the odor I'm surprised at how many people say they smell it all the time and just accept it. We have been on one cruise (Disney) and smelled a sewer odor on one day, we had not recently used the facilities so it was nothing we had done. We called the guest services and they dispatched a technician to us within about 15 minutes. He worked in the bathroom and in the hallway and in very short order informed us that he had identified a broken seal in the plumbing system and had repaired it. The odor cleared over the next hour or so and the issue did not return.

 

They did take the issue seriously, not only did they send someone right away, they called back later to verify that the issue was resolved. The next morning the technician returned with an officer to verify that the issue was indeed resolved properly.

 

Granted this wasn't RCI, and I was a little surprised by the officer at the door asking if the problem was fixed. But I would hope that if informed of an issue that they would at least attempt to correct the problem. I do not believe that a sewer odor should be expected.

[ryano]

I do not believe that a sewer odor should be expected.

 

Its not to be expected but it does happen. Ive caught a faint smell here and there on every cruise ive been on. Nothing overwhelming though. Sometimes its a leak. Most of the time, its people ignoring all the signage and flushing stuff down the toilet they should not flush thus backing up the system and causing a problem :rolleyes:

[Sitzmark]

Its not to be expected but it does happen. Ive caught a faint smell here and there on every cruise ive been on. Nothing overwhelming though. Sometimes its a leak. Most of the time, its people ignoring all the signage and flushing stuff down the toilet they should not flush thus backing up the system and causing a problem :rolleyes:

 

Still good reasons to call and report it which gives them a chance to investigate it and correct it. My take away from our experience was that they very much wanted to correct the issue and make it right.

[ryano]

Still good reasons to call and report it which gives them a chance to investigate it and correct it. My take away from our experience was that they very much wanted to correct the issue and make it right.

 

Oh I totally agree! Thing is, Ive been lucky enough to never smell this in my cabin. Just a very brief whiff while in port and such.

[trouble1964]

Holland has the magnifying mirrors, or they did on both ships I've been on.

 

Something else I remembered---I think it was the 1st night, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and it wouldn't flush. I figured they must have been working on the smell issue. In the morning it flused fine. And yes, I was awake enough to be doing it right (DH asked me that).

 

I've never been on Princess. Maybe one day. We are relatively new to cruising. We usually pick our cruise line based on intinerary and price.