Live from the Brilliance Feb 25, 2017

[maureencruiser]

Thank-you, that explains it. The facillity I was at that day blocks FB.

 

Oh, good, so you can see them now? I know you Newbies need help finding your way around. :'):'):')

[Clarea]

Oh, good, so you can see them now? I know you Newbies need help finding your way around. :'):'):')

Yes, I see the photos now. Thanks!

[maureencruiser]

I had a Deja Booze.

 

 

Rhonda is an angel, so, she was happy to sit there and not drink.

 

 

Lies, pure lies, she had a Marvin Special, whatever that is.

 

 

Then, I tried a Blue Pacific.

 

 

The drinks were OK, not as good as the drinks at the Alchemy Bar. Andre in the Schooner Bar says if I get the recipe for a 40 is the new 20, we will try and make me one. If he could make me 20 again, that would be great. Shoot, I'd settle for 40 again. :evilsmile:

 

The Centrums are impressive, I'll give them that.

 

 

I just prefer ships with the Promenade. I don't enjoy jockeying for position at the railing, trying to see what is going on 5 decks below.

[maureencruiser]

So, we drank a little, unpacked our luggage and at 5pm, headed out to the Schooner Bar, so I could get my three, free drinks. I just had wine, so, no cute pictures to post.

 

At 6pm, we were off to dinner.

 

I had the escargot, it was not as good as I remember it.

 

 

Rhonda had a fruit appetizer, she said it was very good.

 

 

It wouldn't be a cruise without Prime Rib, that was very tasty.

 

 

Rhonda had the NY strip, she said she loved it.

 

 

We both had the Peach Blueberry Crumble and thought it was great.

 

 

After dinner, we attended the Welcome aboard Show. I was falling asleep during the singing and dancing, but, the comedian, Jeff Nease, had us rolling in laughter.

 

We went back to the cabin for a nap, then went to see Jeff again for his late night show. He was funny, but, I thought his "clean" material was better.

 

We finally turned in around 1am and slept until 10 the next morning. :o

[maureencruiser]

Sunday, we slept too late for breakfast, so, we had to wait till noon for lunch. That actually worked out, the Windjammer was pretty quiet as we were due to arrive in Key West and people were preparing to head off the ship.

 

We had a beautiful view as we ate.

 

 

Rhonda had some calls to make, so, we hung around in Vintages for a while.

 

 

Can I use that as my carry on wine? :evilsmile:

 

Sadly, we were "parked" out at the Naval Station, so, we had to take a shuttle into town. Our visit was only scheduled to be from noon to 5, so, that didn't leave much time for exploring.

 

I like this poem, I had never noticed it before.

 

 

 

We had to get a slice of Chocolate Dipped Key Lime Pie on a stick, it would be sacrilege not to.

 

 

We hated it, it was terrible.

 

[maureencruiser]

We wanted to get our picture taken at the Southernmost Point marker, so, that was our mission for the day. Southernmost Point or bust!

 

It was hot and we are not skinny, we both have various issues with knees and feet, etc.

 

Nonetheless, we were women on a mission and we would not be deterred.

 

We passed the World's Smallest Bar.

 

 

And, Sloppy Joe's.

 

 

We struggled our way down Duval St, huffing and puffing. Towards the end, we ran into 2 women who were also going to see the Marker, turns out they were on our ship.

 

Unlike us, they had stopped at Margaritaville for a drink or two on the way. We joined forces for our quest and agreed to take pictures of each other when we arrived.

 

And, here is what happens when you hand your camera to a drunk stranger.

 

 

 

Sigh! At this point, we were parched and about to pass out, so, I suggested we take a pedicab back to the meet up location. And, by suggested, I mean I passed out dead from heat and exhaustion.

 

[tonto524]

Thanks for the dining info and keep having fun ! Love he pictures !!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Sherman793]

I am just a few weeks away....thanks for coming back to do this thread! We are doing the same itinerary. Love the pics...the intoxicated strangers...hahahahaha!!!

[easyboy]

We passed the World's Smallest Bar.

Very interesting! Never knew there is such a category. Glad you took the photo.

[maureencruiser]

Hi, Everybody! Sorry I disappeared. Sadly, what everyone says about the internet on Brilliance turned out to be true, I couldn't do anything with it. I couldn't get photos to upload or anything. So, instead of a live review, here is my postmortem. :p

 

Returning from our adventures in Key West, we saw this stealth ship.

 

 

Wait, if it's stealth, how am I taking pictures of it?

 

We didn't have much time to get ready for dinner, but, I did manage to get in my 3 glasses of wine.

 

At dinner, I had the lasagna.

 

 

It was very good.

 

Rhonda had the Tiger Shrimp.

 

 

Everyone at the table that had the shrimp had a hard time getting it out of the shell. If there's a trick to it, they didn't figure it out. They all said it was good, though.

 

Our assistant waiter, Diony, was great.

 

 

He did magic tricks for us and told me not to show this picture to Immigration. ;p

[maureencruiser]

That night's party in the Centrum was the 70s/disco party.

 

 

It was great fun, what I could see of it anyways. :halo:

 

After a few drinks at the Schooner bar, we ended up at the Park Cafe for a late night snack.

 

 

The panini became my go to snack, it was great. Rhonda demolished the carrot cake, as well. Park Cafe was open every night from 9 to 1:30, but, it usually wasn't crowded.

 

A cookie and milk were the perfect ending to a great day.

 

 

We returned to the cabin to find Rusty making friends with a rabbit.

 

[maureencruiser]

Monday was our first day at sea and we slept too late for breakfast. Aah, the sweet magic of an inside cabin.

 

Waiting for lunch, we found a swing class in progress.

 

 

Since the dining room is open on sea days, we went there.

 

I had a Caesar salad with chicken and bacon.

 

 

Rhonda had a burger.

 

 

The desserts were tasty, as well.

 

 

[A&L_Ont]

Welcome home Maureen. I just found your thread today, thanks to Brilliance's wonderful wifi. ;)

[maureencruiser]

There's a lot of beautiful art on board. I was particularly taken by these fish.

 

 

 

Since it was a sea day, Rhonda went off to see what trouble she could get into, while I worked on my review. Sadly, that turned out to be the only day I could.

 

It was formal night, I guess we cleaned up pretty good.

 

 

Yes, those are boat shoes. That and sneakers are the only shoes I can wear. :mad:

 

 

I thought Rhonda looked like a butterfly. :hearteyes:

[maureencruiser]

We were in such a rush to get to dinner, I had to drink my wine 2 glasses at a time.

 

 

Rhonda convinced me to give the escargot another chance. That's funny because she couldn't even look at it knowing it was snails.

 

 

Sadly, it was the same as the first night.

 

I also had the shrimp cocktail, but, I was so hungry I ate it before I remembered to take a picture.

 

 

Rhonda had the steak again.

 

 

While I feasted on the tenderloin. I always eat a lot of beef on cruises, unlike in my real life.

 

 

On our way back to the cabin after dinner, we ran into Henry. It's always good to see him.

 

[maureencruiser]

Tuesday was Cozumel day. We were supposed to go to Mr Sancho's Beach Club. Breakfast ended up taking forever and we decided to change our plans. We wound up just hanging around the port area. I think Rhonda was thankful we weren't going to Mr Sancho's, even though she didn't say so.

 

I wanted Eggs Benedict for breakfast, but, they didn't have it, so, I ordered a ham and cheese omelet with extra cheese. (Gotta maintain my girlish figure). He must have thought I said Feta cheese because that's what I got, that was fine with me, I eat feta on everything, salads, burgers, spaghetti.

 

 

I don't know what Rhonda got, but, for her, it's not breakfast unless it's bacon.

 

 

On our way to the gangway we saw this, I liked it, but, I'm not sure what the message is. A bird in the chair is worth 2 in the bush? The bird pooped in the chair?

 

 

 

There was a huge back up to leave the ship. We waited about an hour. They announced that another ship was coming in, so, we had to wait while they docked. Annoying, but, more proof that Mr Sancho's was not our best decision.

 

 

Out on the pier, I ran into my boo, Tom Brady. Here we are holding hands.

 

 

May I say how nice it was being on the ship, seeing other people wearing Patriots' hats and t-shirts? I don't see a lot of that here in VA. They all love the Redskins and the Steelers and revel in giving me a hard time for being a Patriots' fan. Aah, sweet revenge. Thanks, Tom.

 

Not to be outdone, Rhonda posed with this billboard. I'm not sure what this lady's problem is.

 

[maureencruiser]

We all had to walk by this dog and be sniffed for drugs.

 

 

Wait, what? You're sniffing for drugs as we ENTER Mexico? Ummm, okay.

 

We were greeted by this friendly local.

 

 

We shopped for a while. Rhonda got gifts for her children and grandchildren.

 

I bought Chocolate Tequila and Coconut Tequila. Who wants to come to my house and drink some Mounds bars?

 

It was hot in Mexico and shopping is thirsty work, so, we stopped to have a Margarita. I swear, I only had one.

 

 

Just two silly girls, taking pictures of their drinks.

 

 

Then, it was time for some sombrero fun.

 

 

We know we look good.

 

[kruz gal]

Your posts are a hoot; thoroughly enjoyed reading about your adventures! we were on this cruise also... I'm the crazy lady that came up to you at the Schooner Bar saying I recognized the two of you from your posts (well, maybe you had several people doing this?) Looks like you two had a blast... so did we! :) Now, back to reality..............

[maureencruiser]

Drinking Margaritas is hungry work, so, we ordered some sliders and fries.

 

 

OMG! We spent over a thousand dollars on Margaritas and burgers?

 

 

Some people just can't handle their liquor.

 

 

Well, the heat and the Margaritas were taking their toll, so, we decided to head back to our ship, the Brilliance of the Seas.

 

 

Yes, there she is, our ship, the beautiful Brilliance of the Seas!

 

 

Isn't the Brilliance beautiful? I told you the heat and the Margaritas were taking their toll.

 

Wait, here's our ship, hiding behind the Liberty.

 

[maureencruiser]

Here's Rhonda, looking like an ant between the two ships.

 

 

Can you tell the Margaritas were kicking in?

 

 

Back on the ship, I think we took a nap?

 

Then, it was time for cocktail hour. At Vintages, they give you snacks when you order wine.

 

 

My appetizer that night was meatballs.

 

 

Somebody had a good looking salad that night. Was it me? I don't remember eating a salad with an egg in it. :confused: A curse on you, tequila!

 

[maureencruiser]

I couldn't see anything that I liked on the menu (was I blind from tequila?) , so, I went with Rhonda's favorite, the always available NY strip.

 

 

The desserts were good, as always. Sorry, I don't remember what they were. (Tequila strikes again).

 

 

[sg1phileshipper]

Your review cracks me up, you had me laughing more than once. I can't wait to read the rest of it [emoji846]

 

 

Cindy

[maureencruiser]

Welcome home Maureen. I just found your thread today, thanks to Brilliance's wonderful wifi.

 

Andrew! How many days till the Harmony? Please tell me their wifi is better than Brilliance's. If not, the whole dueling reviews concept might go down the drain. ;p

 

. I'm the crazy lady that came up to you at the Schooner Bar saying I recognized the two of you from your posts (well, maybe you had several people doing this?)..

 

Mental note to self- hire security to keep over zealous fans (fan?) from harassing "the talent". :'):'):'):'):')

 

Of course I remember you, I'm glad you had a great time, too.

[maureencruiser]

Your review cracks me up, you had me laughing more than once. I can't wait to read the rest of it [emoji846]

 

If I can make just one person laugh......

 

Wait, what? I only made one person laugh? :mad::mad::'):'):'):')

[maureencruiser]

Wednesday was our final sea day. Rhonda slept in while I went in search of breakfast. The buffet had Eggs Benedict and they looked pretty good, so, I got them.

 

 

Looks can be deceiving. :mad:

 

The eggs part tasted OK, but, I couldn't cut the English muffin. I even tried tearing it apart with my bare hands. It was too much work, so, I went back for breakfast 2.0

 

 

That was much better and easier.

 

On my way out, I saw this cake.

 

 

This was the day I tried to work on my review, but, couldn't. Rhonda had already taken off to give me time to work on it, so, I headed out on my own, as well.

 

The casino was selling $1 Mimosas.

 

 

It would have been rude not to have tried one. (or, two). :D