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Review of Brilliance: Western Mediterranean: June 2009

KansCocoa

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KansCocoa

KansCocoa

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INTRODUCTION

My husband is 59 and I celebrated my 47th birthday while onboard; we have cruised several times before, but never in Europe. We have always sailed with Royal Caribbean, and we prefer the Radiance-class ships. This cruise was a celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary. We live in the mid-west of the United States and consider ourselves very active, very flexible people who always try to have a good time and not be picky about things.

 

ROOM

We booked our favorite room on the Radiance-class ships, #1556, which is a Grand Suite on the “hump” on Deck 10. Our room was right next door to the Royal Suite, and across the lobby from the Concierge Club, which we utilized extensively during the cruise. The room has a nice layout and plenty of storage space – my only complaint is minor: the closet doors can “box” you in if you’re not careful – you can get trapped if your significant other opens their doors at the same time. Minor, and not a deal-breaker. Otherwise, the room was very nice – and also very quiet. We never had noise issues – from above or next door, although our neighbor in the Royal Suite told us they had played their piano quite loud one night. We never heard it. Twice during the cruise, we had plumbing issues – but quick phone calls to our Cabin Attendant, Alston, resolved them immediately. Alston was wonderful, by the way – we had chocolates and towel animals most nights, and he was always attentive to our needs. We utilized our balcony extensively; we would sit on it while pulling into port, as well as enjoy our breakfast from room service. It was also nice to just sit and lounge on sea days, where it was quiet and relaxing – so different from the noisy pool area.

 

SHIP

The Brilliance of the Seas is a beautiful ship – we found it easy to navigate and pretty clean. Our only complaint was the elevator that is STILL out of service – and has been, according to research done online, for quite some time. At least for a couple of months. How much time does it take to fix an elevator? We tried to utilize the stairs as much as possible, as the elevators would be very crowded most days.

 

The pool – typical. Chair hogs would be out pretty early, and although I would watch the pool police walk around, they really didn’t remove all of the towels and books that were sunbathing all day – rather than people. If you really looked, though, it wasn’t a problem to find an empty lounger – it may not be right by the pool, but they were there.

 

Gym: We didn’t utilize the gym, as our cruise was very port intensive; we preferred to walk laps in the morning around the pool deck and enjoy the fresh air. The weather was beautiful for most of the cruise and the seas were calm, so we never had a problem walking around the decks.

 

Spa: I did use the Spa twice - the first time, for a much-needed foot and ankle massage. Very nice - and no high pressure to buy anything. I then booked a Seaweed Wrap - I wasn't sure what it was, but I was hungry and it sounded good. (kidding). When I arrived for my appointment, the spa attendant asked me if I was ready for my Hot Stone Massage. I said, "No, I'm here for the Seaweed Wrap." She looks confused; "Are you sure?", she says. I would think I would know what I booked. Well - they had made a big mistake when booking; they didn't have time to do a Seaweed Wrap. We had to reschedule it for another day - and the Spa gave me a free glass of champagne for my trouble. When I finally did get the Seaweed Wrap - it was worth waiting for. It was probably the best massage I ever had - and again, not one bit of pressure afterwards to buy any of the products. Ahhh....bliss.

 

DINING

I will divide this into several sections, to make it easier:

1. Windjammer

2. Main Dining Room

3. My Time Dining

4. Specialty Restaurants (Chops; Portofino; Seaview Café)

5. Room Service

 

Windjammer

We normally used this for breakfast (almost every day) and for lunch (only on sea days). We never ate in the WJ for dinner. As far as quality of food, what can I say? It’s a buffet – and the quality of food reflects that. The choices are pretty limited – and the quality is hit-or-miss. We never found it crowded – we always found a place to sit down to eat. The lines were never long to get food, either. Hand sanitizers were at the entrance to encourage people to wash up. I just wish they had more of a selection to choose from - varied it up a bit, especially on a 12-night cruise.

 

Main Dining Room

We ate in the Main Dining Room every night for dinner, with the exception of one night when we ate dinner while in port. The quality of food was hit-or-miss here, too. Some selections were excellent – in my case, I preferred the fish or pasta selections. Other selections – especially beef choices – seemed to miss the mark, in my opinion. We could order one, two or even three appetizers; we could also order as many desserts as we wanted. Some desserts were excellent; others, not so much. One of my biggest complaints is the misrepresentation on the menu of some items – for example, one dessert was listed as “White Chocolate Fondue.” When the dessert arrived, it was mousse – NOT fondue. Parfaits are not true parfaits, either….just an FYI. We never had a lobster night – our waiter explained that it was too cost-prohibitive to do this on the European routes. Instead of lobster, we had giant shrimp.

 

My Time Dining

We loved MTD. Absolutely loved it. We cannot imagine ever doing another cruise without having this wonderful opportunity. On our first night, we were seated at a table for 8 with fellow Cruise Critic members; we were so impressed with our service (Dejan, our head waiter, and Phumza, our assistant waiter) that we requested the same table every night for the rest of the cruise. Our table eventually increased to 11 people – although really 10 people is the max of what they would like to serve at a time. We never had a problem making a reservation, and we never had a problem with slow service.

 

Specialty Restaurants

We had booked the Mystery Dinner in Portofino on our 2nd night of the cruise. For some unexplained reason, it was cancelled, much to our disappointment. We had made reservations for night #9 in Chops – but because we were enjoying our time (and the company) in the Main Dining Room, we cancelled this reservation ourself. Therefore, I cannot review either Chops or Portofino. We did go to the Seaview Café one day for lunch, where we could order personalized pizzas with our choice of toppings – absolutely delicious. Well worth the little bit of wait – and much better than the choices in the Windjammer – so much so, that we wish we had used them more often. Seaview Café offers Italian food – pasta, paninis, and pizzas – so don’t go expecting to get a hamburger and onion rings!

 

Room Service

We used Room Service a couple of mornings for breakfast. It was very easy to place our order, and it would arrive very promptly the next morning at the exact designated time – hot and delicious. I also used it one sea day for lunch – and had some delicious hot soup and cookies. Yum – I recommend room service!

 

ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVITIES

Our Cruise Director was Kieron - rather new, but seemed to do a pretty good job. We would often see him off the ship in the ports - and he would always wave and say hello. He was pretty present at all activities - and he has a pretty good singing voice, as we find out.

 

Because this was a very port intensive cruise, we were sometimes so tired after dinner that we didn’t always make it to the nightly shows in the Pacific Theater. We did see the Tango Show – which was very good, as well as the Swing Show. The rest of the shows – jugglers, comedians, singers – were your basic entertainment. There was a violinist who was outstanding - got a standing ovation!

 

On our at-sea days, we had the usual Sexy Legs contest, Love & Marriage, Quest, Belly Flop, and numerous trivia contests. If someone walked off that ship without a Royal Caribbean Key Chain, it was their own fault for not participating – because there were millions of opportunities to do so.

 

We only went into the casino once – on a no-smoking night – where I promptly hit a jackpot, so I cashed out quickly and we left!

 

On sea days, there were numerous dodge ball and volleyball games held up on the Sports Deck; the dodgeball was way too intense; anyone playing was asking for a death sentence. The volleyball was a little more “amateur-friendly”, and so we played that without feeling threatened.

 

CRUISE CRITIC ACTIVITIES

Our Roll Call was pretty active before sailing, which made things all the more fun once we did sail, as we felt like old friends already. Our group arranged a pre-cruise dinner in Barcelona, which was attended by 9 of us. We then had a Sailaway Party in the Sky Bar, which was attended by too many to count! During our Meet ‘n Mingle, we had an activity sheet that was brought by a CC member which encouraged guests to get up and talk to others, which really helped break the ice. We then did a Hometown Gift Exchange, and it was fun to see what people brought from their hometown and why. After the M&M, we had a Cabin Crawl, which took us to over ten cabins, including aft suites and the Royal Suite. Most of our Cruise Critic members ended up having dinner together every night.

 

CROWN & ANCHOR PERKS

We began this cruise as Platinum members; after our cruise was completed, we are now Diamond members. We did utilize the Platinum and Diamond line at embarkation, as the Suite line was rather crowded and there was no one in the P&D line. We received two canvas beach tote bags, as well as post cards, midway through the cruise. We attended the P&D party where champagne and appetizers were served. We did not attend the P&D breakfast that was offered one morning – we simply couldn’t fit it into our schedule. The Coupon book was rather a joke – the only coupons we used were the 15% spa discount; the $5 off $25 or more Laundry Services coupon; and the discount for Internet services. The other coupons were just not practical – or required the purchase of something to receive a discount. On my Guest Survey at the end of the cruise, I said it would be very beneficial to bring back better coupons in the books.

 

SUITE BENEFITS

We did use some benefits; we didn’t, others. We did enjoy cocktails in the Concierge Lounge every night before dinner; it was not crowded, as there was a Diamond/Diamond + Lounge up on Deck 13. Our concierge was Katherine Valenzuela; she would handle requests with a smile. We did use our Priority Tender tickets when we were in Cannes. We did receive chocolates every night with a card, “Suite Dreams.” We received an invitation towards the end of the cruise to attend a Suite Guest Cocktail Party up on Deck 13 in the Starquest Disco. We were curious, as this was new, and so we went – and the guests were few; I felt rather bad, as there was an elaborate assortment of beautiful ice carvings, food sculptures, yummy-looking appetizers and desserts, and all kinds of crew anxious to serve. However, it was at 8:30 pm – not a good time, as the early seating diners had just finished dinner, and the late seating diners were on their way to dinner. No one, frankly, had an appetite for any of this food – and I fear it went to waste. I asked a crew member if the Suite Guest Party was new; he said that it had been around for perhaps 2 months because they were looking for a way to increase the benefits of the suite guests. I think they meant well, but they missed the mark on this – it was just unfortunate timing. As far as other perks – our ship did not have reserved seating at the pool, and because Brilliance does not have an Ice Rink, we didn’t have reserved seats at the Ice show.

 

BARCELONA (1 night pre-cruise)

We arrived one night pre-cruise via Delta. We flew from Kansas City to Atlanta; then Atlanta on to Barcelona. Arrived on Sunday morning at 9:00 am. Arranged in advance for a taxi (Barcelona Taxi Tour) to pick us up and take us to Hotel 1898, on Las Ramblas. The hotel was in a great location for walking, but our rooms were not ready until after 4:00 pm – late when you’re jet lagged and want to take a nap. We had Barcelona Taxi Tour take us on an all-day tour of the city, which included most of Gaudi’s architectural wonders, as well as Olympic Stadium, and scenic views of the city. The tour was great; we would have enjoyed it even more if we hadn’t have been so tired. However, our driver's accent was very thick, making it difficult at times to understand him. After our tour, he dropped us off at a Tapas restaurant for lunch. We walked down Las Ramblas to our hotel, where our room was finally ready - so we took a brief nap before getting up and getting ready for dinner. We had dinner Sunday night at Taller de Tapas with fellow Cruise Critic members; the food was delicious. It was easy to find - just a short stroll down Las Ramblas. It was fun getting to know fellow Cruise Critic members BEFORE boarding the ship. The next morning, we ate at a delightful café right on Las Ramblas, which was a delight for people watching. We really enjoyed Barcelona; it was a beautiful city and we never felt threatened by pickpockets. We knew to keep our money close and to avoid crowds. I actually wish we had done TWO nights pre-cruise, in order to spend just a little more time in Barcelona - it deserves it.

 

CANNES

This was our only tender port during the entire cruise. We got off the tender and walked up the Red Carpet - seriously. We participated in a private tour of 8 (all Cruise Critic members – got together via the Roll Call) with Michel Legrand of Revelation Tours. Michel took us to St Paul de Vence, Nice, Villefranche, Eze, Monaco, Monte Carlo, and Cannes. And he never stopped talking. But – as much as he talked – it was all extremely enjoyable. I learned more in one day about France and the areas we were in than I ever could have learned from a guide book – Michel was entertaining, informative, and charming. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour; we all agreed it was a highlight of the trip.

 

LIVORNO

Again, we participated in a private tour of 8 (all Cruise Critic members – again, got together via the Roll Call) with Rome in Limo. Most people, when coming to Livorno, opt for the tour of Florence. We decided to be different – we knew we’d get our fill of churches and monuments at future ports, so we decided, as a group, to opt out of Florence. We chose to do the Cinque Terre tour instead. Vincincio was our driver, and he proceeded to take us straight to the 1st village we would visit, Riomaggiore. He had mapped out our timetable of visiting each of the five villages, and assisted us in buying train tickets. We walked from Riomaggiore to the 2nd village, Manarola, along “Lovers Lane”, or Via dell A’more…it was stunningly beautiful. In Manarola, we caught the train to village #3, Corniglia. Train from Corniglia to village #4, Vernazza, which was my favorite – and then on to village #5, the most touristy, Monterosso. Vincinzio was in Monterosso ready to pick us up, and it was on to Pisa so we could see the Leaning Tower. I enjoyed the Cinque Terre tour very much, but felt Vincenzio was not very talkative – perhaps Michel had spoiled me the day before. I wanted to hear stories about the Tuscany culture – but he had none, sadly. Pisa – if the Tower didn’t exist, no one would visit – but it was worthwhile to say we’ve seen the tower. We didn't climb the Tower - we didn't have time - but we took the obligatory picture of "trying" to hold the tower up - cheesy, but fun.

 

CIVITAVECCHIA (ROME)

We again booked a tour for 8 of us through Rome in Limo. Salvetore was our driver today; he was wonderful. We had a long drive from the port to Rome itself – made longer because of incredible traffic – but our driver kept us informed the entire way. Our first stop was the Colosseum, where Salvetore bought tickets so we would not have to stand in the long line; we were able to walk right in. We drove by many monuments – such as the Forum and Palentine Hill – and then it was on to the Pantheon, where we were able to get out and walk around. We stopped at the Trevi Fountain to throw our coins in – and as we returned to the car – Salvetore had Dean Martin’s “Three Coins in a Fountain”, recorded in 1954, playing on the car stereo. How awesome. It was about time for lunch; Salvetore had made prior reservations for the 8 of us at a quaint little restaurant about a block from the Vatican, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of lasagne and red wine. It was wonderful - the food AND the service. Then – on to Vatican City, where Salvetore had arranged a private guide, Evan, for us to tour with. The Vatican was crowded, hot, and almost overwhelming – but I’m glad we went. Our last stop was St. Peter’s Basilica and the famous Sistene Chapel – something everyone should see before they die. Then, another long drive back to the ship – we all slept while Salvetore drove – and as we pulled into the port, he played, Perry Como’s “Arrivederci, Rome” on the stereo. What a guy.

 

NAPLES

This was our 3rd tour with Rome in Limo, helping us get a discount. The same 8 of us went together, again – we were best friends, by now! Giovanni was our driver, and he was delightful and charming – very anxious to please, as he has only been driving now for about 2 months. We drove straight to Pompeii, where Giovanni had arranged a private guide for us, Salvetore. (not the same Salvetore as yesterday). Salvetore is a former college professor – and man, he knew his stuff about Pompeii. No pun intended, but Pompeii blew us away. Amazing – but hot. Go early in the morning and have plenty of water. And – a private guide is really a must here. After touring Pompeii, Giovanni took us down the Amalfi Coast to Sorrento, where we had lunch at a delightful pizza place. Did some shopping and then on to Positano – for more shopping. The Coast is beautiful but not for the faint of heart; some of the turns are hair-raising.

 

VENICE (overnight)

We had arranged a tour with The Venice Experience – it was a 4-hour walking tour. We had Mike as our guide – an American who has relocated to Venice. Nothing against Mike – he’s a nice guy – but we didn’t really get much out of the tour. We were hoping for stories and history and culture that only a Venetian would know; we didn’t get that. He took us to the back alleys and we saw things we probably wouldn’t have seen on our own – but it was still a let down. After our tour, hubby and I took a gondola ride – which was a little cheesy, but hey – it’s Venice, right? After the ride, we had dinner – can’t remember the name of the restaurant, but it was nothing spectacular. It was now about 10:30 pm, and as we walked back to catch the shuttle to the ship, we went through St Mark’s Square – which was now under water! That was pretty cool. The next morning, I was under the weather, so Hubby went inside St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace on his own. Venice should be savored slowly – the best thing to do is just to walk around and get lost. Get out of the touristy areas and explore the back streets and canals.

 

DUBROVNIK

We had arranged another private tour – this time with Secret Dalmation Tours. Our guide, Luka, was at the port waiting for us. Luka was the spitting image of Brad Pitt. Seriously. He drove us to the top of a mountain for a scenic overlook of Dubrovnik; and then it was down to the City. We went in the less-crowded east gate, and we really enjoyed our tour with Luka. This was the only day of the 2-week cruise that it rained – and I mean, it poured. It was rather nice, as Luka would move us inside to a museum while it was raining – and so we never got wet. The rain forced a lot of people back to the ship, so when it came time to walk the City Walls – they were empty! It was wonderful! Our tour was for 4 hours; Luka dropped us off at a restaurant, the Orhan, which is under the Old Fort. Delightful lunch – and no crowds of tourists. After lunch, the sun was out and it was rather hot – we explored the Fort and then did some shopping. We LOVED Dubrovnik – Luka made it all fun and worthwhile. The rain didn’t spoil our day at all.

 

CORFU

We used Dimitri from Corfu Taxi Tour for an 8-hour private tour for 4 of us. Dimitri was delightful. Plain and simple. He made the day absolutely wonderful – he took us to places we would never have found on our own – including a house where 3 women were handweaving giant carpets, as well as an old barber in a barbershop who offered to do our hair. We visited an old tavern were Aristole Onassis loved to hang out – as well as other celebrities, evidenced by all of the pictures on the wall. We went to scenic overlooks; we went to an olive museum; we stopped for a delicious family-style lunch overlooking the Adriatic Sea; and through it all, Dimitri was cordial, funny, thoughtful, humorous, and entertaining. I just wish we had more than 8 hours with him – it was that good of a tour. If I were to go back – I’d book Dimitri again in a heartbeat.

 

SEA DAYS

We had 3 sea days – and we had the typical activities on sea days. Most people were exhausted from all of the ports, so most people rested and relaxed at the pool – as the warm, Mediterranean sun was very sleep-inducing. We had 3 formal nights – including a Venetian Masked Ball the 2nd day we were in Venice. Most people dressed up rather nice; hubby rented a tux while onboard, which allowed him to not have to pack quite so much clothes. I still had to pack 3 formal dresses – although I could have gotten away with 2 and wore one of them twice.

 

OVERALL

Amazing cruise; amazing ports; amazing ship; amazing people. Loved it. Would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

 

Sherri

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swcruise

swcruise

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Love this ship, it is my fav from 4 RCI cruises, tks 4 your review. Can't believe it has taken so long to fix an elevator as it was out of action on our 1st May cruise and one just naturally assumes that it will be fixed for the next cruise...

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KansCocoa

KansCocoa

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Thanks, everyone - again, be sure to check out my blog for details - including photos. I have just now posted the Dubrovnik piece. I will begin working on the Italian ports - and last, but not least, France.

 

Sherri

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tomko2

tomko2

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Thanks, everyone - again, be sure to check out my blog for details - including photos. I have just now posted the Dubrovnik piece. I will begin working on the Italian ports - and last, but not least, France.

 

Sherri

 

Sherri, your blog is awesome!! Tried to leave a comment by don't have any "profile" to use as ID. In any event, I will keep going back to read the updates and look at your pictures. Great job!

Kathy:)

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wallis7219

wallis7219

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Sherri

Many thanks for this great trip report.

We are doing the same route on 2nd August. We are also staying at H1898 in Barcelona.

 

Your report has made us really excited about the trip now:)

Glad we have got 2 days Pre cruise booked for H1898

 

Do you mind if I ask how much was the taxi from the Airport to the hotel?

 

Many thanks

Gary

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KansCocoa

KansCocoa

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Barcelona Taxi Tour charged $40E for the airport to the hotel. They were supposed to be at the airport waiting for us with a sign - but the driver was 30 minutes late. He claims that he had called the airport to see if our flight was on time and was told (erroneously) that we were 2 hours late. Hmmm....

 

Upon reflection, there are numerous taxis right outside the airport that you can catch and that would probably be cheaper than what we paid. The flights come in somewhat staggered, so catching a taxi shouldn't be a problem.

 

Sherri

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sailor moon

sailor moon

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Glad to see the review! We miss you guys :) I knew you would write a great review so I have not written one. It was a fantastic trip and it was made more enjoyable by all the people we met through Cruise Critic! I am still sorting through the 1200 pictures we took....

 

Mark and Jackie

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KansCocoa

KansCocoa

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Thanks, Jackie! Have you checked out the blog yet? That's where the more detailed :eek::eek::eek: review is!!!!

 

The blog is still a work in progress - I wrote it while on the ship; it's just taking a long time to get the photos (out of the thousands we took) inserted into the right point in the blog.

 

I'm working backwards on the blog - started at the end of the trip and working backwards so it will be post in the right order. Hope that makes sense.

 

We enjoyed getting to know you and Mark on the trip - Corfu rocked.

 

Sherri

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nellydean Great Review Rare

nellydean

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Sherri

Many thanks for this great trip report.

We are doing the same route on 2nd August. We are also staying at H1898 in Barcelona.

 

Your report has made us really excited about the trip now:)

Glad we have got 2 days Pre cruise booked for H1898

 

Do you mind if I ask how much was the taxi from the Airport to the hotel?

 

Many thanks

Gary

 

 

We are on the end sailing as well :)

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susuyt

susuyt

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Sherri,

What is the link to your blog?

Great review thank you for taking the time to share it. There was a lot of info that I was wondering about and you covered it. We leave on Sept 19 for same cruise.

Thanks again,

Susan

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KansCocoa

KansCocoa

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Susan, the link to my blog is:

 

http://sodell2.blogspot.com

 

Note that I only have days 6-12 complete. I am still trying to get the photos coordinated for Days 1-5. Hope to have that done in the next day or two, as Days 1-5 cover Italy - very important!

 

I have all compasses in hand with the exception of Day 6, which was our first sea day. I don't have a scanner - but I can answer questions about activities, etc.

 

Glad I can help - let me know if you (or anyone else) has questions.

 

Sherri

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KansCocoa

KansCocoa

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Blubelle -

 

You're welcome - glad to help.

 

Again, let me know if you or anyone else has questions.

 

We had an awesome time on the Brilliance - still working on the blog - getting the photos uploaded now - and I've tried to put a lot of info on the blog, such as show times, themes, laundry days, staff info, etc.

 

Sherri

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Saturated

Saturated

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P.S. For a complete travel journal - including photos of the cruise & ship - visit my blog at http://sodell2.blogspot.com - but please note that I am still working on the blog - it's not complete yet. Hope to have it done by the end of the week!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Hi Sherri,

 

I'm really enjoying reading your fabulous blog. Very detailed and informative, but also very humourous and readable with many lovely pics too. We are sailing from Barcelona on The Brilliance on 26th Aug, following the same route as you, so your insights and experiences are proving very valuable in helping me plan things. Here's wishing you and your hubs many more years of happy travelling together :)

 

Charlie ( London, UK)

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