Those Returning from Brilliance NE today - please tell all!

[Beach4me]

The first Brilliance NE voyage of the season returns today. I'd love to hear about your experience.

 

Comments on the ship - "make sure" and "avoid", etc.

 

Hoping that Luggage Valet was offered again this year even though Boston is not listed as a LV port. (?)

 

What did you do in the ports? Did you eat anywhere the was excellent? (Or that wasn't and we should avoid?)

 

Looking forward to hearing about your trip! We leave in 3 weeks.

[Beachin2]

With pictures, pictures and don't forget the pictures! Especially the new areas.

[paulapatti4]

We were blessed with outstanding weather. We packed for cold, wet weather and are proud to say we didn't need the raincoats, umbrellas, fleeces or gloves. The Boston port is very easy to navigate. We live 30 miles south of the city and drove to the port and parking is easy with a short walk from the parking garage to the ship. Embarkation was smooth and we arrived at noon.

I heard some folks state they were disappointed with the ship and found it difficult to navigate. I personally like the Radiance Class and find the ship very easy to navigate. I like the centrum and was happy to see it utilized for several activities. There are interactive maps on each deck next to the elevators which make it easy to see where you want to go and also list all activities just like the compass.

We had a great cruise and were very pleased with the ports. All of the ports were easy to navigate if you just wanted to walk around on your own and also noticed tour vendors available if you wanted to pick up an independent tour. We rented cars in Portland and Halifax to venture out on our own and found this worked well for us. In Portland, we drove to Kennebunkport. We stopped for lunch at Mabel's Lobster Claw and would recommend this restaurant. We did the morning trolley tour in Bar Harbour and I was glad to have made the reservations on-line ahead of time as they were sold out for the 2 1/2 tour . We did a tour with a photographer in St. John which was worth while for us as my partner is a photo fanatic.

 

Even though we live in New England, we had never been to these cities before and found them to be beautiful and filled with wonderful locals who wanted to share their local history with us. We felt welcomed ever where we went.

 

Our only disappointments was the food in the main dining room and inability to utilize our balcony. We found the selection and quality of food has diminished since our last RCCL cruise 2 years ago. We spoke with several folks who agreed. Last night of the cruise we mentioned to the concierge in the Diamond Club our thoughts; he wanted to know why we didn't mention this sooner he would have requested a meeting with the chef to discuss our concerns. It never occurred to me he would intercede on complaints regarding food quality. He did report the executive chef from the Allure was brought over a week ago to work on the food on the Brilliance which leads me to believe this is more than just my experience this past week. The new menu selections were not my preference; I found the choices on Celebrity more to my liking. Food is always subjective and I wouldn't select a cruise based upon food reviews. We did Giovannis the last night and we thought it was excellent.

This was the first cruise I found my balcony unusable due to smoker next door; he was a pipe smoker and spent several hours a day smoking on his balcony. We had to keep our balcony door closed or our room smelled like pipe smoke.

 

 

Overall we had a great cruise and would do this itinerary again. We would consider a tour into Acadia National Park and Peggy's Cove as must do's. The scenery in both locations was awesome.

[Beachin2]

Thanks for the review. The ship just returned from a season in Europe - that "might" have something to do with the MDR selection. I'm sure they will transition soon.

 

Since you mentioned the DL - did the new DL seem small? Both the new DL & CL look small on the deck plans - but they are not noted to be to scale.

[Beach4me]

Thanks for the info, paulapatti!

 

I found your thoughts on the MDR very interesting. After looking at the new menus, I have actually decided to skip the MDR. We are planning on having lobster/scallops in all the ports so we probably won't be looking for a large, time-consuming dinner anyway. Something from the Windjammer should suit us fine. We have a lunch res for Giovanni's but I think we may add a dinner res as well. Glad to hear you found it excellent. Now I feel even better about not taking any formal wear. No need. Thanks!!!

 

I love Radiance class but have not cruised any of them post-upgrades.

 

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that we have a better balcony experience. (Wish the new rules would be in place...next cruise, I guess.) Sorry you had to deal with it on your trip.

 

Please feel free to tell us more! ;) Thanks for all you have shared!

[DonnaK]

Hi paulapatti! Welcome back!

 

Is Steve Davis still the cruise director?

[cruzincurt]

What are the specialty restaurants on the updated Brilliance? The cruise book shows a Samba grille on the upper deck.

[Clarea]

What are the specialty restaurants on the updated Brilliance? The cruise book shows a Samba grille on the upper deck.

 

Park Café

Chef’s Table

Giovanni’s Table

Izumi Asian Cuisine

Rita’s Cantina

 

I don't see Samba in Royal's list.

[Beach4me]

Anyone else home yet? Looking forward to your reports!

[2catfamily]

We were blessed with outstanding weather. We packed for cold, wet weather and are proud to say we didn't need the raincoats, umbrellas, fleeces or gloves. The Boston port is very easy to navigate. We live 30 miles south of the city and drove to the port and parking is easy with a short walk from the parking garage to the ship. Embarkation was smooth and we arrived at noon.

I heard some folks state they were disappointed with the ship and found it difficult to navigate. I personally like the Radiance Class and find the ship very easy to navigate. I like the centrum and was happy to see it utilized for several activities. There are interactive maps on each deck next to the elevators which make it easy to see where you want to go and also list all activities just like the compass.

We had a great cruise and were very pleased with the ports. All of the ports were easy to navigate if you just wanted to walk around on your own and also noticed tour vendors available if you wanted to pick up an independent tour. We rented cars in Portland and Halifax to venture out on our own and found this worked well for us. In Portland, we drove to Kennebunkport. We stopped for lunch at Mabel's Lobster Claw and would recommend this restaurant. We did the morning trolley tour in Bar Harbour and I was glad to have made the reservations on-line ahead of time as they were sold out for the 2 1/2 tour . We did a tour with a photographer in St. John which was worth while for us as my partner is a photo fanatic.

 

Even though we live in New England, we had never been to these cities before and found them to be beautiful and filled with wonderful locals who wanted to share their local history with us. We felt welcomed ever where we went.

 

Our only disappointments was the food in the main dining room and inability to utilize our balcony. We found the selection and quality of food has diminished since our last RCCL cruise 2 years ago. We spoke with several folks who agreed. Last night of the cruise we mentioned to the concierge in the Diamond Club our thoughts; he wanted to know why we didn't mention this sooner he would have requested a meeting with the chef to discuss our concerns. It never occurred to me he would intercede on complaints regarding food quality. He did report the executive chef from the Allure was brought over a week ago to work on the food on the Brilliance which leads me to believe this is more than just my experience this past week. The new menu selections were not my preference; I found the choices on Celebrity more to my liking. Food is always subjective and I wouldn't select a cruise based upon food reviews. We did Giovannis the last night and we thought it was excellent.

This was the first cruise I found my balcony unusable due to smoker next door; he was a pipe smoker and spent several hours a day smoking on his balcony. We had to keep our balcony door closed or our room smelled like pipe smoke.

 

 

Overall we had a great cruise and would do this itinerary again. We would consider a tour into Acadia National Park and Peggy's Cove as must do's. The scenery in both locations was awesome.

 

We are leaving in three weeks and we would like to rent a car in Halifax, who did you rent from? Was the car rental building close to the port or did they pick you up to take you there?

[marys350]

We are leaving in three weeks and we would like to rent a car in Halifax, who did you rent from? Was the car rental building close to the port or did they pick you up to take you there?

 

Not the OP, but we also just returned from the same cruise on Brilliance of the Seas and rented a car from Enterprise in both Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Both experiences with Enterprise were excellent and convenient to the port.

Enterprise's Halifax office is located at the VIA train station on Hollis Street, which is a very short walk (about 5 minutes) from the pier. They may also do pick-up at the pier, but we decided to walk. A gas station is located very close to the VIA train station (right beside the grocery store, which you can see from the parking lot where the rental cars are parked) for filling the tank before you return it. They required payment on the day of the rental using a credit card and did not accept cash. We brought our own GPS from home. Strongly recommend making a reservation as soon as possible.

 

Mary

[lanord]

Which nights are formal nights on this itinerary? My husband's and my anniversary will be during the cruise and I am considering making a reservation for a specialty restaurant for that night, but could choose a different night if it turns out to be formal. Thanks!

[marys350]

Which nights are formal nights on this itinerary? My husband's and my anniversary will be during the cruise and I am considering making a reservation for a specialty restaurant for that night, but could choose a different night if it turns out to be formal. Thanks!

 

On the Sept.15-22 cruise, formal nights were Day 2 (Monday-Portland) and Day 5 (Thursday- Sea Day). We had dinner one night at Giovanni's Table on a non-formal night and it was excellent. Enjoy your cruise.

[Beach4me]

Great info! PLEASE keep it coming!!

 

Any answer about Luggage Valet?

 

And, what did you eat at Giovanni's?

Edited September 24, 2013 by Beach4me

[cohusker]

I really enjoyed the cruise. The weather was outstanding for most of the trip.

 

Here is what we did:

Portland: Took the $22/person Lighthouse and City tour through a private company which took about 2 hours. I really liked walking on the Eastern Promenade and going to the Portland Observatory.

 

Bar Harbor: We took the $30/person Acadia National Park tour. It was good, but after 2 days with tours, I was getting annoyed when people showed up late to the bus at each stop.

 

Saint John: Rented a full sized car through Enterprise. With tax it was $58CAN. They picked us up after I called them, but it is an easy walk. We went right to the Fundy Trail. THIS WAS AWESOME! We were there for 5 hours and I bet there was a total of 25 people in the entire 17 mile (?) park. Seriously, it was awesome. I think the price was $5.50CAN/person and they take credit cards. We ate at the Sea Caves...the restaurant was expecting 19 bus loads of people that day. It was crazy busy! We then went to Reversing Fall..kind of lame during low tide...tourist trap in my opinion. We then walked around Saint John. We paid $23CAN in gas for the day.

 

Halifax: We rented through Hertz and with tax we paid $21CAN for an economy car. We had a 15 min walk to the Halifax Marriott to pick up the car which was along the Boardwalk. A really nice walk. We drove counter-clockwise around the island while all the tours drove clockwise which means we didn't hit any traffic.

 

The SwissAir monument is nice and buses don't stop there so it was quiet. Peggy's Cove was CRAZY! Someone on our ship was even hit by a bus at Peggy's Cove. I bet Peggy's Cove would be nice without 3 cruise ships in port, but I found it way too crowded. I really didn't like being there. Granted, it was a very nice place with great views. We then went to the Fairview Cemetery which was nice seeing the Titanic Graves, and we went to the Citadel which was ok. Great city views. We spend $10CAN in gas.

 

Any questions about what we did?

[Gardener5b]

We also were on this cruise--loved the ports and the ship. This was our first time on a Radiance class ship, and we really enjoyed it. I really love the solarium, and spent some time there, as well as the thermal spa. Lots of places to have some quiet time during the day, as well as enjoy live music, shows, etc in the evenings. They really make good use of the Centrum for live music and 3 aerial shows during the week. Steve is still the cruise director and was very fun and energetic. We found the service throughout the ship to be very friendly.

 

We did private tours in Bar Harbor and Halifax, and took RCL tours (Best of Portland and Kennebunkport, and St John/St Martin) in the other ports. They were well organized, and we got to see the sites quite well.

 

We ate dinner 4 nights in the dining room, 1 night in the Windjammer, 1 night in Izumi, and 1 night in Giovanni's table (that was our favorite). I thought the food was well-prepared in the MDR, but some of the selections were just not my personal taste. But, I never went hungry and the wait staff was awesome. One night, I requested an appetizer as an entree, and our waiter added some sides to make it a lovely meal. Windjammer and Park Cafe were fine for breakfast and lunch.

 

Someone asked about Giovanni's--the service was lovely and everything we tried was excellent. I had scallop and DH had carpaccio (sp??) as appetizers; they also brought us a plate of some prosciutto. Pasta--gnocchi with lamb sauce. Entrees: Grilled prawns and veal. Dessert: tiramisu (don't miss this) and a cherry flan/parfait (can't remember what it was called).

 

We had lobster for lunch in both Portland (Clam Shack) and Bar Harbor.

 

Weather was fantastic--I was willing to forego some of the fall color for the warmer temps and dry weather.

 

This was our first cruise on RCL in a while--past few cruises have been on Celebrity. I was very pleased at the level of service and thought it was comparable to Celebrity in that respect. We will not hesitate to book another RCL cruise if the itinerary is right for us.

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Edited September 24, 2013 by Gardener5b

[lanord]

On the Sept.15-22 cruise, formal nights were Day 2 (Monday-Portland) and Day 5 (Thursday- Sea Day). We had dinner one night at Giovanni's Table on a non-formal night and it was excellent. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Our cruise departs on 10/6 and for that particular week (at least according to our documents and RCCL's website) Wednesday is the 2nd sea day (1st is Monday), and Thursday we will have departed Saint John. I think I remember the port order was slightly different for the week after our booking (Oct 13-20). May have to wait until we get onboard to pick a night. :)

[perfectvacation]

Yes, Steve is still the cruise director.

[cohusker]

 

Any answer about Luggage Valet?

 

 

No, Luggage Valet was not offered...or at least I didn't see it.

[Beach4me]

Loving all this info, gang! Thanks!!!

 

Sorry to hear about Luggage Valet (it's such a great service).

 

How was dinner in the Windjammer? I think we're going to opt for that this go 'round...at least when we're not in Giovanni's.

 

Did anyone do lunch in Giovanni's? We've got it booked for one of the days.

 

Did anyone go to St. Andrews? I've got that tour booked through the ship.

 

Keep the info coming! Thanks for sharing!!!

[marys350]

Our cruise departs on 10/6 and for that particular week (at least according to our documents and RCCL's website) Wednesday is the 2nd sea day (1st is Monday), and Thursday we will have departed Saint John. I think I remember the port order was slightly different for the week after our booking (Oct 13-20). May have to wait until we get onboard to pick a night. :)

 

We did not book our reservation at Giovanni's Table online before the cruise. We went to the restaurant on the first afternoon after boarding the ship and made our reservation for the last night of the cruise and had no problem getting our preferred dining time. The next day we changed our mind as to which day we wanted to dine there and had no problem changing our reservation by calling Giovanni's Table's phone extension. The food, service, and atmosphere were wonderful. My DH and I both enjoyed the encrusted sea scallop appetizer, seafood soup, and risotto. For entrees, I ordered the lamb chops, which were superb, and my husband ordered the veal dish, which he also enjoyed. Desserts were also delicious.

 

Enjoy!

[Beach4me]

We did not book our reservation at Giovanni's Table online before the cruise. We went to the restaurant on the first afternoon after boarding the ship and made our reservation for the last night of the cruise and had no problem getting our preferred dining time. The next day we changed our mind as to which day we wanted to dine there and had no problem changing our reservation by calling Giovanni's Table's phone extension. The food, service, and atmosphere were wonderful. My DH and I both enjoyed the encrusted sea scallop appetizer, seafood soup, and risotto. For entrees, I ordered the lamb chops, which were superb, and my husband ordered the veal dish, which he also enjoyed. Desserts were also delicious.

 

Enjoy!

 

Glad to know this. I have pre-booked lunch but have not booked any dinners yet. I'd like to do that onboard because I have a crazy amount of obc to use. And...scallops & risotto - 2 of my faves. Should be a great meal!

 

Keep sharing, gang. (Please!) :)

[Mid43]

For those of you who have sailed the Canada/NE cruise, thank you for your input!

One question I have is when tendering off the ship in Bar Harbor what deck on the Brilliance do you go down to? (Please don't say 2... that is the deck I am on... :( ).

Thanks!

[marys350]

For those of you who have sailed the Canada/NE cruise, thank you for your input!

One question I have is when tendering off the ship in Bar Harbor what deck on the Brilliance do you go down to? (Please don't say 2... that is the deck I am on... :( ).

Thanks!

 

Just checked my cruise compass and it says "Tender Loading Area: Deck 2, midship" It was a smooth operation when we used the tender and there were not long lines of people on deck 2 waiting to get on to the tender boats.

[cohusker]

Just checked my cruise compass and it says "Tender Loading Area: Deck 2, midship" It was a smooth operation when we used the tender and there were not long lines of people on deck 2 waiting to get on to the tender boats.

 

Yes, it was on Deck 2 and was very smooth. Granted, I got up at 5:30a to make sure I was in line to get Tender Ticket #1.