Brilliance Oct 13th Review

[ikirumata]

I posted this on our Roll Call, but I thought I would post it here too. I am expanding my original post to give more detail (splitting it into 2 parts). Ill also be adding pics as I process them. I hope you enjoy!

 

PART 1 - Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, St John

 

[...reply to someone else's review on the roll call]

 

We had a great time too! We only ate in the MDR on formal nights because we purchased the Royal Dining Package. The MDR food was ok, but we could not stand the 2 hour+ ordeal. Dining in the specialty restaurants took as much time, but the food was overall wonderful! If you haven't tried the Mushroom Souffle and Passion Berry Duo at Chops, then you really need to try it next time! I could eat those all cruise long!

 

Izumi was a big (and unexpected) hit too!

izumi by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

Giovannis, to me was very good. My table mates did not share my enthusiasm.

 

Park Cafe was a nice place to grab a snack during off hours.

 

Last year we were on the Radiance and it seems that Royal Caribbean learned a thing or two when upgrading the Brilliance. The seating area by the entrance to the Windjammer was a nice surprise. On the Radiance, that area was the Dog House. I liked the use of the space better on the Brilliance. Also, around back of the Windjammer, where Ritas is, was Izumi. Ritas was on the other side. I liked how, on the Brilliance, that the side area was used for more seating.

 

I did not like that the Card Room was stashed away on the Brilliance. On the Radiance, it overlooked the Centrum.

 

The bread was better on the Brilliance. For some reason, all the breads on the Radiance were rock hard and cold.

 

I loved that we were able to get some NFL games!

 

Staff, as usual, were excellent!

 

Day 0 - Boston

 

Boston was a highlight of our trip. After landing at Boston Logan and checking in to the Marriott Custom House (the clock tower near Fenuil Hall), we spent the day before embarkation exploring (Duck Tour!). We really enjoyed learning about Boston from the Duck, but we felt that it was a bit long (we even did the short tour). However, I think it was the perfect way to sample some of the sites around Boston. We definitely have a feeling for things to do if/when we come back to visit. The evening was spent sampling some Boston culinary delights. Dinner in the North End and our new Boston vice...

 

mikes cannolis by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

We loved the whole Fenuil Hall area. I swear the whole downtown smells like food at night! My wife and her best friend went exploring the shops around Fenuil Hall and I enjoyed the music from local musicians. There were a lot of pianos around downtown and it looks like the city of Boston puts those out for anyone to play.

 

Day 1 - Embarkation

 

On day of Embarkation, the weather was beautiful and we went exploring the Freedom Trail. There were lots of sites we wanted to check out since learning about them on the Duck Tour. Most notably the resting place of Mother Goose (turned out that the marker shown on the brochure was not really Mother Goose, but the second wife of her husband...whatever...) and some globe exhibit at the Boston Commons. There were some good photo ops, but I committed one of the sins of digital cameras and forgot to check my battery. :(

 

Also, since we stayed at the Marriott Custom House, we had the privilege of enjoying the excellent views of the city from the observation deck! We were hoping on spying some peregrine falcons that made their home up there (they have a camera pointing to their nesting area), but there were none to be seen.

 

The Brilliance was in great shape! Boarding was a breeze and our rooms were ready to go by the time we checked in (around 2pm). This was our second Radiance Class Ship, so we knew the ins and outs of the class. For those who have never been on a Radiance Class Ship (especially after refurb), the Solarium is an excellent place to escape.

 

Roger from Guyana was our cabin attendant. He was very nice and went out of his way a couple times to make sure we had ice and glasses for the wine we brought on board.

 

One complaint I had about the room was the bed. We asked for the beds to be put together, but unfortunately one bed was super hard. Whoever slept on that side slept terribly. We ended up trying to sleep on the comfy side, but that didnt always work. Not sure what anyone could have done. Maybe we needed to hire some kids to come jump on the hard side for a couple hours.

 

Deck 8 is the perfect place to be if you want to do stairs. Its 3 decks away from everything it seems. 3 decks is not worth waiting for the elevator, so we took stairs. I think it offset how much food I ate...

 

Day 2 - Portland, ME

 

We did a lighthouse lovers tour through Portland Discovery Tours. I love being out on the water and Portland is known for its lighthouses, so it just made sense. I wouldn't do it again...not that the tour was bad, but I guess I don't have the appreciation for lighthouses that I thought I did. Still, I think it was better to see them from the water rather than from land.

 

Portland was our favorite place to shop. My wife loved going up and down the streets in and out of the little shops. The guys explored some of the pubs. I personally enjoyed sampling the cheeses at the Cabot shop (wasabi cheddar ftw!). On our way back to the ship, we stopped by Andy's Old Port Pub and had the most amazing blueberry pie!

 

Day 3 - Bar Harbor, ME

 

It was a beautiful day at Bar Harbor! Here is a pic I snapped from the port (The Margaret Todd was getting ready for her day too).

Brilliance of the Seas at port in Bar Harbor. by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

In fact, it was a bit warm. We were hoping on booking a trolley through Acadia, but the fiasco in Washington had dashed our hopes. So we decided to quickly check out the town of Bar Harbor. While walking around, we caught wind that even though the main Acadia roads were closed, there were lots of city/state roads that we could travel that still had some great sights. We went to the information booth and quickly discovered that we could rent a taxi to take us around for about $80 an hour. We had a flying tour later in the day, so we decided to hire a taxi to give us a quick tour. The island was very beautiful, but we were a bit disappointed by the general lack of color. Amy, our cab driver told us that this year wasn't good for color and that they already had some rain and wind that knocked a lot of leaves off.

 

After our taxi tour, we were off to our flying tour provided by Acadia Air Tours. Since there was 4 of us, we booked 2 planes (Cessna style planes) and took off! It was a fun trip and seeing Acadia from the sky was a unique experience! One good thing that came out of the whole National Park closing is that we were able to fly closer to the park. Flying around Cadillac Mountain was very neat! Also, getting to see the other plane was cool too. I got to sit in the back and snap some photos/video, but I realized that I lack the stomach constitution for flying. I quickly got plane sick looking through my viewfinder, so I put down the camera down and gutted it out. My wife got to steer the plane at one point and she was super excited about that!

 

After our flight, it was back to the Brilliance!

 

Day 3 - St John, NB

 

Pulling into St John after seeing Bar Harbor was a bit of a let down. St John is definitely not as beautiful as Bar Harbor.

 

In St. John, we rented a car and drove out to the Sea Caves. When we got there, the water was up, so we grabbed a quick lunch at the Sea Caves restaurant. I am usually skeptical about any restaurant near a tourist attraction, but I must say, the seafood chowder was amazing! After lunch, we decided to check out the Fundy Trail.

 

The Fundy Trail was officially closed the Monday before we got to St John, but I heard that the trail may still be open, so we drove over there to see. Lucky enough, the trail was still open! We were sure glad it was because the views were wonderful! After all the cruise food we ate, hiking around was very welcome.

 

Here is a waterfall we hiked to on the Fundy Trail.

 

Fuller Falls by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

After spending a couple hours on the Fundy Trail, we went back to the Caves and the tide was out. We were able to explore the caves up close! A storm was rolling in, so we tried to explore as much as possible before getting rained on. Soon it was time to head back to return the rental and go back to the ship.

 

Up next, Part II, a relaxing sea day, we finally get to see a peregrine falcon, wonderful sights around Halifax, and a nice whale adventure!

Edited November 1, 2013 by ikirumata

[ansadler]

Thanks for posting this! We are going to be on the Brilliance in three weeks. Can't wait. Looking forward to part 2.

[Beach4me]

Loving the review. We were on this cruise, too, and really enjoyed it!

[jty1220]

What is the Royal Dining Package?

[ikirumata]

What is the Royal Dining Package?

 

On the Brilliance, it is $55 for one night dining in each of Chops, Giovannis, and Izumi

 

 

Izumi is an a la carte style restaurant, so basically what it comes down to is you get $15 to go towards food. The best deal is to order one of their dinner combos. Most of them are priced around $15. You get appetizer, sushi, hot rock, and a dessert sampler on most combo. Well worth it!

 

I am still uploading pics to finish up my review, but here are some more shots from part 1.

 

Here are some chairs from the Brilliance Solarium:

 

brilliancesolarium by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

A section of the Berlin Wall at Portland.

 

Berlin Wall Portland Maine by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

Here is the Pool Bar on the Brilliance:

 

skybar by ikirumata, on Flickr

[jty1220]

keep the pics coming

[TheSeaIsCalling]

I love your review! My fiance and I will be sailing on Brilliance for the first time on January 13th, 2014. We are looking forward to it immensely!

[jty1220]

I love your review! My fiance and I will be sailing on Brilliance for the first time on January 13th, 2014. We are looking forward to it immensely!

 

My wife and I are also going on the Cruise 1/13/14. It is our first vacation since having a baby this year and we are very excited.

[ikirumata]

Bonus pic from Boston:

 

This guy had front row seats for our sendoff (interestingly enough, the Brilliance backed out of the Boston Harbor and then flipped around out to sea).

 

gullboston by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

Pics from Portland:

 

lockslove by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

At the dock where we lined up to take a lighthouse tour, there was this interesting 'exhibit' on one of the fences. Its called Locks of Love. I believe that the idea is to engrave you and your love's name on a padlock, attach it to the fence, and throw the key into the water (or if you are environmentally conscious, into the trash/recycling bin).

 

portlandlight1 by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

I think this is the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse in Portland Maine.

[Oppalopa]

My wife and I are also going on the Cruise 1/13/14. It is our first vacation since having a baby this year and we are very excited.

This will be my first cruise ever. December 16th :)

[ikirumata]

Sorry its been taking so long to finish. Our family has been battling some sort of sickness since we got back from vacation (another reason why one should never come back from vacation).

 

One last pic from Day 4 to kick things back off:

 

Covered bridge near St. Martins Sea Caves.

covered1 by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

Day 5

 

Day 5 was our first Sea Day. I love sea days, especially if it is on a cruise where sea life can be seen. I do love sea days in the Caribbean too, but me lounging out on the sun deck or back of the boat catching rays does not make a good photo review.

 

Since leaving St. John, the weather had been a bit dreary. The rain had soaked us on the way back to the port and it was getting chilly. Waking up on our first sea day was a total surprise as it was sunny and a bit warm! In fact, as the day went on, it felt almost like we were in the Caribbean. Everyone was taking advantage of the warm sun and hanging out by the pool. This is when I realized that even though the ship was full, it never really seemed crowded. There was always plenty of seating and places to get away from the crowd and I hardly remember waiting in any line outside of embarkation.

 

The day was spent relaxing, playing games with our cruise mates, sneaking in a bit of workout time, and spending time on the front of the boat looking out for whales and other sea life. I did spot a pair of whale spouts way in the distance, but nothing picture worthy. However, the day was not wasted as we were spied on by this guy.

 

Peregrine Falcon by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

At first, I just dismissed this guy as just another sea bird flying around, but as he got closer, I noticed that he was some sort of hawk or falcon. Odd to me considering we were out to sea. He was eying me as I stood out looking for other sea life, so in between bouts of staring out at sea, I would snap a few shots of him. I come to find out later, that I was being watched by a peregrine falcon, the fastest bird on earth! I had known that they were in the area when we were in Boston. In fact, we were very disappointed that we didn't get to see the peregrine falcon family that was living at the Marriott Customs House, but lo and behold, we spent our first sea day hanging out with one! What a rare treat!

 

Later in the afternoon, right before we had to go in and change for our second formal night, we were treated to waves and waves of dolphins! You couldn't see them from very far away, but as they got close, you could hear them splashing as they neared the ship.

 

Dolphins by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

We spent a lot of time watching. Dolphins are very cool animals for sure. You can almost feel how powerful they were as they repeatedly leaped out of the water on their way to wherever they were going.

 

By the time the dolphin spectacle was over, we were treated to a lovely sunset.

 

sunset by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

Before dinner, we scoped out all the different photo ops, stopped to catch a centrum production, and then headed off to dinner.

 

Second formal night was lobster night. I haven't really spent much time talking about the main dining food, but I really was not that impressed with the whole MDR experience. The food was ok, and the service was spectacular as always, but I think it would have been better if we were seated at a bigger table. We were sitting with just our cruise mates and we really missed out meeting new people and hearing what other people were up to. I consider eating at a large table with strangers a perk of cruising. Anyway, the lobster portions seemed bigger than I remember them, which is always good. Everyone got their fill of lobster and we again headed out to take some more pics.

 

That night was super calm! I think the captain stopped the ship and just hung out for the evening (this is how you squeeze in a sea day when ports are literally 2 hours drive apart). We took advantage of a full moon and took some lovely silhouette shots on the helipad.

 

moonlit by ikirumata, on Flickr

 

Overall, the first sea day turned out to be a very good day! Refreshed, we turned in, ready for our adventure into Halifax.

 

Up next, Part 3: Picturesque Halifax and a second sea day...with whales...lots of them!

[DavyJoneses]

Great pictures. I hope we experience some of those magical moments!

[chellecruise12]

What is the Royal Dining Package?

I've never seen this before either..Is it offered on Vision do you know? How do you find out about it? Can you reserve before your cruise??

[ikirumata]

You can reserve dining packages before the cruise, but they will be heavily marketing it once you board. Im not sure if it is on the vision. My suspicion is that it is offered primarily on ships that have gone through revitalization and varies depending on what that ship has to offer. Last year I was on the Radiance and they offerend Samba Grill as part of the dining package. Since the Brilliance did not have Samba Grill, it was not included (and was cheaper).

 

Check your reservation page on Royal's website. If the package is offered, it may show up under where you can add specialty dining. One note though, it wasn't offered until a month before departure date on our cruise.

[7leagueboots]

Loved the picture of the waterfall!!

[chellecruise12]

You can reserve dining packages before the cruise, but they will be heavily marketing it once you board. Im not sure if it is on the vision. My suspicion is that it is offered primarily on ships that have gone through revitalization and varies depending on what that ship has to offer. Last year I was on the Radiance and they offerend Samba Grill as part of the dining package. Since the Brilliance did not have Samba Grill, it was not included (and was cheaper).

 

Check your reservation page on Royal's website. If the package is offered, it may show up under where you can add specialty dining. One note though, it wasn't offered until a month before departure date on our cruise.

Thx for the info. I'll check it out when our cruise gets closer.. :)

[trouble1964]

Where is the rest? Enjoying the photos!

[taco88]

"unfortunately one bed was super hard. Whoever slept on that side slept terribly."

 

We had exactly the same experience on Brilliance. It's disappointing to have such a lousy bed in a balcony on Royal Caribbean, while knowing full well that I'd have slept better in a $249 inside room on Carnival.