Brilliance Of The Seas - 5 night Western Caribbean sailing 24th February 2014

[peteukmcr]

Bit of background – we travelled from Manchester, UK departing on Saturday, 22nd Feb flying with Virgin Atlantic direct to Orlando.

 

 

We stayed at the Holiday Inn, T.G. Lee Blvd overnight using the hotel shuttle from Orlando Airport. I returned to the airport on Sunday, 23rd to pick a Budget rental car that we used to visit friends in Groveland before heading to Tampa for another overnight hotel stay at the Grand Hyatt, Tampa Bay where we met with friends who would be sailing with us.

 

I'll try and write this review day by day. As a basis I am using my partner's blog and will try and include as much info as possible.

 

We are Diamond C&A members and so no booklets this time, all benefits loaded digitally onto our SeaPass card which was a first for us.

 

All bar staff asked if we wanted to use the digital 'coupon' if there was an applicable one available when we ordered a beverage. The free internet minutes were available automatically on day 2 as advised in the notice in our cabin.

 

I don't have any copies of the Cruise Compass nor dining room menus - sorry. But I'll try and answer as many questions as I can.

 

We only ate in the MDR (we had MTD and it was great), Chops Grille for dinner and Giovanni's Table for lunch on the last sea day. We took breakfast in the MDR and Windjammer. I have to say the omelette station in the WJ provided the best service I think I've ever experienced for freshly prepared eggs, hardly any wait.

 

We did not experience Izumi nor Rita's Cantina (which by the way is only listed as providing snacks despite heavy advertising by the Cruise Director on the TV).

 

Park Café is a great addition IMHO in the Solarium and has a good selection of sandwiches, wraps, cookies, cakes, and of course the freshly made salads.

[peteukmcr]

We have some difficulty finding the car rental drop off as it’s located at the Embassy Suites, South Florida Avenue where I thought there would be a separate entrance, but you just drive up to the hotel entrance, park up and go into the Budget office. That hotel has a great location for the port at Channelside and looks good inside too. As luck would have it there is a shuttle bus to Terminal 3, so we hop on board with a group of excited ladies heading in the same direction for $5 per person. It's a short ride to terminal 3 and in no time we have handed our luggage over and are through security. It's only 9.45 and the check in desks are not yet open.

 

 

Soon at 10 am. a troop of smartly dressed people march in line to fill up the check-in desks and the passengers surge forward. There is some discontent in our line of Diamond members as we don't seem to have a clerk at the desk yet. There is much consternation that the Gold Members are being processed before us (not by us I hasten to add!). The main vocalist of discontent, an American lady, who is tutting loudly trying to garner support, is finally called forward by our late arriving clerk. Guess what, tutting lady is not ready. Too much time complaining and not enough preparing. After much fumbling in her bag for documents and passports she is finally sorted. We are close behind and then wait patiently for the ship to be opened up which is some 10 minutes later at 10:30 am.

 

 

[peteukmcr]

Once on board we head to the Windjammer for an early lunch and whilst waiting in line for the doors to open I purchase the 5 bottle Wine & Dine package at a cost of $165 + 15% gratuity, so total $189.75. As one of our favourites costs $59 a bottle (plus grats) I think we got a good deal. We bump into our friends who have a table outside and so we join them with two other couples that they know. Love the outdoor WJ seating and you can access this via Rita’s Cantina too. We split off from the others and have a quick look around the ship. We sailed on Brilliance briefly way back in 2005 out of Barcelona. It was only a 3 night cruise that turned out to be only a 2 night cruise due to industrial action by Spanish fisherman (they blockaded the port). So our time on board was brief. We don't recall very much of the ship and spend a lot of the time saying 'I don't remember this, do you?' Brilliance seems in very good condition.

 

 

Love the Solarium on Brilliance, great lounge chairs and seating at tables where you can enjoy your freshly made salads, Panini, cookies and cake from Park Café.

There is a beverage station here offering coffee, hot water (for tea) and soft drinks such as lemonade, water and fruit punch (some days lemonade, some says apple juice).

 

 

 

[peteukmcr]

The cabins have now been opened up and we head to ours 9256. A corner aft cabin on deck 9. It has a fabulous wrap around balcony which is very large for the grade of cabin we have. There is no obstruction on the Radiance class ships at the aft so you get great views. The walk from the centrum is not that arduous and helps work off the calories!

 

 

 

 

 

[peteukmcr]

Mandatory muster drill follows and our station is E16, starboard side, deck 5. We then head back to the cabin for sail-away. We crack open the champagne that we bought at Manchester Airport.

 

 

 

Brilliance slowly slips her moorings a little before 4pm and we make our way out of the port of Tampa. 2 hours later we gather with a lot of the other passengers on the top forward deck as we sail beneath the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that spans the entrance to the causeway.

 

 

 

We return to the cabin, shower and dress for dinner making our way to the Diamond Lounge for some pre-dinner cocktails. It's situated in the Viking Crown lounge, deck 13 and has great views out over the pool deck. There are a few rowdy guests who have clearly made good use of the free bar, from 5pm no doubt :D.

 

After a couple of very potent cocktails, served by charming wait staff, and having chatted to the Diamond concierge Walter (excellent BTW, again far superior to Splendour where the concierge never once circulated with the guests in 7 days!), we head for the Minstrel Dining Room on Deck 5 for dinner.

 

We are promptly seated even though we are slightly earlier than our standing MTD reservation time of 8:30 pm. (BTW far better service experience from the door hosts on this ship compared to Splendour 4 months ago where it was appalling). We have Fish Rilettes, Caesar Salads, Linguini Pomodoro, Shrimp Cocktail, and Chicken between us. To end we have ice cream and a blueberry/peach crumble which was excellent. We also have our favourite wine, a Mer Soleil Chardonnay. Delicious.

 

After dinner we head to the Colony Club for brandies. We love the dark wood and comfy chairs and the decor here. A little disappointed by the bar service. I request a coffee accompanied by a brandy as an aperitif, but told curtly no coffee. Also charged $18+ for 2 brandy whereas in Chops later in the week, only charged just over $10 for 2 brandies, mmm. We are feeling tired by now. It's almost 11pm. The latest we have managed to stay up this holiday. Let's hope we can lie in a little longer tomorrow as well. We don't reach Key West until 11.30 so no rush to be up and out.

 

More about fabulous Key West, and a bike ride tomorrow, I now have to prepare dinner and get ready for work tomorrow. Apologies.

[villauk]

Brilliant start, Pete; enjoying your review :). Our turn to venture over the pond next month - can't wait :D.

Edited March 9, 2014 by villauk

[nolesrule]

Going on Brilliance (again) in 11 days. And we have an aft cabin. This is making me wish the cruise was not so far away. :D

[dacsmom]

Thanks you for the review, it is wonderful. I am looking at the Brilliance next April and I am excited to see what you think.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Can't wait to read your review, great start! I've driven over the Sunshine Skyway bridge several times...funny to see it from another perspective.

[nolesrule]

Can't wait to read your review, great start! I've driven over the Sunshine Skyway bridge several times...funny to see it from another perspective.

 

It's a VERY different perspective. Being up on the top decks like that, it looks like Brilliance is too tall to clear the bridge.

Edited March 9, 2014 by nolesrule

[peteukmcr]

Morning breaks bright and sunny. It's 8am and Brilliance is tracking eastward after sailing southward for most of the night. We still have a few hours before we dock in Key West and so we take our time this morning. I bring coffee from the Diamond Lounge which we enjoy on our balcony.

 

We go down for breakfast in the main dining room. Unlike Splendour of the Seas there is no hassle or fuss seating us on a table for two. Eggs Benedict and ‘The Classic’ are ordered, served and enjoyed!

 

We return to our cabin and gather things for the day. As it looks like it's going to be a hot day, sunscreen and hats are a must. Brilliance navigates her way through the coral reefs that surround the Keys and we dock in Key West a little before 11.30 passing Carnival Ecstasy who is already docked at the more remote terminal.

 

 

 

 

We have to gather on the dock at 11.45 for our tour today but we need clearance from the Captain before anyone can do that.

 

That results in a horde of people gathering in the stairways waiting to get off, with staff then directing them to wait in line down the corridors of deck 3 which means navigating housekeeping carts and some poor people trying to access their own cabins. It's a very chaotic but doesn't take too long, despite major moaning and groaning by many.

[peteukmcr]

We spot a guy holding a placard with Key Lime Bike Tours on it. That must be him. His name is Christopher and he runs the company.

 

We sign waiver forms and indicate we don't need bike helmets. As there are quite a few people doing the tour today we are split into 3 groups of about a dozen each and we then walk about 3 blocks to where we pick up the bikes.

 

Our first concern is that they do not have any brakes. Apparently you need to back pedal to stop. It's a little tricky to get used to and we still instinctively clutch at the hand grips at first. After a safety talk we head out.

 

Christopher is very knowledgeable about Key West. We learn a lot about the city from its geography, history, and culture to its architecture. Christopher has a passion for the latter and he talks constantly about it and the tour was excellent and highly recommended. We got to see parts of Key West we have never seen before. We visited Mallory Square, Hemingway's House, Duval Street, the Presidents Gates, Mile Marker Zero, (lighthouse), Dog Beach, Memorial Beach and Key West Cemetery. We end up at Kermit's Cafe Kitchen and enjoy a nice Key Lime Ice Cream

 

 

 

 

 

After the tour we have a short time to ourselves to look around Key West. Not very long as the tour overran by about half an hour. But we buy some t-shirts and take some photos of the ship before boarding.

 

We grab a late lunch at the excellent Park Cafe before heading up to the top deck for sail-away. We can see lots of people are already gathering in Mallory Square for sunset. It's a tradition and various entertainers take the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of the gathering crowds. We spot jugglers, stilt walkers and acrobats. Out in the bay a flotilla of small boats and sailing ships are heading out for sunset cruises. A loud blast from the ships horn means we have slipped our mooring and are leaving Key West.

 

It's nearly 6pm when we return to our cabin and so we get ready for dinner. First it's cocktails in the Diamond Lounge after seeing the sunset.

 

 

They don't hold back on the measures and so the Jack & Cokes and G&T’s are a little potent.

 

We are seated for dinner and enjoy some Antipasti and Pork Tenderloin. Post dinner drinks in Vintages Wine Bar (which is a new addition to this ship and sits where the old Champagne Bar used to be) where the server is very helpful in printing off the remaining C&A ‘coupons’ after using one to purchase a ‘buy one get one free’ glass of wine.

 

We head up to the Viking Crown where they are playing some 50's/60's music. We meet with our friends and catch up on the day before it finally catches up on us. The bike ride finally taking its toll!

 

Tomorrow is a sea day, so plenty of time to relax and recover from the exertions of our day in Key West.

[Drew's Wife]

Just subscribed to your thread. So excited to read all the reviews about The Brilliance. This will be our first cruise with RC and so we are trying to find out as much as possible. Looking forward to the rest of your review. Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[peteukmcr]

Today is a sea day as we head southward towards Cozumel in Mexico. The ship is moving at a leisurely pace of about 10.4 knots so is in no hurry to reach its destination. The Gulf of Mexico is very calm and the sun is already climbing into a powder blue sky contoured with light wispy clouds.

 

 

We decide to have breakfast in the Windjammer Cafe which has open air seating at the rear of the ship. It's so nice to eat breakfast alfresco, something we almost never get chance to do in the UK.

 

We go straight from breakfast to the upper decks to enjoy the sunshine. We find some empty sun-beds at the front of the ship and spend a couple of hours listening to music or reading. Time seems to fly by and before we know it we are thinking of lunch.

 

Again we head to the Windjammer. There is always so much choice there and buffet style is perfect for lunch. We do consider Rita's Cantina, but observing that nobody else has chosen the snacks available we return to the WJ.

 

After lunch we again head back to the upper decks but this time we find a shady spot and watch the gentle waters of the Caribbean drift by. We return to our cabin late afternoon with coffees from the Diamond Lounge. We spend the rest the afternoon on our balcony reading magazines and chilling.

 

 

Tonight is formal night and as this is only a short cruise we decided not to hire Tuxedos this time. Instead we brought our own jackets which we wear to dinner.

 

We have some early cocktails followed by dinner at Chops Grille, one of the speciality restaurants on board. We have Crab Cakes and Duck Salad to start. We both have the Filet Mignon with sides of Crimini Mushrooms, Roast Potatoes with Prosciutto and Mashed Potatoes, all delicious. We then have our favourite desserts, Red Velvet Cake and Chocolate Mousse Cake. We finish with espressos and brandy (as mentioned earlier at a far less expensive price than in the Colony Club).

 

We make some donations to Casino Royale, as is customary at several times during a cruise. To be honest this casino didn’t appear to be as quick at taking your $ as others we’ve sailed on.

 

 

We head up to the Viking Crown Lounge for some Margaritas and wait for the Silent Disco. At 11pm they start handing out wireless headsets and people start flocking to the dance floor and throwing themselves about. Only they can hear the music. I take a set of headphones and before long I join them to some 80's classics such as Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Billie Jean & Holiday. It all seems quite normal when you have the headphones on but take them off and all you can hear are people singing along badly to the songs. Great fun though.

Sadly the disco only lasts an hour but it's gone midnight now so we head back to our cabin, our latest night yet!

 

Tomorrow Cozumel.

Edited March 10, 2014 by peteukmcr

[peteukmcr]

Just subscribed to your thread. So excited to read all the reviews about The Brilliance. This will be our first cruise with RC and so we are trying to find out as much as possible. Looking forward to the rest of your review. Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Hope you enjoy the review. Any questions ask away and I'll try to answer as best I can.

[Drew's Wife]

Oh thank you so much! That is very kind...Actually I have two questions and would be so grateful if you can find out or if you already know the answer.

 

First, We take tons of photos each evening...We usually wind up with about 25 to 50 8 x 10's each cruise. So I am really running out of room to store all these photo albums and they get very expensive. Do you know about the photos on the ship....do they have a package? I would love to have them all on a CD if they are a resaonable price.

 

Second, My husband and I love to slow dance..(we're getting old) Is there a nice place to dance that has live music where we could hear music that isn't blaring and where we could have our slow dances? Thank you again. I really appreciate it so much.

[mariefisher]

We are sailing on Brilliance in April and really enjoying your post. Thank you for taking the time to share your journey and photos. I have a question that I hope you can answer. Where can you smoke on Brilliance? The last time we were onboard you could smoke on your balcony and since you can no longer do this I wonder where you can. I hope you continue to have a great vacation. And thank you again for your posts.

[librarylady19]

brilliant review so far. Love your photos as well as your excellent narrative. We just drove over the skyway bridge last week while in St. Pete visiting DS. Have not yet cruised out of Tampa but looking forward to our first cruise on RCCL in January - from Tampa.

I'm a RCCL newbie so forgive me if everyone else already knows this.....have all Radiance class ships been updated. We are sailing on vision next fall which Ai understand is a sister ship to Brilliance.

[librarylady19]

brilliant review so far. Love your photos as well as your excellent narrative. We just drove over the skyway bridge last week while in St. Pete visiting DS. Have not yet cruised out of Tampa but looking forward to our first cruise on RCCL in January - from Tampa.

I'm a RCCL newbie so forgive me if everyone else already knows this.....have all Radiance class ships been updated. We are sailing on jewel next fall which I understand is a sister ship to Brilliance.

[nolesrule]

brilliant review so far. Love your photos as well as your excellent narrative. We just drove over the skyway bridge last week while in St. Pete visiting DS. Have not yet cruised out of Tampa but looking forward to our first cruise on RCCL in January - from Tampa.

I'm a RCCL newbie so forgive me if everyone else already knows this.....have all Radiance class ships been updated. We are sailing on jewel next fall which I understand is a sister ship to Brilliance.

 

Not all Radiance class ships have been updated yet. Jewel hasn't.

 

And Vision is part of the Vision class, which isn't really a traditional class, but 3 pairs of sister ships.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

[peteukmcr]

Oh thank you so much! That is very kind...Actually I have two questions and would be so grateful if you can find out or if you already know the answer.

 

First' date=' We take tons of photos each evening...We usually wind up with about 25 to 50 8 x 10's each cruise. So I am really running out of room to store all these photo albums and they get very expensive. Do you know about the photos on the ship....do they have a package? I would love to have them all on a CD if they are a resaonable price.

 

Second, My husband and I love to slow dance..(we're getting old) Is there a nice place to dance that has live music where we could hear music that isn't blaring and where we could have our slow dances? Thank you again. I really appreciate it so much.[/quote']I believe they have a package, but it's not something we have used, but I think it is also an option you can purchase in advance if you check out the pre cruise planner.

 

As for slow dancing, I know the centrum (shown in a photo above) has regular musicians playing including piano and the area is used for dancing.

[peteukmcr]

We are sailing on Brilliance in April and really enjoying your post. Thank you for taking the time to share your journey and photos. I have a question that I hope you can answer. Where can you smoke on Brilliance? The last time we were onboard you could smoke on your balcony and since you can no longer do this I wonder where you can. I hope you continue to have a great vacation. And thank you again for your posts.

I have to be honest, I didn't check out all the places you can smoke, but the area on the pool deck (can't remember if port or starboard) would seem to have been extended with tables and chairs available. I think the casino still allowed smoking, but didn't notice it too much in there.

[peteukmcr]

brilliant review so far. Love your photos as well as your excellent narrative. We just drove over the skyway bridge last week while in St. Pete visiting DS. Have not yet cruised out of Tampa but looking forward to our first cruise on RCCL in January - from Tampa.

I'm a RCCL newbie so forgive me if everyone else already knows this.....have all Radiance class ships been updated. We are sailing on jewel next fall which I understand is a sister ship to Brilliance.

As mentioned, Vision isn't one of the Radiance class of ships, but she has been revitalized. I think this is the latest info on which ships have been updated and those still to do. http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/General_Info/Flyers/12028421_Revit_QuickReference_Guide.pdf

[Poorplaya]

Great review so far, loving the pictures!!! Nice to hear of your enjoyment of breakfast in the MDR, haven't been too quick to make that our first choice on previous cruises, but might have to give it a better shot this time around on our next cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[bigeck]

Great review Pete. Nice pics of 9256. We have that on Jewel for Alaska next year.