Transatlantic crossing Brilliance and Legend of the Seas

[Cruizann]

Just noticed the bargain price of an interior guarantee on the Brilliance of the Seas or the Legend of the seas on a transatlantic crossing this fall. WHY? What is the worst possible outcome of booking an interior guarantee? We have never cruised with Royal Carribean before. All information is much appreciated.

[138east]

I did two TA's this past year on the Brilliance in an inside guarantee and they were fantastic. I love the radiance class ships and really lucked out on the guarantee assignments. I got a cabin on deck 2 for the westbound and loved it because it was close to the elevators. On the eastbound I got a sideways cabin on deck 3 (3635) that was enormous. One of my friends got a forward cabin on deck 3 and she was very happy.

 

The radiance class ships are all glass in the public areas - I was never in my cabin except for some down time and sleep. Honestly, I could be happy anywhere on that ship.

 

My westbound cruise was planned for 16 months, but my eastbound cruise was planned within a few weeks. I booked the air through RCL and paid $476 from Heathrow to Boston, which considering the UK taxes was a great deal. I took the local train from Harwich to London and spent two nights in a modest Hotwire hotel before I flew home. For the westbound cruise I flew to Paris for a few days, took Eurostar to London, spent the night, and joined a 70 person group for a bus transfer to Harwich.

 

I think the Brilliance itinerary is fantastic. The ship is newer than the Legend, which I have never sailed on.

[MADflyer]

RCI has a lot of inventory on Transatlantic cruises this year with two big draw sailings on Oasis and the Quantum on a maiden voyage TA.

 

Both Brilliance and Legend have been fully refurbished.

 

The worst case would be an inside in a location that is not ideal.

 

Legend has different inventory from both Hamburg and Oslo. Brilliance has all inventory from Harwich and the insides are almost sold out.

 

Upgrades are rare, but sometimes do happen for last minute Guarantee bookings.

[pepsicruiser]

I have been looking at the Legend transatlantic and wish I could do it this year but unfortunately life gets in the way of cruising. The itinerary looks fabulous...enjoy inside or outside.

Edited August 8, 2014 by pepsicruiser

[138east]

My advice is that if you're really serious, put a 24 hour hold on the guarantee cabin and figure out whether the airfare is reasonable. Plan to buy private insurance. That way you can fly in the day of the cruise if necessary and use the RCL transfer to Harwich. If you like Paris, you can discuss the possibility of boarding in LeHavre. There were a number of folks who arranged this with RCL, but you might have to be pushy about it.

[Cruizann]

My advice is that if you're really serious, put a 24 hour hold on the guarantee cabin and figure out whether the airfare is reasonable. Plan to buy private insurance. That way you can fly in the day of the cruise if necessary and use the RCL transfer to Harwich. If you like Paris, you can discuss the possibility of boarding in LeHavre. There were a number of folks who arranged this with RCL, but you might have to be pushy about it.

 

Hi Carol, Thanks so much for all of the valuable information and the interesting options for London and Paris. We are looking into the flights.

[gatour]

I don't see any cons with an inside on a TA. The weather can be iffy on a TA, so a balcony could be a waste. As someone else said the Brillance has lots of glass in the public areas. On our Med cruise several years ago, we spent the late afternoon/evenings enjoying the various lounges that took advantage of the wall of glass.