Brilliance vs Independence

[rfs7306]

Looking @ both these ships having a hard time deciding . Brilliance is closer to home but Independence looks nice also. Similar ports . Can anyone who has been on both offer any insight. Traveling to east coast of Fl. from the west coast is not that big if problem.

[cb at sea]

Brilliance has outdoor WJ seating..very nice...but the Adult Solarium is enclosed, so you can't tan there...

 

Indy doesn't have the outdoor WJ seating, but the Solarium is open-roofed, so you'll have a less "hectic" place to sun and swim.

 

All in all, I'd pick Indy....more to do, and I enjoy the Royal Promenade at time....Brilliance doesn't have that feature.

[camofwilliamsburg]

I would pick Brilliance if you want to feel like you are on a ship. It is smaller and easier to get around and has some beautiful features. There are so many areas that have panoramic views, and some elevators that face the ocean on the outside. They have the self leveling pool tables which are such fun to play on and to watch. I find if you want the more active sports venues like the flow rider and ice skating then do Independence of the Seas. If you are looking for quieter and a ship that reminds you that you are out to sea, then take Brilliance. On Brilliance most of the areas face outside with windows to see the ocean. On IOS you are inside a lot.

Edited December 20, 2015 by camofwilliamsburg

[island lady]

I solved that choice. Deciding between Freedom (Indy's twin sister) and Brilliance.

 

Did Freedom this month, doing Brilliance next month! :D

 

Love them both!

[Garavar]

Any problems with wait times for the pool tables? Like mass amounts of people and they are never free?

[Merly]

I love them both. You won't be disappointed with either. Indy has the Royal promenade, which I like.Brilliance gas the indoor solarium.

[racerxspeedy]

Hello -

 

We just sailed Brilliance. The pool tables were both broken during our sailing.

 

The Brilliance will feel less crowded than Indy. Getting on and off the ship was less hectic, the staff was very visible and very willing to please. It has that small ship "yacht" feel.

 

The Indy has additional entertainment options and a lot more open spaces. You can't go wrong either way. If I had to pick one based on the ship only I would go Indy - I love the big hot tubs, flowrider and Ice show.

 

Have a great cruise

[Garavar]

Hello -

 

We just sailed Brilliance. The pool tables were both broken during our sailing.

 

 

That's awful, what happened to them?

[racerxspeedy]

The was a sign in the tables that said. "Pool tables out of service for maintenance" I didn't check them the last night to see if they were fixed.

 

An unrelated story: There was a rowdy Brilliance charter Nov 30. We sailed Dec 5. I was told by the crew near the tables that more than one person was arrested and turned over to the police upon arrival in Tampa.

[Firefighterhoop]

Looking @ both these ships having a hard time deciding . Brilliance is closer to home but Independence looks nice also. Similar ports . Can anyone who has been on both offer any insight. Traveling to east coast of Fl. from the west coast is not that big if problem.

 

 

Are you traveling with kids? If yes I would say the Independence for sure.

 

Both ships are nice. Brilliance is a great smaller ship (Compared to the much larger ships out there), and it is actually part of my favorite class of ships (Radiance Class).

 

Independence is a lot larger, but has a lot more people as well, and has a lot more as far as outdoor activities. If you are a more active person looking for on board amenities and or travelling with kids, you should look seriously at the Independence.

 

Both ships are great ships and I am looking forward to going back on both of them. Have fun whichever you chose

[Ocean Boy]

I much prefer Freedom (Independence) class ships over Radiance (Briliance)class ships. We really like the Royal Promenade and Indy also has a Flow Rider. The main pool on the Radiance class ships are much too small for the number of passengers the ships carry.

[FLACRUISER99]

And I much prefer Radiance (Briliance) class ships over Freedom (Independence)class ships. However itt's almost a tie between Radiance and Voyager Class

[ahecht]

Any problems with wait times for the pool tables? Like mass amounts of people and they are never free?

 

On our last Brilliance cruise the pool tables were almost always broken. They got one of the two working for the pool tournament, but it only lasted about a day before it stopped moving again.

 

When I was on Jewel of the Seas we played pool a couple of times without much of a wait. There tends to be less people playing if you go in the mornings.

[island lady]

I keep forgetting about those pool tables, and have yet to use them. Might be a nice thing to do on a sea day. Still have yet to use the ping pong tables on any of the ships either, but we do enjoy the mini golf on calm sea days.

Edited December 21, 2015 by island lady

[George C]

I like the features on the larger ships such as the Independence, really loved the ice show. But we are sailing Brilliance in Europe next year.

[island lady]

I like the features on the larger ships such as the Independence, really loved the ice show. But we are sailing Brilliance in Europe next year.

 

Nice! Which part of Europe? I think the Radiance class is the perfect ship for Europe and Alaska. Not too big, not too small. Our favorite class of ship! :)