New to forum - Brilliance of the Sea

[BettyBoo43]

Hi All

 

I'm new to the forum:)

 

Only ever cruised once before (about 19 year ago before children) around Caribbean.

 

Been waiting for ages to book again (had to save up & then put on hold as hubby was out in Angola on rig & living on a boat :eek:)

 

Anyway we've booked ourselves, hubby 16 year old son & myself, on the 12 night med cruise from Barcelona in August and can't wait :D

 

Been doing some research but any hints & tips gratefully appreciated.

 

Didn't want a port hole so booked guaranteed balcony, guess this is risky but as long as I have a balcony I'll be happy :)

 

Don't want to go onboard & waste days being clueless so thought this place looked helpful :D

 

Can I eat anywhere or are there charges in some restaurants?

Will my 16 year old need a suit for formal evenings?

Like a couple of drinks on a night for me & hubby but is it worth getting a drinks package?

 

Sorry for long post & questions but only got 14 weeks to get clued up:rolleyes:

 

Thanks in advance.

[Clarea]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

With regard to where you can eat for free, you have the Main Dining Room, Windjammer (buffet), Park Cafe, and the treats (but not the beverages) at Cafe Latte-Tudes.

 

Not worth getting a drink package for two drinks a day.

Edited May 8, 2016 by clarea

[BettyBoo43]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

With regard to where you can eat for free, you have the Main Dining Room, Windjammer (buffet), Park Cafe, and the treats (but not the beverages) at Cafe Latte-Tudes.

 

Not worth getting a drink package for two drinks a day.

 

Thanks for replying :)

 

Maybe I underestimated my drinks :D probably about 4 or 5 each :cool:

[Clarea]

Thanks for replying :)

 

Maybe I underestimated my drinks :D probably about 4 or 5 each :cool:

At 5 drinks per day, every day, each person, you would probably be better off getting the Premium package.

[BettyBoo43]

At 5 drinks per day, every day, each person, you would probably be better off getting the Premium package.

 

Thanks for replying Bob:)

 

Will hubby & son need long trousers every night?

Will 16 year old son need suit for formal evenings?

[Desert Cruizers]

Your 16 yr old will look very nice in a suit. formal nights are becoming more relaxed, then they used to be.Ladies will wear either a nice cocktail dress, black slacks with a fancy top but you won't see long gowns anymore. Welcome to Cruise Critic and if you haven't joined your Roll Call there you will meet others from Cruise Critic and they will provide helpful answers to any questions you think of. Look under the Roll Call Section under the Brilliance of the Seas and look for your cruise dates.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Desert Cruizers

[Clarea]

Thanks for replying Bob:)

 

Will hubby & son need long trousers every night?

Will 16 year old son need suit for formal evenings?

They request no shorts in the dining room in the evenings.

[BettyBoo43]

Your 16 yr old will look very nice in a suit. formal nights are becoming more relaxed, then they used to be.Ladies will wear either a nice cocktail dress, black slacks with a fancy top but you won't see long gowns anymore. Welcome to Cruise Critic and if you haven't joined your Roll Call there you will meet others from Cruise Critic and they will provide helpful answers to any questions you think of. Look under the Roll Call Section under the Brilliance of the Seas and look for your cruise dates.

 

Thanks for replying :)

 

Son will be having his prom night soon so he can take his suit with him:)

 

I'll go & search for roll call section.

 

Much appreciated :)

[Desert Cruizers]

Your welcome, have a wonderful cruise.

 

Gay

[BettyBoo43]

Your 16 yr old will look very nice in a suit. formal nights are becoming more relaxed, then they used to be.Ladies will wear either a nice cocktail dress, black slacks with a fancy top but you won't see long gowns anymore. Welcome to Cruise Critic and if you haven't joined your Roll Call there you will meet others from Cruise Critic and they will provide helpful answers to any questions you think of. Look under the Roll Call Section under the Brilliance of the Seas and look for your cruise dates.

 

 

Found roll call :)

Thanks for your help ;)

[graciekelli]

Your son and husband will need to wear suits on formal night, but on other nights, just collared shirts (no tie) and slacks (dockers) are fine. But you can have them go more casually in the buffet. I have 4 sons and they all have traveled with us on board and they liked getting dressed up and dining in the main dining room and having that experience. In fact, many of those sitting near us, commented on how handsome my boys looked:D. All of us really enjoyed dressing up and going out to do something special. I also wore long dresses for formal nights because it is fun to dress up and since my men were wearing suits, I wanted to look just as pretty. On non-formal nights, I just dressed like we were going out to dinner to a nice restaurant, because that is what the main dining room is...a nice restaurant and a nice evening out. I hope you have a wonderful trip. I can't wait for our next cruise...counting the days.

[cb at sea]

To get the most out of your port days...head to your public library and pick up a guidebook on your ports!

Think of the ship as your floating resort!

 

Nowadays, as long as you're neat and clean, no formalwear is needed...although long pants (for men) the proper thing. Women are fine in capris, sundress, skirt or slacks!

[Desert Cruizers]

Betty, wonderful, you will meet long lasting friends on cruises.:)

[GEARADRIFT]

You will be amazed at the wealth of knowledge you can obtain on Cruise Critic. The people on here are amazing! Like encyclopedias! Like, Google does not stand a chance! People tell you to 'Google It' to find out some information? On here, it is 'Bob It' (and others) .....

 

Welcome aboard and enjoy your cruise!

[George C]

Thanks for replying :)

 

Maybe I underestimated my drinks :D probably about 4 or 5 each :cool:

 

if its 4 or 5 may want it, my 12 day Brilliance cruise is September and they have 20 percent off drink package, I always wear on Tux on formal but may skip it and just have slacks a sports jacket since we have so many long port days

[Desert Cruizers]

George, my DH wears a sports jacket, for anything longer then 12 days, #2 jackets and change of pants each formal, rest casual slacks & shirt.

[Lanzalady]

Hi All

 

I'm new to the forum:)

 

Only ever cruised once before (about 19 year ago before children) around Caribbean.

 

Been waiting for ages to book again (had to save up & then put on hold as hubby was out in Angola on rig & living on a boat :eek:)

 

Anyway we've booked ourselves, hubby 16 year old son & myself, on the 12 night med cruise from Barcelona in August and can't wait :D

 

Been doing some research but any hints & tips gratefully appreciated.

 

Didn't want a port hole so booked guaranteed balcony, guess this is risky but as long as I have a balcony I'll be happy :)

 

Don't want to go onboard & waste days being clueless so thought this place looked helpful :D

 

Can I eat anywhere or are there charges in some restaurants?

Will my 16 year old need a suit for formal evenings?

Like a couple of drinks on a night for me & hubby but is it worth getting a drinks package?

 

Sorry for long post & questions but only got 14 weeks to get clued up:rolleyes:

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi Betty. Welcome to the Cruise Critic forum! As others have said, you will find loads of information on here and anything that you need to know, just ask. You will find that the majority of people on here are Americans but there are also quite a few of us Brits on here too. You will also find that the majority of people on your Mediterranean cruise will also be American but there will also be a fair number of Brits and other nationalities on there too. My husband and I are off on our 3rd Mediterranean cruise this June - it will be our 2nd with RCI. We are on the Brilliance this time - in 2014 we sailed on the Serenade and loved it. To get up to speed with the ports of call, I would recommend that you get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise ports as he writes the best guide books and includes details that you won't find anywhere else. You can even go to his website and download audio guides and walks for many of the ports in question - free of charge! The paperback version is £12.09 from Amazon.co.uk and there is also a Kindle version but I found that the writing was too small and none of the photos were distinguishable. The dining options on the ship are many and you can choose to eat every meal in the Windjammer buffet or dine in the main dining room or one of the specialist restaurants. You certainly won’t go hungry! I wouldn’t worry too much about making your son wear a suit for the formal nights as most people just dress in smart casual wear and he might feel uncomfortable dressed up when everyone else is not. You’re on a Mediterranean cruise ... and when in Europe, dress like a European.

[SpainAlien]

Hi BettyBoo43,

 

I have cruised both Brilliance of the Seas and the med but not at the same time.

 

On the Brilliance the free dining is in the Windjammer, Park Cafe and main dining room. The paid options are Izumi, Giovanni's, Chops Grille and Chefs Table

 

Formal night does not require a suit. There will be people on board wearing suits, even dinner suits/tuxedos but as long as you are smart that is fine.

 

Regarding the Rick Steve's book, it is out of date. For example in Civitavecchia you are not allowed to walk to the port entrance there is a shuttle to the bus terminal then you have to get another bus to the train station. It is better to do Rome in Limo for Rome. For Naples it is NOT recommended to walk off the cruise port as there are muggers in Naples.

 

I hope that this helps

 

Gail

 

 

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[blackshirt]

Your son and husband will need to wear suits on formal night

 

This is not true. Formal dress is suggested, not required. We had a family of four as table mates on a Baltic cruise. The son was about 16 and he never wore a suit, only came to formal nights wearing a shirt and tie and he fit in just fine.

[swirlofhues]

Hi! Also new the forum and to cruising, but just got off of the brilliance a couple weeks ago. I was hesitant about the drink package, but I got the premium and it was really, really nice to have. You just don't have to worry about having drinks whenever you want, I enjoyed having a soda every once in a while, and the bottled water is nice so you can take it to your room or around the ship without worrying about it spilling. I was on a chartered cruise (the infamous Backstreet Boys cruise some forum members have mentioned!) and I didn't have children with me so I may be different, but I appreciated being able to have as many adult beverages as I wanted :) Also, I found the drinks unbelievably inconsistent. I'd go to one bar and get the drink of the day and it was delicious, then I'd get one somewhere else and it was awful, so I felt better about not paying individually for drinks when they weren't very tasty. I loved the ship though and would love to take a more relaxed cruise on her!

 

One thing I will mention - and maybe other forum members can tell me if this is normal - the last day of the cruise, the windjammer cafe was only open certain hours. They'd open about 3 hours for each meal and then shut down the rest of the time. Again, this was my first cruise so perhaps this is normal practice for the last day of a cruise. Also, it is only open until 3 am and after that you have to pay the fee for room service until 5am. This may be okay for a family cruise but on our cruise the deck parties went until 4 and 5 am and we were hungry! I hope you enjoy your cruise!

[SandraDJ]

I have sailed on Brilliance three times, and am very fond of the ship. I like the salad bar in the MDR for lunch. There's also a small salad bar in the solarium, which is nice for a light lunch

 

 

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[Bobal]

 

Regarding the Rick Steve's book, it is out of date. For example in Civitavecchia you are not allowed to walk to the port entrance there is a shuttle to the bus terminal then you have to get another bus to the train station. It is better to do Rome in Limo for Rome. For Naples it is NOT recommended to walk off the cruise port as there are muggers in Naples.

 

I hope that this helps

 

Gail

 

 

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Whilst the point about Civitavecchia port is correct I would question the other points made here.

 

There are MANY ways to do Rome - including on your own - so it is not necessarily better to use the company mentioned.

 

We have walked off the ship in Naples many times. Please don't let this rash generalisation put you off. There are muggers all over the world :rolleyes: Just be aware of your surroundings and don't make yourself an easy target - as you would in any major city. Having said that Naples isn't the prettiest of cities so I would consider visiting elsewhere from Naples.

 

The European ports of call board will be very useful in planning your adventures. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

[SpainAlien]

Whilst the point about Civitavecchia port is correct I would question the other points made here.

 

There are MANY ways to do Rome - including on your own - so it is not necessarily better to use the company mentioned.

 

We have walked off the ship in Naples many times. Please don't let this rash generalisation put you off. There are muggers all over the world :rolleyes: Just be aware of your surroundings and don't make yourself an easy target - as you would in any major city. Having said that Naples isn't the prettiest of cities so I would consider visiting elsewhere from Naples.

 

The European ports of call board will be very useful in planning your adventures. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

I too wanted to do Rome on my own and did in 2014. By the time we got from Civitavecchia to Rome it was 12 noon and we had to set off back at 3.30pm so we didn't get to the Vatican at all.

 

Regarding Naples, in 2015 again we were determined to go to Pompeii ourselves via the train but there was a lady in the tourist information booth in the port building telling everyone not to do this because of the crime levels prevalent at that time. Instead, just before you leave the port area go to the right, there is a bus terminus there were you can go to Pompeii for about 3€.

 

I am not trying to force anyone to do anything and I am not biased but having done the western med in both 2014 (NCL Epic) and 2015 (Allure of the seas) my information is more up to date than Rick Steves'

 

 

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Edited May 25, 2016 by SpainAlien