Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas??

[canadarocks]

We're doing a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise in January on the Nieuw Amsterdam out of Fort Lauderdale. I've just found a 5 night Western Caribbean, round-trip Tampa, on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas that would work perfectly beforehand. Direct flight post-cruise from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale gets us there on the day that we've already reserved our pre-cruise hotel for our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise.

 

We've never done an RC cruise..... many on HAL and a few on Princess. Should we give it a go? :confused:

[VennDiagram]

Tampa ....

 

 

Should we give it a go? :confused:

 

How is this even a question? :D :D :D January. Florida. Cruise. Again, I ask -- how is this even a question? :D

[canadarocks]

How is this even a question? :D :D :D January. Florida. Cruise. Again, I ask -- how is this even a question? :D

 

LOL.... I see your point.

But it does mean changing air plans, likely adding a hotel pre-cruise in Tampa, etc. Wouldn't want to be completely disappointed.

[VennDiagram]

Very likely NOT SNOWING. Very likely WARM(ish). Someone else cooking....

 

A good friend sails Royal Caribbean all the time because his partner prefers Royal Caribbean over HAL. My friend prefers HAL service and food but has no significant issues with Royal Caribbean. He's pretty picky.

 

I'm sure others with first hand experience will be along soon. My vote? Go. ;)

[katrina915]

I have been on the Brilliance and her sister ships. I love that size ship and all the ocean views in the public areas. This is a mid size ship for Royal so it won't have the entertainment of the larger ships but I like it.

 

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[cb at sea]

Brilliance is a nice ship...not my favorite, but she will do. I dislike the "enclosed" solarium...can't sun in there! But, I LOVE the outdoor WJ seating...all ships should have that!

[msmayor]

Ordinarily I would never say no to a cruise...but this one would give me pause. Not because of the ship or line...we are RCL fans and I've been on Serenade of the Seas, sister to Brilliance and it's a great ship. It's the timing.

 

It's Tampa. And the fog.

 

I have read of ships being delayed getting into/out of Tampa because of fog during the Jan-March time frame. I would hesitate to put a Tampa cruise BEFORE your 10 night NA...after? Probably would go ahead, because at least this way if there is a delay either before or after the Tampa cruise it won't impact your travel back to Ft. Lauderdale for the NA cruise.

 

Something to at least consider.

[Lizzie68]

The Brilliance is a nice ship - perfect size - go and enjoy.

 

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[Pearlieq]

It's Tampa. And the fog.

 

I have read of ships being delayed getting into/out of Tampa because of fog during the Jan-March time frame. I would hesitate to put a Tampa cruise BEFORE your 10 night NA...after? Probably would go ahead, because at least this way if there is a delay either before or after the Tampa cruise it won't impact your travel back to Ft. Lauderdale for the NA cruise.

 

This is definitely worth considering. We got stuck on BOTS in Feb of 2015 due to fog. It was the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer and it was almost a 2 day delay. Fog is definitely a thing in Tampa early in the year. At the minimum, check into trip insurance.

 

That being said, we loved the ship! It's a nice mid-size, older but not too antiquated. Rooms were well-sized, we really liked the activities, and the crew was outstanding. They did an awesome job with our unplanned extension and we look forward to sailing with them again!

[Hlitner]

We used to do a lot of cruising on RCI (our DD was Diamond by age 15) but stopped cruising that line because of many changes that did not suit our own cruise philosophy. However, the Radiance Class (the Brilliance is one of those) is one of our favorite ship designs and we have spent many months on that class. Since its a cruise (almost any cruise is better than no cruise) and on a beautiful ship....go for it. Just expect an experience that is somewhat different from HAL...and you are also going to see cruisers that are a bit more lively (and stay up a lot later) then you find on most HAL cruises.

 

Hank

[SetAnOpenCourse]

I enjoyed my 5 days on Brilliance. Only drawback was that it takes a while to get out to the Gulf -sailing through the bay quickly turns the excitement of setting off into drudgery of slowly passing industrial sites. That and maybe the excessive wait for elevators.

 

The promenade lacks the classic feel of HAL, but at least you can walk all the way around. The ship is very nice, otherwise. I like RCI too, although I've done only two cruises with them.

[canadarocks]

Thank you SO much everyone for your input! I did a little research tonight on the fog issue in Tampa and it has definitely impacted lots of cruises over the last few years. So I won't book this particular cruise.

 

But I know now to consider Royal Caribbean cruises from now on, and I really appreciate that!

[debcruising]

Guys, in reading this thread, with so much valuable information, I see why CC is the place check out all things CRUISING! My Tampa 02/04/18 cruise on HAL Rotterdam is just a drive from the Florida's East Coast for me. But I am parking my car at the pre-cruise hotel, so I hope they know to check first if the ship arrives back on time in order to pick me up That is something I need verify with them! THANKS EVERYONE. Happy Travels!

[mightycruisequeen]

Last winter, we took a 14 night Transcanal on Veendam in January, then we rented a car & drove from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa to get spend one hotel night & get on a 21 night caribbean on Oosterdam. After Oosterdam, we spent one more hotel night, and boarded Brilliance Of the Seas for 5 night on February 25, just to avoid having to come back to the Chicago area until February was OVER. Well, Brilliance is a beautiful ship, but after 5 weeks relaxing in spacious comfort on Veendam & Oosterdam, it was kind of jarring to get used to Brilliance. I'm sure the fact that it was a short cruise made a big difference, but really, the BOOMING music by the pool, and the intense crowding was a decided let down for us. Maybe if we had taken the 5 night at the beginning of our vacation, we would have enjoyed the noise & crowds a little more (although I can't remember ever really enjoying crowds), but there it is. The food was not up to HAL standards either, but if you asked your waiter for a recommendation, he could steer you toward the best dinner choices. Our cabin was a small outside, with a tiny shower; it had plenty of storage & seemed roomier than the square footage would lead you to think.

Again, this was AFTER 5 weeks of really relaxing and being pampered on HAL. I would not do it that way again, and my husband just flat-out doesn't want to go on ANY Royal Caribbean cruise ever again. So that was our take on Brilliance. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[canadarocks]

Thanks for the very honest review mightycruisequeen. That's exactly what I was looking for when I posted.

 

I'm looking now at a 5-night on the Independence of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale right before our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise. I know that it's one of the bigger ships, but as I've said we think we'd like to try that at least once.

 

Anyone have opinions on her?