BRILLIANCE (British Isles) June 19-July 2,2018 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[Hoopster95]

What an amazing review! Thank you for sharing this incredible journey--this is now a MUST DO trip on bucket list!

 

Thx travelfool. Yes, this itinerary was never high on my target list and now I'm so glad I did it :)

[Hoopster95]

A final thought on Jacobite... what a finely tuned well oiled machine this company is. Never once felt like this was a big company rushing tour groups in and out, however as we arrived to the dock, there was another one of their boats from one of their other itineraries docking as well. I can hear their speaker explaining they need to be back on board in an hour to continue on. Our boat, the Rebel, disembarked with another group to embark for the journey in return.

 

 

I fully recommend Jacobite Tours. I definitely will be using them again when I visit Scotland in the future... and then stay on land in a Castle in Aberdeen or Inverness... wouldn't that be something!

 

 

Our first views as we walk away from the pier to the first buildings of the Castle

 

 

There is signage at every area, extremely easy to quickly read and to understand where you are standing so that you can have a sense of what the area would've been had you been there centuries before.

 

 

All areas of the castle are accessible, however there are many stairs thus impossible for anyone mobility challenged. Here I've climbed to the top of tower you saw in the video above and I'm looking back to the grounds. Urquhart dates back to 1509, and has a visitor center and cafe (above photo, top left)

 

 

Going through the Castle buildings, I wished top get up to the farthest end of the site where there are several viewing platforms to catch the breathtaking views first before further investigating the insides of the ruins themselves....

 

WOW!

 

[Hoopster95]

It is here I took one of my favorite photos of this vacation... Urquhart and Loch Ness conquered!

 

 

I made my way back down the hill to investigate the various rooms within the castle including dungeons, an ancient chapel and blacksmith's shop to name a few. This tower was supposedly residence of Royalty with incredible (and strategic) views of Loch Ness

 

 

Again... WOW!

 

 

I'll mention here that navigating this site is probably not suitable for anyone mobility challenged. There's plenty of elevation changes and stairs, let alone inside the buildings itself with the typical tight corners/spaces of the circular staircases

 

 

We had an hour of free time, and then we needed to head back up the pathway leading to the visitor center where we'd be picked back up by our minivan. Along the way is another display of one of their weapons, a full size replica of of a catapult. Note the size of the ammo... I'm sure this caused a lot of damage to an oncoming enemy fleet out on the Ness.

 

 

There was no time for the visitor center on this visit. They have a decently sized shop as well as a few displays with a introductory video area for the castle however we breezed on by to get to the parking lot and our bus. Urquhart is a must-do in my opinion, and I feel this hour was not enough for me as I went through quite quickly... I would've have loved to sit at the viewpoint for a 1/2 hour and breathe in the air with the view for example.

 

[Hoopster95]

We now faced a 45-50min drive back through the Highlands to get back to port. A couple of people napped from the long day... I enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we drove along Loch Ness and imagined myself driving this myself in a soft-top vehicle someday. Along the way you'll see green pastures of sheep everywhere

 

 

We also noted how low the tide now was. I had mentioned earlier when Brilliance was docking that tides could change up to 19 feet.... maybe not that much on this day, however there was surely a noticeable change from this morning. From here you can also see Brilliance a long way off in the distance

 

 

We arrived back to the port area about 15 minutes prior to all aboard, walking back from the street collection area into the port.

 

 

With sailaway quickly approaching after all aboard, I cleaned up and headed up to the DL to meet up with fellow CC'ers and enjoy the beautiful scenery of sailaway as we rotated away from the pier and headed back out to the North Sea the same way we sailed in

 

 

 

I mentioned during our sail in the many BP owned oil rigs along the way... interestingly enough they're destined for the scrap yard!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5263677/Oil-rigs-continue-stacked-demand-plummeted.html

 

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[CarolRoy]

Claudio: This was truly a highlight of our cruise. Your pictures are incredible. Just cruising on Lock Ness was so, so impressive. Thanks again for arranging this tour for us. Carol

[IrishLassie]

Hey Wendy, thank you for following along and your kind words.

 

There's a few readers here on CC who have read some of my reviews, and for the most part there's been only a couple parts of the world where I specifically mentioned that a cruise did not do the country nor the site seeing justice, and now Scotland + Ireland is one of those areas. I now know I definitely need to go back.... 1 week driving around Scotland, and then another week driving around Ireland (Gallway, Cliffs of Moher, Belfast/northern Ireland/ Cork/Blarney, Ring of Kerry, Limerick... places all missed in Ireland on this cruise).

 

If you ever do get the chance to do a self driving tour on your own, you may need more than 1 week in Ireland! When you get out of the bigger cities, the roads are narrow & curvy, so it takes more time to get from one place to another! LOL Also, don't forget to go up to Co. Donegal & tour around the coast, it's BEAUTIFUL !

[George C]

any Brilliance experts? The search function isn't helping me. Just realized our (aft) cabin 1604 is beneath the Windjammer outdoor cafe!!! How much noise can we expect? We like to sleep in.

 

we were 1600 which is a GS corner aft under outdoor area of WJ and loved cabin and balcony no issues with noise

[hipster1]

Thx Ali. Re the expresso machine.... you better believe it!!! I'd be ripping it apart in 2.6 secs if it weren't :evilsmile:;p

 

 

 

Ha! Good to know. I practically live in the lounge to get my daily dose [emoji16].

 

Keep the review coming. Your pictures are great!

 

Ali

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[KansCocoa]

Or sets off alarms in very serious, quiet famous location😀. I remember her reviews very well.

 

I can’t wait to read your review the last one was sooo good.

 

Bwahahahahahaha!

 

I think my tombstone will be inscribed with the story of me setting off that drat alarm in Italy!!! My kids, friends and even strangers around the world (hee hee) will NEVER let me live it down!

 

I’m getting my photos sorted & organized, and will be starting a review at some point. I’ve enjoyed Claudio’s review, as he is sparking memories of some of the same things we did on this cruise. :)

[KansCocoa]

Reading the last posts and all I can visualize is Outlander [emoji23] and now I’ve added this trip to my list

 

I was on this same cruise, and will be starting a review in the next week or two - and I did TWO Outlander tours! One in Edinburgh, and another in Inverness - both were amazing! (I’m a huge fan - so it was really cool to see some of the sites they used for filming!!!)

[Hoopster95]

Claudio: This was truly a highlight of our cruise. Your pictures are incredible. Just cruising on Lock Ness was so, so impressive. Thanks again for arranging this tour for us. Carol

 

Carol!! You found me.... again! lol! We seemed to cross paths a lot in the various ports even when we weren't on excursions together. I'm glad you found me here. Please do comment on this review anytime you wish as I go along as you may have an experience or something good to add for everyone here reading that I don't mention. Please say hi to Roy for me :D

[Hoopster95]

If you ever do get the chance to do a self driving tour on your own, you may need more than 1 week in Ireland! When you get out of the bigger cities, the roads are narrow & curvy, so it takes more time to get from one place to another! LOL Also, don't forget to go up to Co. Donegal & tour around the coast, it's BEAUTIFUL !

 

Thx IrishLassie. Yes, Donegal... been told that as well. It's on my "Scotland & Ireland" word document already ;)

[Hoopster95]

Bwahahahahahaha!

I think my tombstone will be inscribed with the story of me setting off that drat alarm in Italy!!!

 

Haha!! Almost peed my pants when you told me this story! I still like your Guatemala now followed up with Wales (foreshadowing to your review ;p) story the best :D:D

 

I was on this same cruise, and will be starting a review in the next week or two - and I did TWO Outlander tours! One in Edinburgh, and another in Inverness - both were amazing! (I’m a huge fan - so it was really cool to see some of the sites they used for filming!!!)

 

Hehe, I've got some cool Outlander stuff coming up shortly on this review when we're in Greenock (Glascow).

[Hoopster95]

It was off the the rear seating of the WJ to have my dinner during sailaway. Tonight's theme in the WJ was Mexican, and like the evening before, it was really really good.

 

 

Corn Tortillas, chimichangas, queso, Fajita fillings, fresh guac, salsa, you name it

 

 

Besides the regular fresh lettuce/toppings salad area, each night there was also a full counter dedicated to grilled veggies and mixed salads

 

 

So a little Mexican on one side and a little Mediterranean on the other. Healthy and mega-delish!

 

 

... and what a view I had while I enjoyed this meal! Here we are already having exited Cromarty Firth and into the North Sea, turning the corner in order to go over and around the top of Scotland to get to our next port of call.

 

Before I forget to mention, on most nights I would call GF at home either before or after dinner with glass of wine in hand using Facebook messenger (video) via Voom.... I was even able to walk one night from WJ all the way back down the elevator to my cabin connected via video with no problems. I had no issues with Voom on this sailing, worked perfectly each time as I sat with feet up on the railing watching Brilliance sailaway to the next port of call.

 

 

 

Walking out of the WJ, I just had to stop for the nightly freshly made desert, today it was a Peach Flambe... well, not truly a flambe as you can't have open flame, nonetheless super good with a scoop of Pistachio ice cream! YUM!

 

[Hoopster95]

Heading out of the Windjammer I was faced with a tough choice... Latin Fiesta night in the Centrum or 80's Trivia at the Schooner. I love listening to and dance salsa/Merengue so I wanted to check it out, however I figured there wouldn't be a huge party there with the lack of Latin influence on board. I also assumed they'd do a bunch of those Latin Line dances (which is very true, as they had another Latin Fiesta later in the cruise) which I didn't want to part take in that.

 

That's ok.... I'm an 80's music "master" so maybe I would earn my extraordinarily rare and highly sought after Royal Caribbean pen this evening. The staff was ready to go for 80's night already

 

 

Too bad I wasn't ready to go for trivia coming in 2nd with 18/20, so I didn't get my darn pen. Ah well, there'll be other trivias.

 

Tonight's headliner was Sean Alexander, a "Confusionist". The only time he used the word "magic" was when he spoke of his childhood and learning how to do magic tricks. I usually shrug my shoulders ... "meh"... I could take it or leave it. I have not seen this guy before on RCL, and he was extremely good. I would see him again, and I think many in the crowd with would as well. I've never seen a standing O for a magician aka "Confusionist" before until now. If he's on your sailing, adjust your dinner time and don't miss his show

 

 

Right after the Confusionist, the 80's music was already playing in the Centrum before the actual start time. Enzo came out to introduce his staff, obviously geared up and dressed for the 80's.

 

 

This 80's party was well received with a packed dance floor, tons of fun for everyone dancing and the decks above were full as well with those just wanting to watch.

 

 

Interestingly enough, even though we had a sea day coming up tomorrow, there was nothing scheduled in the Compass for the late hours other than the nightclub. With the 80's party wound down, I went up to Starquest to check things out... no joking there may have been 6-8 people sitting around the entire VCL having drinks, zero people on the dance floor. I bailed, calling it a night after a couple of busy days ashore.

[Hoopster95]

Day 5 - at sea

 

The Compass for today

 

 

 

 

 

 

So really, what is there to say about a day at sea? Not a whole, especially on an itinerary where there's really not much going on as far as activities on the ship considering the program was more geared to an inside type of day (expecting bad weather). This is to be a "catch-up" day if your tired, with plenty of time to just chill out all day. As the morning seemed to indicate, it wouldn't be that great today outside, however it was much more comfortable than it looked. I was able to jog my 12 laps in the cool breeze no problem.

 

 

The biggest part of this day ended up being Chef's Table. THE ... VERY .... BEST quality dinner I ever had on any RCL ship. More on this in a few posts from now with plenty of pics.

 

[Hoopster95]

Besides morning coffee, a super quick & light (fruit) bite to eat, a long workout and finishing off with steam room/sauna, it was already approaching late morning. I was already hungry for lunch so after cleaning up I headed top deck for another macchiato and another light bite. Here's a great view of the Centrum looking down from deck 12

 

 

This center area on 12 is now off limits. It used to be the appartus/performer area when the Centrum used have the performing artists. On Jewel, this is the Loyalty Ambassador and Next Cruise desk with the see through glass top table in the center where you can see straight down into the Centrum. I wonder why they kept this as is through the recent drydock if it's just dead space?

 

 

I found the art on this ship more intriguing than most, and I have more than this one shot of the various hangings and sculptures at each deck.

 

 

The C&A welcome back "party" was held this morning in the Pacifica Theatre, and it was more of a show than normal I found. With all the C&A members on board, the theatre was well attended and Abe hosted the event.

 

 

Besides the Brilliance Orchestra, the professional dancers on board performed a piece of the tango which they will perform this evening during the production show "Tango Argentina". Also, the top cruisers sailing were also recognized, Margaret and Carl Agnello. A super nice couple who were with us on the two excursions I booked.

 

 

I thought I head over the the MDR to take a look at their spread for the Tutti Salad Bar.... meh.

If you have time to search "Tutti" on my Jewel review, you'll see an incredible spread that elevates the MDR to a new level that I had not seen before. This was just a bit too boring/small that I chose to move on

 

[Hoopster95]

Alrighty then.... back up to deck 11 I go to check out the WJ. However I noticed the fever pitched hustle and bustle of people milling around tables.... yep, the $10 t-shiort sale was out in full force. You'd think on a UK sailing they'd have UK based T-shirts? Nope! All of them were Baltic ports.

 

 

I walked into the WJ uninspired. I first walked out back to check if everyone was out back and seats were full. They weren't, so I came around back to grab my food. In the meantime I noted that Rita's here on this ship is the first time in 5 years on radiance Class ships that I felt it wasn't a waste of space for once... the FIFA World Cup games were played here everyday and there were always people seated here day and night with the games on.

 

 

I then remembered that the WJ wasn't my only choice, and I made haste for the Solarium and the Park Cafe.

Aha!!!.... this'll hit the spot! A Kummelweck roast beef sandwich paired with a fresh salad with all the fixins... I took my plate up to deck 12 in front of the Sky Bar and enjoyed the view of the ship and the sea.... much better choice imo than the MDR and WJ on this day

 

 

 

Sondra, the cruise lecturer, had here 11am lecture time moved to the afternoon on this day (due to the C&A event). I wanted to ensure I went to check things out as she would be speaking specifically about Dublin and Wales. If you ever need to ask her any professional questions about this sailing or perhaps another part of the world, here's how you can do that

 

 

I ended up back in the gym for a second go-round after the lecture. While I was finishing up I noted that a few walkers had pointed out at the water a couple of times as they passed, and a couple of them stopped to look overboard. Workout done, I too headed out onto deck 12... the dolphins/porpoises were out again.

 

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[Hoopster95]

And now to the high light of this day.... and once of the top high lights of the whole sailing as far as ship related events are concerned...

 

Chef's Table

 

Arriving at Chef's Table, I was greeted at the Colony Club entrance and brought into the waiting room with a few other couples. I was served champagne, and we cruisers all began sharing stories. I went into the room to take a few photos of the empty table all set and ready for us

 

 

There's lots of wine glasses there! And yes, they did give us generous pours

 

 

Here's the fantastic menu for the evening

 

 

We were escorted from the waiting area into the room and seated. Chef Brown from Jamaica and the sommelier Claudiu (what an awesome name, isn't it ;p) introduced themselves and prepared us for the evening ahead.

 

[Hoopster95]

First up was the Amuse-bouche to cleanse the palate and prepare the guests for the meal ahead. Normally not on the menu and prepared by the Chef as an intro to his/her techniques and approach to the art of cuisine.

 

 

I'll show you the wines that were served in order at the end of the meal, just know that each course you see now was paired with a specific wine. More on that later.... here are the first two courses. If you never been to a Chef's Table or equivalent wine pairing, the Chef will come out and describe the techniques and how this course was made... in some cases preparation was all day long in stages. The sommelier will then also explain why he chose the wine to be paired with the dinner.

 

 

 

This sweet pea soup was amazing! The Mer Soleil oaked Chardonnay here was the one I mentioned earlier in the review that was also served on Oceania, however on Oceania they served the unoaked. The unoaked is simply outstanding, a must try if you can find it in your home town.

 

 

Next two courses

 

 

Mega yum lobster... the Pinot served here was really nice

[Hoopster95]

Before the Braised Short Rib Ravioli (an all day process with fresh pasta and the ribs cooked the full day), Claudiu presented and poured this wine for everyone. No doubt to me, this is 100% a killer wine for any red enthusiast: Belle Glos, Pinot Noir. In my hometown this is a $60 bottle. The little brother to this is "Meiomi"... about $28 CDN in my hometown, and an outstanding mid-range priced wine for those of you who'd wish try something new.

 

 

The next two courses are easily the very best two dishes I've ever had on RCL. So SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!

The meat.... the sauce... the pasta ... with that wine. Sorry, you had to be there as the photo does not do the taste buds justice whatsoever

 

 

And on to the final course

 

 

This Sequoia Cab Sauv served in the next pairing was my 2nd fave wine

 

 

And the Beef Tenderloin was just that.... the best ever. Wow, we were all celebrating an incredible meal at the table and really enjoying this experience together.

 

[Hoopster95]

So, in the previous post you likely noted in the menu that the desert would be the Valrhona Chococlate Cake. I remember that Chef Brown had mentioned at the beginning of the night that he had a surprise for us at the end of the night... 5 courses and 5 glasses of wine later I had long forgotten this!

 

However, Chef Brown and Claudiu announced that they would begin to serve desert , and it was here that I realized we were all in for an amazing treat this evening

 

 

This was no mediocre Valrhona cake... it was "The World" Chocolcate ball served at Wonderland!!! Oh boy, as far as I knew when I quickly asked around, I'm the only one who had seen this before. Looking at my photos from Harmony, this one looked much "cleaner" if that makes sense... really nice presentation.

 

 

So I can see you all now on your computer screens saying "ok, so? It's a chocolate ball. Whatever"

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Not so fast! Chef Brown and Claudiu came around to serve the warm caramel sauce to the ladies first,

and this is what happens

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l2BSEioW5O8

 

 

Is that not totally awesome!!!

Sherri's didn't quite open all the way to reveal the insides....

Here's mine

 

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Oooh ya! And what's inside you ask? A scoop of ice cream, a brownie, and a dollop of something else "caramely" I couldn't tell what it was.... I didn't care lol!

 

 

[Hoopster95]

This entire meal was an event more than just a dinner, and the company was great all around as we all spoke and laughed with each other. We did not leave until around the 9:30pm mark, missing the shows and trivia for the evening, so keep that in mind if you're considering this. Both Chef Brown and Claudiu were awesome with their service, class acts yet humorous and engaging. They both really fit in with our group

 

 

They set out the the wines we had during the evening on display for us, thanked us for attending and enjoying his meal, and bid us a fond farewell.

 

 

Here's the wine line-up for the evening... the "Silver" is the oaked Mer Soleil Chardonnay that I mentioned the unoaked Mer Soleil is much better.

 

 

Here's my fave, I will be buying this for special occassions

 

 

 

 

 

I've already mentioned it in this review, and many of you who follow my reviews know that I just veered away from RCL for the first time in about 7 years to sail on Oceania. If I may, here's the link to "La Reserve" wine pairing on Oceania, it's equivalent to Chef's Table.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=55698184&highlight=La+Reserve#post55698184

 

And if you're further interested, I have a lot of RCL vs. Oceania comparisons throughout the review. Regarding food, the real comparison I use is that Oceania's buffet is as good as, and some cases, better than RCL's specialty resturants... simply outstanding. I can tell you that this meal this evening by Chef Brown could have easily passed in Oceania's specialty restaurants. It was simply outstanding.

 

And what's better than this?? Specialty bookings were down this cruise so they were offering deals throughout the sailing after the 4th day. I got in to Chef's Table at 40% off.

 

To be perfectly clear, even without the discount, any of you sailing on Brilliance in the next few sailings should confirm if Chef Brown is still on staff and doing the Chef's Table... if so, book it!

[drummerdavebmth]

Amazing review (as always) so far Hoopster!! Looking forward to the rest :)

[KansCocoa]

Sitting next to Claudio during the Chef’s Table, I have to concur - it was, arguably, one of the best meals I’ve ever had in MY LIFE!!

 

Now, mine was slightly modified, as I am Celiac, and must eat gluten-free. With that said, the Chef did a fantastic job of ensuring I felt included - I even enjoyed a modified version of the Wonderland chocolate ball for dessert.

 

Thanks for sharing your photos, Claudio - bringing back memories of a very, very perfect night! :)