Opinions on Brilliance OTS? (For Kids) Our Odyssey cruise just got cancelled

[huntr104]

Well we got the dreaded cancellation email today that our Odyssey OTS cruise was cancelled.  We were really looking forward to the new ship but I was more excited for the Southern Caribbean itinerary that left from Florida.  So I noticed that Brilliance OTS does a Southern Caribbean from Florida in the same time frame.  My question is.... What was your opinion on Brilliance?  Is there enough to do for the kids?  My Son will be 11 and my daughter 7.  I know it won't have all the bells and whistles as the Oasis class.  For reference, my wife and I have been on Liberty, Allure, Harmony and Enchantment twice but the kids were too young to remember.  They only remember Harmony.  Thanks for any feedback.  My other option is abandon the Southern itinerary idea and go for the ship, which I'd probably pick Oasis seeing it's was just revamped. Thanks.

[Coralc]

No. There is not much for your kids to enjoy on Brilliance. Oasis is a better choice for kids looking for activities. 

[DoctorWhoGirl]

I personally love Brilliance, but there definitely isn’t as much for kids compared to the bigger ships. My boys first cruise was on Allure, so it was a big change for my  11 year old to sail Brilliance earlier this year. There were very few kids on our sailing so he never even went to the kids activities. Instead he went to napkin folding, towel animals and trivia during the day and had a blast. He loves live music and looked forward to listening to the music in Schooner Bar each evening after dinner. As for the pool, he enjoyed the small kids water slide (better than no slide) and enjoyed the main pool first thing in the morning. Was ther more to do on Allure? In some ways yes. However, after our cruise in February he said Brilliance was his favorite ship. (We had an amazing assitant waiter in the MDR that did magic tricks everynight!) We love Brilliance so much we are sailing her twice in 2021 including the Southern Caribbean itinerary which we are really looking forward to. 

[daninwi]

Very good to read the comparisons.  We are being optimistic and have a December cruise booked on Allure (deal was too good to say no) with our 11 yo if things stabilize.  It will be our first sailing on a 'mega-ship'.  

 

Looking forward we have two sailings on Brilliance in 2021 in April (4 night) and July (8 night).  My wife and I were on the Brilliance a few years back for a Monsters of Rock theme cruise and we really enjoyed ourselves.  

 

Always forward.......

 

 

[momofmab]

Brilliance is a great ship but may be a little boring for your kids, depending on their personalities.   If they need action all the time, they may be disappointed but if they're happy going to the kids club and meeting other kids or going to the pool, playing cards and board games, then they'll be fine.  If they're too young to remember sailings on larger ships, then they won't know what they're missing. 

[huntr104]

Thanks for your input.  The southern itinerary and the cheaper cost for cruise and airfare has me leaning towards Brilliance but I know the kids would love Oasis better.  

[Tljcruiser]

As others have stated it truly depends on the kid! My daughter much prefers a larger ship for not just the slides, flow rider and laser tag but also for the shows and entertainment.  So given the choice she will pick a large one.  If the option is cruise on small ship or stay home.....she's all for the small ship.  If they think all cruises are going to be like Harmony I would make sure to have discussions prior to going and show plenty of pictures so that they are not disappointed.  There will be things to do, it just will not be like the things to do on the Harmony.  Right now we have had cruises on Adventure, Navigator, and Symphony cancelled as well as a Disney trip and a trip to Williamsburg, so she would be happy on the SS Minnow I think!  We have Harmony booked for October (slim to none chance of sailing) and Brilliance southern for next June.  I think if they are prepared for what to expect with the Brilliance they will be fine.  We both think Radiance class ships are some of the best for pretty water views and my daughter always enjoys the outside and semi-outside dining areas around the Windjammer.  Either way you are on a cruise!! 

[bigrednole]

I too have been looking at options if our Nov cruise gets canceled. I saw some of the longer southern Caribbean itineraries and they look great. However, things to do on the ship are severely limited. We watched several videos of the smaller ships from different lines and they are all pretty much the same thing...older people and very few kids. Don't get me wrong, there may be some. But all of the videos we have seen turn us off from the idea and the things there for kids to do is very minimal. We are looking at Oasis class, Carnival Mardi Gras, and NCL Joy. Those ships have a ton of things for the kids.

[Tljcruiser]

5 hours ago, bigrednole said:

I too have been looking at options if our Nov cruise gets canceled. I saw some of the longer southern Caribbean itineraries and they look great. However, things to do on the ship are severely limited. We watched several videos of the smaller ships from different lines and they are all pretty much the same thing...older people and very few kids. Don't get me wrong, there may be some. But all of the videos we have seen turn us off from the idea and the things there for kids to do is very minimal. We are looking at Oasis class, Carnival Mardi Gras, and NCL Joy. Those ships have a ton of things for the kids.

It has been my experience that if you are traveling in summer, or any school break no matter what size ship there will be lots of kids.  We have not been on a cruise longer than 9 nights though.    Freedom, Voyager, Oasis or Quantum classes all have tons of things to do for kids and tons of kids doing those things!!  Ironically almost every cruise we have been on my daughter has either run into a friend from school, or met kids from our area who know kids at her school.  Kind of strange since we live no where near any cruise port! Last summer on our Alaska cruise we crossed paths on boarding day with one of her school friends who ended up being in her class this past year.  We had no idea they were cruising they had no idea we were.  Made for even more fun for the girls. It was a Radiance class ship and had tons of kids on board.  I expected Alaska cruise would be mostly older people with no kids but I was wrong!