Just back from my first RCCL cruise - June 5th Brilliance of the Seas

[Tongiejayhawk]

Myself, DH, DS and eight others sailed on the Brilliance of the Seas on June 5^th for a Mediterranean cruise from Ravenna, Italy. This was my 20^th cruise but first time on RCCL. I have sailed with Carnival, Holland America, NCL and Disney. I’m writing the review from a perspective of how RCCL compared to the others. I’ll post to the RCCL and CCL forums since I’ve sailed with CCL the most. I’ll break it down by category and then share my and others’ overall thoughts.

 

Communication: Horrible in general and compared to the other lines. I was inclined to give RCCL some slack since things have changed since 2020 but I have cruised since then as have several others in our group. The communication before the cruise was so frustrating – being given false information, being on hold for hours at a time, or not receiving any information. One example is that there was a train strike the day of embarkation. Luckily for us, we stayed in Ravenna the night before. Our plan was to take a taxi to the port from the train station. While waiting in the taxi line, a nice gentleman came over and asked if we were coming back from a cruise or leaving for one. We said we were leaving for one. He said most of the people in line were trying to leave Ravenna because there was a train strike and weren’t having luck getting a taxi. He said we were fortunate that we could take a bus to the port. He pointed to a gal with a clipboard and said “she’s from RCCL”. He said we could probably get on the bus for $10 pp and that it was frustrating because no one told him that on his embarkation day, one week ago. My husband went and talked to the gal and it was true. Then, instead of her coming over to address the large line of people, my husband told everyone that the bus over there was a RCCL transfer to the port. Several people thanked him and we thanked the gentleman that told us.

 

Next, was my frustration with the coffee beverage package. In the last two years, I have planned a lot of trips. I thought I had purchased the coffee package but wasn’t sure. I looked at the app, the website and my boarding documents and couldn’t find anything so I thought I passed on it. Then on the 5^th day, the nice barista said I had bought the package and showed me my name on a list. What?! He said I should just ask for a refund at that point. It was such little money but off of principle, I did get a refund. I am at a loss why you have to go to the coffee bar to pick up your card. Why isn’t it delivered in the room with your excursion tickets? Or on the app? Guest services said they are working to add it to the app. The same thing with the internet package. I knew 100% that I bought it because I needed it for work. But there was nothing in the cabin or the app stating I purchased it or how to access it. We had to visit the technology center for this.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation: This was really smooth, probably better than most with the exception of HA. Although they encourage leaving luggage out the night before, we did self-assist.

 

Spa: The spa was nice and I had a great masseuse. They use the same products as CCL – Elemis. I didn’t use the gym but others in my group said they were impressed with the amount of equipment.

 

Casino: We preferred RCCL’s casino compared to other lines. It was large, had a decent sized non-smoking section and there were fans running to make it less smoky. We played slots and they seemed looser than others we’ve played. My DH enjoys watching (and sometimes playing) craps but they never had a table open. The main negative is that they didn’t have staff circulating to provide drinks.

 

Laundry: We definitely needed to do laundry since we stayed in Italy several days before the cruise. We asked Guest Services on embarkation day if there would be any specials during the cruise (similar to other cruise lines) and were told “no.” The prices seemed high compared to other lines but we sucked it up and paid over $100 to wash some items. Then what do you know, midway through the cruise, there was a special – fill the bag for $30. Grrr….

 

Excursions: We enjoyed our excursions. The only real negative is the website. There were no reviews. And they really need to put their transfers as excursions like other lines to avoid the problem mentioned above.

 

Food: This was very disappointing. Definitely the worst of all five lines. First, when the Windjammer is closed, very little options exist. And it closes at weird times. One example is when I needed to leave for an excursion at noon. I went up at 11:00 a.m. thinking I’ll get something to eat. Nope, it was closed from 11:00 a.m. to noon. The only option I had was the little sandwich place by the pool or the coffee bar. I had my choice of a small focaccia sandwich or a smoked salmon on croissant. I tried the former but it was inedible. Luckily, I had protein bars in my cabin. Similarity, the Windjammer closed at night. The same place by the pool had pizza. But we all agreed we’ve had better frozen pizza. We missed Guy’s, the Blue Iguana and Neapolitan style pizza. And no 24-hour soft serve. Lastly, there is a charge for room service. Big, big bummer.

 

The food in the dining room was hit or miss. Some days I would say it was the best of all five, some days it was awful. I ordered the filet for $16.95 one night and it was fabulous. My friend ordered a medium rare steak and it was burnt.

 

Entertainment: Disappointing compared to the others. While I’m not a big “show” person, several in our party are. They only had one big show. They talked to the dancers one day and the crew said they normally do three shows in a week but with the pandemic they’re down to one. I asked my friends that have been on several cruises since the pandemic and the other lines are back to three shows a week.

 

It felt like there weren’t many activities planned. We had a very port-intensive itinerary so maybe that’s why. We didn’t see much of the Cruise Director – some even wondered if we had one.

 

Pool: Both pools were at a good temperature and were not overly crowded the times I was there. I enjoyed the covered pool to escape some of the sun. I don’t understand why the main pool has no shallow end for kids. It’s over 5 ft deep. The hot tubs were better than most other lines – they were actually hot.

 

The screen for the outdoors movies needs replaced badly. It’s pixilated and looks like the original from the time the ship was built. One member from our group tried to watch a movie at night but gave up. They were just in dry dock – not sure why they didn’t replace it then. They should just turn it off – it seems more embarrassing to show it the way it is.

 

Crew: The staff all seemed to try really hard and put on smiles. But you could tell something was off. Some of our friends heard others discussing how short-staffed they were and RCCL just can’t get enough employees. Our wait staff was not good at all (again, very nice). All the table around us consistently ordered later than us but we were the last served – sometimes a whole ½ hour behind. Our room steward was wonderful.

 

Cabins: Our cabin was an aft balcony and I thought it was really nice. The storage space in the bathroom was lacking but it felt like our couch was larger than other lines. I’m not a fan of the slider’s lock. Others have mentioned getting locked outside and we almost did that to our son when my DH and I left the cabin.

 

We had friends with 4 in their cabin, a spacious balcony. Instead of a trundle or beds coming from the ceiling, the sofa folded out in a futon style. They said it was hard and made sleep nearly impossible.

 

I did like the television program options. They had some really quirky shows – it seemed many one-season series that I never heard of but got sucked into watching.

 

Conclusion: All 11 of us agree that RCCL is our least favorite cruise line that we’ve sailed. There were even some in our group that had sailed RCCL previously and said something was very off from their past experiences. We won’t be sailing with her again, even if we get free offers (we get plenty of free offers from CCL and HA). The icing on the cake is that I just had time today to complete the survey and what do you know, it says it’s expired – after only disembarking 8 days ago from an international cruise. Heavy sigh.

[Jimbo]

Outdoor Movie Screen can't be fixed, parts are obsolete, it either needs to be taken down or completely replaced.

 

Nice review, just beware you are going to get blasted on here though because there are MANY Loyal to Royal Cheerleaders that continue to think Royal does no wrong and they are KING.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Jimbo

[Diver2014]

We loved our June 5-13 cruise on Mariner of the Seas.  You can't compare cruise lines.  Each is different.  We loved the food on Mariner.  Different strokes for different folks.  I don't know about the Brilliance but there was no shortage of staff on our ship.  RCCL is one of our favorite cruise lines.

[LBumb]

good job

[Jimbo]

2 minutes ago, Diver2014 said:

We loved our June 5-13 cruise on Mariner of the Seas.  You can't compare cruise lines.  Each is different.  We loved the food on Mariner.  Different strokes for different folks.  I don't know about the Brilliance but there was no shortage of staff on our ship.  RCCL is one of our favorite cruise lines.

Shouldn't run a business like that, just because you sail on a different ship on the cruiseline,  you have a drastic different experience.

[time4u2go]

Thanks for the review.  We were on Brilliance earlier this year out of Tampa, and while it was obviously a different cruise, we felt the same way as you about the ship.  The entertainment was disappointing and the food was hit or miss (mostly miss).  What crew there was, was great.  They were obviously working very hard, and were stretched thin.  You are right about the outdoor screen...they should just turn it off.

[Loucat]

For years, we sailed with Royal only. Over time, I became so disappointed over the food everywhere on ships, lack of great suite perks etc.,  ship conditions,  we turned to other lines and never looked back. I am sorry to read Brilliance demonstrates Royal's ignorance in thinking they are on top, when in fact your experience says so much. I cannot spend precious time or money on RCC ships. This in no way reflects the hard work of so many crew on our ships.

[mapleleaves]

Thx for the review, but sorry it was such a negative experience.

Can you give us some info about your port experiences .... excursions, diy, sights, activities. 

[Norwich Cruiser]

Excellent review it’s nigh on our exact thoughts about Brilliance.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Nice to hear a genuine review and sorry to hear wasnt up to your expectations. We always sailed P&O and then went to RCL on Indy  first. At that time we preferred RCL and have been with them ever since. Although granted only two more ships since then. We are on brilliance in Aug so will be interesting to see what has changed.  We are currently looking for next year and have a choice of RCL Symphony or P&O Arvia. Decision not made yet. But i do believe that brilliance is a much older ship and at the lower end of cruise prices and not one i would have picked to go on. Only going as other family members are going. Although this shouldnt change the level of service and food. Thanks again though for your review. 

[Coralc]

"The screen for the outdoors movies needs replaced badly. It’s pixilated and looks like the original from the time the ship was built. One member from our group tried to watch a movie at night but gave up. They were just in dry dock – not sure why they didn’t replace it then. They should just turn it off – it seems more embarrassing to show it the way it is."

 

I 100% agree! Very nice review. Royal Caribbean has become severely lacking in a lot of things that would improve the guest experience.

[Coralc]

The thing about the pool screens really annoys me. Princess installed them to have "Movies under the Stars". And then RC jumped to copy them and didn't maintain them or properly utilize them with blankets and popcorn and promotion. 

 

And now they have just gone to c***, like the rest of things that they were too quick to install, but not maintain.  Just like the revolving bars, bionic bar, bungee trampolines, and other things. 

[baelor]

11 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

We loved our June 5-13 cruise on Mariner of the Seas.  You can't compare cruise lines.  Each is different.  We loved the food on Mariner.  Different strokes for different folks.  I don't know about the Brilliance but there was no shortage of staff on our ship.  RCCL is one of our favorite cruise lines.

You definitely can compare cruise lines lol

[Rafa]

Well, it's sad to read a mixed review for Brilliance of the Seas since I will be boarding for the same sailing at the end of July, any chances that things will improve and be any better by then?

 

My co-worker just came back from Brilliance (sailed it last week), they had (4p in her group) and had a completely different experience but they had a suite, she said they had a phenomenal cruise and she will do it again without thinking about it ('everything was good' she said).

[Tlbecker1]

We were on the Brilliance for B2B in May.  I agree that they didn’t communicate well at all.  We have cruised with Royal a lot, which makes it easier for us on what to expect.  The Brilliance is an older/smaller ship, we knew that before we booked and knew what to expect.  It doesn’t have Sorrento’s for pizza and the food was cold most of the time in the Windjammer.  We went for the itinerary.  Sorry, that you had a bad experience, but I hope you try Royal again with a larger newer ship!  It will be a totally different experience.

[Tongiejayhawk]

Below is a summary of what we did in each port.

 

Kotor, Montenegro - we went on the olive grove tour through RCCL. We had a nice air conditioned bus and saw some beautiful countryside. The olive grove owner was so very, very nice and informative about how olive oil is made. Our "snack" was a phenomenal spread. We sat down to a tasting of their local food along with all the wine we could drink. And they had pomegranate juice which was very refreshing. 

 

Corfu - we chartered a boat through Viator for 7 of us. It was a very relaxing day. The captain did a great job of telling us about the history and culture. We swam, and then had snacks/drinks. Good thing about Corfu...there are no sharks🙂

 

Athens - we did the Highlights of Athens tour through RCCL. We visited the acropolis and had a really good guide. Some in our group had hoped to see more but it was pretty warm and we had done a lot of walking so I was ok finishing off the tour by having a local dinner (our dime).

 

Mykonos - my DH and DS went on the Delos tour through RCCL. My DS loved it (he is a big mythology geek) and my DH didn't care for it (don't think ruins are his jam). Myself and others planned to get on a public bus and head to a beach. From what I had read on CC, it made it seem that the buses were right off the port and we could just hop on. Ah, no. First you have to make yourself through a huge maze to find the bus stop. Then we waited in line for 1/2 hour. We saw there was already a really long line to get on the ONE bus that had arrived while we were in the ticket line. We asked the agent how soon until that bus left. She said five minutes. We asked when the next bus would come. She said 1/2 hour. We didn't want to chance not being able to get on the current bus so we headed to the taxi line. It probably took 15 minutes for a taxi to arrive and it wouldn't fit the 5 of us. At this point, it was getting late and we would only get about 2 hours max at the beach. So I volunteered to walk back to the ship with my friend's mom who was in her 60s. I'll have to try Mykonos another time - but more the wiser.

 

Argostoli - we booked an island bus tour with Shipmate.com. It was my first time using them and everything went well. We all loved the island of Kefalonia. It was just as beautiful as the other islands but not crowded at all. We agreed if we ever came back to Greece, that is the island for us. We visited an organic family farm and learned how they grew their crops and the challenges they faced over time. 

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

[StarSeven7]

We're sailing on the same itinerary at the end of August.  When you say the Windjammer wasn't open at night do you mean it wasn't serving dinner or that it was closed at odd times?  

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, StarSeven7 said:

When you say the Windjammer wasn't open at night do you mean it wasn't serving dinner or that it was closed at odd times? 

Dining venue operating hours are usually listed in the app.

[woneill63]

I did a Brilliance four night boy's cruise on Feb 24 of this year, while the ship was sailing at 50 percent capacity.  I don't think that I ever glanced at the pool movie screen so I can't comment to that.  The ship is over 20 years old and is showing it's age in certain areas.  Our rooms were all fine, the service was very good, and the food was excellent.

We did a family cruise, six of us, Mariner 8 nighter a few weeks ago that was nearly full.  Other than our mdr waitstaff being new with a few minor hiccups, it was a smooth cruise from start to finish.

I would suggest that you try a newer Royal ship to get a more accurate feel for the cruise line.  We did an Alaskan cruise, back in July, 2007, on a smaller twenty plus year old Princess ship, and were not impressed.  Eventually, we will get around to giving them another shot at our business, as they appear to have some interesting itineraries.

We usually sail with Royal because our son loves their kid's clubs and their family friendly ships and staff.  We tried a Celebrity 10 day Adriatic cruise a few years ago and it was fantastic.  As our son gets older, he is 15 now, and eventually departs our household, we will probably move to Celebrity and give Cunard and Princess a try.

 

Cheers and Happy Sailing.

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, woneill63 said:

The ship is over 20 years old and is showing it's age in certain areas.

According to Wiki, her first sailing was 7/19/2002.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Biker19

[Rogueperson]

I would not totally discount Royal Caribbean off of just one cruise.  First off, coming off of Covid, there's going to be a LOT of problems.  Staffing, supplies etc.  That's problematic with all cruises, not just Royal.

 

2nd, every cruise is different.  My first Royal Caribbean cruise back in 2009 on the Jewel of the Seas still stands as the worst cruise i've ever taken.  The service was lousy, the MDR food was uninspiring. I had racist attitudes toward me from both crew and passengers.  The specialty restaurants were a total rip off as the quality was pretty much dressed up MDR food for an upcharge.  Before this cruise, I was had taken a Carnival cruise a year before, and they just blew me away, and that Carnival cruise held the mantle for best cruise for many many years....  To this day, I have a slight aversion to booking a cruise on the Jewel of the Sea as it was that bad.  I was not alone thinking Jewel had missed a step.  Many of the passengers noted to me that they also felt the experience was off, even from the prior itinerary.

 

In 2013, I decided to give them a second chance.  It was night and day.  I was absolutely floored that this was the same cruise line I had taken in 2009.  The food had flavor.  The crew was wonderful.  I could not even tell you why there is such a gap between the two cruise experiences. 

 

Had i not given them the second chance, I would not have had a chance to experience the cruise that knocked Carnival as best cruise ever in 2015.  To this day, that cruise in 2015 has not been surpassed. (Its Grandeur of the Seas that did it).    So Royal Caribbean has the distinction for me of the worst cruise ever, and the best cruise. 

 

[tx121]

Royal Caribbean seems to focus more on their new and larger ships since they bring more money and revenue for the company. Brilliance and it’s sister ships and the Vision class are kind of left in the dust. The crew shortage on the Brilliance is a example of this. Also the older ships tend to be training ships. 

 

That pool deck TV will never be replaced until the ship is sold to another company. I agree they should just turn it off.
 

We were on the Carnival Mardi Gras and they were able to have a full line up of activities and shows. Yes it is a new ship but even on the newer Royal ships, they are only doing 1 production show or Broadway show in the main theater compared to 2/3.

 

Ships in Europe usually have a itinerary being very port heavy. More is focused on the destination than the ship. Different feel just like Alaska which is a slower type cruise.

 

Hold times are ridiculous on Royal compared to other cruise lines. They really seem to have staffing issues on both land and sea. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Megan_Strick]

On 6/20/2022 at 6:45 PM, Jimbo said:

Outdoor Movie Screen can't be fixed, parts are obsolete, it either needs to be taken down or completely replaced.

 

Nice review, just beware you are going to get blasted on here though because there are MANY Loyal to Royal Cheerleaders that continue to think Royal does no wrong and they are KING.

That's exactly why I came straight here after reading her review on the Carnival site. It's a shame too

[babyblue78]

21 minutes ago, sthrnbll said:

That's exactly why I came straight here after reading her review on the Carnival site. It's a shame too

 

I don't see anyone blasting the OP?  

[StarSeven7]

On 6/22/2022 at 8:56 AM, Biker19 said:

Dining venue operating hours are usually listed in the app.

Unfortunately the app isn’t showing dining hours for me at all.