Where is Brilliance in summer 2023

[Billy Baltic]

Maybe this is just a RC IT glitch (from here on a RCITG) but I don’t see any schedule for Brilliance during the Summer of 2023. I think she was showing in the Greek Islands a few days ago. 

[tonto524]

All summer sailings into November 2023 are showing closed. This shortly after the Serenade was pulled from Europe for next summer. We booked b2b Athens to Barcelona to Tampa for next November - fingers very crossed that we still have that as we got fabulous deals months ago.

Linda

[Billy Baltic]

4 minutes ago, tonto524 said:

All summer sailings into November 2023 are showing closed. This shortly after the Serenade was pulled from Europe for next summer. We booked b2b Athens to Barcelona to Tampa for next November - fingers very crossed that we still have that as we got fabulous deals months ago.

Linda

Maybe they’re moving ships around and something else is coming to replace BOS 🤷‍♂️

[Blizzard54]

It could be that Serenade passengers are going to be offered a shift to Brillance and they are holding all space until that offer expires.

I did notice that disappearance starts with the Eastbound TA and ends with the Westbound TA.

Edited July 15, 2022 by Blizzard54

[tonto524]

I read the offer to the Serenade passengers and the Brilliance wasn’t one of the options.  Those pax are pretty upset as the sailings/ships offered (the letter is in another thread) have poor availability left for specialty cabins like suites or aft verandas. 

[LittleSwa]

For MANY months, we were scheduled on the Serenade May 2023, 14 night, transatlantic  (our 7th trans) when we received the email with 3 alternatives: a different ship doing a “repositioning” between Baltimore & Florida (really???); a future cruise credit; or a refund.  I researched & found Serenade was still sailing a transatlantic route, but now to Copenhagen & NOT being offered to us loyal customers who had already booked the cancelled routing, plus MUCH more expensive for the same cabins!  After 4+ hours on the phone with a WONDERFUL Royal agent (& him with his people resources), we finally got rescheduled on the 16 night Brilliance transatlantic for 29 Apr 2023, with only an “upcharge” of the 2 extra nights of gratuities.  Mind you, this solution was our “suggestion”, and did not come from Royal.  It required numerous approvals, etc.

 

We JUST finished modifying & finalizing the rest of our plans (multiple flights, train tickets, multiple accommodations, etc.), centered around the now Brilliance cruise. 

 

This morning, I was fiddling around on the Royal site, only to find that our cruise was no longer offered or even posted.  I did see Brilliance had missing “whereabouts” (from mid-April forward for several months) but, looking high & low, found no reason.  As my paranoia grew, I pulled up our reservation which still showed.  I could have booked Internet, dining or drink packages, but no excursions.  My RollCall has no posts regarding this: zip, zilch, nada, the big goose egg.

 

I am wondering if someone with some Royal “clout” might post the ACTUAL / VERIFIED reason for this phenomenon.  PLEASE NO GUESSES or SPECULATIONS.  I have already run those through my head, & the best WAG (Wild A.. Guess) I came up with was: maybe it is being dry docked (for refurb?) after the transatlantic & they have stopped selling cabins in order to begin the process enroute to Rome?  I did say it was a WAG!  I do not even know if they actually do this sort of thing, BTW.

 

So, IF anyone KNOWS the ACTUAL reason for this, please, please advise me.  And, thank you all in advance for all the excellent info you have shared in the past.  It has been both useful & appreciated.

Happy sailing!

[Biker19]

23 minutes ago, LittleSwa said:

So, IF anyone KNOWS the ACTUAL reason for this, please, please advise me.

Very unlikely anyone here will - you'll just need to wait till the issue clears up. Look for a group on FB for this sailing to ask there as well.

[TKATeacher]

I noticed the Brilliance went missing yesterday. We have literally been circling around a Greek Isles cruise on her for next summer.  In fact, we paid the $200 Next cruise deposit when we were sailing with Royal last week with full intentions of booking that cruise this week once we were home. The last 24 hours I have been really scratching my head wondering what was going on??? I am at least glad to read this post to know that I am not alone in my wondering, and I am really sorry for anyone who has booked airfare and travel based on these cruises - yikes!

[little britain]

On 7/15/2022 at 9:42 PM, Billy Baltic said:

Maybe this is just a RC IT glitch (from here on a RCITG) but I don’t see any schedule for Brilliance during the Summer of 2023. I think she was showing in the Greek Islands a few days ago. 

Don’t say that please!!! I’ve just had my wonderful cheap Serenade TA cancelled ( aft balcony too!) ; I don’t need another one pulled!!

 

OT: Have you checked the Limassol sailings - some great itineraries but silly prices at the mo.   I’m hoping they’ll do a flight included package on those as don’t think they are selling well at all. 

[Billy Baltic]

2 hours ago, little britain said:

Don’t say that please!!! I’ve just had my wonderful cheap Serenade TA cancelled ( aft balcony too!) ; I don’t need another one pulled!!

 

OT: Have you checked the Limassol sailings - some great itineraries but silly prices at the mo.   I’m hoping they’ll do a flight included package on those as don’t think they are selling well at all. 

I hope BOS is coming to Europe. We hadn’t booked but were talking to a next cruise agent about one of the itineraries a couple of weeks ago. Maybe if they are moving her, they’ll put something in her place. I hope it works out for you. 

 

Thanks for the tip on Limassol. I’ll check it out. 

[tj_shopper]

14 hours ago, LittleSwa said:

I am wondering if someone with some Royal “clout” might post the ACTUAL / VERIFIED reason for this phenomenon.  PLEASE NO GUESSES or SPECULATIONS.  I have already run those through my head, & the best WAG (Wild A.. Guess) I came up with was: maybe it is being dry docked (for refurb?) after the transatlantic & they have stopped selling cabins in order to begin the process enroute to Rome?  I did say it was a WAG!  I do not even know if they actually do this sort of thing, BTW.

 

So, IF anyone KNOWS the ACTUAL reason for this, please, please advise me.  And, thank you all in advance for all the excellent info you have shared in the past.  It has been both useful & appreciated.

Happy sailing!

I don't have any idea but I am booked on Brilliance of the Seas May 15, 2023 and have been anxiously waiting.  I've been talking to my TA daily and she hasn't seen anything come through.  It could be a boat change.  I don't really care as long as the cruise isn't changed.  We are a group of 40 friends and family going on this trip and have been planning for so long. Would hate to have to start all over.  Fingers crossed!

[DCL2RCI]

Yikes, we're booked on B2B end of June into July on Brilliance (starting in Greece ending in Spain).

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, tj_shopper said:

It could be a boat change.  I don't really care as long as the cruise isn't changed.

Unfortunately that is unlikely as all the ships are deployed elsewhere

[little britain]

11 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Unfortunately that is unlikely as all the ships are deployed elsewhere

They obviously think they can get more out of Serenade sailing from Florida during the summer than they can out of Copenhagen 🤷‍♀️ so will they remove another ship from the Med to put in the Caribbean during summer??? 
 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, little britain said:

They obviously think they can get more out of Serenade sailing from Florida during the summer than they can out of Copenhagen 🤷‍♀️ so will they remove another ship from the Med to put in the Caribbean during summer??? 
 

 

Haven't heard anything.  They may or they may rework the schedule for BR

[tonto524]

How is this for a wild GUESS?  They are reaccommodating the BOS summer 2023 pax on the Serenade after which they will reopen the sailings ? (Oh, wait, the letter to Serenade cancelled pax said something about moving her to Florida).  Just a thought/guess that would save our cruises ………..

[LittleSwa]

16 hours ago, LittleSwa said:

For MANY months, we were scheduled on the Serenade May 2023, 14 night, transatlantic  (our 7th trans) when we received the email with 3 alternatives: a different ship doing a “repositioning” between Baltimore & Florida (really???); a future cruise credit; or a refund.  I researched & found Serenade was still sailing a transatlantic route, but now to Copenhagen & NOT being offered to us loyal customers who had already booked the cancelled routing, plus MUCH more expensive for the same cabins!  After 4+ hours on the phone with a WONDERFUL Royal agent (& him with his people resources), we finally got rescheduled on the 16 night Brilliance transatlantic for 29 Apr 2023, with only an “upcharge” of the 2 extra nights of gratuities.  Mind you, this solution was our “suggestion”, and did not come from Royal.  It required numerous approvals, etc.

 

We JUST finished modifying & finalizing the rest of our plans (multiple flights, train tickets, multiple accommodations, etc.), centered around the now Brilliance cruise. 

 

This morning, I was fiddling around on the Royal site, only to find that our cruise was no longer offered or even posted.  I did see Brilliance had missing “whereabouts” (from mid-April forward for several months) but, looking high & low, found no reason.  As my paranoia grew, I pulled up our reservation which still showed.  I could have booked Internet, dining or drink packages, but no excursions.  My RollCall has no posts regarding this: zip, zilch, nada, the big goose egg.

 

I am wondering if someone with some Royal “clout” might post the ACTUAL / VERIFIED reason for this phenomenon.  PLEASE NO GUESSES or SPECULATIONS.  I have already run those through my head, & the best WAG (Wild A.. Guess) I came up with was: maybe it is being dry docked (for refurb?) after the transatlantic & they have stopped selling cabins in order to begin the process enroute to Rome?  I did say it was a WAG!  I do not even know if they actually do this sort of thing, BTW.

 

So, IF anyone KNOWS the ACTUAL reason for this, please, please advise me.  And, thank you all in advance for all the excellent info you have shared in the past.  It has been both useful & appreciated.

Happy sailing!

UPDATE: 7:41am on 17July' 23: (sources article & a F...B Brilliance page)

Serenade OTS European Summer 2023 cruises were cancelled due to situation in Ukraine / Russia.  Those affected received notices with choices for FCC, Refund, or switch to TA on Explorer, Jewel, Odyssey or Anthem (if I remember correctly!).

Now, I am wondering if Royal leaving Brilliance for overflow or we are next!   Stay tuned... 

 

[mdepsmom]

I'm anxiously monitoring this thread as I'm booked on a B2B on Brilliance next summer.  Like a poster above mentioned, I can still book dining, internet, etc.  What's interesting is that, as of this morning, both of my cruises are still available to book on my big box store's website.  I just hope if they're going to cancel us, they do it sooner rather than later.  All my flights are booked w/ miles and the longer they wait to cancel us (fingers crossed that doesn't happen), the more miles the flights will cost.

[LittleSwa]

UPDATE #2: from CC Roll Call SERENADE of the Seas Miami to Copenhaven TA

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2850279-may-7-21-2023-serenade-ots-transatlantic-miami-copenhagen/#comment-63214551

 

sean of the seas

#20  

Posted Friday at 06:15 AM

Just had an email fro RCCL this cruise is cancelled.

Dear Guest,

We're continuously monitoring events taking place around the world, including the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Our original plan for Serenade of the Seas was to offer sailings departing from Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden starting May 21^st, 2023. However, with the increased uncertainty of visiting St. Petersburg, Russia, we've reviewed our upcoming 2023 deployment and decided to reposition Serenade of the Seas to a new homeport in Florida for our Summer 2023 season. Unfortunately, this means your upcoming May 7^th, 2023 cruise has been cancelled.

Booking ID	Ship	Sail Date	Passenger Last Name
xxxxxxxxx	SR	07-May-23	sean of the seas

We know how much time and effort go into planning your vacation, and we're terribly sorry for the inconvenience. Your vacation is important to us, along with the flexibility to make the best decision for you and those in your party. Below, we've outlined your options along with a few additional details.

Option 1: Re-book one of the following 2023 itineraries:

12-Night Transatlantic cruise | April 22^nd | Jewel of the Seas | Orlando, Florida to Amsterdam, Netherlands sailing to:

Ponta Delgada, Azores | Cherbourg, France | and Dover, England

15-Night Portugal & Spain Crossing cruise | April 23^rd | Explorer of the Seas | Miami, Florida to Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy sailing to:

Magala, Spain | Cartegena, Spain | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | Provence (Marseille), France | Nice (Villefranche), France | and Ajaccio, Corsica, France

14-Night Transatlantic cruise | April 22^nd | Odyssey of the Seas | Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy sailing to:

Malaga, Spain | Alicante, Spain | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | and Provence (Marseille), France

11-Night Transatlantic cruise | May 1^st | Anthem of the Seas | Cape Liberty, New Jersey to Southampton, England sailing to:

Ponta Delgada, Azores | Cherbourg, France | and Paris (Le Harve), France

10-Night Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore cruise | May 1^st | Vision of the Seas | Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Baltimore, Maryland sailing to:

Willemstad, Curacao | Kralendijk, Bonaire | and Oranjestad, Aruba

What you'll receive:

Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.

If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we'll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.

To sweeten the offer, you'll receive a credit to spend onboard per stateroom:

$100 USD for Interior, Ocean View, and Balcony staterooms | $200 USD for Suites

Plus, an additional $50 USD for each third or more guest to spend onboard

You'll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).

We'll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.

Please email your receipts and booking information to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for review and reimbursement.

Option 2: Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing

If you prefer to re-book another sailing not included in Option 1, we'll waive any non-refundable deposit change fees.

Please know, you'll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.

If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we'll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.

You'll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).

We'll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.

Please email your receipts and booking information to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for review and reimbursement.

Option 3: If you can't find a new itinerary that works for you and choose to cancel, we'll be sad to see you go. You'll receive:

A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment, within 14 business days - some international banking and financial institutions may have a processing time of approximately 30 business days.

 

NOTE FROM LITTLE SWA: We wanted you to see the actual letter from Royal.  When we were cancelled off the ORIGINAL Serenade TA, the options we rec'd were no way this many! And, at that time, it was only thanks to a fellow passenger's LETTER posted from Royal that we were able to accomplish what we did.  They also were demanding the actual letter. It was not pretty.  

Still standing by...

[little britain]

Apart from the 2 TAs there was only one RC for the summer 2023 sailings ( here and on the other place)! So perhaps there really were zero bookings! 

[Biker19]

53 minutes ago, little britain said:

So perhaps there really were zero bookings! 

Didn’t everyone from the canceled Voyager sailings get moved to Serenade?

[little britain]

12 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Didn’t everyone from the canceled Voyager sailings get moved to Serenade?

RC activity ( or lack of) imply there was no one on the VY sailings to move to SR! 

[Saab4444]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

Apart from the 2 TAs there was only one RC for the summer 2023 sailings ( here and on the other place)! So perhaps there really were zero bookings! 

That is not correct. Bookings for Serenade Baltic were good and rates were about twice as high as for Voyager this year. I watched all Stockholm departures during the past months and was not willing to pay the high rates requested for standard cabins.

[isitmayyet]

I wonder what ship alternatives the guests who are on regular Serenade sailings were/will be offered as their options.  The above post looks like only what TA sailings were offered as a swap.  

[isitmayyet]

On 7/15/2022 at 6:10 PM, tonto524 said:

I read the offer to the Serenade passengers and the Brilliance wasn’t one of the options.  Those pax are pretty upset as the sailings/ships offered (the letter is in another thread) have poor availability left for specialty cabins like suites or aft verandas. 

 

I wonder what ship alternatives the guests who are on regular Serenade sailings were/will be offered as their options.  The above post looks like only what TA sailings were offered as a swap.