Brilliance Summer(Late) Med Review

[RicardoC]

I've posted half of my review some time ago but now I'm done and want to post larger pictures so I'm posting it again...:o

 

Background

Since 2004 my parents and I wanted to go to Greece because of a TV program in Brazil(where I’m from). Every year we wanted to go there by ship or by plane but never could go. But this year my mom would be 50 years old on June 23rd so we decided to celebrate her birthday there. We started to search about Greece cruises and places near to go and by February we had our itinerary.

At first we would make an 8 night Splendour of the Seas cruise out of Venice going to Greece and Croatia and before the cruise we would go to Paris and Rome because before this trip the only country I knew in Europe was Spain.

Everything was almost right when my mom told me she wanted to go to Turkey but it wasn’t in our Itinerary so we had to change everything. We found the 12 night Brilliance cruise out of Barcelona and it seemed very interesting for us because it was a new ship for us(we had cruised with Splendour, Liberty and Sovereign before with RCI) and we loved Barcelona in our trip to Spain in 2002 so it would be awesome to visit the city again. We had to wait for a vacant interior stateroom for one week or so and than some more time to the second time seating but by April everything was ok, our interior stateroom in the 3rd floor, second seating, 12 night cruise in the Mediterranean going to:

Villefranche(Nice), France; Livorno(Pisa and Florence), Italy; Civitavecchia(Rome); At Sea; Mykonos, Greece; Kusadasi(Ephesus), Turkey; Santorini, Greece; Athens, Greece; At Sea; Naples, Italy; Ate Sea; Barcelona.

W e also planned a 10 day pre cruise trip to Paris, Zurich and one day in Barcelona before, and another after Brilliance. We all were happy with everything till our 3 night cruise on Sovereign in April when he had a great time but had also an interior stateroom and thought that 3 night were ok but 12 would be too much for a room without a view so my dad and I decided to make a surprise for her making an upgrade for a balcony in the 10th floor, cabin 1008.

10-Day Pre Cruise

Our 10 days before the cruise were awesome. It was my first time in Paris and it’s impossible to not like France, we also went to Zurich and loved Switzerland. All the routes from Paris to Zurich and than from Zurich to Barcelona we did by train. Paris-Zurich was ok, only 4 hours and kind of confusing since it was our first time in a train…hehehe….but Zurich-Barcelona was 14 hours overnight stopping more than moving so we were very tired and didn’t like it. We also stayed 1 day in Barcelona before the cruise but this is a Cruise Forum so I won’t tell you all the details. If any of you want to know the details of hotels, tours and restaurants just let me know and I’ll add it to my review.

[RicardoC]

Barcelona, July 4th 2008

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Believe or not but I heard that several times that day, not in the city because we were tired and decided to sleep till 11 and than pick the 12 o’clock transfer from the Renaissance Airport Hotel to the port which was 20 EUROS per person or so. The hotel was very good, good food(the day before the cruise and the day after the cruise we were so tired that decided to have dinner in our room there, the steak I had and the Crema Catalana, kind of Crème Brule were delicious), the Hotel was also very near to the International Airport(like 2 minutes by the free hotel transfer), about 15 minutes from the Port and 15 minutes from the City Downtown. I recommend.

Well, we arrived in the Port at 12:30 and had a beautiful view of the 4 ships there that day like Costa Magica, MSC Orchestra, the new Carnival Splendour in her inaugural cruise and of course the “beautiful Brilliance of the Seas” like the crew members always say. The check-in was very fast since we had done it online before but we had some problems, nothing with Royal but my dad forgot a wine we bought in Paris in the transfer so we had to wait him come back to the port with other passangers….I was very mad with my dad because I wanted to see my mom’s reaction about the balcony surprise and he forgot the WINE!!!!hehehhe….but we waited…..40 minutes…..at least the terminal was very good….big…..not crowded….fast entrance for everybody and some stores to look(my mom’s Paradise waiting for my dad…..hehehe)

Finally the Wine Man came in with the wine of course and I thought we would finally board the ship but no…..we still had to buy the Wine Package(ALWAYS THE WINE…..and my dad is not Alcoholic….) and also buy the Soda Package(THAT ONE I LIKE TOO……BUT MY DAD LIKE IT MORE…..hehehe). Ok, now we could go in….the line was very small, we took the picture with the ship and boarded the glass yatch(for me Brilliance seems to be a giant glass yatch)….E everybody was entering the ship by the Atrium doors where we would find tropical cocktails and Crew Members welcoming us but I was so anxious about the surprise that I ran to the forward lobby and entered the elevator. My mom just followed me but my dad was confused because we talked before that we would enter in the Atrium and than cross the ship to the forward lobby when we would press the 10th floor button and tell my mom that we were hungry and that Windjamer was there…..but ok….I pressed the 10th floor and when got of the elevator started to walk very fast to my room telling my mom that that huge door in the end of the corridor was Windjamer…actually that was the Bridges’s door….hehehehe…..than I stopped in the front of room 1008 and when my parents were arriving there I opened the door and screamed with my dad “SURPRISE!!!”….she took some seconds to figure out everything and started to cry.

Before lunch we made our reservations for both Portofino and Chops Grille. We had a wonderful lunch at Windjamer that wasn’t totally crowded which made me change the way I saw it in other ships. After lunch we had to go to the Emergency Drill(This time I participated because I wanted to see the ship and our location was for the first time inside in the Pacifica Theatre so we would have AC which was excellent talking about the Barcelona Summer….actually the only place that I used my jacket was Paris because of the Wind…the other places including Zurich were very warm and it didn’t rain all the trip….very different from Florida where it rains every single day during summer….

Well….after the Drill we did a little tour in the ship….had a Coke in the Schooners Bar where we met the first Brazilians in the ship, Elisa in her 3rd cruise working in a ship and a guy who I can’t remember the name now who would go home for vacations by the end of the cruise after ours and had just signed with Royal Caribbean to board Independence in October. After sometime chatting with both because the bar was empty the ship started to sail and we went up to Viking Crown(my favorite place in every RCI ship) to take a look in the view and meet another Brazilian, Vivian in her 6th cruise there.

The ship sailed, we had to take a shower and then the first dinner. Our dinner new “friends” where nice but kind of weird, we would prefer to seat alone or with some other people that we met in the ship. There were so many Brazilians in the ship including the family in our table, each day we met a new Brazilian family which was funny, sometimes we started to talk to people after 7 days in the ship and never seen them in the ship and some other people we were used to see several times per day!

[RicardoC]

Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

Bonjour, we’re in France again! Villefranche is a very small city in the French Riviera between the famous Nice and Monte Carlo, Monaco. We never take the ship shore excursions because we think they are always so expensive so we decided to get out of the ship and see what would we do. In Villefranche all the ships have to tender and in that day we had to pick our ticket, but I arrived early so we took the 3rd tender, right after the beginning. We arrived in the little pier in 5 minutes and saw the car rental little office, it was a local office. We checked the price that wasn’t expensive(100 EUROS or so all the day for the new “Renault” car with AC and everything) and decided to rent it. It was the best to do, in the ship the tours were 90 Dollars per person just to go for one city and we could visit two cities! It was very easy to drive there because there was only a main road that went from Nice to Monaco passing trough Villefranche, it took 25 minutes to arrive in Monte Carlo, there we stopped the car in a underground garage in front of the Casino. The famous millionaire gambling place was closed till 2 pm(it was 11 am) so we took some pictures in front of it, in the beautiful park in front of the Casino and had a delicious ice cream in the “Café de Paris” in the same fountain square of the Casino, I recommend it since it was VERY WARM. We took the car and went to the Palace, parked in another garage(there are SO MANY HUGE PARKINGS THERE, another good reason to rent a car) and visited the Oceanographic Museum in an old Palace we thought was the Royal Palace but it wasn’t and we figured it out when we were leaving the City but that’s ok, it was a very long walk till the real Palace and it was sunny and warm so we think we’ll have to go back to Monaco sometime to visit the Palace…..WHAT A SHAME…..hehehehe….

We headed to Nice, there we visited all the beaches by car which was very good because it’s HUGE and we had AC and then parked the car in street to have another ice cream in the old downtown of the city(almost every day we were used to have ice cream two times…hehehe). After asking several people and walk in several very little streets with stores and restaurants we found a square with only ice creameries! We chose the one I’ve seen in a Travel Channel’s program called Fenocchio (NOT Pinocchio that is in the other side of the square). It was one of the best Ice Creams I’ve ever had! We couldn’t try so we had to guess and choose one of the 40(YES 40) types of flavors….I had Rose, my mom had Verbena and my dad Pina Colada! All of them AWESOME….Thanks Samantha Brown for your tip….hehehe

After our great day we went back to the ship which was still empty at 4pm and we decided to have “lunch” in the Seaview Café, it was very good, you must go there at least once in a Brilliance cruise….I’d not say to have dinner but have something after a day walking in the port of call it’s the best place!

[RicardoC]

Livorno, Italy

Livorno is a very boring city at least for cruisers, the second biggest port in Italy (the first is Naples) receives thousands of cargo ships but also several cruise ships like Brilliance, Thompson Destiny and MSC Rhapsody in that day. There’s nothing but the port and the city where people who work in the port live….It’s so huge that we couldn’t see any other cruise ship!!! We got off the ship and searched for a tour to Florence and Pisa, the two famous cities near Livorno. We found a tour that was 500 EUROS for 8 people, but we were in 3 so my dad started to search for more 5 people from the ship to share the 500 in 8 people and to make the tour, IT WAS SO FUNNY…some people thought he was the guide and asked “Where’s your car??”…hehehe….Finally 10 minutes later we (actually my dad) found 5 South-African people who wanted to go to both cities and we could leave the port.

In Florence we visited the 2nd Cathedral in the world(the first is in the Vatican, Rome), it’s beautiful, all in red, green and white marble. We also walked in the city for 3 hours to see stores, churches, the famous bridge with several stores over and of course we had ice cream 2 times! The guide took us to a place near the expensive homes in Florence where we could see all the city from above, AWESOME VIEW! After 3 hours or so we went to the city of Pisa, it’s beautiful but we had 40 minutes to visit the square with the Cathedral, the tower and the several “same” stores as always with souvenirs, mini towers and t-shirts….but we took 10 minutes to see it all. Pisa is a place that you have to go, to see and say “Ok, I’ve been here.” And not come back because you don’t have what to do. But if you don’t know the city it’s good to see the inclined tower once.

I have to tell you it was the less enjoyable day but It was good…..the other days that were AWESOME! By the evening we had dinner in the Main Dining Room which this cruise wasn’t the best I think not because of the food that was very good as always but because the second seating was at 9 and not 8:30 and our stewards were kind of slow….so we were used to finish dinner at 11 and that made we feel bad some days trying to sleep to wake up early next day but that’s ok….it didn’t made the cruise bad but could be earlier…..the stewards were very friendly as all the Brilliance Crew and we only have to thank them. But all the dinner “problems” were for my mom and I…not for my dad because the WINE & SODA CRAZY GUIDE MAN LOVES CASINO ROYALE…..hehehe…..so he stayed there…in the poker tables…with his friends…from 11 to 2, 3, sometimes 4 am E-V-E-R-Y--S-I-N-G-L-E--D-A-Y TRYING to win…because this cruise the only thing he did was to contribute to Oasis and Allure construction spending in the Casino….hehehe…..but I’ll tell you two things he won….but it wasn’t today(Livorno) so we didn’t know yet….SO YOU WON’T KNOW YET TILL THE EXACT DAY…..hehehe…..I like to let everybody curious……

[RicardoC]

Civitavecchia, Italy

Civitavecchia is a little town 1 hour from Rome by car. The city has nothing but the port and some little hotels in front of the rock beaches and almost everybody there work with tourism in the port or as guide to the famous city. In the breakfast we met our friends from South Africa and they asked what would we do, we told them we would like to go to Rome and they wanted to go there to spend the day either so we decided to share the car again….

We got off the ship and right after found a guide that was little more expensive than the last day but he was right that Rome was much more important than Florence and it had to be more expensive…..but it was still cheaper than the ship’s tours. I don’t remember now(not very good memory cause we did so many tours with different prices in different places….confusing)…So…we left to Rome…right in the first minutes the driver/guide loved my dad because we speaks Spanish perfectly and some Italian so the man “just” talked with him ALL DAY LONG…..and didn’t talk with the South Africans since his English was not that good….so we had to translate everything….The man was so funny…he chatted with my dad all day long….and the way he was used to speak was the “italiamn” way….always screaming and laughing and been very true, saying what he thought and not caring if that was not very polite…..hehehe…..

For an example….we were in front of the Coliseum by car(we would park in a street near) and he screamed “The Coliseo….MIIIIIRA LUIZ(my dad’s name) MIIIIRA…..”(Looook Luiz, Looook)…..and than….”COMPREEENDE LUIZ????”(Do you understaaand Luiz???”….HEHEHEHE…..but this was all day long….we went to the Vatican but just could enter St. Peter ‘s Cathedral….not the Sistine because of the time….than we went to the Pantheon….than Coliseum(where we also had a pizza in front of the HUGE stadium)…than we passed in front of the Forum just from the car….than Fontana di Trevi and Praca de Espana….all by car…without was impossible….the ship’s tour WITHOUT the car…just from the port to the city and than from the city to the port or the people who did it and paid the same(or more expensive) only could make some places or had to take a taxi which was more money…..

By the end of the day Mr. Renato(the crazy driver who lived in Civitavecchia) discovered my name….and I liked to take pictures……so he started to talk(scream) with me…..hehehehehe..”SACA LA FOTO RICAAAARDO…”(Take the picture Ricardo..)….hehhehe……for my mom’s lucky he only discovered her name in the port…hehehehe…..it was funny and a great day….

Well….entered the ship….took a shower…had some relax….dinner at windjammer cause we were tired….watch the main seating show….that was a typical evening onboard Brilliance for me and my mom…my dad was…..GAMBLING…..heheheheh……but I’ll talk about the ship in the Days at Sea…..which were 3…and the first one is tomorrow….

[RicardoC]

Somewhere in the Mediterranean….

Our First day at sea was very good, when we woke up at 10(we were tired…more than 15 days traveling now…) the pool was SO CROWDED which made us stay away form there….the day was awesome….without any cloud….and very warm as always but we decided to stay in the AC as we didn’t want to spend hours trying to find a place to seat by the pool during the “rush hour”…..or “sunny hour”….we had lunch on Windjamer(very good and clam since people were used to have something in the Solarium Bar or Seaview….)…my dad played the Poker Tournament and won to play in the final of that cruise(last day at sea) and the winner would win a 7 night cruise on Freedom to play the Grand Royal Caribbean Final! He also won the Slot Tournament right after the Poker and then we almost won the BINGO that afternoon but it would be so lucky…..

Well…it’s day at sea so let’s talk about the ship…

Brilliance is a really amazing ship….not as small as Sovereign, not as big as Liberty, a very good size with very good places and the best of Royal can offer in their ships…..my impression was that RCI put the “crème de la crème” of all their ships together on Radiance ships……the ship was very clean…beautiful decoration…the most beautiful I’ve ever seen….with marble…wood...and glass that appear everywhere for you to “see the world” as they say….and it’s really true since it’s the only Royal Caribbean ship and one of the only cruise ships with panoramic elevators with a view of the sea….and they are 4!

The cabin was great! Good size for us…also very clean and a very friendly housekeeping…as all the Brilliance Crew Members! We met another Brazilian in Casino Royale…Vivian…who always talked with my dad while he was playing and with mom and I when we were “passing”…..

By the evening we went for our first “best dinner” in the cruise….where? PORTOFINO….It was so much better than we thought it would be….we thought it was crazy to pay to have dinner while you have main dining room that is so good….but if Main Dining is five stars….Portofino is seven! It was awesome….I had a calamari and a plate with several seafood like salmon, scallops, and shrimp…VERY TASTY…..and the view was awesome either…very large windows!

 

Well….everything was going pretty good but I need to tell you a problem we had during our cruise with our neighbors…..In the first night of the cruise our neighbors from room 1010(ours was 1008) were SOOOO LOUD…..and it was almost 1am! We called the guest relations and they called them and they stopped….this was all the cruise long….but it was just to call and in 2 minutes they were calm and quiet….that because in the second day my dad talked with them(they were Mexicans)and they apology for the sound and told my dad if they make a lot of noise to let them know…...just to let you know and you’ll see by the end what they did…..wait for the last 2 nights…..But the cruise continues very good….and tomorrow we’ll be in Greece for the first time….MYKONOS HERE WE GO!

[RicardoC]

Mykonos, Greece

Today was the only port of call we would arrive later….so we woke up..had breakfast….everything very slow….then walk along the ship….checked emails….everything to at 1 see the ship arrive in Greece, have lunch and go out to explore the famous island….

The island is beautiful…mom and I watched Brilliance approach the bay and stop(we had to do tendering because there were another 3 ships in the pier and I think Brilliance is big enough to stop by the pier)….it was awesome to see the little white houses from the heliport of the ship…but it was so windy that we almost flew away….hehehe….

So….Brilliance stopped and we headed to Windjamer to have lunch and then board the little tenders to the island…..We were seating in a table with an awesome view to the blue water and the island and having lunch when Captain Hernan Zini started to talk…..that it was very windy…and very dangerous to tender..but they would wait for one more hour to see if the sea could calm down a little bit…..everybody in Windjamer was started to be sad and to wish we could stop by the famous island which was the motivation of the trip for most of the passengers like us….but we had to wait for the final decision….we were sad but afraid…one of the tenders were trying to float with security but severa times almost was turned by the waves!!!It didn’t because there was only one person aboard….if there were more….it’s better not to think…

We headed to our cabin to pick up our stuff, brush our teeth and wait for Captain’s decision……and sometime later the decision wasn’t the happier but the one with sense…..we couldn’t tender in the island and Captain could choose between go to another island near, wait till evening to leave to the next port or just leave to the next port….There were no islands with the infrastructure that a ship that size needed….and the weather would be rainy by the evening in Mykonos(that’s why there was so windy) so he decided to leave to the next port, Kusadasi, Turkey and arrive there by 10pm that evening….

So….we won another day at sea….but it was around 2:30 when we sailed so we took some pictures with the island from the ship and just relaxed in the Solarium and the cabin and then had the second chance of BINGO which we didn’t have luck and then shower, change clothes, dinner and everything….

We were very sad as almost all the ship and couldn’t believe but it was better than some disaster happen and all our “Crew Friends” told us Santorini was much better…..Thanks God it didn’t happen in Santorini….so we arrived in Kusadasi at ten…all the stores near the port were open when they knew Brilliance was arriving earlier and several people decided to explore the city…but It was almost 11 when we finished dinner so we decided to just take a look in the city by night and go to sleep….before bed we received a call from my sister cause it was 6pm in US I think and 12am in Turkey and it was July 10th! My dad’s birthday so we all sang……..HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!! And then go to bed……sad day and tired of being in the ship since two days before but we all prayed to have an awesome day in Kusadasi tomorrow and we really had…..just wait….hehehe

[RicardoC]

Kusadasi by night.

 

Kusadasi, Turkey

Today we were so happy to finally visit some port….we were for more than 2 days onboard and wanted so much to explore new places….I think everybody did since we didn’t wake up that late and the ship was already empty! We had a calm breakfast on Windjamer watching our neighbor(Wind Star) and impressed with the difference that we would see more from outside the ship….

We searched for a tour and found one good in some minutes….so we left the port with 4 more people and our guide who was Turkish but lived in the US. The tour was to Mary’s House, where the Pope confirmed she lived before she died, and to the ancient city of Ephesus, the second biggest city in the Roman Empire! We didn’t know that until arrive there….learned SO MUCH! Both are awesome, Mary’s House has a peace sensation that you find in only some places in the world…among the trees….I liked it so much….

[RicardoC]

Ephesus is an awesome city…it was build in the mountains since the 1st and 2nd Ephesus were destroyed by earthquakes and the water advanced to that area where now is dry again…the ruins are really HUGE and they didn’t have all the technologies we have nowadays which makes it even better…really enjoyed it…just careful with the little scorpions “walking” in the ruins….it’s better to go there with shoes….hehehe…..

After Ephesus the tour guide told us he had another place to take us….we didn’t understand exactly what was that but we went thinking it would be boring….IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES VISITED IN THE WHOLE TRIP! VERY INTERESTING….we went to a place where they show the tourists how women in Turkey make those carpets…since the silk till the women actually doing them and by the end they show us all the different styles of carpet from all the country with all the colors and sizes…they give you something to drink like a alcoholic drink from Turkey…Turkish coffee and apple tea…and you need to accept to be polite but the apple tea is so good that I was VERY POLITE….ASKED FOR THAT 3 TIMES…..hehehe…..the carpets can vary from 200 dollars I think till 20.000!!! That was one of the big ones I asked how much was that…we bought two of the cheaper ones…hehehe….but certainly there were some more expensive…I strongly recommend for those who are going to Turkey to search for a place like that…

After the tour we walked a little bit along the city downtown(in front of the port) just for take a look..Maybe buy something and definitely buy some apple teas….we bought 4 boxes!!!The only thing that is bad there are the people who almost demand you to buy their stuff…..if you don’t look they walk one block with you asking for you to buy…..if you look they walk 2 blocks….if you ask something they walk 3, 4,5 block trying to make you buy whatever it is….but there are also some nice people….as our guide and driver…..

Just to tell you an amazing thing our guide told us….The biggest water park in Europe is in Kusadasi…and the best hotel there costs 100 EUROS PER PERSON FOR 1 WEEK ALL INCLUSIVE!!!Can you imagine how cheap is that???That’s why people from all over Europe go there all the summer just for the water park….have been there 4, 5 times and never been to Ephesus……Well….the day was so awesome that this seem to be the biggest post...but I still have more to say…..

By the evening we had dinner at Chops Grille for the 1st time because of my dad’s birthday and it was sooo good…one of the best steak I’ve ever had…with several choices of sides and sauces…just AMAZING….and by the end we had the chocolate cake we ordered for my dad and sand Happy Birthday once again…..the only think that was bad was that our cell phone had a problem(my uncle with one of the cell phones in the account, my cousin with another, and we with the 3rd exceeded the account and they blocked the account) so nobody could talk with him….just my sister who called last night….Well….Turkey is Awesome and we certainly will come back someday do explore more….

[RicardoC]

Santorini, Greece

Finally we arrived in the main place of the trip…..we enjoyed all the other places but Santorini was our “inspiration” for this trips…it was the only place we had to go was that island….so you must agree that we were just crazy to see the blue water, the tall island and the little white houses at the top which really seems to be snow…..well….when you arrive there during summer you don’t have to look at them so agree that definitely they are NOT snow…..SOOOOOOO WARM OUTSIDE…..

Well…..I’d been dreaming for that moment since 2004….I waking up…going to the balcony and watching the beautiful view of the island…..actually it wasn’t like that…..I woke up…headed to the balcony…and when I went outside THE SUN WAS IN FRONT OF THAT SIDE OF THE SHIP AND AS OUR ROOM WAS DARK I HAD TO CLOSE MY EYES…..hehehe…..so I had to take a shower and quickly went to deck 12 with mom to see our dream coming true while my dad took his shower and then we could have breakfast….

We were “just” amazed how tall the island is in that side….and scared with the stair we would have to take or the line of the sky ride that take us to the top…..we took some pictures…looked at the other ships there(Crystal Serenity, Pulmantur’s Zenith and Navigator of the Seas) and headed to Windjamer for breakfast…then after we went down to deck 1 to board the tender that took us for the little pier where we decided to pick the line to go up(better than walking in the stairs or riding the mules in the stairs)…..it was quick and in some minutes we were in the “downtown” with an unbelievable view of the sea and the ship…..CROWDED PLACE….lots of tourists…jewelry and souvenirs stores….and several greek restaurants….WOW WE’RE IN GREECE!...we couldn’t imagine that….actually I think nobody in our ship could….well…we decided to look for tours in the island…to Oia(a very famous place with the best view that we knew from TV programs and Internet)…we decided to rent a car which was in a good price and just explore the island….it’s very easy to drive in the island….they only have one bigger street in the top which connects all the island so we picked it and went from the downtown(middle of the island) to one of the sides(Oia)….walked a little bit….took some AWESOME PICTURES….had a very good baklava(greek pie…very good!) with an incredible view…then we decided to take a car and explore the other side which we didn’t know what we could find but the island is so beautiful and small that it was impossible to get in trouble in a dangerous place or something like that…so we went back….passed through downtown and continued almost still the other end of the island….

IT WAS THE BEST VIEW WE HAD!!!! We found a wine tasting place with a store which seemed abandoned but actually when you enter you can’t believe….they got an awesome view of the rest of the island, the sea and the ships…we really enjoyed it! The place is called SANTOWINE or something like that and I strongly recommend not for the wine but for the view.

[RicardoC]

Well….after that we went back to “downtown” to see some stores and buy some souvenirs and then back to Brilliance….take an awesome picture of the island from my balcony and just relax….that’s one of the moments I always figure out how good is to cruiseJ.

Well this was an AWESOME DAY…..it’s kind of sad to leave this incredible island that we waited so much to go but that’s ok….tomorrow we’ll be in ATHENS!

[RicardoC]

Athens, Greece

Today we woke up in a real city called Piraeus…..the port of Athens. We got a local taxi that would take us to all the famous spots in the city including the Acropolis and the first Olympic Stadium. The city is very big….we had heard before of its incredible size but were still impressed! In the way to “downtown” we passed in front of the Olympic Park of the 2004 Olympiads…very beautiful and modern buildings in front of the sea….but we didn’t stop….entered in the middle of tiny streets….then large avenues…more tiny streets….when we were actually impressed. In the middle of the city there’s that HUGE mountain(or should I say just a GIANT stone?) with the temple over it…that’s what I’m talking about….ACROPOLIS! We were waiting for a tired walk over the stairs but really….It was pretty easy and fast and when we started to think of becoming tired we were overlooking the entire city…AWESOME! The Parthenon is beautiful…the view is awesome….it was a really different place to visit…..

After the most famous we went to the Temple of Olympian Zeus which is very near Acropolis but in the city level…not in the mountain. That is also beautiful…it’s more destroyed than the Parthenon but the size of it is really unbelievable….but we were there fast since there’s not to do but look and take pictures….we then went to see the guards of the Presidential Palace. It was ok…but not cool….we just saw them changing their posts with other guards and that was it…..but we are in Athens…everything is different…and I can say I saw the Greek Presidential Palace… Well we then went to the last place before shopping…the first Olympic Stadium….smaller than the nowadays one but very interesting and there was a wall with all the games since the first in Athens till the last one(before Beijing since it was July) in Athens also.

[RicardoC]

Well….we already saw too much history now it’s time for…..SHOPPING! The taxi took us for the tourist place right beside the Acropolis called PLAKA…we didn’t stay there that much….just the time to buy some souvenirs…have a water….another baklava (VERY good) and get back to the taxi. Talking about taxi have to tell you one of the highlights of the trip….remember I wrote about our inspiration for this trip that was a TV program??? So…..we learned a sentence that I have no idea how to write…just to pronounce it and that it means “Oh my God!”…..it was so hot and sunny that mom decided to scream that in the middle of the street….everyone who understood greek laughed so much as dad and I did and the ones who didn’t just thought mom was crazy….well….I totally agree J…the best part was to come….she screamed that in the taxi also….the driver who was very serious started to laugh and called his wife for my mom to tell her the same thing….later he explained his wife was used to always scream that….SO FUNNY!

It was a very interesting…exotic…and tired day for us since the last 3 days were busy waking up early and going to sleep late so we went back onboard to relax and prepare ourselves for the next tired day RELAXING ON THE SHIP…..hehehehe…..finally some sleep….good night!

[RicardoC]

Well….we already saw too much history now it’s time for…..SHOPPING! The taxi took us for the tourist place right beside the Acropolis called PLAKA…we didn’t stay there that much….just the time to buy some souvenirs…have a water….another baklava (VERY good) and get back to the taxi. Talking about taxi have to tell you one of the highlights of the trip….remember I wrote about our inspiration for this trip that was a TV program??? So…..we learned a sentence that I have no idea how to write…just to pronounce it and that it means “Oh my God!”…..it was so hot and sunny that mom decided to scream that in the middle of the street….everyone who understood greek laughed so much as dad and I did and the ones who didn’t just thought mom was crazy….well….I totally agree J…the best part was to come….she screamed that in the taxi also….the driver who was very serious started to laugh and called his wife for my mom to tell her the same thing….later he explained his wife was used to always scream that….SO FUNNY!

It was a very interesting…exotic…and tired day for us since the last 3 days were busy waking up early and going to sleep late so we went back onboard to relax and prepare ourselves for the next tired day RELAXING ON THE SHIP…..hehehehe…..finally some sleep….good night!

[RicardoC]

At sea, the Mediterranean

We decided to sleep…so we woke up at 11 lol and had lunch as a breakfast in the main dining which was very empty….after that as always the pool was impossible so we tried to earn some money onboard…in several different ways...The BINGO gave us NOTHING so we were for the rest of the afternoon trying our luck in the slots (luck???Where???Guess what???We could not find our luck…neither could our walletsJ)….oh…just one detail…I wasn’t in the casino….mom was in the first slot and I was OUTSIDE of it….some centimeters but I still was outside….

It was a day to relax so we didn’t do anything in special…the evenings onboard were great but not as awesome as in a Caribbean cruise since everyone was tired and wanted to enjoy the next day…I just forgot to mention the great Greek group that sang some songs the evening we sailed from Santorini…there was a Greek family that danced in the Atrium with their songs and they really could give everyone an extra entertainment…the Atrium was crowded of people watching for deck 4 till deck 7! Very cool….there was also a Toga party(I think that same day) that was like the pool parties with buffet in the Caribbean cruises…cool but the Greek songs in the Atrium were more different and without the outside wind….

[RicardoC]

Napoli, Italy

This is our last port of call and we are back to Italy….I have to confess it was not the one I was waiting that much but it’s a new place for me….dad a mom have been here in 2002 so it’s not news for them. We took a taxi that would take us to Pompey and then to Sorrento where we would take the ferryboat to Capri and after visit the city and the blue grotto take another ferry to the port where we would try to find a restaurant near to have the tradition Neapolitan pizza if we had time…oh yeah..it will be a busy day…..but our plans changed. We went to Pompey which is interesting but sad….saw the Volcano Vesuvius far away and headed to Sorrento. The way to Sorrento is very beautiful with little cities and houses overlooking the sea….mom and dad told me the Amalfi Coast which starts after Sorrento is incredibly more beautiful than that but we’ll have to go next time. In Sorrento we visited the city’s little streets where we found a very good little market that sold pasta, lime candies and limoncello(kind of a lime loquor famous in that part of Italy) and a unique drink called meloncello which is a melon limoncello made by the owner…interesting things we had to buy….

After our local shopping we wento to the little port where several ferryboats sailed to different cities….the one to Capri was in five minutes but we asked first if the waters were calm enough for us to go to the grotto since last time my parents were there they weren’t….unfortunately they were not calm again so we decided to get the boat to the city and visit downtown….but it was in one hour ONLY…..so we decided to have our pizza in a restaurant overlooking the sea and just go back to the ship….we had a great pizza but nothing different…had an awesome Italian ice cream and boarded the boat that was fast but took 50 minutes to arrive in Naples….50 minutes of nap for us…

We’ve seeing that Naples’s has changed into a dirty and violent cit the last years so we just decided to go to the ship and enjoy the end of the afternoon in the solarium pool….GREAT! The day finished bad because the neighbors restarted to make noise….2 AM….we called the guest relations and they sent a guard that was mocked by drunk people….he made them all get out of the room and mom counted 30 PEOPLE IN A REGULAR BALCONY!!!! That’s why we couldn’t sleep…..

[RicardoC]

At Sea One More Time….

We woke up late once again because of our tiredness and because of our neighbors and when we opened our balcony there was a broken glass all over its floor lol….oh yes….they are vandals….so we went to the guest relations that told us they would talk with them and that we should have told them before so they would be expulsed of the ship but now the next sop would be only in Barcelona…we told him they were not that loud the days before…maybe they knew they would be expulsed…..

Let’s forget about them and enjoy our last day cruising….very sad….we now know that even a 12 night cruise is not enough and we don’t want to arrive in Barcelona(snif)….but that’s life….we decided to try to win 5 thousand dollars in the Bingo Final but the winner was one of the troublemakers/friend of neighbors and that’s what made me mad…..it could be anyone else but them…..that’s life….our last day was awesome….we spent some time in the pool….some time packing and then the day had passed very fast….it was time to go to dinner and then set the last things up to sleep…..BUT…..the #$^#@^ neighbors were EVEN LOUDER and didn’t stop till 3AM…..but our vengeance was the best time of the cruise….hehehehe….see you tomorrow at 6AM NEIGHBORS…..

[RicardoC]

Barcelona, Spain

We love cruising….for those who love cruising the disembarkation morning is the worst….and we had trouble with the neighbors the night before….when we woke up at 6 we were totally mad….so we just decided to now piss them out….we hit them door several times(we knew they were sleeping since the party was till late yesterday)….we also called them several times….till they were very mad….and then when they woke up we had to leave because we had a very busy last day in Europe….back to Barcelona….

SEE YOU BRILLIANCE….AWESOME CRUISE….AWESOME SHIP….AWESOME CREW….AWESOME PORTS….We just have one word to say…..AWESOME!

Today we were sad because the trip was ending….we were sad because we had to leave Brilliance….and we had to see her several times along the day in Barcelona….but that’s ok….we revisited famous places like the Sagrada Familia….Park Guell….and the Pier where we had a great lunch overlooking the med in a restaurant we’ve been in 2002!!! Two days in Barcelona and 2 restaurants we’ve been in 2002…that sounds crazy and nostalgic but it actually was very tasty…..I love the Barcelonan fried giant calamari…..cheers for the awesome trip!

We passed in the megastore El Corte Ingles to buy some stuff we like an awesome lavender soap we bought in 2002 and then went back to the Renaissance Barcelona Airport again where we stayed the night and left the next morning to a whole but very pleasant in our two Delta flights Barcelona-Atlanta and Atlanta-Orlando…..home sweet home…..We love Europe but I really like America….larger streets…larger homes….supermarkets…cars….I could not live in those tiny streets with tiny cars and tiny markets…..that’s good just for traveling…but wait….I’m talking about ships…I would definitely live onboard ‘the Beautiful Brilliance of the Seas’ like I ‘lived’ for 12 nights….

[Ollie_WA]

Thanks for such a great Review. I really appreciate the way you took each day and explained them!!

May I ask, how old you are?? You did an awesome job!!

We wil be on the Brilliance next year...doing the Egypt/Greece Cruise...I just loved reading all your Greece details...actually I read the entire review and was impressed with it all!!

Thanks again.....

[Loyal2RCCL]

Very nice review Ricardo and beautiful pictures.

 

We were on the cruise right before yours and left the ship on July 4th. Our itinerary was the Med/Venice which was also excellent (except for the food in the MDR).

[tomko2]

Ricardo, very much enjoyed your pictures; read your earlier review and enjoyed reading this as well. What wonderful family memories!

We were on the Legend of the Seas from Rome last summer (photos and review in the links below. Next summer we will be on the Brilliance to Venice!

Thanks for sharing.

Kathy:)

[FreewayFortune]

Ricardo I loved looking at all the pictures. And I loved reading about Greece and Turkey to help me prepare for next year.

[RicardoC]

Glad you all like it!

I hope you all enjoyed or will enjoy your med vacations and many other ones:)

I will post some more pictures over the weekend....so many awesome shots:D :cool:

[ballawana13]

Ricardo,

We are doing a similar itinerary in October on the Celebrity Century. We are celebrating our 30th Anniversary. Loved the review with great details. do you have your photos posted elsewhere online that we could see?

[RicardoC]

Ricardo,

We are doing a similar itinerary in October on the Celebrity Century. We are celebrating our 30th Anniversary. Loved the review with great details. do you have your photos posted elsewhere online that we could see?

 

Glad you liked it! I do on my facebook page but almost sure they're the same as the ones in here....