As expected Oct 2013
Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
13 Night Southern Caribbean (Boston To Tampa)
Sail date: October 27, 2013
Ship: Brilliance of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 8102
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 10 years ago
Review summary
The entire trip was just average. The ship had just recently come out of dry dock so we were expecting to be especially "wowed". That didn't happen. Although the Centruim was beautiful with the lighting, the rest of the ship was "as expected", meaning it was nothing special. The rooms (at least ours) had not been redone or updated. That was a bit of a let down. The couch was visibly worn and no longer comfortable sitting. The carpet was in good condition, but the drapes were also worn and wouldn't close completely. The ship was in good condition throughout, just not updated as we expected. Perhaps we shouldn't have been anticipating a re-do after dry dock. A big complaint we had was the casino. The filtration system is basically non-existent and the smoke was so bad inside, it was difficult to breath. We could also smell the smoke out to the elevators on floors 4 through 9. Our other disappointment was the food in the main diningroom. After three bad beef dishes, by the fifth day out, the waiters were suggesting no one order any beef. They had just changed vendors of their beef and we were told they had gotten a "bad batch". So any type of steak was off limits. If you are a fish eater, this was the cruise for you. Not being able to eat fish, I found it difficult to make selections since each night there were five choices, two fish, one beef, one chicken and one vegatarian. The chicken was very good, but 8 or 9 nights of chicken was a bit much. We heard numerous complaints about the choices of the food and quality. We chose to dine in the Windjamer 5 of the nights due to the dining room dificulties. All in all - any cruise is a good one, but this was probably our least favorite "on board" experience of our cruising. We did enjoy the ports, the staff on the ship was great and there was more than enough to keep everyone happy with things to do.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
If you turn in early at night, meaning before midnight, do not book room 8102. It has a huge balcony (almost as large as the room itself), however the noise from the Centrum echos into the room and literally vibrates the walls until midnight each night.