This was our first Holiday Cruise over New Years Eve and the ship staff put on a great evening of parties and props. Even by missing Grand Cayman we had a wonderful time. Very good weather and relaxing time. Our kids were all 11 and had fun but we think for future family cruises we will stick with Freedom or Voyager Class for them as they get older. Brilliance is a great ship for couples looking to relax on a beautiful ship. Tampa was a very easy and quick terminal as well. 4 out of 5 stars due to missing Grand Cayman.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation went smooth. Dropped luggage with the Porter and walked without waiting through terminal, security and right up to the RCI counter to check in. After checking in we waiting roughing 10mins before our group was called to board. We had an arrival time of 10:30 and were onboard by 11am.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
No speciality dining in this trip. We ate in Main Dining (my time deck 5) all nights but one. Food is very subjective so take with a grain of salt, but we did not think the food choices and taste were that great. Some nights options were great others bombed a bit. Appetizers and deserts were always good and the staff swapped a few times for us. I did pay for the whole lobster for New Years Eve and it was great! The kids upcharged for Filet Mignon from Chips and that was great as well. Windjammer food we thought was the best ever. Breakfast, Lunch and the one dinner the food was cooked properly, lots of options and tasty. The Liberty cruise we took early in 2018 we had it the opposite so as always food is subjective. No one will starve.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Onboard activities were fun. We did bingo, game shows, shuffle board, putt putt, and the pool tables were family favorites, and other hosted activities. Rock wall was rarely open due to high winds so we missed that. The main pool area was crowded and chair hogs were in full force. We finally just started pulling towels and taking chairs. Pool was salt water and refreshing. Hot tubs were hot and crowded but ok. Overall the only knock was lack of chairs but it was a full Holiday Cruise.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We went to all evening shows. David Naster the comedian was very funny. The main male and female ship singers were great but I forget their names...maybe Ben and ??. The actual ship shows were just ok. They had a singing group one night called Rookie or something close and they were very good as well. The last night show they had an extra video of the crew that was very nice and worth waiting to watch. The other musicians randomly onboard and orchestra were all great as well.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
We took part in the family scavenger hunt and had a ball. Kids did not hang out so cannot say about the actual kids club, but they do have events like the scavenger hunt ran by the kids club staff.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room attendant Luana DeLimo and our waiters Senecia and Keevhan were great. The rest of the crew was very friendly as well.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
For being an older ship it was in great condition. Very clean, always folks working very hard to keep it that way. The layout was very easy to navigate and even our kids were comfortable meeting us at certain venues on their own. Beautiful ocean views everywhere.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had two Inside cabins and we felt they were very spacious and maybe the most roomy of any other inside cabins we have had in the past. These were mid-ship inside rooms.
We missed this port due to fog in Tampa on Day 1. We did not leave until mid-day of day 2 and could not make it there. This was disappointing but not RCI’s fault. Only knock is we thought they might offer say some future cruise OBC or something.
Smooth with no issues. We put our luggage out and had the ship staff take it off. Customs was a breeze as well. No long lines. Pick went smooth as well.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
