Beautiful ship, easy to get around and a great weekend getaway
Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Cruise Director
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 22
Helpful Votes: 813
4 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 17, 2019
Ship: Brilliance of the Seas
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 1560
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
Love this ship and it's a great weekend getaway from Tampa! The ship is clean and comfortable and easy to get around. The cabins are nicely appointed and plenty of storage - good use of space. We love this ship and have been on it several times and have 2 future cruises booked on it as well. On the 4-night weekend sailings, there are two at seas days which are as relaxing or active as you want them to be and lots of onboard activities. There are also several quiet areas as well. The kids' areas are in the back of the ship, so you really don't see/hear the kids unless you are near their area. Royal does a great job on this ship of creating spaces for the kids to utilize and not interfere with adults. My only complaint about this ship and all Royal ships is the casino allows smoking. While there is a small part of the casino that is non-smoking, you have to walk through the smoking area to get to it (defeats the purpose) and frankly the smoke doesn't know it has a boundary and is hard to get away from even in the non-smoking part. Also, to get from the Schooner Bar or aft part of the ship to the front (theatre or pub) you have to go through the smoke filled casino. All casinos on ships should be non-smoking (IMHO)...Celebrity has done this very effectively. If you are flying into Tampa for this cruise, it's easy to get from the airport to the cruise terminal using the cruise line transfer, taxi or Uber/Lyft. If you are driving to the port, parking is directly across from the ship in a large parking garage.Embarkation
Quick and easy to get through check-in and onto the ship
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We ate in the main dining room every night except one and while the food was good, the overall selection was pretty uninspired, especially if you are a seafood lover and don't eat red meat. The Windjammer had the same selection virtually every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were a few dishes that varied each day, but overall pretty uninspiring as well. The salad bar which I look forward to every day for lunch was lacking choices that you would normally find on a typical salad bar and some odd choices like kidney beans. If you are a meat and potato eater, then you will have no problem finding lots of choices. Seafood eaters will have a hard time finding quality options. I would highly recommend Chops Grill...amazing food and top quality selections which you would expect given the cover charge to eat there, but well worth the cost!
Onboard Activities
All the usual activities you would expect to find on a cruise
Entertainment
While we are not much for stage shows, friends of ours really enjoyed them. The music throughout the ship was great with lots of variety and venues to choose from. The only disappointing entertainer was the late night comedian...wasn't very funny and had a weird stage presence that made it feel like it was his first time performing.
Service and Staff
All the staff onboard was wonderful...friendly and warm smiles and engaging to speak to.
Ship Quality
Easy ship to get around and love the 90k ton size as it's not too big or too small. The layout and flow to the ship make it easy to find people and lots of options for places to meet up for a drink.
Cabin / Stateroom
We were in a junior suite which was spacious and tons of storage along with a walk-in closet and larger bathroom. The category has a bathtub/shower combo and it should be noted that climbing in/out of the bathtub can be a bit tough if you are short or unsteady on your feet. There are grab bars to use but I would be cautious of this for my senior parents. The junior suite is large enough to have a third person on the couch and still have plenty of room of everyone and all their stuff. There is a coffee/tea station in the room which is nice for the mornings to have coffee on the balcony. There are only two seats on the balcony but plenty of room for standing.
Ship tip
Great ship overall and easy layout and size to get around.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Love port of Tampa...easy embarkation and quick walk from the parking garage over to the ship. Parking is $15 per day and valet is $20 per day.
Lots of shopping options right off the ship at International Pier so you don't have to go downtown to find all your souvenirs, booze, jewelry, etc. There are also several restaurants on the pier like Bubba Gump, Carlos and Charlies, and Margaritaville.
Disembarkation
Overall easy process to get off the ship, but it can be a long walk around the ship. They do this to spread out the congestion and keep things moving, but for seniors this can be a long and exhausting process, so be sure to ask ship personnel the shortcut if you are traveling with someone who can't walk long distances.
Traveler Photos
