Loved the Baltic!

Item: Brilliance of the Seas
Rating: 4.3
Author: krevans

Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe

krevans

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 56

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

12 Night Baltic (Amsterdam Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 31, 2019

Ship: Brilliance of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9638

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

I loved the Baltic states. I hope to go back someday. Just a few minor issues with the cruise itself. Whoever was in charge of the cruise compasses was obviously recycling info from the previous cruise. Weather was waaaayyy wrong and some activities, ports, times were incorrect as well. It was frustrating at times. I also felt like they were VERY pushy about selling their dining experiences and spa treatments. I like the main dining room so I don’t do the specialty restaurants much, but we were approached no less than 20 times while dining or walking around the ship. Same thing with the spa. Maybe not quite as bad. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Overall I really enjoyed myself and look forward to cruising again.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Quick and easy!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Great food as usual!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Nothing special but adequate.

Entertainment

2 out of 5

They need to offer better variety and new shows. Same performers from past cruises.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Everyone is pleasant and willing to go out of their way for you.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

I liked Brilliance of the Seas. Clean, comfortable, and easy to get around.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Clean and comfortable. Good view and lots of storage for stuff.

Ship tip

Bartenders at the Schooner bar are the absolute best!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Amsterdam, Netherlands

4 out of 5

Lots to see and do. But not easy to get around. We did not do an excursion.

Thumbs Up 0

Stockholm, Sweden

4 out of 5

A beautiful city. Also not easy to get around. We did a Stockholm on your Own excursion and it was rushed. The cruise line was a little unorganized getting tours off the ship so we were late.

Thumbs Up 0

Tallinn, Estonia

5 out of 5

Beautiful and fun! Easy to get around and very friendly locals.

Thumbs Up 2

St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

4 out of 5

The most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. We took an excursion through Shipmate. Unfortunately the bus broke down on day 2 and we missed half the tour! Barely made it back to the ship on time!

Thumbs Up 3

Helsinki, Finland

3 out of 5

Somewhat underwhelming after Tallinn and St. Petersburg. Took a Shipmate Excursion “Helsinki Highlights.” It was a real snoozer. Public restrooms are not plentiful in this city!

Thumbs Up 1

Skagen, Denmark

3 out of 5

Not much to see or do here. Cute fishing village but unimpressive.

Thumbs Up 0

Copenhagen, Denmark

4 out of 5

Beautiful city and toured the royal palaces which were also beautiful.

Thumbs Up 2