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Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Review

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 60

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Brilliance of the Seas

12 Night Baltic (Amsterdam Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 24, 2019

Ship: Brilliance of the Seas

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

Overall, it was an excellent cruise. Staff was helpful and plenty of activities going on all day so I was never bored. Thank you RCL for that!!! You make the cruise your own- rest and relax or jump in one activity to another (my preference). Only problem was no listening devices for one excursion and a guide who had the devises not spoke unclearly. Otherwise and fabulous experience.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Very smooth process. Lines moved quickly.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Main dining room was excellent, (thank you Vincent), ate at Giovanni’s for a Murder Mystery dinner- lots of fun, buffet was always well stocked and food consistently good in all locations. Thankful for the Park Cafe and it’s late night staff- always smiling and fun!

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Lots to do all day, everyday! I never stopped on sea days! I hopped from one activity to another. Music around the ship almost always in between activities. Love the fact that many activities were fun and free, such as origami, dance lessons, napkin folding, etc.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Musicians, dancers, singers were terrific! Shows were wonderful, particularly the tribute to ABBA. Loved dancing and listening to Tony and Dana in the Colony Club!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Tony and Dana (musical performers) were super friendly, talented, and lovely people. Spent many nights singing along and dancing to their performances! Randy was an excellent room steward- room was always perfectly made up and very nice and friendly!!! Jamie (aka Mamma) was absolutely hilarious! She hosted activities and games with a wickedly funny sense of humor- never stopped laughing in her company!!! I looked forward to finding her each day for a daily dose of fun and laughter! Vincent in the Main Dining Room and his assistant (sorry, I can’t remember his name- begins with “A”) were excellent and worked very hard and were extremely attentive! Staff of this ship is fabulous!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Ship was always clean, bathrooms neat and stocked with paper towels, soap, etc. Everything looked well maintained. Now I must be honest- I had a friend in a room with a window whose air conditioning wasn’t working properly and when maintenance was notified, they said it was fine. I was there and I assure you it was not- it was extremely uncomfortable- that issue needs to be addressed.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Plenty of space, especially for solo traveler. No other “outside” noise such as elevators, clubs, etc.

Ship tip

Book excursions in advance and avoid the lines at the excursion desk.

Ports of call

Tallinn, Estonia

4 out of 5
Took a ship excursion. While guide was a lovely woman (Mara I think) she may have had head sets/microphones, I can not remember, but several of us agreed that we didn’t learn a thing because you couldn’t hear her. I’m a teacher- you need to speak clearly and project your voice. Best of Tallinn and Lunch. Lovely city just wished I could hear the information. If I go again, I’ll walk into town and wander around on my own.

Skagen, Denmark

5 out of 5
I did an excursion where we toured the lovely countryside and ended up at a restaurant for coffee/tea and the best danish I ever ate! Our bus returned us to the town port in time for shopping on your own. Getting to the shop was a bit confusing. I saw the ship and knew which was to go but streets were blocked and couldn’t get to it. Had to backtrack and take the shuttle as time was running out.

Stockholm, Sweden

5 out of 5
It rained in the day I was here and was surprised by the number of people who forgot umbrellas. Pack tiny umbrella so the rain doesn’t bother you. Took tour to Vaasa Museum, City Hall and time on our own. Our guide while informative, she did not have headsets/earbud devices for us and we all were clueless as to what she was saying. This was a small group tour (26) and I learned nothing. Very disappointed in the inability to hear anything. RCL MUST insist that ALL tour have these devises. Ask when you book your tour. Short time on own- May an hour and ten minutes to eat and shop. Not enough. I ate at a snack at a cafe and nearly had time to shop.

St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

5 out of 5
Went in the two day 10 hour tour. Guides were fabulous! They were informative and were extremely concerned with keeping us together. This tour is packed with action and sights! Loved every minute!

Amsterdam, Netherlands

5 out of 5
Stayed two days prior to cruise. Excellent port, great fun, shopping, food, activities. Everyone I met seemed so happy!!!!

Helsinki, Finland

5 out of 5
I took an excursion- Lovely countryside tour and lunch in charming setting!

Copenhagen, Denmark

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
I got a ship transfer to the airport. Easy to follow instructions and smooth process. No issues there. Left at 7:30 (first transfer) and plane was scheduled to leave at 10:55. Thankfully it was delayed or we would have missed the flight- not the fault of RCL...it was a slow process at airport. Next time I’d book a later flight but still transfer on earliest bus.

Traveler Photos

Amsterdam Snack in Sweden Tallinn Russia Helsinki Russia Stockholm Helsinki Skagen
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