Not the Cruise We Envisioned

Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 4
Helpful Votes: 97

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5
Verified Review
Brilliance of the Seas

5 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 05, 2022

Ship: Brilliance of the Seas

Cabin number: 8168

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Overall, not one of the better cruises we have taken due to spring break. Will never book a short cruise again in March going forward unless it is one that is 7 nights or longer.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Husband needs wheelchair assistance so getting on ship goes very smoothly.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Food in dining room was very good and specialty restaurants (Chops and Giovanni’s) was excellent

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5
Due to numbers of spring breakers on board, main and solarium pools were impossible to use as well as evening venues around the ship, like the casino and various bars where there was music. Was not able to get near the disco at night, nor the silent disco or the 70’s party.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Musicians we were able to hear were ok. Music did not seem to fit venues.

Children's Programs

No kids traveled with us

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Service from all departments was top notch. An issue with a damaged piece of luggage was handled promptly by guest services.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Ship was clean but in need some refreshment in many areas

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Excellent location, spacious aft corner cabin with large wrap around corner balcony on port side

Ship tip

Don’t go during March due to college spring breakers. Out of 1680 passengers on board, more than 700 were college students on spring break. Pools, bars and most venues were packed every day of the cruise. Only time we got to enjoy any time on the ship was during two port days.

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
College kids did the walkoff which took almost two hours while wheelchair assistance people had to wait to get off. Accommodations should be made to allow those need assistance off the ship firsti
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5 Comments

javawoody    2 years ago

Thanks for the review

VAcruisenut    2 years ago

Thanks for your positive cruise insights.

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

emmieluvscruzin    2 years ago

I was also on that cruise. There were many spring breakers which made it impossible to get a spot by the pool. In their defense though, they were all very polite and well mannered for the most part. I will probably not book a cruise around spring break going forward.

CruzeFan    2 years ago

Thanks for the review. It’s best to stay away from any cruise less than 10 days long in March & April due to Spring Break crowds.

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