Great to be back cruising

Item: Brilliance of the Seas
Rating: 4.1
Author: IanBF

Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

IanBF

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 25

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 14, 2022

Ship: Brilliance of the Seas

Cabin number: 8172

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Nice to be back cruising. Protocols and measures that were in place made us feel safe.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Check in times were not adhered to which resulted in a backlog of passengers at the initial security check which took longer that it should have. Passengers arriving early should have been held back. After that it went very smooth.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

First time at my-time dining and entry lines were longer than confirmed seating. Liked the staff serving at the windjammer and this should continue after COVID. Did Chops Grille twice and highly recommended. Disappointed with the formal (not so formal) night as it was "just another night". Menu was nothing special and no lobster tails. Sad

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Small ship but still fun

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Entertainment was excellent and a highlight of the cruise

Children's Programs

Do not travel with kids and try to avoid at all costs

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Staff were brilliant. Despite the fact that they all had to wear N95 masks they continued to provide an excellent service. They appeared tired and were in need of some time off the ship during port calls. This need to happen soon.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Ship was clean but was due for dry dock next month. It is starting to show it's age

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Cabin steward Andrew did a fantastic job and looked after our every needs. Enjoyed the extra space on the aft facing balcony which we used more than normal. Mattress was hard but that tends to be the normal on Royal. We always bring a memory foam underlay that helps.