Great crossing but with some hiccups

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

Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Review to Transatlantic

DiegodaMonkey

Contributor Level: First Mate

145 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 90

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5

15 Night Transatlantic - Eastbound (Rome To Tampa)

Sail date: November 05, 2022

Ship: Brilliance of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9062

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Sounds like we are unhappy and we’re not. Just some things need to be brought back to pre Covid standards and some processes rethought. Waiters are pulled away from main diners tables when My time diners are let in. Presentation of food poor. Bowls of soup served spilled, plates messy etc, items forgotten or missing. Menus not looked at …seriously, Cod is your main entre 3 nights in a row?..no more sommeliers?. ..more bartenders needed at each bar . Coffee machine broke down and not fixed or replaced in the Diamond lounge…little things but they were the things that Made RCCL what it was..not what it is…we will still be “Loyal to Royal” and have three more booked. Hoping they will regain their pre Covid levels in service and pride soon.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

479 B2B cruisers on this trip. All ushered to the Pacific theatre to recheck in and receive new sea pass cards. Cards for over half the people were not printed, were wrong, or were left to be placed in staterooms. Concussion by staff and poor communication to patrons on what was going on.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Though good, not spectacular. Chefs table was excellent as usual though.. Food in Windjammer was very good.

Windjammer Cafe

5 out of 5

Food was always good and lots of choices. Adding the beepers to wait list at egg station is a great idea.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Hardly saw anyone on the climbing wall or mini golf. Pools were never crowded, deck chairs were plentiful everywhere. Egg drop contest very neat. Lots of trivia going on.

Medical Center

5 out of 5

Great service and staff. Went down with a sore throat and was tested for Covid…turned out to be Strep throat, was treated with antibiotics and felt cared for. Thank you all.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Comedian, ventriloquist, and the like we’re good.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Cabin steward excellent. Waiters needed training, too many errors and poor presentations.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

She’s an older ship but appeared clean but dated. Or cabin room outer fridge door was falling off, paint peeling away in washroom etc. but acceptable to a degree.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Nice size and layout on this older class of ships. BUT we had an issue with some kind of moth or small fly. We had noticed them occasionally on the leg prior but only a few and though the had come in when we went on the balcony. Well it turned out they had infested an area of carpet net to the bed! Called our attendant who called horticulture officer and was told they couldn’t do anything till we were out of the cabin next day. At my insistence our steward brought a can of bug spray for the night. Cabin was sprayed next day and then things okay for two nights, then they were back. Supervisor notified this time for a second fumigation then all was good. RCCL did offer compensation in way of a discount of 15% of this cruise value applied to our next cruise. The cabinet door was also falling off the fridge but was promptly repaired.

Ship tip

Bigger cabins, nicer layouts. Quainter ship overall. Will not get the big amenities and playthings on here like flowriders but you’ll have lots of room and quite spots.

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