Loved the ports, disappointed in RCCL

Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Review to South Pacific

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 9
Helpful Votes: 219

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Brilliance of the Seas

17 Night South Pacific (Sydney To Honolulu)

Sail date: April 12, 2024

Ship: Brilliance of the Seas

Cabin number: 8654

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Loved this cruise. If we didn't have to fly so far, this would definitely be on our agenda again.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
We were able to embark prior to our reservation time. Things went smoothly.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5
The quality of food has definitely lessened to what it used to be. I would rather have less selections with better quality.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
We didn't use any of the activities.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
Entertainment was ok. Particularly enjoyed the hypnotist.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
Service was good. Our friends had major issues with their room they discovered on the 2nd day. RCCL is not recognizing the magnitude of the issue so it appears RCCL doesn't care whether their customer is happy or not. Must be making enough money.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Smaller ship and sold out so more crowded. Did like the centrium.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
The couch was mainly a one-seater. The bed was rather hard. Finally asked for a mattress pad but didn't help much.

Ship tip

To enjoy Brillance, you need to like a smaller ship with fewer activities which is fine if you want to just enjoy cruising.

Ports of call

Sydney, Australia

5 out of 5
Sydney was awesome. If it weren't so far away from the east coast of US, would definitely return.

Bay Of Islands, New Zealand

4 out of 5
Loved New Zealand. Cruised to Hole in the Rock.

Tauranga, New Zealand

5 out of 5
Tauranga was beautiful. Did a small personal tour of the island which was great.

Cross International Dateline

5 out of 5
Crossed over at 2:00 am

Raiatea, French Polynesia

5 out of 5
Was supposed to do a Sunset cruise but the ship changed the port times so we just did a cruise which wasn't the best but loved the island.

Papeete, Tahiti

5 out of 5
Absolutely loved Tahiti. Was extremely hot but enjoyed it.

Moorea, French Polynesia

5 out of 5
Another great French Polynesian island.

Honolulu, Oahu

5 out of 5
Always love Honolulu. A go back to place.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
No major issues.
Was this review helpful? 14

4 Comments

HeavySeas     5 months ago

Thanks for sharing

javawoody     5 months ago

Thanks for sharing your experience

Gwbigdog     5 months ago

Thanks for sharing

cruising2004     5 months ago

Glad you had a wonderful cruise! Thank you for your review.