Brilliance of the Seas Reviews

From the minute we got on the ship until the minute we got off we laughed, met many wonderful people (crew & cruisers) and have memories that will last a lifetime. Our relationship had gotten a bit stale and I know this sounds corny but we were renewed on that ship - that renewal has lasted thus far. Can't believe at 64 and 71 we had not experienced this wonderful vacation.

This was a wonderful cruising experience for our family. We have 3 kids ages 18, 17 and 12. All had an amazing time and can't wait to cruise again!

Wonderful first cruise. Sad we didn't get to both ports due to fog. But a great time all around.

This is a small ship and is not as stable in open waters as other newer ships. There is a positive with it being smaller and that is you find your way around easily and run into other persons from the group you are traveling with. There are few things for younger children to do on this boat. Children's Club is not the same as other RCCL clubs. This cruise has prompted us to try other lines again. When booking it was explained that this is a great, small ship with extra "services" since the entertainment is lower. I did not find that.

Great and relaxing. Everything was very organized and the staff was very friendly

Overall this was a wonderful experience and can't wait to continue the holiday cruise plans.

Will definitely take another cruise on Royal Caribbean

This cruise had a lot to offer. I remained onboard when the ship arrived at our destination because of the weather.

This is my last cruise on Royal Caribbean. After you read my above comments, you'll understand that this trip was a waste of good money!

Nice ship for a short cruise. 50+ cruises to date on RCCL. The staff on the Brilliance are far better than other RCCL ships. Diamond, Concierge Lounge and Windjammer food not the best. Specialty Restaurants are the only way to dine. Food and service was superb and never crowded. Great flexibility on dining times.

We enjoyed the ship. Our cabin steward was wonderful!! Food not as good as other cruises but we do not go to eat. Loved Key West and Cozumel. Every staff member was so friendly. I would go on this ship again!!

Overall our first cruise was great! Drink of the day $8, drink package drinkers are limited to $12/drink or less, it's easy to stay under that amount. Embarkation was simple @ 10:30am, quickly aboard. Disembarkation at ports & final was simple too, we did self-assist with our luggage & will likely let the crew take it off the next time. Smoking areas were convenient for us. The pool smoking area upsets non-smokers because it's on the same side as the towel counter. I understand the complaint. The casino does have non-smoking section but you can only get to it through the smoking area which can get overwhelming, even for smokers. Fans circulating the air would help. Pool deck chairs were mostly easy to come by, no hog issues. The pool games & belly flop competition were great! The Solarium pool/hot tub was nice although we didn't use it. We were surprised at how early an adults only area closed at night, including the accompanying bar. However the Park Cafe is also in this area & was open late. The raved about Roast Beef Sandwiches at lunch were ok but not great. For us the bread was too tough. I liked the typical mustard, horseradish, or gravy options for toppings. You could order it on a plate with or without gravy, no bread. Park Cafe also had good pizza by the slice for a late night snack. The main dining room was great for 4 of 5 dinners, we ate the buffet on 5th night, also great. Breakfast in the MDR was slow & unimpressive, so after the first day we went to Windjammer buffet the rest of the trip in the mornings. There was an area right outside the WJ accessible 24hrs/day for just coffee or water by the glass. We didn't visit the Latte-tudes coffee bar for high end coffees. We enjoyed all of the clubs, each having there own uniqueness. Some of the lounge acts should be replaced. One was really impressive with her electric guitar & a microphone; the game shows, karaoke, and bingo were fun. For Pacifica Theater shows, the cruise compass (daily planner) was vague & we missed a couple shows we wanted to see because we didn't know specifics ahead of time. Ports: Key West & Cozumel; The Key West Pub Crawl excursion purchased through RCI was well worth the $30 each, it included a t-shirt each & 5 cocktails or beers (1 each at each bar stop), along with some local history & humor by our guide Nancy. Give your try at blowing in the Conch Shell! We had about 3-4 hours to explore on our own after the tour. Sea days were full of activities & we had no problem relaxing or staying occupied. In Cozumel, my wife swam with Dolphins which I purchased directly from Dolphinaris. I'd probably purchase through RCI if there was a next time just so we get everything we paid for. She got the whole dolphin experience & I paid to observe, but the photo package turned out to be 1 printed photo & 8 emailed to us. Maybe I misunderstood when I purchased it. Transportation, Snorkel, & lockers are extra if booking outside of RCI. The cab ride was quick 5-10 minutes one-way for 2 people @ $8. The included bar drinks were okay but the employees weren't forthcoming about how to find the included meal. We just left & went to Carlos & Charlie's Beach Club. No cover charge to enter, however we knew we planned to eat & drink there. They're a very friendly restaurant & bar staff with some sublet vendors hocking their wares as you eat, unless you ask them to stop until you're done eating. Not extremely bothersome. Great food, great service, domestic beers & a couple imports, great tequila..be sure to get the squirt bottle experience, ask for it, fun! There is a decent beachfront with umbrella loungers & tables with other sublets who charge for jet-ski or parasailing & a message area too. It's a $17 cab ride back to pier for 2 people. More free tequila on the way to the ship from a few of the shops at the port, even when we told them we weren't buying anything. On the Sea day back to Tampa the ship had an undisclosed engine problem but within 30 minutes they had us back underway with a backup engine & a had a second spare engine if they would've needed it. They did not. The Seas were mostly calm, the air was warm & we'll cruise RCI again someday, this ship or another perhaps.

Our cruise was wonderful. Grand Cayman was beautiful, I wish we could have stayed there longer. Our wait staff were wonderful. We were celebrating our 30th anniversary and they made us a cake and sang to us. They made our day so special!! Our room attendant was wonderful as well, always accommodating and sweet.

HORRIBLE WASTE OF MONEY, WORST VACATION EVER BECAUSE OF ANTHONY. I'll be sharing this review with my 25K social media friends and followers

Royal Caribbean food and activities have gotten worse over the years. No longer have bathrobes for Diamond members. Never saw the cabin steward. Diamond Club way too small. Wait staff and bar staff were extremely nice and friendly . Spa staff were rude and not friendly.

Good trip for a short getaway. Older ship is well maintained. Bar service and Specialty Restaurant service was Excellent.

Ok if you are looking for relaxation. Good cheap getaway.

We had a great honeymoon trip. It was my first time with Royal Caribbean and my wife's first cruise ever. We will definitely be cruising with them again.

I play for musicals where I live, so I pay a lot of attention to the music on board. The show band and technical crew (mixing the sound) were the best I've heard on a cruise (4 prior cruises). Also, all of the staff that I encountered were friendly.

We have been on several cruises. This cruise was not that exciting. The food wasn't that great. All the entertaining games ect happened in a very small space with limited seating. We were very turned off by the fact that all food shut down after 9pm unless you wanted to PAY for room service with an additional fee.