Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Off to a rocky start, RCCL finally provided the level of service we have come to expect. Two of our three cabins were unacceptable at check-in.   Once corrected we had a fantastic cruise.  The hotel staff needs to copy the excellent example of the food services crew.  All dining was top quality 

Armand & Paula made the cruise seem shorter with their excellent morning lessons -- with playing in the afternoon. Older ship (but well kept up) with "only" 2,000+ passengers -- but wonderful staff & good food.

This cruise was a good cruise...some good..some bad..overall a good trip.  The boat is very clean and the room attendant was great. As is rarely typical, the room was always made quickly and anything we needed was taken care of.

Dining was good..not great.  We ate in the dining room every night.  Food was very good.  No complaints.  Wait staff was very good.  We ate in the specialty Italian restaurant for lunch.  The room was empty and it seems like a private lunch.  Food was excellent.  Would highly recommend paying the 15 fee.

We went to every show at night. Very good shows.  The ship doesn't have the huge theatre room like the new ship so they do well for the size of the room.m 

'the short trips have a wide clientele on board.  the pool area was filled with smokers and heavy drinking.  Probably normal for the 4 day short cruises.  Not a huge set back because we don't spend too much time lyin around pool area.

boarding the ship was almost too easy-a good thing. There were no lines when unloading our car and no lines checking in.  The ship was sold out which was even more crazy.  Well done.

The sad part about cruises nowadays is the added expenses.  Alcohol is out of control expensive. If you don't purchase drink package you pay by the drink...so either you drink everyday all day to make it worth while or drink a few an pay big.  Two pina coladas -25$

Also , the boat felt like a flea market on some nights. Every corner was a watch table, necklace table, or liquor table for sale.  I never saw anyone buying any of it so it makes you wonder what the benefit is.  Keep the sales to the shops area... 

We we normally sale Celebrity, which is an older and more laid back crowd.  We have sailed the Allure 7 night cruise which was great. In our opinion, Celebrity is for those who truly want a slower paced, relaxing week.  Royal Caribbean is similar with more family and related fun.  The shorter Royal trips are not much different than Carnival..

This was a good trip with a clean ship.  Would go again for what we were looking to do..quick getaway...

Embarkation was smooth. On the ship by 10am. We are diamond so that helps but we always get there way early. Balcony on 8th deck. Loved our room steward Gerald he was awesome. 

Ritas as cantina is a must. Worth the price for something different f than the buffet. Windjammer was good no complaints there. Chops is always a good choice service was great. Food was well worth the price.

Best part of the cruise was Vintages. Go see Herman. He gave us a private champagne tasting last night. 5 champagnes. 2 ports. 1 ice wine totaling retail value 1000.00. Talked for 2 hrs about family friends wine champagne anything and everything. And the sunsets there are to die for!!!  All in all probably the best cruise we have ever been on. 

Loved this ship.  It had a recent renovation so is in good shape.  This was the last cruise till fall - they will re position in Europe for the summer months.  The Gulf was calm so you really could not even tell you were on a ship.  Service in the dinning areas and cabin were great.  I had my 88 yr old mother with me and everyone was very helpful and understanding.  I got a great deal and will be looking to head out again soon.  Thanks 

our room was located next to the Centrum, where loud entertainment blared until midnight. We found that RCL to be cutting back on expenses in many areas. As an example, no munchies with drinks. Some specialty restaurant dishes were not that special with their limited menu. Service was generally good, but with  a few bad exceptions. Entertainment was also just so so. we have cruised over a dozen times, this cruise would rank near the bottom.

My husband and I don't drink alcohol and it seems the only way they try to solve any issues is with sending wine to your dinner table.  We don't drink, so all the other guests received wine that had the same problem as us, but we couldn't even get a $10 credit on our bill.  Sad world we live in that the only rewards offered are for alcohol products.

The entire staff was always friendly and energetic! The boat was very nice. Cocktails and coffee were great! However, if food is a big focus of your trip, you may want to look at another ship. I know the new thing is to go to the specialty restaurants but that shouldn't mean the rest of us get so so food. The buffet didn't have much variety, (made to order eggs were good) and the dinning room was pretty bland, really, how do you mess up dessert? We went to one specialty restaurant, Izumi, and it was really good! Also, the shows were quite lack luster... heard the one show we missed was the best :( Comedian was quite funny! 

Wife and I are both 79 and can't walk that far anymore, so we do not go ashore. We go on the Brilliance every month she is in Tampa or the Freedom of the seas. Both are excellent ships and crews.

The whole experience was delightful.  My Mom and I enjoyed ourselves so much.  The staff were great.  There was more activities than we could do!  I especially enjoyed the steam room and the sauna and also the Solarium.  The dining room experience were always good.  

This ship needs to be redecorated.  Missing pieces of wallpaper in stateroom, dining chairs poorly mended.  In addition we ate at Chops and the service was extremely slow...I'm talking about bread and drinks.  Tables near us were clutter for about 30 mins after the other patrons had left.  Nothing worse than eating surrounded by dirty tables.  You've lost your spit and polish!

This was a nice cruise - generally enjoyable. The rooms were clean, and the service was always very nice. The food was OK - never bad - and plentiful. The ship amenities that we used were good. My only criticism is that the ship lacked activities for young children, beyond the daycare ($) and the one children's pool, as well as amenities for young children in the bathrooms, such as lower counters or step stools for hand washing.

Had a wonderful time.  Very large ship.  Not a stranger to Royal Carribean but first time on the Brilliance.  Very impressed with ship.   The only thing I was totally unimpressed with was the room service food.  The food was old, cold and stale. Was shooting for a romantic breakfast on the balcony.  Not.  My first time ordering room service.  Found out the cabin two doors down had the same review for room service as well.

Four day cruise to Cozumel was relaxing.  We enjoyed the ship, the food, staff and the new friends we made.  We never had a problem finding a lounge.  The spa was excellent.

We loved our excursion on Cozumel to the Chankanaab beach adventure park.  We had a guide named Fernando.  He went the extra mile to show us the yellow sting rays on the bottom, a lobster hiding in a rock and many other interesting fish.  It was just a lovely day snorkeling and sampling tequila.  We also bartered for a silver necklace that was unique and beautiful.    

We have been on larger ships, but we found this ship at this time to be perfect with around 2200 passengers.  We played pool, went to some shows and sang in the pub on the last night wrapping up an excellent vacation.

We went on this cruise with two other couples and had a blast! Our large oceanview stateroom was comfortably spacious. The comedy shows were excellent, and we had fabulous meals at Chops Grille and Giovanni's Table. The only gripe we had was that the casino bar service was horrible. Other than that, we would definitely take another cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas.

As always, Royal Caribbean did not fail to exceed expectations.  I love this cruise line, and Brilliance of the Seas was all we expected and more.

  From the crew, to the food, to the activities, and more, can't say enough.  I would recommend this cruise to anyone,and already have!

We enjoyed our trip on The Brilliance of the Seas very much.  The staff was very friendly, overall service was excellent, the ship was very clean and the food was excellent..  All of the entertainment was great.  The only negatives my husband and I have would be the smoke in the casino-I am allergic and sometimes just walking through caused wheezing.

A lot of the staff on Brilliance of the Seas make you feel unwelcome. Bars are always closed. You can't even find a Pina Colada. Missed my excursion. Was instructed to clear the area and go stand in a corner. Be prepared to spend a lot of time climbing stairs or be prepared to waste a lot of time waiting for the elevators. You can spend 20 or more minutes at the elevator waiting. The only announcements on the ship are to encourage you to book another while on board. The only organization on the ship is at the end. Their system to get you off is pretty fast.

Overall cruise was very nice. First time for our teenage boys and we would of liked more time for excursions. We as a family don't like to lounge around in the sun by the pool all day. They started to get bored doing the same ship activities. 

This was my fifth cruise, my second on Royal Carribean. RC definitely has all the kinks worked out for cruisers. It's a no nonsense experience that's not stressful at all. Embarkation and debarkation were a breeze. No lines and everyone from the porters at the Tampa port to the washy washy ladies in the windjammer were friendly and helpful and not in a fake way. The staff and crew seemed genuinely happy to be there. 

We we left out of Tampa Monday morning and arrived in Cozumel Wednesday morning. Smoothest overall sailing I have had. Cozumel was great. Lots to do and see. We took the buggy and snorkel excursion which was fabulous event with Ely and Nacho. 

The entertainment with the Konos band was incredible. Hard classic rock mixed in with Neil Diamond and The Eagles. Their guitar player blew everyone away. 

Drink package was excellent as well as chops Grill. Well worth the 35 per person extra charge. Dining room meals for the most part were decent. Much better than I have experienced on Majesty and other cruise lines. 

The buffett was okay. You get a lot of repeat meals. The salad fare was very fresh but there was limited choices. 

We we did not go to any of the shows so we can comment on that. The casino was larger Than others I have seen, but the dealers in general were dry and not overly friendly. I want to play and have fun. ☹️

The pool was nice , although small and you had to get there early to get a seat. Bartenders were awesome. Making special order drinks if asked. 

Tendering at Cayman was also a breeze. It was quick and we didn't have to wait at all. The bridge kept us well informed of what what going on. The staterooms were standard size. Cleaned twice a day with a few animal towels thrown in. 

Our biggest complaint is the Internet. It was expensive and barely worked. 150 for something you couldn't really use was disappointing. 

overall great trip. Would highly recommend. Perfect amount of time on the ship.