Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

What a great vacation. We met some wonderful girls in the spa. Our servers in the specialty restaurants were engaging, helpful and made us feel well taken care of. This ship's captain was willing to pick up the Cuban refugees and you could hear and feel his companion toward these human beings who needed rescued.

We really enjoyed our cruise. 

The Bad Stuff:

Would have rated very good had we not received the runaround the first night when we went to the dining room even though we had chosen the 6:00 PM dinner seating.  It seems that because we booked our cruise only a 42 days earlier we were not assigned a table.  After waiting 15 minutes, we were shuttled up to the other deck that shares the main dining room.  After walking back and forth being led by a cruise member we were finally seated at 6:45 PM after arriving at the dining room at 5:45 PM for our requested and confirmed 6:00 PM dinner seating. Not the way to start the cruise. Also, it would seem to me that the toilets should flush every time in the stateroom.  Had to complain twice to get the toilet working properly on two evening occasions.

The Good Stuff:

Food was very good, the cabin attendant was great and the entertainment was very good.  All in all, not a bad 4 days.

It is just the little things that kept me from rating this cruise very good.

We did not get our $50 credit per cabin credit. When we called we were told we did not apply soon enough. NOT TRUE This credit is a come on. I would warn anybody not to use

Royal Caribbean is our favorite cruise line. We have sailed with three other cruise lines and other than Disney, we enjoy their boats. The food is always good and the my time dining is a step above the Windjammer. 

Food was good - they charge additional for the finer foods :(

Entertainment - fun little things to do, the Quest was hilarious but definitely adults only!!  The main shows were very disappointing, nothing like the video on their website   First night was a comedian, she was funny but not what we were expecting for the main show, Amy (the Irish comedian/singer by the Colony) was equally as good.  Second night was a NO instrument band which was pretty good. Third night the entertainer didn't even show up so there was NO show.  Farewell show - ugh, my family did not like it - the singers were not good :(  they did not sing well together, off key - extremely disappointed in the nightly entertainment.

Ship was clean, girl at entrance of dining area reminding you to "washy, washy" always made you smile AND sanitize :) 

The wait staff was very good, food was a little slow to get to the table.  

The cabin attendant was awesome.  Always clean room and he called you by name.

We brought teens and they liked some of the activities, pool slide only for small children.

We picked up 18 refugees.

We enjoyed the cruise and like the Royal Caribbean ship and staff.

Entertainment was good, especially the Kronos bad that played each night in the Centrum. They were amazing!

Food was average. Main dining room didn't have good selections for entrees and windjammer had the same food every day. No variation.

Good cruise, staff very curteous, organized and efficient; entertainment was OK.  For a 5-day cruise, another port stop would have been nicer. Port activities were overpriced

I had high expectations for this cruise because I've never sailed with Royal Caribbean before. I've heard good things from others so I was looking forward to this trip. On a positive note the room attendant and our dinner crew were great. Everyone else on the boat we encountered seemed to be unhappy and disinterested. The food was average at best. The one meal that stood out was the lobster. Unfortunately my next cruise will be back on carnival. 

We had ordered wheelchair assistance for my disabled sister and arrived  to find an alleged dispute between RCI and Tampa port  about wheelchair service.  Neither  allegedly would provide wheelchairs at the taxi drop off but instead directed us to an elevator down a long walkway and up an elevator where  "RCI has  wheel chairs " I   left my disabled sister alone ( which frightened her  greatly) and went up the elevator with another passenger's caregiver where we  had to have temper tantrums to get a chair to go dowmstairs and to bring  them on board - ,it could only be used "'temporarily"

The wheelchair was taken from us on board and we were told to sit and wait.  I appeaslewd to Guest  relations and finally one  staff member brought us a wheelchai rbut had no one  to push it. My sister weighs s twice what I do, but I managed to push her to  our cabin where her scooter was waiting( we were not allowed to the cabin  where our scooter was waiting when we boarded.).

I spent the rest of our cruise trying to find a dignified way to get my sister off ship to disembark  and only when I spotted the ship's  hotel director  and appealed  for his help did.any plan  get made.   his assistant told me there was a problem with wheelchair use at Tampa Port and they were"trying to  come to a resolution"' I can't understand why they didn't notify us of this before we attempted to get on board-we would have cancelled. had we known.

Otherwise the cruise was just ok- mediocre food and entertainment - probably not worth  all the stress caused my sister for what was to be her first cruise.,I doubt she will ever agree to go again. Wait staff and cabin attendants were all lovely and helpful when they could be- the rest was a mess.  On the last day our cabin door ( with a disabled switch) would not open at all from the outside and after numerous attempts to repair it  we were told  it could not be fixed till the next  ( disembarkation)  morning , so we had to  stay  inside our cabin knowing we could not get back in if we left without waiting for a security officer  to come and hoping his master key might work..    Again , my sister was pretty much abandoned by the staff in that situation- no one seemed to care.- just lots of apologies.  In the  morning i threw another fit and told them to get us off the  ship so we at least could have breakfast- all we had in our room was a banana. The Hotel,Director facilitated that-I  think to get rid of the problem.

The other caretaker who had the same issue  ( as well as two others I met during the week) were told rather rudely it was her travel agents fault that t no wheelchairs were provided.  It was in my special needs  confirmation , so i know  in our case that was  not true.

Tampa Airport was wonderful- but unless they work out   these issues at the Port, I would not cruise from there again and though  I am Crown and Anchor Gold, I would not use RCI for any future cruise..

I have been on Brilliance before and took great care in choosing it for my sister-what a  disappointment..

the cabins on this ship are extremely small.  we were glad we had a balcony for a little more room -- loud music and casino announcements could be heard well into the night  --  there is not one single space on the entire ship that is quiet-there is music playing everywhere  --  the food in the Windjammer restaurant was very ethnic and not to our taste, but there was no where else to eat lunch unless you paid extra  --  coffee is the only beverage free of charge with the exception of OJ at breakfast,  and $8 per person per day adds up fast(this is the cost for a beverage card)           we had never cruised with Royal Caribbean before, and probably never will again  PLEASE NOTE;  THE STAFF AND CREW WERE WONDERFUL

This is not our first cruise on Royal Caribbean.  Overall we were very happy.  I think the best part of the cruise is the staff.  I have found everyone to be happy and concerned that all our issues were addressed. 

Brilliance of the Seas with Royal Caribbean was awesome. The staff was attentive and engaging. This was my first cruise and I am SOLD on them. I could not have planned a more relaxing trip.

We had a wonderful time. We loved the indoor heated pool! We really don't have a negative comment. All the staff did a terrific job and we're always friendly and helpful.

Pleasant cruise. Food always great on Royal Caribbean. Ate at Chops Grill twice where the filet mignon is like buttah. Also ate at Giovanni's table. Also great. Main dining room was super also. Service everywhere was outstanding. Desserts were wonderful. Only negatives were orange juice in the morning tasted like tang. Stateroom furniture needs updating. Not enough port time in Key West. Windjammer buffet was average. There was no smoked salmon in the morning as on previous cruises.

As a first time cruiser celebrating our first wedding anniversary, this was a great way to break into this type of vacation. A few pointers though (that I will make sure to check into before we book again...Make sure you don't book on a majority-elderly cruise. We had our toes run over several times by Hoover-rounds and most of these people were just down right mean. I am almost 40 years old and have been a Registered Nurse for for over 10 years, so I know how to handle this population at work, but to have to deal with this on a 6 day trip?! I don't know what would be worst, College Kids on spring break or hanging out in God's waiting room. 

On the upside: The staff was phenomenal, the drink package was worth every penny, and I would definitely travel Royal Caribbean again   

Overall it was a great experience. It started with outstanding connections on Southwest from Nashville to Tampa airport where we were impressed with the spaciousness of terminal C. It was an easy Über ride from our hotel to Cruise Terminal 3 where boarding was the easiest we have experienced. Brilliance is a Radiance class and is a nice size ship. Our biggest negative was the pervasive smoke smell coming from the Casino on deck 6. It was so bad that it was noticeable on several decks in the open Centrum. Debarkation at cruise end was even better than getting onboard. In little more than an hour we got off the ship, cleared customs, got a cab to TPA, cleared security, and were back at th C terminal waiting for our flight back to Nashville. 

There were plenty of things to do and so much good food to eat!!! It was a little windy than normal but still had a great time. Staffs were wonderful!

Paid for a balcony room, but could not see the ocean looking down from our room, we had to look over the life boat. 

Smelly bathrooms on the entire ship.  Possibly a sewer problem.

been on a lot of cruises.   Here is my honest opinion.   CUSTOMER SERVICE was superb...   Shows in the Pacifica were just ok, entertainment.     honestly...   food was just ok,  plenty of it at the buffets but what happened to the midnite buffet or a 24 hour hot dog hamburger or pizza bar...  Went to the main dining room twice...  found that the food was just okay... found the same items at the buffet which was better.. Overall had a good time.   BIG WISH for a 5 nite cruise was that 1 more port stop would have been good.  2 full days at sea was kind of long...  again and most important,  the SERVICE was superb...

Booked suite 9656 on Brilliance of the Sea. Perfect for all of us, my 86 year old active Mom, my wife and I and two twenty year old kids. Plenty of room for everyone, huge deck, we have cruised 20+ times and we used the deck more than any other cruise!

   What a beautiful ship! One of the best cruise experiences we have had😀