Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Overall cruise experience was good.  Staff was pleasant, ship was clean, food was average-ish.  Entertainment was better than anticipated.  Biggest disappointment was using BJ's Travel to book the cruise.  Not only did we not receive any special discounts, we were treated as a number.  The 2 times I called for info/questions, I felt as if I was a bother to the agent.  I asked to be placed on waiting lists for certain upgrades and the agent never followed up.  I called upon our other travel agent as a favor and she had no problem contacting the cruise line and getting things done.  No advantage whatsoever to using BJ's Travel.

With a storm in the area we never got to Grand Cayman's and so it was to many days out at sea with no other port to go too. The choices of food was better the first and last day for some reason(maybe for impression). Some of the shows were great and a few stunk but over all it was a fun time. The center area to listen to music didn't have enough seating which was a bummer for us who would have liked to stay there all evening. I would guess at 50 seats max for all of the whole ship !!!!!!!Not Good! 

This is the 2nd cruise I have taken with Royal within this past year that had a port cancellation. Very disappointing!!! Also in sharing with other passengers, this had happened before on the same ship earlier!!! Understand safety is important, but it seems like there is a pattern here.

The ships appearance was very old. The rugs to rooms were so stained from water. Lost electricity for half day in room. The shipped rock around the clock sometimes we could even walk to dinner without swaying from wall to wall. I have been on at least 5 other ships on this line. So many cutbacks and disapointments. I know what they did before and now it's like being on a training ship.

We were not impressed ! First of all the ship constantly swayed back and forth , other guests on cruise that had sailed before thought it was there worst cruise. We payed for a drink package prior to sailing was suppose to get a sovereign cup, they had none and I payed more online than you pay once on board ! Bottled water was warm . My time dining was great.  Windjammer food not so much . Then once home and checked billing I was double charged !! Diffently won't book with this ship again ! There were a few crew that were very rude !

cannot fault RCL this cruise was no exception, although Brilliance of the seas is beginning to look its age it is still a very clean ship, and the staff forever willing to go the extra mile could not have done more to ensure every one had a good time 

Whole family enjoyed the trip.   Great entertainment every night. Only negative was how loud the music was pool-side and centrum.  Looking forward to two weeks on this ship in the Spring. 

Trip was great--food, ambiance of dining hall, staff, service were excellent

Night shows were a bit off as Cole Porter hits were not featured, but lesser known songs were done--kind of missed the boat!

Cabin steward was excellent

Tour on land due for two hours--we got back 5 hours later--definitely got our money's worth

Everyone must sanitize hands before eating--a very good health practice--the greeters did not let you get away without it!

Good way to celebrate going on Medicare!

Absolutely everything was well organized from the beginning to the end. Our deluxe stateroom was always taking care of by the housekeeper.  The size of the stateroom was just perfect for us.  At the restaurants, the service was superb, professional and friendly.  I have a child with disabilities he was not able to join the kids activities because of the ratio care giver child wasn't appropriate for his needs.  I hope in the future to find a cruise where personnel with experience be able for the special needs children.  Our excursion was as well very well organized and the tour guide were excellent; very professional and knowledgeable.  Thank you for a great time!

Most important thing about a cruise is to know what to expect and what you are getting into.  For us, this ship is not to big, not to small, the cruise length is just right for an extended weekend getaway.  Excellent time of the year, both in weather and for a couple wanting a cruise that does not make you feel like you are in a floating chucky cheese.  Have been on this ship twice now and it has been excellent.  My wife is a chef and I am a home baker and we are food snobs, BUT we LOVE the food on this ship.  We ate 100% at the windjammer cafe (the buffet lines), and were totally satisfied with the selection.  Even the french fries were (pomme fritte-euro-quality).  We will be back on this ship again.  Spa staff just the best, as is all the rest of the crew.

Embarkation and Disembarkation:  The smoothest I've ever had on any of the 10 plus cruises I've taken (but to be fair I did arrive early and disembarked early carrying my own bags).

Included Dining:  My Time Dining is a silly concept considering one cannot actually get a reservation for when one wants to eat.  This cruise line continues the very antiquated two seating times, the 6:30 being a bit too early for me and the 8:30 being a bit too late.  And jamming people into large tables of ten people is a sure fire way to kill my cruise buzz.  So I mostly avoided the main dining rooms as when I was there, I found the food mediocre at best and the service, while friendly, was rushed.  That being said, breakfast was much better in the main dining room and the atmosphere was more relaxed than at dinner.  Still, one has to beg, barter and plead to avoid being seated with 8 strangers.  The buffet breakfast is horrible with the exception of the make to order section which can be swamped.  I never expect much from cruise buffets but the scrambled "eggs" belong on the menu at a run down hospital.  The lunch and dinner buffets were hit and miss but I found that RC did a better job than other cruise lines of keeping the food hot.  The coffee, by far, was the best "free" coffee I've had at sea.  Other cruise lines should see what RC is doing to make a good cup of coffee. 

Speciality Dining:  Rita's Cantina can hardly be called "speciality" but since they charge for food there, I suppose it is.  Think Taco Bell then then let your mind wonder to the worst Taco Bell in the world that has been left on a warming plate for hours.  Embarrassing to say the least.  This food was not even worthy of being on a buffet much less having to pay for it.  Chops Steakhouse was a highlight and I think a bargain for the price.  Service was great.  Highlights were an inventively plated shrimp cocktail, the crab cake and the very traditional side dishes.  My steak was cooked perfectly.  The Italian restaurant was more hit and miss.  They seemed to try a bit too hard to be creative when I would have preferred a few more simple dishes.  The waiter said several times that dishes were family style and served several people but I did not find that to be true.  But still, I think the price was fair as the service was good and anything to avoid the mediocrity and chaos of the main dining room.  Azume, the Asian themed restaurant, was very good although the prices (a la carte)  were comparable to "on land" Asian restaurants so I didn't feel like it was much of a bargain.  We spent $120 for dinner for four.   I was a bit disappointed that there weren't more specialty restaurants---similar sized cruise ships on other lines have a couple of more.  This ship desperately needs a casual diner like restaurant.  But all in all, the speciality restaurants made the cruise much more enjoyable.  I sure would have hated to have had to go to the main dining room and buffet more than I did. 

Service:  I, frankly, am trying new cruise lines as my preferred cruise line, has seen a dip in service on my last three cruises.  Thankfully, the crew on RC Brilliance were all very friendly and I had zero issues.  

Spa/Fitness:  The gym was amazing especially for a ship this size.  Much of the equipment overlooks the ocean so it's worth a trip there even if you don't feel like working out.  I got the Thermal Pass which I thought was fairly priced for what it was.  I wasn't expecting a huge spa experience but the heated chairs and aromatherapy room were nice.  As expected on ship this size, there was no lap pool as part of the thermal spa experience.  The men's locker room (free to use) had a nice sized sauna and steam room so if I ever cruised on Brilliance again, I might skip the Thermal Suite and just use the men's locker room. The showers in the spa were disappointing and need upgrading.  Of particular concern was that the spa staff did not have or refused to hand out keys to the men's lockers so one had to be very careful about leaving anything of value.  To have people pay for the thermal suite and then not provide a secure locker is embarrassingly bad service. Thankfully, there was zero sales pitch to by products or services.  Other spas could learn from that.  

Room:  I had an inexpensive inside cabin, number 8001.  Although the theater stops on deck 6, sound was still very much an issue.  The shower was the smallest I've ever had at sea and was nearly unusable.  The room had tons of storage, much more than one needs.  The bed was essentially a step up from a cot.  Room steward was perfect and the room was always very clean.  

Overall:  I would love to say that I fell so in love with RC that I had found my new favorite cruise line.  But the antiquated dining seating and food issues remain a thorn in my side.  Still, I may try some of the newer RC ships before I decide if RC cruising is for me. 

We wanted a quick getaway, so we booked a 4 night cruise to Cozumel through United Airlines Cruises. Booking was quick and easy and the agent was very informative and helpful. We also booked our shore excursion to the Tulum Mayan Ruins through a United vendor.  This also, was quick and easy. The ship was clean and the crew was very friendly. Our balcony cabin was clean and well maintained by our cabin steward. The excursion was fantastic and our guide was very knowledgeable.

Had an ok to good time on this older smaller ship. Weather was cloudy & cool with choppy seas, so we didn't get to enjoy the outside on either sea day & no beach time in Cozumel so that may have influenced our review a little. Balcony cabin was nice, even if we didn't get to sit out on it much it is still the only way to cruise.  Very loud creaking noises at night kept waking us up, assume ships age & choppy seas were the cause. Smallest ship we have sailed on, chose for the dates & cheapest flights & close proximity to airport. Lots & lots of old people on this sailing, 3/4 looked to be over 70.  Will go back to sailing out of Galveston or Fort Lauderdale next time for larger newer ships. Very friendly crew,great service and the food was good. Won't book this ship again,

Small rooms and extra small bathrooms. Personnel on board were excellent. Medical team were pleasant and somewhat helpful. (Take care of sick and quaranteid sick) but never offered roommate different cabin.

This was a girl's cruise with a group of friends that was booked last summer. First, I will say that the ship itself was fine and I loved the atrium area which was lovely.

The trouble actually started with our booking through .  We booked in mid-August when was offering a deal that included a $100 OBC and a $150 Excursion credit for our balcony staterooms.  Somehow, my friends were given their proper credits but I only received the $150 excursion credit although the bookings were done on the same day for the exact same cabins which were just a few doors apart.  I spend hours on the cruise ship trying to get this fixed to no avail.

As far as the ship crew went, I think that this must be one of their less experienced crews and that they need to be a bit better trained with respect to customer service.  The only exception being the folks who staffed guest services although they could never solve the issues.  My belief is that this is probably the less experienced crew as this ship is one of the smaller, older ships out of Tampa and expect RCI is smart enough to use the best crew on the new mega ships leaving from the east coast (Oasis/Allure/Quantuum).

Although booking about six months in advance, we could only get My Time Dining.  Surprisingly, this ship on has ONE dining room!  We could not get seated the first night until 8:30PM and when trying to get an advanced reservation the next night for either a party of 8 or 2 tables for 4 (even tried any other combination) we were told that 8PM would be the earliest.  Same for any other night as RCI had allowed some people with My Time Dining to book online in advance of the cruise.  Our party of 8 booked this cruise using 3 different "vendors" (one being directly with RCI) and none of us were advised we could pre-book our dining times.  The fact that other people were able to do this meant that there really wasn't available openings prior to 8PM for anyone else. The maitre'd was extremely rude and refused to help.  We did engage Zeynel with My Time Dining who was able to get us a table for 8 at 7:15PM every night starting on the 3rd night. 

Our cabin steward was somewhat efficient although he didn't speak English & we had a hard time communicating.  You have to request ice on this ship and it took several attempts before we were able to get ice in our cabin. Our friends with the same steward asked for wine glasses on several occasions and never got them.

The food was fair at best. 

This experience will send me back to my preferred cruise line (Princess) and will gladly drive to another port to get a better ship.

The staff and crew on the Brilliance of the seas is very responsive and friendly.  Everyone we saw greeted us with a smile and friendly greeting.  Food was wonderful as were the shows.  One of the best cruises we have been on. We enjoy being on this size ship.  Second cruise on this ship.  Would highly recommend it.

The ship was beautiful and shows were great.  I missed the ice sculptures and midnight food display but for the price of the cruise I could not expect more.  Our waiter and cabin attendant were excellent.  Cozumel, Mexico was clean and people friendly.  The Gulf water there is so very beautiful.

ALL SERVICES WERE EXCEPTIONAL. WE FOUND OUR BAR TENDER AND SERVERS IN DINING ROOM FRIENDLY AND ACCOMDATING. THE FOOD WAS PLENTIFUL AND PREPARED TASTEFULLY.OUR STATEROOM WAS KEPT CLEAN AND WELL SERVICED.

OUR EXCURSION TO THE TURTLE FARM WAS DISAPPOINTING.

Ship was nice. Food marginal at best. Had to pay for things that never had to before like coppichino, fresh orange juice. Shows was just OK. Had a medical emergency on board and the staff both medical and guest service manager actions and help were extraordinary. They saved my friends life and for that I am grateful.

We really enjoyed the suite and the service and extra perks that came with it.  The concierge was wonderful along with our suite attendant and our waitress for dinner.  It was nice to have a separate dining area for breakfast as well.  Boarding and disembarking were quick and smooth, much better than other cruise lines I have experienced.  Eddy, our AA travel agent was also terrific to work with, very responsive.