Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The room service was better than I have ever had in the past or even heard about from anyone.  Our rep re-did our room everytime we left and went the extra mile on several things.  And my wife liked the towel pets...  Staff was on their game and was willing to instruct, guide and show us a good time.  We loved the balcony, we left door open every night while we slept and I can still hear the water when I close my eyes.  Very refreshing get a way and we are already looking at another cruise to book!

The food was not as good as my last 3 cruises. Also we had "gratuity" charges of $12.00/day added to the bill. I always left my gratuity on the last day to our waiters, cabin stewart,housekeeper and knew that they were tipped appropriately. I booked this cruise in October I believe and I feel I should have had the option to eat earlier sitting. I was told we could only get the last dinner sitting. We ate at 830 pm each night and missed all the shows.

No complaints........

Highly recommended cruise, excellent service and cleanliness.  Food quality compared to other cruises was superb, We traveled with a group of friends and family, which added spice to the experience. The service in the dining rooms was 5 stars. 

I really loved this cruise! We were 3 couples with 4 kids under 12. The service was exceptional. The cruise director and his team were hilarious! Our waiters went above and beyond. Our kids kept begging us to take them to the kids' club! I highly recommend it!

Tampa needs a new port that is not effected by the height of the Skyway Bridge, which limits the size of the ships that can use the port.  Remember small ships equals older ships, and the bathrooms tend to have an odor of sewer gas. Brillance is a nice small ship that is kept well by RCI crew. Port window was great on the 4th floor for my husband who tends  towards sea sickness when the weather causes the ship to rock and roll. Midship and lower decks are the best if you tend to get sick.  Smaller ships mean very small showers with the cloth shower curtains that I hate.  We purchased the beverage package, which was probably a waste for both of us, but wine by the glass is around $10.00. Alcohol prices have increased, photo prices are truly ridiculous, RCI and Celebrity have discontinued all of their wonderful buffets, including the ones for loyality members, and services cannot match what they were even a few years ago. Bottom line, RCI and Celebrity are getting greedier and services are declining.  The dining room would not serve us wine that we were able to obtain at the wine bar, and I am talking about < $10.00 bottle wine, so my husband went to the wine bar "Vintages" to obtain refills for us at dinner. The bartender could not believe it and the dining staff we not the least bit concerned. Embarking and disembarking is so easy in Tampa, compared to Ft Lauderdale and Miami. Most people walk off with their luggage. It was a fun and relaxing 5 days, even with a decline in overall services.

We feel that Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has cut back on some of the experiences of cruising, i.e. the midnight buffet. I heard several complaints of this same nature.  This ship seemed older, maybe she's ready for a renovation.

Cabin steward and waiters were great.

We found the Brilliance of the Seas to be a very comfortable and well kept ship which was also easy to find your way around without getting lost.

Food options were excellent and well prepared and served. Sometimes the tables in the buffet areas were not cleared as quickly as the could have and you had to search for a clean table.

Entertainment was first rate and the cruise staff were excellent from the cruise director down.

All in all would recommend this cruise and this ship as excellent value for money

I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone and everyone.  Great staff, great ship, and great overall experience.  The casino was fun and exciting.  The destinations of Cozumal and Grand Cayman were perfect.  The excursions were an unbelievable experience.  The pool was entertaining.  The night life was awesome.  And the food was very, very good. 

Everything about this ship was excellent.  The ports of call and the entertainment were just great. The food  was great and the staff answered all our questions.

We enjoyed our cruise very much because we were able to travel with friends with quite a few of our same interests and RCI made it the best we have experience to date. The dining was awesome and available to fit our liking early or late in the evening.  The shows were professional and very entertaining for a wide range of ages in the audience.  With such a wide offering of Shore Excursions there was always one that gave us an awesome time. 

This ship is tastefully stylish, luxurious, keeping the cruise reputation classy rather than the loud, brash, tacky style of Carnival ships (horrendous). I stick with Royal Caribbean. I recommend balcony rooms and don't stress yourself to keep up with all offerings. It's your trip. Do what you want. Most off boat landings only offer clawing, grabby beggars rhat will wrestle you for your money. Be strong. 

The ship is just the right size, it is well maintained.  The nightly shows were entertaining.  The food was pretty good, the buffet plentiful and varied.  However, cruising has changed over the years, and it has become  a means to get somewhere, no longer the inclusive and special atmosphere it once was.  Beds are no longer turned down, no chocolates on the pillow. No more toiletries except for soap and body wash.  Extra charges for specialty restaurants, daily special drinks no longer exist, these are just some changes that one sees.  All the little extras which made cruising special are gone.

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So many things have been cut from cruises.  Turning down the bed, chocolate on pillow, waiters parading with baked Alaska.  And Zena, our entire party was not sitting together.  We had to arrange to get the two of our eight at our table.  We also each had to contact Cruises Only to get the $25 rebate we were promised from RCI.  The world is changing and this was not as enjoyable as in the past.

The cruise in general was very good with several excellent aspects.  We had to miss Grand Caymen because of bad weather and that was a great disappointment.  The balcony cabin was spacious and well appointed with a large balcony but the balcony was not at the very edge of the ship which was disappointing.  The dining facilities were varied with lots of choice but I was quite disappointed at the casual atmosphere of the main dining room even on the formal night of which there was only one over the five nights.  I enjoy getting dressed up as does my partner and to be seated next to a party in golf shirts and ball caps was very disappointing.  The food was excellent with many choices each night.  The entertainment throughout the ship was amazing.  Very professional especially the two big production shows in the Pacifica theatre. Next time I will opt for a longer cruise with more destinations and hopefully more formal dining opportunities.l 

I thought the cruise was wonderfull.  Everyone was very pleasant.  I would do it again.  The only problem I had was charged for water from the fridge that I did not get credited for and did not credited the $25.00 from Crusies Only that I was suppose to get.  I called when I got home about the $25.00.  They are going to credit it, but I was on the phone for one hour and sixteen minutes.  I finally hung up and they left me a message later about the credit.  The other people on the cruise with me also had to call about the credit, but they did not have as long a wait as I did.

food poor, not clean.dining room so full that you could not walk between chairs,food on ledo deck for 2 days  or more under tables , windows dirty when we got on & still when we got off.

We have cruised 9 times over the last 20 years on 5 different cruise lines. I must say that cruising on Royal Caribbean is not what we have experienced in the past.  We were most disappointed in the lack of service on the ship and the decline in the availability of drink and food.  When we first started cruising it seemed like every time you turned around there was a server offering you a drink "Bahama Mama", now you see know one.   It's very aggravating when your laying in the sun and you have to constantly get up to get something to drink. That was always one of the highlights on the ship.  Now, in order to get a drink you must visit a bar to order it, which is very aggravating when your trying to relax.  The lack of food on the ship was also disappointing,  It states that there is food available 24 hours, but this is not true.  There was a very small cafe in the Solarium open until 2:00 a.m. and if you decided to order room service you were asleep by the time they would bring it to you, and at a $fee$.  We waited 1 1/2 hours for our food...RIDICULOUS!!!  They were also out of many choices on the menu, which they didn't have much to choose from to began with.    All the fun highlights GONE!

The crew on the ship was courteous  except for one pit boss in the casino.  My son, almost 18, was watching the blackjack table for about 5 min. and instead of approaching him calmly he yelled at him across the casino to "GET OUT"!!!  I understand he was not yet 18 and he should not have been there, but to embarrass him in that manner was totally unacceptable.  It ruined his entire cruise, not to mention he never wants to cruise again.  The crew used to be extremely friendly, working for there money/tips at the end of the cruise.  Now, it seems they could care less.  Very Sad!  

None of this has been our experience on our past Princess and Celebrity cruises.  Not sure that we will be cruising with Royal Caribbean again.

The best thing I liked about the cruise was that I was able to call and get my numerous questions answered. 

This was our first cruise.

I would recommend this cruise to most travelers.  There is always something to do.  There is a daily itinerary that is distributed.  It would have been helpful to have access before we boarded, just like the Excursion information. 

Read, read and read some more.  I read about the cruise and re-read all information posted!  Strongly advised:)

Eight of us traveled on this cruise to celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary. I cannot imagine a more enjoyable trip. Whether relaxing by the pool, enjoying the bar games in the Schooner lounge, or wandering the streets of Cozumel with tips from the ship's publications, we were never steered wrong.  Our dining staff - Cassandra and Roy - made every dinner a smooth and professional operation. Any glitches were quickly and humorously rectified, and once they'd figured out that we're a playful group, they were happy to play along and turn the tables on us from time to time.  Special mention should be made of the Turtle Encounter and Island Tour excursion in Grand Cayman. The trip to Hell wasn't something we looked forward to when we scheduled it, but it turned out to be an amiably cheesy tourist trap that was worth a half hour of shopping and photography before hitting the turtle facility. I can't emphasize enough how professionally run and interesting this facility is. They've released thousands of turtles into the wild over their existence, and their concern for the well-being of the turtles shows through in every part of the tour. Holding a turtle the size of a large pizza and tickling it under the chin to calm it was an experience I never imagined. The shark feeding - and the comedy routine that went with it - were both worth seeing and hearing. If you have smaller children, the swimming 'playground' will certainly keep them occupied for the hour or so of free time you'll have after the tours are through, If you can float with a vest on, you'll be better off going to the beach and getting a snorkel, mask, and buoyancy vest and going for a swim off the beach. The lagoon is full of turtles and tropical fish, and they're not hard to get to or find. HIGHLY recommend this excursion.