Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

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. 

Very enjoyable cruise. Entertainment in particular was outstanding (great nightly shows). Service was very good, and staff was friendly and hospitable. Food was very good, but the lunch offering at the Windjammer Cafe somehow was a bit lacking. The New Year's Eve celebration was very well done!

 This New Years cruise was wonderful,relaxing and fun for myself and 4 adult kids. The ship is immaculately clean, the food delicious and the service 4 star. There was always something to do for our varied age groups and my son won $ 550 in a poker tournament, which made his trip !

 I cannot recommend Royal Caribbean enough, this is my 2nd cruise with them and it was truly excellent in every way ( and being in the hospitality business I am a harsh critic ! ).

Cruises Only and Royal Caribbean made this first time experience very easy and enjoyable.  Always felt comfortable, safe and well taken care of.  A very festive and happy environment .

Good cruise, very nice ship. Our room attendant was great and so was our dinner staff. Amir and Carmalita were awesome. The food was ok but not great. We expected more "fine dining" than casual fare; we found the best food was in the atrium in the park cafe. Overall we were pleased. Accommodations were clean and comfortable.

This cruise came at the right time and was the right length and the right price.  The weather was pleasant and it was good to relax on the boat, but the cruise was nothing special and the visit to the ruins in Cozumel, was disappointing as the guide was really not good.  The entertainment on the ship was above average.  The food was average except for the Chops Grill which cost $30.00 more per person.  The meal was very good, but you could get the same anywhere for that price as you have to figure that your regular dinner cost needed to be added to that.  The brightest spot of the whole cruise was the stateroom attendant.  She was excellent and saw to every need.  

Over all the experience was good, however some things I didn't  made the top of the list for me....for instance only one eatery open after 10pm, which didn't have that many choices for snacks and long lines to wait in. Open Dinning with the causal dress was great, but most of  the time tables were not available due to the  parties before dishes were still on the tables after the parties had departed the dinning area, sometimes I ended up cleaning my own area to eat. Then reservations for dinning which half the dinning area was empty, further  being nickel and dimed for meal items, when from my experience on other cruise lines the basic cost of your formal dress/causal dinning was included in the initial cruise cost, I just found that to be rather nagging having to pay for meal items beyond the initial cruise cost. The Captain's Event that was held in the Centrum, I think it should have be held in the theater would have been a bit more classier. The big screen T.V.  vice broadcasting fish swimming, maybe a continue broadcasting of prior events that took place on ship or shore...letting folks see what they might have missed..Overall like I said it was a pretty good cruise but it could have been better...last the Salsa Salsa Margarita  Shore Exertion was the best event of the entire cruise enjoyed every minute of it!!!     

We liked the variety of activities:  basketball, ping pong, pool, fitness center, eating, & shows.

At check in we were asked if anyone coughed, had a running nose in last 7 days. We were honest and said yes, but had to wait 2 hours for a nurse to clear us to enter ship.  I would suggest to either have more than one nurse available during check in or reprise the question to are you contagious now.  

Movie theatre was overpacked at both shows we attended, leaving people to either sit in aisle or not participate.  I would offer movie at more times.

Same with shows, I would offer the shows 2 different times a night.

I thought the food was just okay.  The last time I was on a cruise there was entertainment during the main dining.  The food was spread out on buffets in decorative ways and there were ice sculptors.  The dining was not any different than if I would have ate on land.  I would like to see a more special atmosphere. 

Though our base amount of the cruise was $1200, the end cost was $3000 with all the added fees, port charges, tips and one excursion.  We ended up paying $1000 per day and that is without any upgrades to drinks etc.. I personally do not think what we received was worth that much.  I could do a lot more on land for that amount.

Overall, I would only recommend this cruise line and cruise to those who and are seeking low cost deals, don't have high expectations, and are not overly concerned with the details. My experience after a number of cruises on various cruise lines is that RC gives away so many deals that  it attracts a party crowd, lots of kids, and they cut corners in the wrong places. It may be fine for families on a budget, but not for couples, older clientele, romantic getaways, etc. I'm dismayed also that in this day and age, a cruise line can't offer internet service that isn't like a slug crawling across a football field, TV connections that are down 60% of the time, and are out of stock half the time due to poor inventory control. The Jacuzzi's were too small, too few and dominated by guests who would sit in the Jacuzzi for hours like it's their private domain. The beverage packages are costly and designed to force you into the higher cost package, which is not worth it unless you're going to drink something every 15 minutes. On top of that, half the time they're out of stock they try to upsell you to something else at an additional cost rather than apologize and make up for it. The main bright spot was the excellent service provided by most of the personnel on the ship, but that and a relaxing cruise experience should be givens on any cruise line. I'd say RC spends too much on frivolous décor and such, and not enough on the amenities that they highlight or that really matter to guests for the best experience. In the end, you keep a good attitude, relax, try to enjoy the experience, but if you're a romantic couple, an older guest seeking a quiet time, or seeking an elevated, relaxed experience, I'd go to another line and be willing to pay a bit more for a much more fulfilling experience.

a beautiful well kept ship with a wonderful crew. the restaurant and buffett food was terrific. the band from Jamaica, the coco loco trio, and the Filipino guitarist were all outstanding. nice fitness facility and spa. hated to leave the ship.

The Brilliance is a beautiful ship but lacked the entertainment shows that we are excited to watch while cruising. The energy seemed much more low keyed than some of our past cruises.

Royal Carib. did a great job straightening  out your problems, from the start we picked a room, a few days later our paper work came and our room was a room or two away, that wasn't a problem.  When we arrived on the ship they said on Dec 8th your co. changed our room #, your co. said you talked to us by phone Dec 8th and we ok'd it. We was driving South then and didn't talk to anyone.  We received the worst room on the ship.  The last room forward on the point of the ship.  My wife is handicapped and couldn't walk to eat!!!  The ship was booked full and they had no rooms to give us.  She said if they had a no show they may get something by 5:00 or they would refund the cruise price, we had many other expenses as that wasn't much of an offer!!!  Of course the ship was moving before that. Cruses Only said we had early dining but we received 8:30 time.  We have been on 30 cruises and never had a sales co. do such a poor job.  This shouldn't happen to a couple aged 80 years old. Who ever changed our room should be punished!!!  Plus Cruises  Only should offer another cruise of equal value. The stress was awful.

*** Edited 12/20/14 by Community Manager to remove Personal Information ***

The ship was very clean and most of the staff was very friendly and obliging.  The rooms were well kept, and the room steward was excellent.

The dinners in the main dining room left much to be desired.  The food generally, was mediocre.  The wait staff did their best.  However, the matre'ds were all horrible....not at all helpful.  We tried 5 times to get information on "My Time dining" and were sent up/down/all around but no help, and also, they were quite rude.

We have always enjoyed Royal Caribbean cruises, and this is the first time we have ever had less than 5 star experience.

This cruise was just what the doctor ordered! We were not sure about booking a cruise in December right before Christmas but it was wonderful and warm. The Terminal and check in process was excellent and swift! The ship's crew and servers were 5 Star all the way. We booked a inside stateroom because of the price and we  were pleasantly surprised by its size. The dinning was fabulous; the servers and waiters made our trip that much more. The food was delicious but the services was even better. Our waiters Jayson and Erhan made us feel like royalty. We have been on several cruises and other cruise lines but this ship was excellent; loved the layout of the ship, the Adult only solarium pool was a real pleasant surprise. Even though it was a bit chilly- the weather was no issue because we could  enjoy the pool inside the Solarium.

Staff were so helpful and so friendly. Well almost all of them. They were the nicest poeple and obviosly had been trained well. Everything organised beautifully, food was excellent..

One suggestion- I would have liked a juice bar .think that would have been a healthier choice and easy to throw in fruit ,chia seeds, avocado etc, 

We did get a wake up call at 1:30 in the am and was supposed to be at 7:30.!

Mauree was our cabin man and he was a doll. could not have been more helpful and knew our names immediately.  He is super and should be awarded for his good service.

Somehow I missed some of the instructions as to what to bring.. like a yoga mat if YOU are going to do yoga and I never read about FORMAL night>. SO WE DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING,, MUST HAVE MISSED THAT PAGE WITH SUGGESTIONS..

The ease of getting off the ship was quite something. very well organised.

I would try to explore more of Cozumel next time and see the nice beaches. maybe rent a car and do more exploring or have taxi take us. 

The shows were great and we found MY time dining to work well for us.

would go again!! but not too long a cruise. I am having reverse motion sickness now that I am home. It is called Mal de Debourquement and you get it when you are sitting.I feel like I am rocking.. Happens more to women than men I read. I am on day 4 with it.. Hope it goes away soon!

This is a smaller Royal Carribean ship but the service was Top Notch. The ship being smaller made it easy to find you way around. There were always seats available in the various venues including the pool.  Food was outstanding. This was the easiest disembark we have ever experienced in more than 10 cruises.

Although service was always with a smile,  crew members were inexperienced in providing hi quality service and in some cases, due to nationality were difficult to communicate with.

The food and service was excellent at the specialty restaurants.  The main dining room experience was frenetic and the food was not average at best.

Our Cabin Attendant was very attentive and was the highlight of the trip.  Being first-timers we weren't made aware of his role until the end of the 2nd day of our 4 day cruise.  The Cruise line ought to have a half hour orientation for novices like ourselves.

We saw 3 of the 4 shows.  2 were entertaining.

We felt the ship was designed mainly to either sell you something, make you gamble, or charge you for drinking liquor.

We were told that this cruise line catered mainly to adults.  That was not our impression.  Maybe we should have focused on a ship that catered to a more 'senior' crowd.