Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The ship is nice, staterooms adequate, food OK. They have quality entertainment, and the cruise director staff was very good. There were lots of excess charges such as $1.95 for fresh OJ at breakfast, automatic 15% tip on every already overpriced drink brought (including the soft drink and wine packages) and extra for truly good food in the specialty restaurants. This was my first cruise, but a lot of long time cruisers were grumbling a lot as well, many saying this would be their last RC cruise. When asked, most much preferred the Carnival, Princess and Disney experience to this particular RC boat.

This was our 1st cruising experience. I think a 12 day cruise on our 1st try was a little too much. We did not have enough time at our ports. We went on three tours. One in Florence, one in Rome, and one in Naples. The Florence tour was horrible. The tour guide was not properly prepared microphone didn't have batteries and mostly talked about her families activites not to mention many of the tourist in our group were extremly old and probably should not have been on the tour in the 1st place. Our tour guide in Rome was excellent we each had individual radio ear receivers and she had a PhD in arciology. Our tour in Naples was ok we had radio ear receivers but again there were many elderly couples on the tour who could barley walk which slowed the process down. Of course this caused the tour to be cut short without seeing everything because there is limited time. Becareful of cruising days. We had two days in a row after our last port to cruise back to our starting port. It was two days two long......just wanted to get home by then.....

The ship was just the right size. It was not so big that you felt lost in the shuffle and so small that you felt threatened by the "heavy seas" that occur on the Mediterrean Sea.

Ok for a smaller ship. The smoking that was allowed on the ship was very upsetting. The casion was unbearable. The woman in the next room was a smoker. She coughed so loud and often it woke us up, and I am a sound sleeper. It took several times of complaining to get another room on the 6th or so day.

Just returned from an incredible 12 days. The staff could not do enough for us.

Modern and Luxurious ship layout. Very freindly and helpful staff.

Ship was good, I wish the pool was bigger

had everything we wanted...plenty of food, activities, shows, etc. service personnel were amazing! Friendly, cute, helpful, professional...just great!

Really enjoyed the ship!

Overall this was a beautiful ship and great food with o.k. service. We had several instances where we were helped with issues but took hours of our vacation time to resolve(ie. internet, laundry). Many shuttles from port to town were at our expense instead of provided free and in some instances free buses were around the corner and we didn't know til after we paid($26.00 X 8) for a water taxi in Venice. Communication was not very open in the programs about what was going on. Would recommend if all the facts are know up front.

The itinerary was wonderful. Great weather. Although the ship was sold out, it never felt crowded.

Overall, the most user friendly ship we've ever been on. . .easy to navigate, well planned. We loved the diversity of nationalities and age groups on this cruise, and they followed with a variety of ethnic foods, decorations, and music for all the different age groups. The entertainment was the best of any ship we've ever been on. . .a variety of pop, opera, Broadway, dancing, humor, singing, soloists, etc. The climbing wall and miniature golf were pleasant additions. An adult solarium didn't take away from the miriad of activities for youth.

Clean and plenty to do

We recently returned from a 12 day cruise of the Med, on RCI's Brilliance of the Seas. Although a few years old, the ship had everything one could want in cruising. As a matter of fact, my wife commented that at any point in time one could choose between half a dozen activities. The ship was excellently maintained and looked as it must have when new. I loved the well thought out "layout" with the usual show theatre forward and the main dining room aft. Food at the Windjammer buffet I would rate as good. For dinner we were at a table for 10, and although there was some griping at various entrees, the staff were quick to make substitutions. We dined at the special Portofino and Chops Grill; of the 2 we would only recommend the Portofino. Overall, this is a first class ship and great international crew!

The ship itself was nice. They needed to carry a few more television networks, as ESPN2 does not carry any good football games and replays of the same CBS shows got really taxing. We wanted to relax, so, yes, we spent some time in our stateroom, but that should be as viable an option to us as their activities.

The ship was very nice, but the customer service level on this cruise wasn't up to the normal standard. The cruise director staff in charge of the activities weren't as outgoing and active as previous cruises. The cruise director was good, but several of his staff didn't seem to enjoy their job and appeared uneasy in front of a crowd. A spa employee was very pushy in trying to sell some products. When I told her I wasn't interested she replied "I'm not going to discuss it with you anymore. I am very disappointed."(this was said with an attitide). This is my fifth cruise with Royal Caribbean, and I was the one who was disappointed. When I mentioned my concerns to Guest Relations they informed me that several of the staff did not have the opportunity to be trained, as they boarded the ship in Southampton and went directly to work. Still, I don't feel that is an excuse for below average customer service. On a positive note, the food was good and most of the ports of call were interesting. The only port I wouldn't recommend is Vigo, Spain. There's not much to do...just another city. The Solarium is great for relaxing, and the midnight buffet was excellent.

Some kinks need working out since refurbishing. Staff was excellent and efficient, except security personnel, who were rude and incompetent, and ill trained. Guests were treated like criminals, putting a definite damper on shore experience upon return. Guests were told to delete pictures of leaving the ship because it was a "security area." One passenger was publicly strip-searched in line. This was after security checks on shore by shore authorities. American's weren't as outraged as the Europeans.

We were on Brilliance of the Sea and were impressed with everything about the ship. The Solarium pool was just beautiful and being adult only was a nice change sometimes if you wanted a more lacked atmosphere. As always you were never far from a meal, somewhere on the ship they were serving food.

Boat is a little tired and will soon be rehabbed, but was a great cruise.

a wonderful ship in every respect