Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Beautiful ship, with excellent service. Expect crowds and lines for meals, and crowded venues for the most popular shows and activities.

If this ship were a Hotel it would be an old worn-out Holiday Inn. The food was very Bland and disappointing also smells in the hallway like stale urine the entertainment was okay but getting away from the snow made it all seem much better LOL

It was an amazing time for my family! The staff was top notch amazing, very courteous and never an issue. Food was exceptional. Preferred the dining area for meals compared to the windjammer. As first time cruisers this trip and ship was the perfect way to see if we liked it and we do. Can’t wait to plan our next one!! Don’t think I would go again in January as we didn’t get much pool time, the weather is unpredictable but Mexico was beautiful.

Great time on the Brilliance of the Seas! We had the drink package, well worth it! Food was very good, room was nice, although shower was quite tight. Loved our balcony!!

Will not do again!! Not enough to do,more movies needed,more spa activies,cruises are supposed to do things you usually can't do at home or regular vacation cruises are suppose to be special

This was a first cruise for my husband and I and we had a gfeat time a n d can't wait for our next Royal Caribbean cruise.

Went with the whole family to celebrate my parents 60th anniversary. We had 7 cabin's all with balconies. We all did our own thing and met for dinner every night.

this is our second time on this ship. we like the size and the activities on the ship.

We did a last minute New Year's cruise on Brilliance and it was wonderful! Our cabin attendant was very attentive and the cabin was very clean. It was cabin 9592, a balcony cabin, and we had plenty of room for storage. We had My time dining that worked out very nicely. We went to the dining room as we boarded and set up our dining time and arranged a two person table for us. We did dine in Giovanni's on New Year's Eve and the service and atmosphere were great.

We did a last minute New Year's cruise on Brilliance and it was wonderful! Our cabin attendant was very attentive and the cabin was very clean. It was cabin 9592, a balcony cabin, and we had plenty of room for storage. We had My time dining that worked out very nicely. We went to the dining room as we boarded and set up our dining time and arranged a two person table for us. We did dine in Giovanni's on New Year's Eve and the service and atmosphere were great.

12/28/17-1/2/17 Sailing Short overview: While smaller, the Brilliance is adequate in things to do. There’s always something going on. The trivia games I went to were very unorganized though. Entertainment was pretty bland with only one exciting show. Music performances were repetitive- I “got to” hear one group preform 5 times, others being 2 or 3 Times. Food was okay, not exceptional. The cabin was a decent size and worked well with 4 people. Only downside to 9050 is the balcony obstruction taking up about 25% of the space. Dede, our cabin attendant, was fantastic and quite helpful. Overall, just okay- I probably wouldn’t sail Brilliance or RCL again. Detailed review (by day): Day 1: Boarding was rather stressful as usual with any cruise line. Once onboard, we took to the Windjammer cafe for a number of hours until the rooms were prepared. The food here was below average, but bearable. We then found our stateroom (9050) and took to relaxing a little bit. The stateroom was pretty nice- no major complaints. Next, we attended dinner in the Minstrel dining room. The food was swell, although the waiter did manage to mess up both of the kids’ entree orders. I then took up an exploration of the ship. There’s lots to offer, and beyond enough places to relax. I enjoyed some live music in the Atrium, then took to the front of the 13th deck where I’m writing this portion of the review. So far, I’ve been pleased with the experience! Day 2: We didn’t arrive in Key West until about 11:30, so I slept in a bit after staying up late on day one. After getting ready, I went back to the Windjammer for breakfast. The food was better then yesterday’s Windjammer meal, but not above average. After breakfast, I went back to relax in the stateroom for awhile until we arrived in Key West. Once docked, we went off on a kayaking tour excursion, which was quite fun (and highly recommended). After cleaning up and such, I went off to dinner, once again in the Minstrel dining room. We then went off to play some ping pong and mini golf. Unfortunately, something from dinner didn’t settle right, so I retreated to the restroom while the others attended a 9:00 Broadway Music show (which I was informed was bad). I soon went off to bed, praying that I felt better at sunrise. Day 3: Sea days, my favorite! I slept in and had breakfast delivered to the room (complimentary), then took to relaxing on the balcony. We then attended lunch in the Minstrel dining room for a change, and found it to be just mediocre. I personally preferred the diverse options of the Windjammer. Afterward, I had a couple rounds of ice cream from the Windjammer and relaxed on the stern before heading off to family trivia in the Colony Club. To say the least, it sucked. The game was very organized and chaotic, so we found ourselves leaving within the first 10 minutes or so. Afterward, we relaxed on deck 11 and played some cards before getting ready for dinner in the Minstrel dining room. After another so-so dinner, we went off to explore the ship some more. We went through the shops, found the arcade, played some shuffleboard, and enjoyed some more ping pong. We called it quits after I managed to hit the last ping pong ball into the ocean, so we went off to watch Thor on the pool deck. At about midnight, we went off to bed to rest up for day 4 in Cozumel! Day 4: I slept in a little bit, and woke up to find we had arrived in Cozumel! We again had breakfast delivered to the room, so I ate up and got ready to head out. At first glance, it was absolutely gorgeous! We took the Deluxe Beach Break excursion at Playa Mia, which was alright. The food looked and tasted old, and it got VERY crowded as the day progressed. On the flip side, there was a nice amount of amenities included in the package which we took advantage of. As the rest of the crowd arrived, we took off back to the ship. I then took to cooling off by grabbing an ice cream from the Windjammer, then binging on the balcony before heading back to sea. After an abrupt departure and exciting horn battle, we went off to dinner in the Minstrel dining room to fulfill yet another reservation. Considering it was New Year’s Eve, the dining room was rather festive and the food was much better than usual, although my meat wasn’t cooked how I requested (but I’ve gotten used to this as it happens every night). After reading bad review after bad review about the entertainment, I decided to splurge and go anyway, just to pass the time until midnight. This particular show was music from Four Seasons, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was informed that the other shows onboard weren’t nearly as good from numerous others in my party though. Again to Windjammer we went to play some games, this time to pass the hours and build some anticipation for the new year. Finally, after a 2nd place in Hearts and a 3rd place in Sorry, the clock hit midnight and I went to bed. Happy 2018! Day 5: Another sea day on the Brilliance... I had a feast delivered to the stateroom (again complimentary) and dined on the balcony. Unfortunately, the wind ended up being too much, so I stayed in the room to finish up. Afterward, I woke up and headed up to Windjammer for an actually somewhat decent breakfast before relaxing on deck 12 to catch the hefty breeze. After having enough of my shirt being blown up by the bluster, I went back down to the Windjammer to play some more cards. Again, after having enough of the wind (there were no more indoor tables at Windjammer), we moved to the Colony Club which is located on deck 6, aft. Because of the rough seas, we could certainty feel the rear lifting up and down, and after a half hour or so I headed back to the room to calm the nausea. Unfortunately, this didn’t work too well for me. It was now time for dinner, so I stayed behind since my head was still spinning every which way. After their supper, my brother was kind enough to bring me some crappy Windjammer food to settle my stomach and purchase a ship model for me (which I had planned to do after supper myself). I then did some packing and went off to bed. Day 6: Sadly, this is my last day aboard Brilliance. We woke up at 6:00, finished packing, and headed to Windjammer to meet with the rest of our party over breakfast. After a quick, crappy meal, it was off to the Colony Club to wait for debarkation (we were group 4), and found it to be overcrowded. Finally, our group was called and we were on our way. Debarkation from there was simple and efficient. Lines moved quick, and once outside, we hopped in our ride and were off. Final words: While not completely terrible, the Brilliance was not on parr with other cruises I’ve experienced. Would not recommend. Hopefully this helps you to some extent. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

We have been on many cruises the majority of them with RC. I have to say this one rated in the bottom three. Our cabin was nice and well taken care of but the food on the ship as a whole was very disappointing. The buffet selections were terrible and very repetitious. Even in the main dining room we were served the same entree for dinner three of the five nights and they repeated desserts at least two of the nights. I have never been on a cruise where they repeated food choices in the main dining room and I have been on much longer cruises. Overall everything was just adequate nothing special like it used to be.

I may try Royal Caribbean again, but will likely avoid this particular ship.

we had a great time and are looking forward to booking our next cruise.

Too many steps for elderly that’s the main concern my mom wasn’t able to attend some things because she can not do stairs other then that was good

Ildivo cruise - I was not impressed with the three hour embarcation process, 80% of the time I had to get my own drinks and lack music and intertainment by pool side.

A fantastic experience. Enjoyed our time each day and the friendliness of the staff. The daily activities on the ship were enjoyable and made it fun to participate.

For 3 senior citizens with age over 65 years old we've got 1 bed and 1 so called sofa bed with size just for children up to 12 years old. Instead of "sofa we've got the folding guest bed with 30" mattress. During our 20 years of cruising we had never had so small cabin and bathroom was incredible small.

Ship size was perfect as easy to navigate. Lots of activities and entertainment options. Food choices were great. Wish casino was nonsmoking. Enjoyed watching a movie in the theater. Crew was fantastic!

Wir haben uns sehr gut erholt und konnten 14 Tage der Reise so richtig entspannen. Wir fanden bei jedem Wetter und zu jeder Tageszeit eine angebotene Beschäftigung oder haben uns einfach ein Buch aus der Schiffsbibliothek ausgeliehen. Urlaub pur.