Typed this while on the cruise. Had a terrific time!
Brilliance of the Seas cruise notes
Dec 2, 2013
EMBARKATION
Took it easy this morning and didn't rush. We pulled into the Tampa Channelside parking garage at 12:20. A little confusing on where to walk. There IS an elevator that we didn't see. Oops. Crosswalk is just south of the garage. We crossed the street like idiots and were walking down the road in traffic. Oops again. Only a five minute walk to the terminal!
We have carry ons only, so bypassed the porters and went in. No line at security! Did not have to take the wine out of the bags (I asked). Nice people working there and very smooth. Walked over to check in and the lines weren't too bad. We are in a junior suite so we went in the suite line and were helped almost immediately. Next we posed for an awful picture and walked right on the ship. It wasn't 1:00 yet, but we decided to see if our cabin was open anyway. No line at the elevators, up to 10, long walk down the hallway and in the cabin! I look at my watch . . .12:47. In our cabin less than 30 minutes after pulling into the parking garage! Unbelievable! I had read comments from people who did not like the Tampa terminal, but our embarkation could not have gone better unless we would have helicoptered on. :)
We upgraded to a junior suite for a total of $30. Actually gave up an aft for the bigger room. It was worth it, in our opinion. The big closet and bathroom make life pretty easy. We had the last cabin as far aft as you can go on deck 10, starboard side, JS 1598. It is listed as "obstructed view" but it's a great balcony. Extra long with a little cubby to relax in. The downfall was no lounge chair. I had thought since it was a bigger balcony we would have one but no dice. I could have grabbed one up on deck in the middle of the night and brought it down, but knew my DW would frown upon it. Our steward actually told me it happens pretty often in this cabin.
Our cabin looks nothing like the picture they show online when you are booking it. The picture has all the old decor and furniture. The room is much brighter and nicer. New flat screen tv, too. I will post pics later.
Brilliance is in great shape and is a beautiful ship. Our last cruise was on Freedom, so I have been worried about going down to Radiance Class. Out initial walk around left us feeling a little crowded and not exactly impressed. As the day and night progressed, though, we found more and more venues tucked away and places to go. I will give final thoughts later, but I think we are going to become Brilliance fans.
We went up to the Park Cafe for lunch around 1:30 after unpacking. We both had delicious roast beef sandwiches. What a great little spot this is! The rest of the afternoon we just mellowed and watched the sail away from our balcony and couch enjoying a glass of wine or two. It was a very chilly day in Florida.
Around 6:00 I noticed we were approaching the sky bridge by St. Petersburg. I went up to deck 12 as far forward as you can go - in front of the fitness center outside. We passed under the bridge at around 6:30. You have to do this! It is amazing and beautiful. When the captain blew the ship's horn we all jumped about a foot off the ground and cheered. What a great way to start your voyage!
We have anytime dining on this cruise and it is the first time we have ever done it. We are cruising with my brother and sister and their spouses, so we have a table for six. We made reservations for 7:00 each night. When we arrived for dinner they weren't quite ready for us. The matre de asked if we could come at 7:15 for the rest of the cruise which was no problem. We were seated in less than ten minutes. It was busy as heck and loud. The bar man and assistant waiter hit us right after sitting down, but it was several minutes before our waiter came by. It was much more of a normal "restaurant feeling" then our previous Main Dining Room traditional dining experiences. A lot less interaction with the staff, which is not terrible, but just felt different. Since we were with family it was nice to just gab away. Can't say for sure if we will do MTD again....it's too early to call.
We hit the casino after dinner and lost some cash on the slots. Good selection. Smoky as usual. We used two of our $5 match coupons on roulette - we bet black and it hit - so our $10 tuned into $30. Now if that would only happen 100 more times . . . There is an English pub right next to the casino that has tons of beers and some different mixed drinks. A great spot!
I was surprised we had coupon books (we are platinum C&A). I had read that all ships had gone to electronic coupons, but not Brilliance (yet). I actually like the ease of using the coupons.
Day 2 at sea. I couldn't find the breakfast order form last night, so we ordered room service over the phone for breakfast around 9:00 am. It took awhile (35 minutes) but was good. Just pastries for me and yogurt for my DW. Also a pot of coffee.
Spent the morning relaxing and checking out the ship again. 50% off polos on deck 11. We also checked out the shops. Very limited shopping on this size ship but not a big deal. My DW forgot to pack t-shirts for herself, so we were on a mission. Believe it or not, we couldn't find any! The logo store said they will have t-shirts on the last sea day on deck 11 by the pool. We did buy a Make a Wish t-shirt.
We went to lunch in the main dining room at noon and it wasn't crowded at all. I love the Tutti salad bar. They have tons of stuff they throw in a bowl (you choose what you want). I got it as my main course, but others got it as an appetizer. Ice cream and crepe bar for dessert! Yum!
After lunch we messed awhile and ended up at the casino for the 2:00 pm slot tournament. Didn't do well :( $25 entry fee with a chance for a free cruise.
Messing, nap, enjoying the balcony, then time for dinner! MTD was better organized tonight and we sat right down. We were told we had the same table each night from now on and could show up anytime between 6:45 and 7:15. Great waiters tonight. Service was fast. Tonight they had one of my favorites, the artichoke crepes. Man are they good! It's a vegetarian dish not to be missed - even if you just get it as an extra and split it. My usual 2 shrimp cocktails, too. Dinner really could not have been better. The food and service was excellent.
After dinner we went to the Pub on deck 6 by the casino and tasted a couple of beers from around the world. Well, my brother and brother-in-law tasted them. I ordered a delicious ice cold Red Stripe. We used our 2 for 1 C&A coupons for all the beers. Went back to the casino for a bit (pretty good luck) and then back to the room and balcony. Towel elephant tonight! In bed just after midnight.
I am already growing fonder of Brilliance. After that. First afternoon, nothing seems crowded at all.
Day 3 Grand Cayman. Started with breakfast on the balcony. We went down for the tender at around 9:30. They have you pick up a ticket on deck 5. Ours was number 12 and they were boarding immediately, so we just walked down to deck 2 and got on the tender. We were in Grand Cayman last year and did the stingrays, Hell, rum cakes and turtle farm. This time we decided to just hang out and do some shopping in town.
Gorgeous day and beautiful blue water. I really do like Grand Cayman. First stop was a little coffee shop we found last time near the port. Free wifi. It was too early to eat, so I threw a couple of bucks in the tip jar and thanked them for the internet. My DW loved the FaceTime call to our daughter and new grandbaby. We hit lots of shops and walked all over town. Staff at the shops were nice and not too pushy. Prices on odds and ends are high. Jewelry, watches, high end stuff is comparable to other Caribbean ports. We ate lunch at Breezy's, which is in town near the port. Great jerk chicken and mushroom pizza. Very fast service and friendly ladies. I also had a 23 oz Hurricane that was good - and strong. Free wifi. We saw a rum cake shop (not Tortuga) and got some cakes. Wanted to try something different. Jury is out on whether they are as good as Tortuga. I will report later after I eat one or two!
We walked right on the tender and were back on the ship by 1:00. Had a relaxing afternoon on the ship. It was Italian night in the dining room (not my favorite night) but it was still a good meal. We went to a 9:00 pm showing of "Planes" on the outside movie screen. Not much of a crowd. There was a 70's party in the centrum tonight that was fun to watch from high above. Everyone was having a great time.
The clocks go back an hour tonight. Kind of strange. They go back forward tomorrow night. Not sure what the point of that is . . .
Day 4 Cozumel. I guess room service didn't get the memo about the time change. Our prearranged breakfast arrived at 7:30 instead of the requested 8:30 to 9:00.
Since we have been to Cozumel before we decided to check out the Carnival pier and meet the family at Panchos for lunch. My brother and his wife love Panchos and wanted to meet there after their submarine excursion. It is a fairly easy walk over to the Carnival pier. Just go all the way through the Royal shops to the main street, turn right and walk about ten minutes. The pier is on your right - you will see Carnival ships ;)
The Carnival pier is so much nicer than Royal's! Clean, more shops, decorated for Christmas, just way nicer. Panchos was good and the frozen margaritas VERY good! We shopped and hung out for a few hours. Looked at a $16,000 watch at Diamonds International - uh, didn't buy it. It was a wonderful day. We were back on the ship by 4:00 in time for relaxing and a quick nap. The shop vendors at both piers in Cozumel are a bit more pushy than Grand Cayman, but it is easy to just say, "No thank you" and keep walking.
We have had a couple of things we needed help with on the cruise so far (one was my sister fell and hurt her knee right before the cruise and has mobility issues). Anyway, the crew is excellent. The staff at Guest Services has gone WAY out of there way to help us. Our stateroom attendant is one of the best we have ever had. I will make sure and "name names" on our survey, etc. and let RCCL know how pleased we are with the crew on Brilliance.
Sitting on my balcony now drinking a glass of wine and waiting for the "running of the drunks" on the Cozumel pier. An ambulance is already here so there is some drama. Always a fun time! Our starboard balcony has been a great choice for the two ports.
We heard an "alpha alpha alpha" alert from the captain earlier and it turns out someone may have had symptoms of a heart attack. The ambulance took them away and we sailed on time. Wishing them a speedy recovery and all the best!
Tonight was lobster night in the dining room and, even though I claimed I was not hungry, I ate 3 lobster tails! Delicious. We shopped a little, gambled a little and just had another relaxing evening. We caught the show in the Centrum with the flying acrobats. It's a short show but don't miss it.
The seas are rougher tonight and you can really feel the side-to-side motion all over the ship. I like it, but me DW does not!
Day 5 At Sea. Slept In a bit this morning. I went down to Cafe Latitudes and got us fancy coffees and pastries. The sticky buns and almond croissants were great.
The plan of the day is to relax, eat, shop, gamble and go to a 3:00 pm beer tasting seminar in the pub.
Have a mentioned how great the Pub is on deck 6? If you take the forward elevators to 6 and walk towards the casino you will see it. It was never crowded and is a great spot with lots of tv's and even live entertainment on some nights.
The winds are a steady 35+ mph today and that is making us move around a lot! I bet it is crazy up on deck 12. Will check it out.
We shopped today and picked up some souvenirs and Christmas presents. Casino again, of course. Ate lunch at Windjammer around 1:00. It wasn't crowded and the food was decent. The beer tasting went well. We tasted five different beers and were given a lecture on the making of beer. Only seven people attended. It was $15 plus tip. The "samples" are almost full beers so feeling pretty happy as I type this!
Before I forget, let me mention the forward elevators. They have never been busy. If we are anywhere forward we use these elevators and have never had to wait.
We have two bottles of wine (between the 6 of us) left and are going to take them to dinner with us. I think there is a $15 corkage fee for each but we will see. I just have to stay awake for dinner (beers)!! Sitting on the balcony overlooking the beautiful Gulf. So beautiful and calming.
Enjoyable dinner tonight, but . . . I decided to try the $14.95 Chops filet. Unfortunately, it was pretty lousy. Dry as a bone and everything on the plate was cold. I had heard great things about this steak, so maybe I just got a lemon. No problem bring the wine to the table. We paid the corkage fee and the bar man chilled one bottle and served us.
The rest of the night we hit our usual spots and walked around. Everyone had that "last night look" on their faces. Why must it end?!?
We are in the express walk off group in the morning and will disembark with our luggage at 7:45 ish. It was nice to not have to worry about packing until we got back in our room late.
We go on our first Princess cruise in less than two months. It will be fun comparing the two lines. We have never been on any other cruise line.
Tips and random thoughts: A. Put the toilet paper on the counter before you shower (in the junior suite) or it will get soaked and ruined. The curtain is too short. Great shower with lots of pressure. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion stocked daily, so you really don't need to bring your own. B. A great place to watch the Centrum acrobat show is in one of the two elevators. Just stand in the back and ride up and down. C. Wearing a short skirt in a Centrum glass elevator is NOT a good idea. ;) D. There is a movie channel on the TV - channel 20. They show RCI info between the movies, so just wait for the next one to begin. Channel 40 shows ship info and position. Classical music plays. Great to nap to! E. The A/C worked great in our room. Make sure and close the balcony door before you open the door to the hallway or you will suck out all the cold air in a nanosecond.
Back in Tampa! FYI - just happened to wake up a little after 4:00 am and we were going under the Skyway Bridge.
Cabin 1598 is ready for the next guest! I will add more thoughts tonight when I can.