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This was our 9th cruise with 5 different cruise lines (Carnival, Celebrity, NCL and Holland America). We had been on the Radiance of the Seas and loved it so we tried the Brilliance to visit a couple of different islands (Tortola and Guadeloupe).
The embarkation in San Juan was fast and efficient (unlike the disembarkation -- took 2 hours to get through the terminal and customs for some reason - longest ever!)
Food -- the food was great everywhere -- I even found the breakfast buffet was better than on Celebrity. I had freshly prepared omelettes most mornings with bacon, banana pancakes, yogurt, fruit, etc. and everything was delicious. For lunch, we ate sandwiches, onion rings, burgers, etc. at the Seaview Cafe or sandwiches and salads from the Solariam Cafe -- both were good. The Windjammer buffet was equally as good. We had dinner in the Dining Room 3 times and it was very good. One night we had dinner in Chops Grille and the filet mignon was excellent. The beef in the dining was just as good and you can order a filet for an extra $15 or $20 so I'm not sure if I would spend the extra $120 for the 4 of us to eat at Chops again but it was very good nonetheless.
The desserts were good -- especially the flourless chocolate cake (like fudge!!!), the chocolate sensation cake (I'm a chocoholic) and the key lime pie. One thing I thought was missing were cappuccino machines. They had tea and coffee machines like usual but it's an extra touch that I think every ship should have (Carnival has them!).
Ship -- The ship is a bit worn like many people say (mainly the carpets) but still very nice and clean. It's not too big so you can go from your room to the pool or dining room without leaving ½ hour early!!! It's going into dry dock next month for 3 weeks so she'll be even nicer when she's done.
Entertainment -- I only saw parts of a few shows and they are on par with most ships.
Summary -- Overall, I found the cruise to be very relaxing and the itinerary was great. Lots of beautiful islands and a nice relaxing sea day to end it all off. We will definitely be booking RCL again for another cruise in the future.
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