Brilliance of the Seas- 12 night Western Mediterranean September 20th - October 2nd 2006

This was our first ever cruise, taken to make up for our honeymoon last year where it rained all the time! So, a second honeymoon if you like.

Pre cruise: We spent two night pre-cruise at the Apsis Aranea Hotel. This hotel is about 30 mins walk from the main attractions although it is right next to the Sagrada Familia. It was much nicer than we expected, our room was very clean and much bigger than expected with an enormous bathroom. One small complaint was the buffet breakfast which was very little for the price paid. There is a metro round the corner. Staff were all helpful, friendly and spoke very good English. We spent most of our time exploring Las Ramblas, the Barri Gotic and also travelled to Port Aventura for one day (the Renfe trains are hard to figure out - train staff don't speak English). Read more