This was our first cruise and we chose The Panama Canal Trip on the Brilliance mainly because the itinerary interested us. We are 67/57 in age and found that the majority of travellers on this cruise were in our age bracket although there were families with children and I must say all were well behaved. I had done a lot of reading on Cruise Critic and talked to friends who had frequently cruised and was very excited about our trip. My husband was somewhat skeptical as often the actual experience doesn't live up to your expectations, but in the case of this cruise, it far surpassed our expectations. We flew to Miami from Detroit on Sunday, November 19 and stayed in the La Quinta Inn near the airport. We chose this hotel because it had a shuttle to the port and was reasonable in price. My only complaint was that we requested a non-smoking room and the room reeked of smoke so badly that it took several days to get the smell out of our clothes that had been exposed in the room. There were about twenty people going to the port that morning and they had two vans ready to go. We departed shortly after 11 AM and the half hour drive to the port was interesting since we had never been through downtown Miami. I was glad someone else was doing the driving. The driver knew exactly where to drop his load and before we knew it our luggage had gone to its rightful place and we were in line to get processed to board the ship. Although the line seemed long, surprisingly enough we moved along quickly, through the same process we had gone through when boarding our plane (shoes off, belongings in a plastic bin, through the x-ray scanner) and then to the desk to get our Sea Pass. We were told that our room wouldn't be ready until 1:30 so we were directed to the Windjammer for lunch about 1 PM. We couldn't believe the food that was laid out for us. Everything you could imagine!! Everyone was buzzing around with their plates in hand trying to decide what they would like best to eat. Even though there were lots of people in the Windjammer for lunches and breakfast, we seldom were lined up behind more than four or five people as there are multiple stations for different kinds of food and we could always find a station that didn't have many people and choose our meal quickly. Finding a table was more difficult at these busy times than finding the food. There are lots of tables, some totally inside in the air conditioning, others in a partially outside area and then out on the back open deck which was wonderful on a warm breezy day. We usually got our table first and then went for the food. Sometimes we would be lucky to find a table to ourselves but more often we joined, or were joined by others and that made for interesting conversation. After our lunch we went on a walking tour of the ship and checked out where the main places are located. At first the size of the ship seems overwhelming but after a few days we had no problem finding where we wanted to go. Our first impression of the Brilliance was that it is breathtaking. It was immaculately clean, beautifully decorated for the holiday season, interesting art displayed throughout and the crowning glory is the Centrum where many activities take place in the center of the ship. Comfortable leather loveseats are arranged in cosy groupings for sitting to chat with friends or listen to the music that almost always is being played in that area. We got to our room about 2 PM and were pleasantly surprised by its size and decor. The closet was large enough for us to lay/hang up our clothes and store our luggage. The bathroom has a nice little shower, toilet and vanity with a shelf under it to store your toiletries. We never had flushing problems or water shortages. The bed seemed larger than a queensize and we found it quite comfortable although we did hear rumblings about the beds from fellow cruisers. I understand that RCL has intentions of improving the bedding in the near future. Our balcony had two chairs and a little table which we enjoyed immensely over the course of our 11 days, especially the morning we went through the Panama Canal. We ordered room service that morning and sat in our PJs as we watched the progress of our transit unfold before our eyes. We did bring our laptop with us and had Cyber Cabin (dial up modem) which we paid 10.00 per day for but it was slow. I was warned about this before purchasing but opted for it anyway because we wanted to use our computer in the privacy of our own room. When we were docked in Aruba and Curacao the speed seemed a little faster than when we were at sea. We had First Sitting for dinner in the Minstrel Dining Room. We were a little worried about who our tablemates would be but we lucked out!!! Our table for ten usually had eight for dinner each evening and we only missed one night eating there. We didn't want to miss the fabulous food, our waiters or the friends we had made there. The Activities on the ship are never ending and we participated or watched many of them. The Recreation Director and his Staff were wonderful and went out of their way to be friendly and entertaining. We played BINGO frequently (never won a thing) but had fun. We especially enjoyed Lucky Boy Luke, Mikey and Samantha. Each night after dinner we strolled through the Shopping District to see what bargains were on display that night, looked in the Photo Gallery for the days pictures, and then joined our friends for the show in the Pacifica Theatre. The Entertainment was first class from the Broadway-like Singing-Dancing Shows to the Comedians. We especially enjoyed John Davidson and Two Funny Guys. Our Ports of Call were Labadee, Haiti, Aruba, Curacao, Cristobal Pier and Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. We took tours from the ship in Aruba, Curacao and Puerto Limon and found them all interesting, informative and worth the money. Our day in Labadee would have been better if it hadn't rained but it was warm and a whole lot better than being home in snow. We enjoyed our days at sea, as they were relaxing after having busy days in port, especially when it was so hot. The Disembarking Experience was amazing!!! It is hard to believe that 2100 passengers can have breakfast and be off the ship by 9:30 and the ship readied for the next group by 11 AM. Our cruise was a trip of a lifetime and I can't imagine that we could ever have such a wonderful experience as we had on this trip. We feel that the crew on the ship was unbelievable!! From the Captain to the Cleaners- everyone was friendly and would do anything to accommodate your smallest request. Our fellow cruisers were friendly and fun to be with!!(Oh sure, we met a few grumblers- but you can't please everyone) Even though we have nothing to compare it to, I couldn't imagine travelling on any other cruise line than Royal Caribbean because everything on this cruise was FIRST CLASS!!