The Brilliance of the Seas is an older ship, and so, we did not know what to expect; but we were pleasantly surprised. It has been well-kept, and in fact, was recently given a "face lift." The Canada/New England itinerary was one that we had not done before, and although we have to admit that we prefer warm weather and warmer waters, this was itinerary presented beautiful scenery and interesting ports. Halifax with all of its history, St. John, New Brunswick with its majestic Bay of Fundy, and the magnificence of Bar Harbor presented fabulous ports.

One disappointment for us and the other party traveling with us was the food. We all felt that the selections were limited and that the taste could have been improved in the main dining room and the buffet. The specialty restaurants and staff, nonetheless, were wonderful. The nightly entertainment was somewhat of a disappointment. Finally, we should mention that although our traveling companions did not encounter this problem, we were taken aback when our cabin steward painstakingly explained to us how his assistant had fallen victim to company cutbacks, and so, we should not expect that he'd be able to answer any of our requests right away.

All in all, however, we certainly recommend RCCL, the BOS, and this Canada/New England itinerary.