We are from the Phoenix Arizona area and recently completed an 11 night Ultimate Panama Canal cruise aboard the Brilliance of the Seas. Our cruise was from Jan. 22 through Feb.2, 2007. We arrived a day early in Miami and stayed at the Holiday Inn Biscayne Bay. The hotel is somewhat dated but comfortable, clean, and relatively inexpensive ($90).There is a restaurant and the hotel is located within walking distance of Bayside Marketplace which is loaded with both shops and restaurants. We met another couple from Cruise Critic and had dinner at Forest Gump's Shrimp - it was delicious. The taxi fare from the hotel to the port was $8. The taxi from the airport to the hotel was $20.

We arrived at the port at 11AM and embarkation was immediate and very painless. We were in the Windjammer by 11:30AM. We were treated to a buffet lunch and allowed into our cabin at 1PM. Our luggage arrived in our cabin by 2PM. We were allowed to wonder the entire ship before it departed at 5PM. There was the customary muster drill at 4:15PM and then we had a pre-arranged meeting of Cruise Critic members in the Windjammer following the drill. It was nice to finally put faces with screen names.

The Ship: The Cabin the Brilliance of the Seas is a beautiful ship that holds about 2500 passengers and is large enough to be spacious, yet small enough that you get to recognize many of your fellow passengers and the service staff. This was our third cruise and on some smaller ships we have felt crowded in public places and on a larger one there was so many meal options that on many occasions tablemates decided to skip the dinner conversations and made it difficult for the wait staff to prepare. I would say the average age of the cruisers on this particular adventure was about 50 yrs.old. There was a handful of teenagers and probably 6 or so small children aboard. We stayed in an outside balcony stateroom on the 7th deck aft.Our attendant was Alphonse from Costa Rica and he always provided anything we asked for. I would recommend requesting the egg crate top for your mattress as they are a bit thin due to age. It made sleeping no problem. They clean the stateroom both in the morning and evening and provide the customary chocolates and towel animals. I would say the cabin and closet space were adequate for 2, probably could accommodate 3 but that would be the limit. Yes, the shower is small with the circular curtain and I would suggest remembering to place the floor towel down prior to showering. We had no problems with the toilet or shower working or providing hot water. There is a shampoo and conditioner dispenser mounted on the wall in the shower. A blow dryer is also provided. The two single beds pushed together allow adequate side room but are somewhat short for a 6'5" guy. There are two nightstands, a vanity with a safe and storage space, a love seat, and a tiny coffee table. I wouldn't plan on doing much entertaining in your stateroom unless you get a suite. We used the 24 hour Room Service on a couple of occasions and it normally took about 30 minutes to get your order. I would recommend using the cabin phone as opposed to ordering on the TV as one time the TV order never made it. They will call just before delivering your food. You need to bring your own alarm clock or use their wake up call. There is a small refrigerator on one side of the vanity but it is so full of cash bar items that it doesn't leave much room for anything you may want to add. The Valet service is rather rather pricey at $4.50 to iron a shirt. We found the balcony to be a nice alternative to going on deck just to see how the air felt outside and even to view the new ports from. There are 2 sitting chairs and a small table not much more room. They are fairly private. Read more