Sailed Brilliance of the Seas on Jan. 22 with 2 other couples. We arrived in Miami after an uneventful flight from NY JFK . RCCL reps were waiting to escort us to the shuttle. We arrived at the ship and boarded w/o a problem and the staff was very friendly and helpful. We met our friends for lunch in the Windjammer and were able to get into our cabins after lunch. Sail away was lovely as we passed some very nice homes and then out to sea. Cabin was fine. Enough room for all our things. Circular shower was a bit small but adequate. We had read on CC to ask for egg crates for the bed, which we did. They had run out of them but the bed proved to be very comfortable and we had no trouble sleeping. Maybe the wine consumed at the late seating dinner could have helped!! Cabin steward,David worked hard to keep cabin shipshape. The ship is beautiful with art work everywhere. Loved the floor designs esp. in the Casino. It was very easy to learn your way around this ship as it is nicely laid out. The solarium was our favorite place. Beautiful and quiet. Our dining staff had to be the very best of any ship we've been on. Inga, Wayan and UGor (head waiter) couldn't have done any more to make us feel cared for and special. Unfortunately, the food they served left a lot to be desired. There was a great variety of selections but many things we ordered seemed over spiced and so salty. We then requested low sodium and they were very accommodating in the kitchen. Sadly, it was not much better. The lamb night (which happens to be one of my favorites) I ordered the salt free version. The chops came out with that gray microwaved look and were tasteless. As always, Inga was at my side willing to get me anything I wanted. She was so professional and a class act. The food, I'm sad to say was a disappointment. However, some dishes were thoroughly enjoyable. The clam chowder was excellent as were the salads and some desserts. Hey, it was way better than being home cooking.

The ports: Labadee-a relaxing beach day. The beaches closest to where the tenders docked were soft sand as opposed to crossing to the other side which offered rocky, shelly entrance into the water. Aruba: We walked around, visited a casino, had a relaxing drink overlooking the water, did some shopping and returned to the ship nixing a day at the beach. We've been to Aruba before so we knew what it offers. Curacao: Went on a tour w/Franklin. He was colorfully dressed and cheerful and we opted for him for $20 pp. We visited the Curacao Liquor and got to taste a few. Very sweet. Franklin showed us all around and dropped us back in town. Panama: unbelievable wonder. We chose to stay on ship and were up on deck by 6:30 a.m. It was an amazing sight, both going through to Lake Gatun and also on the return trip through the locks. We got off the ship at Christobol Pier and shopped in the large flea market. The native Panamanians were scantily dressed and caught our eyes. Women were topless and men wore a small covering in the front. They performed to the beat of drums from the men and the women danced. Interesting to view the customs of other countries. Costa Rica: Took the Oscar and Carol tour. Definitely recommend it. It's a bus tour to a banana factory and then a boatride into rainforest area. Much cheaper than the tour offered by the ship. All in all this was a wonderful cruise due in most part to the wonderful friends we traveled with. We expected RCCL to be a step up from other cruises we've taken and didn't find that to be the case. The other lines offered more amenities. Unfortunately, it seems most lines nickle and dime and RCCL was no exception. The bottles of wine on board were so overpriced. We attempted to bring one $6 bottle on board from Panama and it was confiscated. C'mon.

Would we go RCCL again? I think we'll probably go back to Princess for the next one. Even Norwegian outdid Royal in the food department.