Brilliance of the Seas Review
Brilliance - expected to be WOWed but wasn't
Rating by category
Additional details
This was my first Royal Caribbean cruise after two previous ones on NCL. From what other posters have written, I was really expecting RCI to be a step above NCL, but I didn't think that was the case -- thus not WOWed overall.
Embarkation: we arrived at 12:15 and it took us about 45 minutes to get on board, due mostly to lines at security and getting on the ship.
The ship: Brilliance is beautiful -- I loved the glass sea-view elevators and the enclosed Solarium pool (tho the artificial foliage could use some sprucing up). Brilliance is very clean and well maintained even in heavily trafficked areas. The layout makes sense and it's generally easy to find your way around. I also liked our cabin, which was very comfortable and well thought out (except for that pesky shower).
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
I really liked the cabin. There is storage tucked everywhere and a clever arrangement of mirrors allows you to get a back view like in a 3-way mirror in a dressing room. Another set of shelves in the bath would have been great but the shelf underneath the sink was useful for extras. The shower is problematic as other CC posters have noted; unless you get both sides and the bottom of the curtain perfectly tucked in you'll have a flood on your hands. The clothes line in the shower was missing; I normally bring my own but didn't based on the cabin description so drying laundry was a bit problematic but we got by. The balcony isn't huge but is quite comfortable. I like having the full height table instead of the side table height I've seen on other ships. We had a semi obstructed view over the life boat covers so we couldn't see directly down to the water (except for a small break in the cover to the right of the balcony) but the views straight out were fine. The cabin is above Chops, and while there was no discernible noise when the restaurant was open, occasionally I could hear the beat of dance music during the late evening or afternoon; I'm assuming the staff was playing music while they were working. It wasn't that bad, but if you are looking for a dead quiet cabin at all times give this one a pass.