Background Information I began planning this cruise in March of 2006, I probably spent thousands of hours reading books, searching on Cruise Critic and reading every review I could find, its my turn to return the favor. My group consisted of myself, my SO, my sister and her SO all in our mid to late 20's. This was my third cruise, all with Royal Caribbean. Because I spent so much time researching the trip I was able to secure all private guides and share the cost with two other couples that I met on our roll-call MoeJoe & Seetosea (I miss you guys!!) It couldn't have worked out better! It was truly the trip of a lifetime!

Pre-Cruise Traveling in June = Expensive airfare!! I was able to find the cheapest fares flying roundtrip to London on my absolute favorite airline (and I've tried a lot of them), Virgin Atlantic. I used my American Express points to upgrade to Premium Economy which was worth every penny! We spent three nights in London at the London Bridge Hotel, took the Eurostar to Paris and spent three nights at the Hotel Duret. From here we flew on Easy Jet to Barcelona. I loved Easy Jet an had no problems with them. My luggage was overweight on both legs of our trip and they didn't say anything to me (I could have just been lucky though). Angie's Taxi provided all of our transfers in Barcelona and I highly recommend her! Her drivers were so friendly and knowledgeable about the city.

Ship Info Brilliance of the Seas was a beautiful ship and always seemed to be empty! No lines for anything, anywhere. The staff was the best that I have encountered to date. However, my first cruise was on the Navigator of the Seas which looked brand new. On Brilliance I did notice some wear and tear. Kind of a weird observation, but every toilet seat of every restroom I went into and our cabin was chipped. Also, our balcony chairs both had a good sized hole in the mesh material. Some other things I'll point out in case RCI is reading this, the mini-golf course is in desperate need of attention, wow it was a disaster! The fake plants were torn or broken, the green area was black in certain areas, torn, ripped or missing in other areas and in the Solarium there were cobwebs in the fake greenery and the greenery had turned a bluish color from the sun. That being said, the ship was spotless. Always someone cleaning something but the ship going to dry dock would be helpful. The Solarium pool/spa was definitely my favorite place to hang out. I did see a few children hanging out in there but they were not incredibly young (probably 11-13) and they weren't causing any problems so it really wasn't a big deal. Read more