Brilliance of the Seas Review
Brilliance OTS – part 2 of our B2B with Norwegian Sun
Rating by category
Additional details
BACKGROUND: My wife and I are both retired and have cruised Princess & Carnival multiple times (Platinum level). We decided to do a B2B with NCL Sun since they both sail from Tampa. It was our 1st RC cruise and we thought we’d try Brilliance OTS since it is similar to the Sun in size. Since I spent 5 years as a teacher, I decided to give letter grades for each component I reviewed.
TAMPA: After departing from the NCL Sun, we called the Quality Inn for a shuttle to the hotel. The complimentary shuttle just happened to be at the pier dropping off people for the next Sun cruise. Lucky for us we were the only pickup there and we were at the hotel within minutes. Check in was a breeze, we set up a shuttle run ($8 p/p via hotel shuttle) for 1:00 PM the next day, went to the Fresh Market next door for food and we settled in for the night. The next morning we ate a great breakfast at the hotel and took the 1:00 PM shuttle to the pier. Hotel + staff = A
EMBARKATION: By the time we got to the ship, the lines were gone and we breezed through with no problem. The cabins were ready so we dropped off our carry-on bags and had lunch at the buffet. Bada bing, bada boom. Embarkation = A
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
This balcony cabin is HUGE - the balcony itself is probably bigger than some inside cabins. The bed was comfortable and the TV was large enough BUT the choice of channels was pretty meager. As usual the closet doors open toward the bathroom door so you have to maneuver around to get stuff out. The bathroom was adequate and we followed other posters advice and brought some over sized clothes pins to put on the bottom of the curtain to keep it in place. The shower had great water pressure but was small, the actual toilet area was small – but adequate. Great location for privacy but farthest cabins away from the elevators.
Port Reviews
Grand Cayman (Georgetown)
Grand Cayman - been there, done that. Not to sound elitist but we've been there quite a few times and really don't like the tendering experience. We stayed on board and explored the ship.