Since our last Caribbean cruise several years ago I had come to believe there was not much more to experience in that area, charming as it is. There were other worlds to conquer, so to speak. But last year we heard about a Royal Caribbean repositioning cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas out of Boston that acquaintances had enjoyed so much that they signed up for a repeat this year. When we checked the itinerary there just happened to be a very attractive sale going on. What the heck, a chance to be on the sea for thirteen nights of warm (downright HOT at times) weather, and some islands on the itinerary we hadn’t visited before, was enough of an inducement to entice us. Okay, let’s go! We even talked two of our friends into joining us!

Just so happens we live a half hour’s drive away from the Black Falcon Terminal in Boston, another factor in our decision. We arrived at the pier just after 11 a.m.. We pack fairly light as a rule, so we often just carry our baggage onboard. Surprisingly there was a little confusion trying to figure out where to check our baggage in. Some folks were handing their luggage to a few teamsters with the customary carts, but the ‘official’ line was a bit of a walk from our arrival point. Wanting to be sure our bags were treated appropriately we queued in one of two receiving lines where we were being directed by Royal Caribbean personnel. In a matter of ten minutes we were waltzing around a ribboned maze to the documents counters and a string of smiling faces waiting to issue our sea passes. A couple of minutes, a brief walk to and through security, and we entered the ship. There was no mandatory picture taking session, only those desiring a picture need stop. In fact, the photographers were surprisingly considerate of guests feelings and exerted little to no pressure during the whole cruise.

Riding the elevator to deck eleven we sauntered into the required and desired buffet lunch in the Windjammer Cafe. Instead of a long and crowded school cafeteria type layout of food choices, the Windjammer featured food islands (very appropriate to the itinerary). We found this an efficient and tantalizing alternative, though at times I felt like I was navigating through a bumper car ride. This feeling occurs only during particularly crowded times, usually there was plenty of personal space moving among the food islands. The food variety at the Windjammer was adequate but not long on choices. The staff made sure nothing ran out. Finding a seat was not a problem, one could head to open air areas near the main outdoor pool or, our preference, to the stern with its panoramic views. Read more