Brilliance of the Seas Review
Worth every penny for the experience
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise because of its itinerary - 7 ports in 12 days and not because we were expecting a fine dining or 5 star entertainment. Don't get me wrong, the dining and entertainment were fine and I would do it again in a heart beat. The ports were fantastic but be warned - if you are interested in doing excursions, you need to have stamina. The days are long but worth every effort.
We stayed in Barcelona for 2 days before the cruise and 1 1/2 after - just enough time to enjoy the city which we found easy to navigate.
The embarkation and disembarkation process has been streamlined from the early cruising days and it has become a breeze.
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
Having cruised before we knew what we were getting with a stateroom on a cruise ship. We were a family of 3 including a 15 year old boy.
The only disappointment with the cabin had to do with the pullout couch. When we made our reservation we were told we could not request a bunk - that the cruiseline would determine whether it was a bunk or a pullout.
We were disappointed that we ended up with a pullout couch. When the pull out bed was open, there was barely 6 inches of space to walk. Also the bed appeared to be "square" and on the short side. It didn't seem to matter how he slept on the bed, our son was always hanging off.
On the positive side, the room was convenient to the Centrum (yet far enough away to not hear any of the noise).
The balcony was terrific with privacy.
Port Reviews
Malta (Valletta)
Used one of the hop on/hop off operators paying $10. Don't expect too much. Although we got earphones so we could listen to the prerecorded guide, it was very difficult to hear over the engine (or was it the exhaust?) of the bus.
I got off at the Blue Grotto which was a spectacular site. Cheapest tour of the trip for me.
Barcelona
Really enjoyed Barcelona. Plan on purchasing timed entrance tickets for the major sites so you don't find yourself unable to gain entrance.
Cab drivers for the most part spoke limited English. Make sure you have your destination available on a piece of paper to give to the driver. Navigating the underground was quite easy to do and reasonable.