I cruise every year and the last two cruises I have found some of the excursions to be a chaotic disaster. The cruise ships are so large and the ports of call so small that it is crazy trying to get around. We have been to key west a few times before and usually stayed in the downtown area. On this cruise I chose to do the hop on hop off tour. The tour is a nice tour if you just stay on the bus. No hopping on or off because if you do you will be stuck. The busses never have any room because there is a hour plus wait to get on the tour. Also the amount of time it takes to get off the ship and to wait in the line for the trolley is 1.5 hours. We arrived at 11 am and leave at 5 pm. At 1230 we were finally on the tour. The tour guide said to head back to the ship at 3pm. You can do the math at how much time you have. A waste of time. Do not do the hop on hop off tour!!!
Overall the Brilliance is a nice ship and the overall experience was good. We were in room 1008 which is a good location although the water was a bit rough and there was a lot of movement. I am not bothered by the movement at all. I also found the bed to be the most comfortable bed on a cruise ship ever! Great dining staff and the food was good. They need to bring back the lobster, however. We snorkeled in Cozumel and had the best time. The excursion was managed well and well worth it. Also, the drinks flowed freely and were no additional charge. Considering, wine by the glass onboard was 18 dollars plus tip each. The drinks alone paid for the excursion and the snorkeling was a bonus. One last thing, the embarkation/disembarkation in TPA is absolutely the best, whereas New York City is absolutely the worst.
Our cabin is nice a little dated but nice and the attendant seems very nice. The mattress was the best I have slept on with 15 other cruises to compare it with.
We did the Hop on Hop off tour and it is a complete waste of time. Do not spend your money on this. Way too crowded especially when other ships are in port.