Brilliance of the Seas Review
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We chose this cruise as it was during spring break for our kids. The four night cruise had only one Port of call (Cozumel) and two sea days.
We prepaid our parking using Park Connect and walked to the ship in less than 15 minutes. Embarkation in Tampa was smooth, which surprised us as we were told the Coast Guard was doing an inspection and we could not board until noon. Some of the local security people must have been having a bad day cos they seemed angry and pushy. I assumed that would make it super crowded, which was not the case at all. We were told that Emerald level cabins would be ready when we boarded. This was not true, so just beware. All cabins are ready at the same time.
Brilliance is a beautiful ship, the Centrum prettier than many I've seen. Dining room service was excellent; food was pretty good. Maybe I am spoiled, but it seems the food isn't as "special" as it once was (I haven't cruised in over a year) and the meals seemed a bit rushed to me (5:30 seating).
Cabin Review
Spacious Ocean View Balcony
Balcony was decent size for one table and 2 chairs. However, being on deck 10 it was directly under the Windjammer and Rita's cantina, so we could hear lots of activity, chairs moving, etc. The actual cabin was decent size, but we were disappointed that there were not any pullman beds. Our girls had to share the broken and not too comfortable "sofa bed" which had to be pulled out at night, then put away during the day. When it was pulled out, we only had inches to walk from the large real bed to the bathroom or out the door. Also there wasn't really anyplace for them to put their things. I had seen photos of this room, but also photos (and a video) of a similar room that had a pullman bed above the sofa bed, and that is what I was really hoping for. The bathroom was decent with a round shower curtain, normal storage behind part of the mirror, but no "ledge" on the shelves like some I have seen. There was adequate storage space in the closet, bedside tables, and the vanity area. The Centrum was to the left of the cabin, there was no exit or stairway to the right of the cabin, so it was always a long walk.