We returned to cruising for the first time since the covid shutdown by doing back-to-back- to- back cruises on the Brilliance of the Seas starting on February 10 and ending on February 24. Because we are so excited to get back to cruising, we choose to emphasis the positive and not nit-pick too much about things that provide opportunities for improvement for RCL.

First, the cruises left from Tampa. We drove to the port and parked at Parkway Parking for roughly $8.00 per day. We highly recommend using this facility as it is located directly across the street from the pier. We made a reservation for the parking months in advance and when we showed up, they were ready for us. They unloaded our car, put our luggage in their van and got us to the ship within minutes. When we came back two weeks later, they met us outside the luggage area, loaded our stuff in the van, got us back to our car that was waiting for us, and loaded our luggage into the car within minutes of us getting through customs and we were on our way!

As for getting on the ship for the first cruise, it was one of the easiest boardings we have ever encountered. The RCL representatives, security people and dock workers could not have been nicer. The entire process took less than 15 minutes. Read more