Embarkation in Barcelona Having stayed in a hotel (by Las Ramblas - close to the port) the night before, we took a taxi to the port - arriving at 12:00 noon. 6 hours prior to departure. Already some people were aboard. Arriving at this time made sure of easy check-in process - only one family in front of us - although we had completed the pre-check in info prior to arrival. Talking to others on the cruise, it would seem to have been an easy check-in process for many of the passengers. Getting on ship so early allowed us a chance to get to know the ship - as we would be in a port for each of the first 4 days. A tour of the Spa/Gym was useful - as we made us of the gym on many of the quieter days of the cruise - need to work off some the food consumed.
Stateroom Stateroom on 3rd floor - Large Oceanview Stateroom was as expected, but I was pleasantly surprised how much storage space was available for the 2 of us.
Ship Info Brilliance of the Seas is on of RCIs Radiance Class ships - 90,090 tonnes over 13 decks. It has a climbing wall and mini golf experience. I found the layout of the ship to be pretty easy to get used to. Gym was well equipped - however we seemed to go at same time as most meaning it was always busy when we were there. Solarium was a nice place to relax, especially after getting too much sun. The Schooner Bar was nicely decorated in a nautical theme. Just outside this was the Champagne Bar - which we frequented most nights as Rusti and Susie made it a place where you always felt welcome. On days at sea we tended to get up late and get breakfast in the main dining room - this made it difficult to find sun loungers, despite info saying that towels would be removed if left for more than 30 mins - lesson get on deck early to secure sun lounger.