It was an overnight event for travel agents to showcase all the new features of the ship. I hadn't seen a Royal Caribbean ship since the Summer of 2010 when I got to go onboard the Independence of the Seas so I was really looking forward to it.
What were my first impressions? Well it's funny you should ask. As a travel agent when ever someone asks me what Royal Caribbean are like I always use the stock reply of "their quite glitzy and glamorous, all their ships have the 'WOW' factor". The problem with using a stock response though is that after awhile it can lose some of it's meaning. You forget how glitzy the ships are. You forget how glamorous they feel. You do tend to forget about the 'WOW' factor.
So first impressions?
Jaw dropping!!!!
I know Royal Caribbean aren't for everyone. I know not everyone likes that amount of glitz and glamour on their cruise but you have to hand it to Royal Caribbean - They make a great first impression!
You can always spot a Royal Caribbean ship from in the distance from the colour of their lifeboats.
These are a couple of shots of the ship from inside Harwich port. I can't say I was a huge fan of Harwich port, (although that might have something to do with the five hour journey down). Southampton port is much more convenient for me. I also didn't like the fact that we had to park at one end of the port and then get a bus to the ship but I did love the fact that the train station was in the middle of the port.
You can catch the train down with all your luggage, come out of the station and walk straight on to the ship. Brilliant! Southampton, are you hearing this? We want a train stop at the port!
This was my cabin for the night. It was a partially obstructed balcony cabin, (D3 on the deck plans I think), and would easily have slept three - Two in the bed and a small child on the sofa bed. We did pull out the sofa bed and whilst I could see a child being very comfortable on it I wouldn't have fancied sleeping on it myself. The cabin was spacious, tastefully decorated and well appointed although I was a little annoyed by Royal Caribbeans cost cutting measures in the bathroom - No shampoo or conditioner,(not that I need shampoo anymore), just one small bar of soap. I would have thought that this was down to the fact that it was a travel agent 'event' except a passenger of mine had mentioned the same thing recently coming back from her RCL cruise. Has anyone else noticed this with Royal Caribbean?
As I said I was stopping in a partially obstructed view cabin. However if you watch the video above that word 'partial' is up for debate. Yes OK I can't look straight down and see the sea but looking straight on my views perfect. Considering these cabins can be hundreds of pounds cheaper then their 'clear' view counterparts I think I'd always go for this option - What do you think?
Ritas Cantina. This is one of the new dining areas added after the Brilliance's refurb. It proved so popular on the Oasis class of ships that Royal Caribbean decided to add them here. It's one of the cafes you'll need to pay a cover charge on, (it's priced per dish with dishes from $2 - $5 per dish), so not a bad price and I can see it being really nice to have a spot of lunch here on a sea day.
I think this picture demonstrates really well one of the big draws for the 'Ships of Light' as this class of ship is known. Although this shot was taken indoors, with those floor to ceiling windows it looks like you're dining in an open air cafe somewhere.
As you can see the 'Mexican theme' is continued right throughout Ritas.
Izumi is another of the speciality dining options added after the Brilliance of the Seas refurb. Again you pay a $5 cover charge to enter and then pay per dish with prices ranging from $2-$5 again.
Like a lot of modern Asian restaurants, (and the decor really does feel very modern and up market), this speciality dining restaurant has a very contempory feel to it.
The food is prepared right in front of you by their trained chefs and as you can see below looks delicious, (assuming you like modern Asian fusion cooking anyway)
For those that haven't seen these before it's simply called a Hot Rock. It would be placed in the middle of your table with a selection of raw meats, fish, seasonings and sauces. You can then cook the slivers of food at your table and dip them into your favourite sauce.
Again this restaurant might not be for everyone but if you do enjoy Asian cuisine then I can see this being a really nice place to have lunch on a sea-day with a few friends, all sharing around a table.
However as you can see the restaurant isn't enormous so it might get a bit busy on a sea-day - Best to plan ahead maybe?
I really liked the look of this kids pool area. I've shown some pictures to my children and they thought it looked amazing, especially the giant helter-skelter slide going around the pool area. My only criticism is that, unlike on the other bigger ships, it's separated out from the main and adult pools so if you've young children, (or even older maybe), you'd need to stay and supervise them
Watch out walking past this guy. He sprays water out of his mouth which is actually a bit annoying when you're walking past him, completely unsuspectingly, in a suit.
As with all Royal Caribbean ships there's a rock climbing wall onboard for those brave enough.
I'm not sure but I'd be interested in hearing back from anyone who's cruised on several Royal Caribbean ships - does this wall look smaller than some of the others? It just didn't look very high to me.
And again, another staple of all Royal Caribbean ships - The mini golf course.
What do you think? With a bit of tanning lotion could I get a job on a Royal Caribbean ship?
The next few pictures are of Royal Caribbeans teenage kids club - Optix. As you can see there's a football table for them and other features as seen below........
They've got their own DJ booth to run a disco from and our guide said the kids were allowed a turn at running the booth if they wanted to as well.
They even had their own bar complete with staff, (selling soft drinks only).
I think what surprised me most about Optix was the size of the room. I didn't feel it was that big, especially for the number of children you'd normally expect on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
That being said Royal Caribbean ships aren't like other ships and with so much else for them to do out and about, (pools, golf, rock climbing etc), I suppose they don't need as big as a kids club as you'd find on other ships. What do you think?
This is the newly added section for small children where, if you want, you can leave younger children to be looked after for a few hours by Royal Caribbeans trained staff.
Sorry about these next few photos. It was really bright outside and with the floor to ceiling windows it made my photos look really dark, (it was actually really bright inside), but I was really impressed with this bar so wanted to talk a bit about it. It's called the sky bar and it's a really nice place to chill of an evening with a big dance floor, loads of space to sit and relax and they even have a live band sometimes.
What really impressed me however was the fact that.......................
both the dance floor................
and the bar, (see the below video), revolved!!!!
For obvious reasons it doesn't go very fast, (as you can see), but this is a really fun feature that definitely got everyone talking!
This is another example of the amount of glass work on the ship letting light in to areas that you wouldn't normally expect it.
Not only do features like this look really nice and give the ship a really contemporary feel they also lend a very 'open' and bright feeling to the ship. At no time did I feel cooped up or stuck inside, (although I admit I may have felt differently in an inside cabin).
Just a few shots of the outdoor area with the pools and hot tubs. As you'd expect from a Royal Caribbean ship everything was brightly coloured and cheerful looking.
As you can see, quite often during the day you'll be serenaded by a live band in the outdoor areas of the ship.
This is another of the big improvements after the refurb. This screen uses the same technology as used by the screens in Times Square, New York so that no matter how bright the sun shines, or what angle you're looking at it from, the picture stays perfectly bright and clear, (just don't ask me how it works).
Ooh la la! ;-)
Can you just picture it, of an evening lounging in a hot tub watching a movie.........?
with a cold drink from the pool bar by your side..............
bliss!
This had to be one of my favourite areas of the ship, (for a full 360° view see the video below), the indoor pool/hot tub area.
It also, in my opinion anyway, highlights the big differences between Royal Caribbean and some of their competitors. A lot of cruise ships have indoor pools. A lot of cruise ships indoor pools look quite nice. Not a lot of cruise ships spend a huge amount of money designing their indoor pools with an Indian temple/jungle theme. You might say that it doesn't make much difference to the experience, a pool is a pool right?
Trust me, when you walk in here your jaw drops - this is the best pool I've ever seen on any cruise ship, bar none!
As it was a bit of a whistle stop tour of the ship I didn't get too see many cabins. My D3 balcony cabin you've already seen. This following video is for the Royal Suite - cabin number 1558 if anyone fancies booking it - I may wait for that winning lottery ticket but wow, it would be nice!
See what I meant! - Couldn't you see yourself stopping here?
The main atrium of the Brilliance of the Seas. The centre and focal point of the whole ship, (as you can see I don't suffer from vertigo!). I know I've used words like this a lot in this review but it was simply stunning and the best thing was they haven't even finished yet!
I thought it was impressive as it was but as you can see from the video it's quite a long drop down from the top. Can you imagine sitting at the bottom or on one of the galleries and watching an acrobatic/trapeze act? Well from this July Royal Caribbean will be adding that - What other cruise ship will you see that in the main atrium?
Some shots of the casino - I'm not a huge gambler so I don't have a lot to say about the Brilliance's casino. It was decorated nicely and seemed large enough with a wide range of tables and machines.
What more do you need?
The King and Country pub.
Why is it I only ever seem to see traditional 'British' pubs when I'm on an American cruise ship?
Not for everyone as there was a smoking area at the back of the pub and a karaoke area at the front but it was a really fun and lively place of an evening with over fifty types of international beers and lagers to try if you fancied making your way through them all.
This may seem like a bit of a strange photo but it's one of the little touches about Royal Caribbean that I just love. They have these plates fleet wide on all their lifts, (or elevators for any Americans reading this) and change them daily at midnight so that you never forget what day it is on holiday.
I love the idea that Royal Caribbeans guests get so wrapped up in the holiday experience they forget what day it is!
Chicken consume with pesto gnocchi
Roast duck with sweet red cabbage and croquette potatoes.
Triple strawberry cheesecake.
The above pictures were my dinner in the main dining room that evening and were one of the only disappointing aspects of my night onboard. Please don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the food, (except for the fact the duck was over done and a bit dry), it was all really tasty and nice enough, (and it may be because I've been spoiled on other cruise lines), but I didn't come out of the main dining room saying that was amazing. It was nice, and I enjoyed it, and would have ate it again but the food just didn't have the same wow factor that the rest of the ship had.
What do you think? Have you eaten on a Royal Caribbean ship? How do you think their food compares to other cruise lines?
These photos were of the Windjammer - the self service, (buffet), option on all Royal Caribbean ships. Do you remember what I was just saying about the food on a Royal ship? Well forget it. The Windjammer is by far the best self service restaurant I've ever eaten in.
I've had many guests come back from a cruise saying that they'd eaten in the Windjammer for their entire cruise, not bothering with the main dining room at all and I'd always thought it was a bit strange. After trying it I don't think I'd go so far as to eat there every night but I can certainly see their point - 10/10 for the Windjammer!
I didn't get to see a show as there was only one on that night and it clashed with my dining time but we did have a quick presentation in the theatre so here's a quick video of the theatre for you.
And a final shot of the atrium with all the neon lights lit up to leave you with the same impression I was left with when disembarking - Wow!
So I suppose I should try and come up with a summary of my visit for you. From the pictures and comments I think you can tell I was a huge fan of the ship and perhaps the best compliment I can give her was that I'd be more than happy to book a cruise on her. As with all Royal Caribbean ships she has a huge wow factor wherever you go onboard with the added factor that due to it's slightly smaller size you still get a more intimate atmosphere than you do on some of their larger ships which can sometimes feel a bit 'resorty'.
What do you think? Would you book a cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas? Do you like the look of her after seeing all these pictures or is she too glitzy and glamorous for you? Let me know what you think here........................
Happy cruising
Already booked! Going on her 19th August.... can't wait now!
ReplyDeleteI cruised prior to the refurb and would certainly love to experience the new "Brilliance" Let's be honest, there's so little glitz and glamour in the lives of most average working persons that I say- more glitz the better! If you want plain, ordinary then don't book.
ReplyDeleteShe looks stunning! We're also booked on the 19/08 sailing. Great review & photos. Many thanks
ReplyDeleteI went on a 12 night Baltic crise on Brilliance on 8th June 2013. Superb ship. I liked it musch better then Independence of the SEas which I crusied to the Med in April 2012. The Brilliance seems to be a much more classy vessel.
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