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Royal Caribbean International

MV Brilliance of the Seas

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Reviewed by: : Steve Read
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: July 11, 2002
Itinerary: Nowhere

This was a 2-day trip from Harwich, UK, out into the North Sea to circle a few oil rigs and come back. Partly a junket for travel agents and press, and partly one of two 2-day shakedown trips to check that the ship all works when it has passengers on board.

Overall rating: Superb. Exceptional. Brilliant. And quite British!

An extremely comfortable and stylish ship, but without the "in-your-face" glitz of the Voyager class.

Going up... Atrium (Lobby Bar) Deck 4: A lively bar with a great bartender (Eddie), seats around the bar plus tables and comfy chairs around the bottom of the atrium, which goes up eight decks with something -- usually a seating area -- sticking out on every floor. Elevators at the side, so you look out over the sea when you go up in them. Very tastefully done.

Minstrel Dining Room, Decks 4-5: Split level, very attractive room. Sea views; cleverly positioned work areas which are hardly noticeable. Great ambience and acoustics -- you can actually speak without shouting! Shops: Booze/cigs, jewellery, logo, perfumes, clothes. Spacious.

Latte-Tudes Coffee Bar. The only weak point on the ship. Very slow queues; Ican't understand why people are willing to wait for a "long slippy latte with a twirl" or whatever it is they ask for. I wanted an ordinary cup of white coffee. Never learned the lingo, never managed to get one first time.

Pacifica Theatre, Decks 6-5-4: No restricted views, equipped to handle a West End production. Casino Royale, Deck 6: Two roulette, one craps, six or seven card tables, loads of slots. Tight for space around the tables, not much room for spectators. Big bar in the centre. Apart from the disco, the only razzamatazz area on the ship. No sea views!

Champagne Bar, Deck 6: Overlooking the Atrium, very tastefully designed with light decor and (again) sea views.

Chops Grill and Portofino, Deck 6: Reservations-only restaurants, Portofino very light and romantic, Chops reminded me of Ruth's Chris chain. Oh, there's the sea...

Schooner Bar leading to The Colony Club, Deck 6: Very British. Lots of wood, quite dark, superb atmosphere. Pass the port (to the left) please...! Two self-levelling billiards tables.

Deck 7-8-9-10: Cabins.

Windjammer Cafe, Deck 11: The best I've ever seen. Very airy, laid out to reduce most queues. Attentive staff and no shortage of tables. Food spectacular. Pools: Three pools, two jacuzzis, one whirlpool. Fitness centre huge. Lots of sunbathing space, and surprisingly sheltered from the wind. Solarium with elephants and waterfalls (honest!).

Sports area, Deck 12: Golf simulators, kids' pool, sporty stuff...

Viking Crown lounge, Deck 13: Nine-hole putting green, smaller theatre, very swish nightclub. Access to rock-climb up the funnel. As if.

Service first class, especially in Chops Grill. Food likewise. Not the remotest thing to criticise, it was perfection.

All cabins have hair dryers, not that it matters to me. Smallest cabins all have good size bathrooms and lots of storage.

Ahem. I was in a suite on Deck 10 (see pix at http://www.steve-read.co.uk/Brilliance/index.htm) which was spectacular.

Violinist playing in the Atrium, very elegant. Piano duo in Schooner Bar, likewise. Shows very high-energy and spectacular, a bit too American for my liking but others said they were great so there you are.

No stops. We went from Harwich into the North Sea and back. Very smooth ride, no vibration at all because there's no propellor shaft. Ship doesn't drop anchor (and thus smash into coral or whatever), it uses azipods and thrusters hooked up to the GPS to hold position to within three feet! Seven-foot seas and we couldn't feel a thing ... you have to look out of the (many) windows to see if you're moving or not. Gas turbine engines mean minimal emissions. Treated effluent water is clean enough to drink.

Mostly journalists and travel agents on this trip. Would you invite them for dinner?????