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   Cruise Travel - Reader Reviews

Welcome to Your Favorites, where you have the opportunity to share your travel experiences with fellow Internet Travelers around the world.


Royal Caribbean International

MV Brilliance of the Seas

Your Rating:Four Stars
Reviewed by:: Malcolm Oliver
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: July 15, 2002
Itinerary: Maiden Voyage, July 2002

Overview
This ship has completely changed my opinion about big ships. Up until my .Brilliance. cruise, my experience was that big ships can be very impersonal and lacking in character. However, I am pleased to report this ship has loads of character.

The only reason I did not give this ship five stars, is because i'm of the opinion that something could always be slightly improved. It certainly was a 4 plus!

Public Areas
Some of the public rooms are glitzy, upbeat and Las Vegas like, while others are tasteful, tranquil. There really is something on offer to please everyone.

One of the ships high-lights is the Colony Club. This is a very tasteful area indeed. In fact it is one of the more attractive lounges that I have ever seen at sea.

The Colony club itself is essentially an entertainment lounge with seating, a stage and dance floor. It is decorated in a British colonial style, with lots of dark woods and images of India.

You may have already heard of the two amazing self-levelling pool tables in the stylish Bombay Billiard Room?

The solarium, with its indoor salt water pool is another wonderfully attractive room. The theme of this room is Indian and it comes complete with three giant 16 foot high India Elephants overlooking the pool with cascading water and lush vegetation.

The breath-taking Minstrel dining room recreates the feeling that you are dining onboard one of the great transatlantic liners. At the far end of the room is a two story mural depicting court jesters. Massive roman style columns support the decorative ceiling.

Food and Service
The food was of a good standard. The choices included vegetarian and low fat options. The menu included American favourites like Prime Rib and Lobster tails and some more unusual options, such as Indian specialities popular with us Brits.

The alternative dining area is the Windjammer Cafe. Once again the selection of food was wide, very good and generally hot.

This ship has two alternative dining rooms, Chops (Grill) and Portofino (Italian). Both are attractive and intimate rooms. However, passengers are required to book in advance and pay a $20 cover charge per person. I did not try these, but I have heard very good reports about the food in these restaurants.

The Seaview Cafe is perched high on the stern of the ship. It is open for late night food. The menu if a little broader and more interesting than similar facilities onboard some other cruise lines.

Cabins
This ship has lots of cabins as you would expect. A high proportion of them have balconies. There are essentially eleven variations of cabin, from inside cabins at 165 sq. ft. to the awesome Royal Suite at 1001 sq. ft. However, most of us will be looking at something a little more humble.

All cabins are decorated in a dark wood (effect). For those with a bigger budget, there are five grades of suite to choose from.

For those of us with a more modest budget, I can recommend the E grade Superior Ocean View Staterooms at 179 sq. ft. with a balcony of 41 sq. ft.

The facilities for disabled passengers are excellent. Braille is used extensively throughout the ship. The fourteen cabins adapted for disabled guests are located near to the elevators. There were no difficult obstacles like water-tight door sills to negotiate around the ship. I understand that one of the ships tenders had been adapted to accommodate wheelchairs!

Entertainment
The majority of the onboard entertainers were British for this inaugural cruise and were very good. However, I was not so impressed with the production shows. The cruise director was far too "Mr. Showbiz" for my liking.

I was most impressed that the disco rocked every night and it was not just the younger passengers that boogied!

Activities
If you have not been already, you should add the Norwegian Fjords to your wish list! They are simply stunning. Bergen was nice, Flam was even better, Geiranger Fjord is stunning! Amsterdam is always a pleasant city to visit.

I recommend the combined train ride and 'Hike' back down the valley, in Flamm, assuming that you are able bodied. If you are not, just take the train ride, return.

I would have enjoyed some port talks and enrichment lectures, especially during the two sea days, but neither was included in the daily program. RCI should appreciate that we don't all want to play Bingo!

Who Goes
For this maiden voyage, the ship had 1500 Brits aboard, plus 583 others nationalities, American's being the majority of the "others". This will obviously not be the norm for her Caribbean cruises, where you would expect American guests to be in the majority.

There was a cross section of all ages, although the over fifties dominated. I would certainly recommend this ship as being suitable for all ages.

I would certainly invite some of our companions over for dinner, but NOT the other 2079.

(My full review of this ship appears in the 'Ship Review' section of this web site)

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