Brilliance of the Seas Review

Very Nice Four Night Cruise

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas
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QMC(SW)
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Dec 2018
Cabin: Ocean View
Seems like a tight fit as the Brilliance of the Seas passes under the Sunsh
Enjoying a beer in the King & Country Pub.
Approaching the Sunshine Skyway at sunset departing Tampa Bay.
In front of the Christmas tree in the Centrum
Brilliance of the Seas seen from Cozumel
On the pier with the Brilliance of the Seas in the background
Toasting the last night at sea in the Centrum.
The Christmas tree in the brightly lighted Centrum

We chose this particular cruise because it departed from the Port of Tampa, was four nights long and went somewhere (Cozumel) that we wanted to go. The departure date dovetailed with our plans for early December, and we knew that we would not be dealing with loads of spring break teens and young adults. Embarkation was from Terminal 3 and was both smooth and rapid - fastest and most hassle-free of any cruise we have been on to date. We boarded just before 1 pm and found that our cabin was ready. The cabin, which was located on deck 3, forward of amidships, provided an unobstructed ocean view. The cabin attendant was eager to please and did a good job of taking care of us. The Windjammer featured interesting and pleasant breakfast and lunch selections. We opted for the second seating at dinner in the Minstrel dining room. The menu selections were well planned and offered excellent preparation of a variety of meats, poultry and seafood. The entertainment was good and we enjoyed watching the comedians as well as the singers and dancers. The band was top notch. We participated in all the trivia contests we could get into and won two of them, we now have enough pens for the next year. The service aboard was top notch as usual. Tables in the WIndjammer were cleared quickly after guests left the tables and seating was plentiful. The waitstaff in the dining room took excellent care of us, and we enjoyed dining with our dinner partners each night. We did not select a shore excursion as we have been to Cozumel numerous times, however, we did some shopping in the port area. The Brilliance of the Seas is a good ship. It shows its age in some areas, but overall it was very clean in the public areas. The best part of the cruise was meeting the people we sailed with. We would definitely sail on the Brilliance of the Seas again.

Cabin Review

Ocean View

Cabin 3N

The cabin was well set up with plenty of storage for our personal items. As there are never enough hangars in the closets, we brought about a dozen of our own to use in addition to those provided. The bed was comfortable and we slept well. The announcement speaker came with a control that allowed us to shut off the announcements. We did not use the television except for short periods to gather specific information. The shower and bath were very clean, fresh towels were provided even though we hung up the towels we had used. The bathroom was a bit "whiffy" but not overwhelmingly so; we had prepared ahead and brought scented oils to refresh the air in the bathroom.

Port Reviews

Tampa

Terminal 3 is by far the best terminal available in Tampa. Embarkation and disembarkation were smooth and rapid. We parked with Parkway Parking about 300 yards from the ship.

Cozumel

As we had been to Cozumel before, we did not opt for a shore excursion. We visited the shops in the port facility to buy Talaveras pottery and some vanilla. We were hectored by people from the other shops as we ran the Cozumel gauntlet. We also opted to use the ships dining facilities rather than eat off the ship.

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