Brilliance of the Seas Review

Great Cruise, But......

Review for the Baltic Sea Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas
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alanoconnor
2-5 Cruises • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Jun 2014

We joined the Brilliance of the Seas at Harwich after a super-quick check in. The gangway crew made embarkation/disembarkation every bit as joyless as at any airport. Of course it's important that they get it right, but why so grim and officious? The ship seemed to be a slightly bigger version of the "Grandeur", which we had really liked. The cabin was our first with a balcony, and even though we didn't get many chances to sit out (the Baltic isn't called the Baltic for nothing), it lent a great sense of light and space. The ship is very well appointed, and spotlessly clean. The Windjammer Restaurant is a huge improvement to the one on the Grandeur in terms of layout and available seating, and the Solarium and Park Café were a godsend in poor weather.

We had booked "My Time" dining, having found it to work well on the previous cruise. When we turned up for dinner on the first evening, we were rudely directed to the Minstrel Restaurant on deck 4 for set time dining. We had failed to notice the amount of detail listed on the Sea Passes, and a mistake had been made in the booking. Our fellow diners at the table for 8 turned out to be great company, so when we complained to customer services about the error, it was only to make the point. They were extremely apologetic, and offered to re-instate us, and assured us that the gratuities wouldn't be charged twice! In fact, customer services were the best we have come across on any ship, unfailingly polite and helpful.

The emergency drill came as something as a shock, and a definite drop in standards. Our muster station was an Italian restaurant, where a crew member called us "my family", put on his lifejacket, and assured us that if the unthinkable happened, he would guide us unerringly to our lifeboat. Our lifejackets were still back in our cabins, and we left the ship at the end of the cruise without ever having had to put them on. On the Grandeur, the drill was done properly, with lifejackets on and at our boat stations. The Concordia hasn't even been recovered yet, and already standards are slipping.

Cabin Review

Well appointed and spotlessly clean. There was a button on the phone for maintenance, and the service was very quick. We locked our safe door while it was still open, and a technician arrived with a little box and jump started it. The TV had a good range of channels, and we were able to keep up with the World Cup and Wimbledon. There was lots of storage space, and the cases could be slid under the king size bed. The balcony was great, even in iffy weather.

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