Close to home cruise after numerous years of European cruises! Nice change, easy checkin and departure (we self assisted !) Mostly ate in MDR and food overall, except for the beef, was good. I have a low sodium diet and head waiter did excellent job with this. We choose foods we have enjoyed in past, like the lamb shanks and duck and this works well. Enjoyed the string trio, the Schooner Bar, the Cinema, and the holiday craft demonstrations, the Park Cafe and Solarium. as well as the general ambiance of the ship. It was nice to have the tree lighting during our cruise--brought a nice touch. Attended the "Top tier event" which was very pleasant and not too much "selling". Great cabin location --listened to music from the seating above the Centrum on deck 9 several times. The 4 days went quickly but a great long weekend break! Will do again in future. Read Less

We love cruising out of Tampa, the Brilliance 4 and 5 day cruises are great. Ship is big enough to have amenities but without crowds. The spa is great, we use the Rasul and other services. Live shows and movies add variety plus the staff everywhere hustled to provide everything seamlessly. Our dining was well balanced and meal variety was great even for those with allergies . We met others from Cruise Critics in the Park Cafe where I had a gluten free salmon prosciutto sandwich (3 times) and our refresh package provided a variety of coffees soda, and juices morning and night. This particular cruise had a lot of locals so the question became “what part of Tampa are you from?” So those who traveled to escape the cold got some local color or great information on local activities for the current or future trips. The humor of the ships officers was refreshing and unexpected Read Less

Still on board the Brilliance making our way back to Tampa. This ship is fantastic! She is getting older but she is in perfect shape. This ship does not have all the fancy new things of her gigantic sisters, but what she lacks in fancy things, she makes up with outstanding service. We had a balcony cabin and it was impeccable from day one. Everything worked and the state room attendant was on point all throughout the cruise. We ate lunch at the Windjammer once and it was ok. (We are not buffet people so I don’t really have anything else to say about it. ). We took advantage of the Black Friday sale and purchased the ultimate dining package for the specialty restaurants. Upon embarkation we went to Izumi to look at the restaurant. It is tiny. We were not impressed with it so chose not to eat there. Chops and Giovanni’s were excellent. We had no problems getting any reservations at the times we wanted. We even requested the same server and had no issues with that. We are Diamond members and we enjoyed all the perks. The Diamond host was fantastic, Very knowledgeable, personable and available. The three drinks perk worked seamlessly. Had no issues at all. This was a very relaxing cruise. No issues at all. From embarkation until now, no problems at all. The crew Ian polite and accommodating. For a short and relaxing cruise, the Brilliance is definitely an excellent choice. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it left from Tampa. Every service person we came in contact with on the cruise was helpful and seemed to like their job. After the first night in the dinning room the waiter and assistant knew what we liked to drink and always recommended the choice of the day. We often took their recommendations and were always pleased with their selections. The food in the main dinning room was always good and the service was superior. The room steward provided service two to three time a day. We always had what ever we asked. When we arrived the fist day we ask the steward for ice in the room and he provided it everyday without our requesting. The entertainment provide by various venues was excellent. There was more to do that you could cover in only 5 days. The process to get on and off the ship was easy and prompt. Only thing we want to be more of was ice cream! Read Less

Brilliance of the Seas is an older ship and could use a refresh but overall the ship is very comfortable and the staff was warm and friendly. I would like to see the Park Café open for lunch to give an additional option when not at sea with the dining room open. The food in the Windjammer was sometimes not as hot as I would have liked but there was always plenty of options. The entertainment on the ship was very good with something for everyone. We especially enjoyed the back stage theater tour and meeting the singers. I suggest you check out all of the entertainment within your first few nghts so that you will know when bands and singers you enjoy and can plan you evening around them and not just wander the ship every night. We sit in the Colony Club gto read during the day and the games that they played in there, Bingo, Friendly Feud and the Murder Mystery game seemed to be enjoyed by all. Read Less

We choose this cruise because it was kids sail free and it left out of Tampa. The port of Tampa was awesome. We got there on the tail end of things and there were no lines to wait through and that helped big time since this was out first time back cruising in 5 years since the birth of our first daughter and this was our 2 girls first time cruising. The staff onboard were so nice and friendly. My youngest daughter, who is almost 3, had everyone staff member knowing who she was and they knew here too. She is super friendly. The cruise director did a good job not making too many announcements and keeping us informed before and after shows. The headliner shows were great, especially the comedian and the juggler. We laughed until we cried at those. The other shows were great too. The ship itself could use some updating, but overall it was a beautiful ship for her age. The adventure ocean area was superb. The slides and swim area for the little ones was never crowded nor did the big slide ever have a line. My 5 year old loved it. We did the conch train at Key West and we could not have chosen a better one to do with the kiddos. It was very informational and fun. The train was about 90 minutes and you could hop off and on as you pleased. We never did because we loved out tour guide. The weather was perfect, not to sunny with a little overcast. We did not break a sweat, which we loved. We docked at the Navy pier and it was fine. They got us off and onto a bus/train and it was about a 10 minute ride over to the main area of town. Our next stop was Cozumel and the weather there was about the same. We hung out around the cruise shops and never wonder outside the gates. I wished we would have. Got some great photos and souvenirs. The off and off part of the ship was great. We never waited in line more than a few minutes at wither stop. I do wish that the ice cream place was opened more. It only opened during lunch and dinner of the windjammer times and that stunk a little. On Carnival the ice cream places are located everywhere and opened all day. Plus the hours at the windjammer was a little weird. We had to get use to that too. Other than that I would not change a thing about this ship or our trip. Our 2 girls, almost 3 and 5, loved the ship. That had a great time. The children's area is fantastic. We only visited there during family bingo. During our stay you could tell the staff knew what they were doing with the kiddos. Plus it helped knowing they had their college education in childhood education. I would definitely go again. The cabin we had was inside. We loved it. It was spacious enough to have 2 adults and 2 small children. It even had a little love sofa in there. The steward was great and attentive. Our room did have a little age on it but nothing that would make me feel nasty by staying in it at all. Some other cruisers stated they smelled mold on various places of the ship, however we did not. Read Less

Overall it was a really fun cruise. Staff was good. Our room was very clean and the attendant was great. Anything we needed it was there before we returned to the room. Food and drinks were ok. Main dining room was average but we had requested a private toable and were placed with 6 others. Luckily they were all very nice. The kids really enjoyed the buffet. They are there for lunch and breakfast every day. Room service was of higher quality than I expected. I Didn’t mind paying the 7.95 charge. Though i do wish they had more options for food after 9pm. Park Cafe was lacking greatly. Entertainment was average. Wish there was a little more to do but overall a good 5 night cruise. Kids programs were good and kept my children busy most nights to allow for some adult time. Casino was small but never really crowded. Cruise director was ok. Kept the crowds busy. Read Less

Spent a relaxing weekend in the sun and on the sea with my husband. Weather was beautiful, the ship was clean and the staff was very friendly. We had an inside cabin and found it very comfortable with plenty of storage. Embarkation and debarkation went very smoothly. The staff in the Diamond and Concierge lounges were very accommodating, friendly and efficient. Had dinner in Giovanni's Table one night and the food was delicious. The show by The Rookie was very entertaining. My husband and I had booked the cruise before we knew that my sister and her friends were on it also - a nice surprise. In Cozumel we visited Allegro at Cozumel for the day - don't know if I would go back again as the beach was a long walk from the entrance and the food. Would definitely cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas out of Tampa again! Read Less

We live just over an hour from Tampa and sail from there frequently. We have been on all the Radiance Class ships and enjoy the size and amenities Brilliance and her sisters offer. We were in GS 1554 on Deck 10 and really enjoyed its central location and access to the Concierge Lounge on Deck 13 and especially the disembarkation assistance of the Concierge. The balcony could have been cleaner...a salt coating needed to be removed from table, hand rail, and seats. Being right under the pool area, we were part of the sail away festivities and other musical events...if we wanted to be, or not. The same cabin on a lower deck would have been wonderful. Of special note this time was the superb quality of food, presentation, ambiance, and service in each of the three specialty restaurants. We did the 5 Night Package and ate in Chops twice, Izumi twice, and Giovanni's once. Special plaudits to the efforts of the Specialty Manager for a job well done. We also enjoyed the theater entertainment, casino, and general welcoming and caring attitude of crew in all areas of the ship. What we found most distressing was the total lack of supervision of children of all ages in many areas of the ship. Kids ran wild....in halls, on decks, stairways, pool area and even in the Windjammer. It was at the point of being dangerous not only for other passengers, but the children themselves. If parents can't/won't control their own children....then crew members should enforce the ship's rules of conduct. It's a matter of courtesy and safety.This is an issue we see getting worse and worse with time. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it fit with the school holiday schedule, was a nearby port, and was on a ship we like. We selected an inside cabin (9519) . This was our first experience with an inside cabin and it will not be the last. We loved it. We have done this itinerary several times . The cabin steward and the main dining room staff were the best we have ever had. A major disappointment was the "Free Shuttle" from the Port parking garage to the pier. It was too far to walk with luggage and the shuttles stopped running. We were in the last shuttle to run, the rest of our party was waiting for the next shuttle which was promised to be in about five minutes. An hour later, they walked with their luggage to the pier. We were across the street from Pier 2 and had to walk to Pier 6. Completely ruined the first day on board. This was not the fault of RCCL. The only other disappointment is the hours for the use of the Solarium pool. It usually did not open until 9 am and closed by 8 pm. The main pool would open at 7 am and close at 9 pm. Even on port days when most of the families, young people, and fit seniors were on shore, the Solarium pool was open 2 hours later than the main pool. On this ship, only the Solarium pool can be entered using steps. The main pool requires you to use a pool ladder. Mobility impaired cruisers couldn't swim until so late in the day that they would miss the other onboard events. We did not visit either port since we have been to both ports often. We will certainly do this cruise again as it is our go-to get-away and is close to home. We love Brilliance of the Seas and have never been disappointed by her. Read Less