Being we were part of 8 people (Bruni, Coyle, Bergen) on this cruise, of which I set up and none of us were advised of this being a family cruise filled with 779 children, teenagers and spring breakers! They monopolized all the pools, saunas, play areas, etc. One day one teenager broke a glass at the solarium pool , cut themselves, blood in the pool and had to be drained, cleaned, scrubbed, etc. Had we known this was a family cruise we would of all booked another date. Also, had to call customer service as I was double charged for art auction purchases and waiting for credit card to be adjusted. This should of not occured! On day we disembarked for Key West, we were all advised that we were to exit from level 2. We were one of the first people on line and after 45 minutes wait, we were advised that we now had to go to level 5? Once at level 5, we walked down stair cases back to level 2, where we waited again for people getting off from same level we were asked to leave!! The staff was great, as was the food, but you all need to get your directions correctly for future cruises and some one to check the bill invoices! Upon arrival to terminal and seeing all of the kids, we almost decided to cancel this cruise! People should be advised up front the type of cruise they are on! It was not a pleasent experience with all of these kids! Read Less

13 women, mostly over 60, just wanted to get away for a few days, so we booked this 5-nighter out of Tampa. Little did we know that there would be 780 passengers under age 12, plus a bunch of teens. Aside from that, it was very enjoyable. I am used to cruising Azamara and Oceania, so I had few expectations. The food was very good. The entertainment was excellent (at a time when Azamara did away with their production shows). I encountered a very drunk woman supervising a child and I was close to calling security. I was pretty appalled by the number of children in the hot tub, let alone that they were allowed in. Perhaps no one under 16 should be allowed in? Both shore excursions were great and inexpensive. Hop on trolley in Key West and a chocolate and tequila demo and tastings at 2 factories. Lots of fun. Best for me was the Diamond Lounge. Saved me about $200 in wine tabs. Ahmet the concierge and waiters were excellent. Yes, I would consider R C again, but still really like small ship cruising. Read Less

Royal Caribbean normally provides exemplary service, excursions, and value for your dollar. This cruise did provide excellent excursions. The cruise experience itself over promised and under delivered. I would never sail the Brilliance of the Seas again. The ship is old. Most of the equipment is showing its age. The pool tables and sticks were broken. Mini golf needs a face lift, the shops are overpriced with little selection. The carpet is clean but worn. Although the wait staff and room staff work hard, you will have the smallest and darkest staterooms I have ever seen on a ship. The cruise director, Mike, does an amazing job. The activities are good, if the ship isn't rocking so hard that you spend most of the time sick in your cabin. Don't book deck two or three if you can avoid it. RC provides approved shops in Cozumel. Unfortunately, the stores still try and rip you off. If you use a credit card be prepared to dispute charges that are made on the card after you sign the receipt and leave the store. The Butterfly conservatory and Truman White house are worth seeing in Key West. Get yourself to the Truman White house- they sell more affordable tickets with multiple sights included. In Cozumel, the Mayan ruins and chocolate tour was amazing. Worth every penny. Don't buy anything from RC at their "clearance sale". It is cheaper to get items at Overstock.com with tax included. Overall the entire cruise felt like a sales pitch with RC staff attempting to pick your pockets. Oh and room service is now an additional fee. Read Less

As a frequent cruiser with Royal Caribbean (Diamond) it pains me to write a negative review for my favorite cruise line. That said, it is a beautiful ship but this particular voyage seemed to be poorly managed. Embarkation in Tampa was very smooth and quick. We drove ourselves to the port and parked in the cruise terminal garage - painless and straight forward. Cruise Terminal 3 was bright, airy, and overall well set up to get people on board quickly. Brilliance is an older ship with a more traditional feel. The public areas are bright and open with views of the water pretty much anywhere you look. Although older everything seemed to be in good shape and the ship was kept very clean. The pool deck seemed a little on the small side for a ship of its size and was always crowded. Many wound up in the Solarium which also seemed to fill up quickly. I did not go much up to the sports deck but I did see the usual basketball court, rock climbing wall, mini golf, and a water slide. Bars were plentiful around the ship, but service was poor at best. There were simply too many people and not enough wait staff to take drink orders. On previous Royal Caribbean ships there always seemed to be friendly cocktail servers floating around taking drink orders. On this voyage they seemed almost non existent. The ones they did have were friendly but you could tell they were over worked and could have used more help. We were always having to go to the bar and wait in line to order. There was also a bar called Rita's in the back of the ship that never opened despite the Cruise Compass stating open hours. As far as dinning goes, our food and service in the main dinning room was mediocre at best. Although friendly, the servers never bothered to learn our name and always confused our food orders. Something different for us on this cruise was Royal Caribbean was using one menu where you picked everything including desert in advance. In the past they came around with a desert menu. To me it felt rushed but they may be catering to vacationers who want to get in and out. There seemed to be no quality control for the food and it was extremely disappointing. The buffet at Windjammer seemed to have better food which says a lot for someone like me who does not like buffets. The best meal we had was at Giovanni's. The food and service there was excellent - it reminded me of what the dinning room service and food on other Royal Ships should have been. Please note we did not try Chops or Izumi on the cruise but we did hear positive things about those places from others on the ship. Snacks could be found throughout the day at Park Cafe in the Solarium. Sandwiches, soups, sometimes burgers/hotdogs, and sometimes pizza could be found there. Nothing to write home about though. Entertainment was on par with other Royal Caribbean ships of similar size. The singers, dancers, comedians, and guest entertainers all made for enjoyable evenings. Our stateroom was a junior suite (double points!) and was nice furnished and in great condition. Our steward greeted us promptly and the first day and always cleaned our room promptly. One negative thing was that there were always dirty linen bags in the hallway and cleaning equipment left out, even when not in use. It just made the stateroom hallway look messy. Cozumel was a typical cruise port of call. Lots of shops and souvenirs right off the ship. We did not take an excursion this trip as we were traveling in a large group but there were a wide variety available. Overall this ships is beautiful with so much potential, but on board management needs to get there act together to provide a smooth consistent quality of service that people have come to expect from Royal Caribbean. Read Less

We were looking for a short cruise that offered some adventure for our family. From the time we arrived at the airport to the time we arrived back, we knew we chose the correct company to cruise with. The staff were amazing and made you feel welcomed the entire time. The ship had all the amenities we needed to enjoy ourselves. Our cabin was comfortable and was maintained by a top notch crew. We loved the dining experience and looked forward to trying the many dishes available each night. The service and meals were outstanding. The daily and nightly entertainment kept us busy and were enjoyed our by us all. Our ports were nice, clean, and easily accessible. The shops and surrounding areas felt safe. Our shore excursions had the same professionalism as on the ship. We had no worries at all. Our two teenage boys enjoyed themselves 100%. We enjoyed the trip and will take another cruise.... Read Less

Royal Carribean employees are always friendly, welcoming, helpful, and smiling! They engage in pleasant conversation and are happy to share their Royal Carribean experience with guests. Royal Carribean employees are this company's best asset! Our cabin was tended at least twice a day, sometimes more. The linen service is outstanding, to even include changing out the shower curtain! We were afraid the All-Access Tour would change our minds about how much we enjoy cruising ... wrong! We learned so much about the security, planning, food-safety, and environmental awareness of Royal Carribean. What an amazing company! The performing artists on this ship are skilled and professional. And I am a performing artist, so I tend to be super-critical of my peers. The audition process must be fantastic, and the teams are well-suited for each performance venue. The cruise director activities were well-thought out, engaging, and family friendly. I love Royal Carribean! Read Less

We did a 5 day to Cozumel and Grand Caymen. Originally we planned to land at 12:40 on embarkation day. We changed to the night before. We did receive an email asking us to board after 2 that I ignored. We arrived via Uber at 12. It was packed at pier 6. We are platinum members and were put in an expedited line...which was very expedited! We were on board in 15 minutes. Note, we heard some were on at 10:30 am. We were on deck 3. I like inside cabins. Even though it’s the low rent district...it was quiet, which we like. If your on a low deck, be prepared to use stairs at times. The ship was clean and beautiful. The crew was professional. I’ve read reviews to the contrary. Our experience was very positive. Our room attendant was one of the best we’ve had. The food in the MDR was good. The service in all areas was excellent. The food in Windjammer was very good. We ate at Chops one night. It was good...but I would think twice in the future due to the price tag. The drinks were okay, which was the only let-down. I usually suck down the tropical drinks. First drink of the day was TERRIBLE. I started drinking beer and rum and coke after that. I think they dulled down the drinks for the drink package folks, so they didn’t die of alcohol poisoning. Our cruise was during spring break. There were many thong-clad teens acting bad. I was there for a good time and didn’t let them ruin it, however...beware! I’m glad my kids were NOT onboard to witness reckless and inappropriate behavior. RCCL handled it gracefully. My advice...spring break=rowdy crowd, be aware. The solarium was awesome on board. It’s was warm and zen-like. It felt like a spa. There was light food in the Solarium at various hours. There was an area in the back of the Windjammer, which was outdoor. It’s was a great place to eat. On at sea days, chairs were hard to get, however they had chairs available on the upper decks in surprising places and they were more quiet. Another fun spot was outside on deck 5. We found a few chairs to lounge in or read a book...it’s was super quiet. The Vintages bar was cool and funky, but only served wine. The live music was great and varied. I enjoyed string violinists and more recent dance music. I saw a show, Kenny James I think...he was excellent. The fitness center is big and well appointed. The ports of call were fun, lively spots to stop for the day. I carried on wine and a 4 pack of Gatorade, no questions asked. Disembarkation to pier 3 was slower, but tolerable. We found a bus charging $8 per person to the airport. Read Less

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My husband and I joined a friend who wanted to go on this cruise because it fit her schedule. The 3 of us shared an OCEAN BALCONY STATEROOM (she slept in the bunk!). The Brilliance is larger than our first cruise about 15 years ago in the Mediterranean - it was a port-intensive cruise (i.e., a floating hotel) - neither of us remember a pool or kids on that 7 day trip. This was quite different - lots of young (drunk) adults with a smattering of middle school (loud) kids. Our companion took full advantage of the slot machines. My husband sat on deck and read. I just remember walking back & forth a lot - fitbit battery died on last day at sea. Food was excellent as was the service. The only onboard tour we did was the kitchen and, with a background in restaurants and father & father-in-law military cooks, an amazing operation. On the last evening, service in the restaurants seemed a bit undermanned. The only COMPLAINTS we had, and they were major, was that the shore excursions were not well run - leaving the boat was, in military terms, a goat rope - no order, long wait, long walks, etc. No guide had anything to identify themselves at a distance (in Key West, we had to follow a short woman with a clipboard held over her head). Because of the Mexican Ferry bombings, our excursion was cancelled (no problem, safety is paramount) - but we weren't told until the boat had set sail. Had we been notified earlier, we could have made other plans. In Mexico the boat docks too far from downtown to walk and for a free ride into town, we were led through the shops on the pier, transported safely to town to the jewelry store. This was reasonably well run - meeting aboard in a seating area and led directly to the vans awaiting us. (We did learn a lesson - don't trust the vendors on the pier - my non-drinking husband bought premium tequila for his best friend. Great tequila but grossly overpriced.) No part of it was done in an orderly fashion and we feared for the return at the home port - for no reason: The final exodus from the boat was beautifully organized, with the only drawback the long line through customs. In Cozumel, I did have a momentary wonderful experience. I asked, in Spanish, if the young sales clerk could recommend a restaurant - she did and it was Las Palmeras - very good, very fast, relatively inexpensive. But then she offered me a taste of the homemade quesadillas she had in her lunch! Theatre seats (for the cinema) needs updated - broken springs, very uncomfortable cushions and spacing. Would we go again - yes, we have reservations now aboard the Oasis and doing our planning 6 months out. Read Less

This cruise was a bit of a disappointment in many different aspects. Things at the pier both coming and going went well. Our cabin was fine except for the glass could have used some cleaning. The dining on this ship reminded me of Old Country Buffet. Just very sad without much creativity, imagination, or variety. The Windjammer buffet was terrible with the same stuff every day. The main dining room wasn't much better with a lack of choices with service that seemed a little slow. Unfortunately we booked this during the "Spring Break" and had an abundance of young people. This made it a bit difficult to find a good spot by the pool and even more difficult trying to get some service at the bars and pubs. It seemed as if there was no urgency on the bartender's part to take care of the next in-line. The ship is a bit old and needs some sprucing up and paint. The staff and crew were very good. The elevators on the ship weren't that good and it seemed to take forever to get one that were usually overcrowded when they arrived. Too many other good ships out there, no reason to get back on this one. Read Less