Harry Searle
Age: 32
Occupation:police officer
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Ship: Brilliance of the Seas
Sailing Date: February 3rd, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
This review is mostly for the benefit of the
Canadian traveler.
**********************************
The brilliance of the seas was gorgeous. the ship was its name and the service
and food also stood up as well. all in all a very fabulous holiday. I will make
comments on the do's and don'ts rather than give a play by play
ports of call
*************
We beached it a lot and had a great time doing so. the only part that isn't a
whole bunch of fun is that everything seems to cost extra. 5$ for a chair, 5$
for a raft and than the beer in Aruba and grand Cayman (refinance your house
$10.00 Canadian a piece) you couldn't beat the beaches though in the grand
Cayman and Aruba, they were priceless.
the most fun of the islands to us was Jamaica. I had heard a lot of negativity
about it before we went, but it was a blast. four of us rented a taxi for the
day for 80.00 u.s. the cab driver was "Pamela" she took us everywhere including
up to Mick Jigger's house, the rain forest and dunn's river falls. she was
excellent and didn't put pressure on us. she also told us if the locals were
giving us a good deal or not. she made the trip awesome.
we also beached it in Cozumel and shopped in Curacao and key west. no one really
pressured us for sales except Jamaica, the people seemed poor and pushy.
rooms
*****
We had an inside room 3045 on the brilliance. surprisingly it was spacious and I
didn't feel trapped. there was a lot of space for such a tiny room, even my wife
said so. the bed was remarkably comfortable for being foam. I slept like a baby,
not to mention our room steward was top notch. we didn't want for anything, as
well he had our schedule figured out. we would leave for breakfast and the room
would be complete by our return. I was very happy with our room
decks
*****
We spent just about every day in the middle of the ship by the pool. this area
was crowded during sea days. I would suggest getting there early to get the best
possible location. the solarium was nice on windy days.
casino
******
Always a lot of fun, but lost about 150.00. there were a lot of people winning
though, just not me.
windjammer cafe
***************
An excellent choice for breakfast and lunch. excellent variety, we didn't want
for anything. one tip, try and go very early or late for any meal as you will
avoid a shortage in tables and line ups.
fine dining
***********
There are two specialty restaurants, but for 60.00 Canadian a couple extra we
decided to eat in the minstrel dining room, which is the regular evening dining
spot.
bingo
*****
I played bingo twice although I believe this to be a big rip-off and cash maker
for the ship. the first time I played it was 35.00 u.s. for four games. the most
money any of the four games paid out was less than 100 dollars. well there had
to be one hundred people playing the day I did. that would mean the house took
in around 3000.00 and paid out around 400.00 bing was played often and by the
end of the cruise the big jackpot was around 6000.00. that sounds high but there
had to be at least 300 people playing the last day at 35 dollars a shot. that is
over 10,000 dollars being brought in and 6000 going out not to mention the rest
of the cash the ship stroked the travelers on. my suggestion, play one bingo
card for 15.00 on the last day as the jackpot can be huge. I also challenge the
ship to reveal the books on this one, they are making a fortune on bingo.
seaview cafe
************
Excellent short order food. go there when you need that fast-food/ hangover food
crave.
boarding/deboarding
*******************
The most annoying part of cruising. both take forever, although i'd sooner wait
to get on.
disco
*****
Was a blast, great d.j. and martini's. the d.j. remembered my wife's favorite
songs and played them everytime we came in
shows
*****
I hate to say it but we only went to two. not for any other reason but we were
played out every day. we had the late supper sitting which caused us to extend
the day. we would have drinks before supper wit our good friends and then go to
supper and then to the disco, casino or call it a night.
crown lounge
************
Really enjoyed this place. it is suspended over the centrium and is a meeting
place for cigar smokers. i went there every second night or so and lit up a
tasty cigar. met quite a few nice people their.
drinks
******
Be careful on drinks. the cruise can be very expensive for a canadian. i would
suggest buying a couple of big bottles and keep them in your room. get a go cup
and mix a shot up in your room and take it to the pool. if you choose bar drinks
they will run you anywhere from 5-7 canadian a piece. keep that in mind cause at
the end of your trip the bill shows up.
minstrel dining
****************
Top notch, our waiters were excellent. the food was outstanding as well
Ship Shape
**********
Excellent workout facility. to keep the added pounds off i ran 25 miles while on
ship.i only gained 2 pounds. my suggestion is work out as much as possible.
excellent facilities
I have tried to be very objective in my review. please email me with any
questions. i certainly didn't touch on everything. i had a great time and so did
my wife. i would definitely go again
harry