Matt is back from his Brilliance of the Seas cruise, and this week's podcast episode is all about sharing his experiences onboard.
Matt discusses what he thinks of the ship, what his opinion of the unlimited alcohol packages are, reviews of dining, shore excursions and a lot more!.
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Going on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas means you will find a beautiful cruise ship with a lot to see and do, and naturally, you will not want to miss any of it.
We present our list of the top ten hidden secrets and gems that you should not overlook if you get the chance to sail on Brilliance of the Seas.
I am always looking for the best spot to relax and enjoy a drink, conversation with friends or just a good book and on Brilliance of the Seas, the best place if you want pure comfort is Vintages.
Located on deck 6, Vintages offers some eccentric looking furniture that is just as comfortable to sit in as it is pleasing to look at.
If you like to sprawl out, the couches in Vintages will be perfect for you!
If you are looking to indulge, be sure to consider the thermal spa pass on Brilliance of the Seas.
Guests can purchase a thermal spa pass, which gets them access to
If you want even more relaxation, try the ultimate spa pass, which includes everything in the thermal spa pass plus a Rasul treatment session. The Rasul treatment is essentially a couple’s exfoliation, shower and facial and costs $99 per couple. It is a great value for the time and money.
The ocean facing elevators elevators on Brilliance of the Seas offer some fantastic views of the ocean that are unique to the Radiance class of ships.
However, there is a little surprise for those that go all the way to the top of the ship.
At the very top are two fisherman that are cane pole fishing and it is a feature of the ship few discover and fewer notice.
If you are looking to sun yourself but either want to get away from the crowds or need to find a good place if all the chairs are taken by the pool, then head up to this special deck on Brilliance of the Seas.
Go to deck 12 and then walk forward until you find a set of stairs that lead to a smaller deck that has plenty of lounge chairs as well as a great view of the ocean.
This spot on deck twelve and a half is rarely full and most guests never even know it is there!
The Windjammer is a staple of any Royal Caribbean cruise experience, and on Brilliance of the Seas, guests can dine with the ocean breeze in their hair at one of the outdoor seating areas.
The Windjammer features a few dining annexes that are offer partial or full exposure to the sun, breeze and views.
Our favorite is the outdoor dining area at the aft of Brilliance of the Seas, because being able to enjoy your food while seeing the ocean pass you by is a wonderful view.
And since we are always on the lookout for comfortable places to dine, there are some great couches if you prefer to enjoy your Windjammer goodness in style.
If you want the best spot on Brilliance of the Seas to watch as she pulls out of port, then it has to be the helicopter pad at the front of the ship.
Located on the bow, guests can walk to the helicopter pad and enjoy the unobstructed views that you can only get from the helicopter pad.
The perspective from this spot is hard to beat and many guests do not know it is possible to go here.
To access the helicopter pad, go outside on deck 5 and then walk forward, climb up a set of stairs and continue walking forward until you reach the helicopter pad.
Brilliance of the Seas has a movie theater onboard, which is a feature not many Royal Caribbean ships offer.
The Cinema is a small movie theater, where guests can watch a variety of movies throughout their cruise.
Movies in the cinema are complimentary and it offers a great way to see your favorite films as they were intended to be shown.
The cinema is located on deck 6 forward, near the King & Country Pub.
Royal Caribbean has been adding English-style pubs to its cruise ships for years, but for those that want the full pub experience, how about a game of darts to go along with that pint?
On Brilliance of the Seas, guests in the King and Country Pub can play darts whenever they please.
Like so many of the activities onboard, darts are complimentary and a great way to pass the time onboard.
Brilliance of the Seas features self-leveling billiards tables that are the perfect way to enjoy a game of pool, even if the ship is rocking a little (or a lot).
These billiard tables utilize gyroscopes to always keep the top of the table level so that the billiards balls do not roll around.
Not only is this a really impressive bit of technology, but it also means guests can enjoy a few rounds of pool regardless of the sea conditions.
If you are looking for a bite to eat somewhere a little less hectic than the Windjammer, try the Park Cafe in the Solarium on Deck 11. Not only is it less busy, but they have some really great choices!
Park Cafe features Make Your Own salad options, where guests can select the salad ingredients and the whole thing is made in front of them.
There is a also a good variety of sandwiches, healthy snacks, desserts and more.
Park Cafe is also home to these small, but amazing, roast beef sandwiches. These little bad boys are quite tasty and it (and the salads) are complimentary!
There is something so wonderful and exciting about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise that brings a real sense of euphoria to everyone when their cruise countdown is almost at an end, and this week, I am lucky enough to be the benefactor of a nearly complete countdown clock, as I am boarding Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas for a 4-night cruise. In this week’s episode, I will preview my cruise, and discuss why I booked this particular sailing, my plans for onboard the ship and what I am most looking forward to doing.
Have you considered a Royal Caribbean cruise to Iceland, Norway and the Faroe Islands? A podcast listener joins me this week to discuss a recent 12-night cruise to Northern Europe on Brilliance of the Seas. We are discussing the appeal of this particular itinerary, what is fun and special to do on Brilliance of the Seas and looking at the beautiful ports you will visit.
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Due to heavy fog in the Tampa Bay area, Royal Caribbean has canceled the already delayed February 23 sailing of Brilliance of the Seas.
Photo by Dustin Fox
Royal Caribbean notified passengers on the scheduled sailing their cruise would not occur because of the existing delay and anticipated upcoming delays with additional fog.
Royal Caribbean will provide each guest a full refund of the cruise fare as well as a future cruise certificate worth 25% of the cruise fare paid for the February 23rd sailing.
Brilliance of the Seas was scheduled to return to Tampa yesterday but heavy fog at sea prevented the ship from entering the port. Royal Caribbean originally postponed the start of cruise to February 24 but the additional delay forced Royal Caribbean to cancel the sailing all together.
Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas was delayed returning to her homeport of Tampa, Florida today due to heavy fog.
Brilliance of the Seas was due to arrive at the Port of Tampa this morning but the ship ran into thick fog in the Gulf of Mexico, making the return to Tampa Bay unsafe.
Brilliance of the Seas is about four hours away from Tampa and surrounded by fog.
As a result of the fog, Royal Caribbean has pushed back the next cruise's embarkation by one day to tomorrow.
A Royal Caribbean issued a statement “Because of the current Coast Guard advisory, and the uncertainly of when Brilliance of the Seas will arrive to Tampa, we have decided to delay boarding for your cruise until tomorrow."
The fog not only caused a delay in the returning passengers getting off the ship but also delayed the subsequent cruise for passengers eager to begin their cruise vacation.
As a gesture of goodwill, and to thank guests for their understanding, Royal Caribbean will provide each stateroom with an onboard credit. Additional details regarding the onboard credit will be provided to guests tomorrow.
In SEC filings,Royal Caribbean announced it had refinanced its deal in place for Brilliance of the Seas by terminating the lease and buying the ship outright for $275 million.
Royal Caribbean leased the ship when it was built back in July 2002 under a 25-year operating lease. The move today eliminates that lease obligation by purchasing the ship.
Royal Caribbean funded the purchase through drawings under their revolving credit facilities. Royal Caribbean also indicated they will not recognize any gain or loss in connection with this refinancing deal.
Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas made her inaugural cruise from Tampa, Florida on Saturday and is the ninth ship in the fleet to call Tampa home.
Brilliance of the Seas took her 2,100 passengers on a Western Caribbean cruise itinerary that will visit Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Roatan, Honduras.
When Brilliance of the Seas returns to Tampa next week, it will begin a series of four- and five-day cruises with ports of call in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico.
Brilliance of the Seas will offer cruises from Tampa through May 1.
The Tampa Tribune reports to celebrate her first cruise, the Tampa Port Authority arranged a tour of the 12-story Radiance-class ship for authority board members and news reporters.
Royal Caribbean plans to deploy a second ship in Tampa for Caribbean cruises next year.
The shutdown of the United States government that began today at midnight has had a lot of effects throughout the country, including a Royal Caribbean cruise.
USA Today is reporting that cruise passengers aboard Brilliance of the Seas that had booked an excursion to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine were turned away due to the shutdown. Royal Caribbean had to cancel all of its excursions to national parks.
Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez elaborated on what the cruise line is doing instead, "We were able to come up with some alternatives in order to accommodate those guests that had booked excursions to the national park."
Some other options offered include the Mount Desert Oceanarium or going on a schooner sail.
Martinez indicated the cruise line will monitor the shutdown situation and make whatever changes are necessary for upcoming cruises.
Royal Caribbean announce it is cancelling its three cruises in Quebec, Canada for Brilliance of the Seas.
Port of Quebec spokesman, Anick Métivier, commented on the decision, "This is a repositioning of the ship that the cruise line has decided to do. Cruise lines reposition their ships generally based on fluctuations of the international market, and it is beyond our control."
As a result of the cancellation, the Port of Quebec has downgraded its projections for cruise passengers for the year from 117,500 to 111,000. Despite the cancellation, this will still be the second best cruise season ever for Quebec.
Two other Royal Caribbean ships are still planning cruises to Quebec. Explorer of the Seas will be arriving in Quebec from September 18 to 20, 2013 and another visit planned in 2014. Legend of the Seas will make her inaugural visit to Quebec in 2014 as well.