I couldn't have asked for better weather on our sea day, as we spent the first day on Brilliance of the Seas traversing the Gulf of Mexico.
I got up at 8am, and went right to the pool deck to grab a table where I could work on some blog posts. There was just the right mix of sun, breeze, and temperature.
Royal Caribbean's Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet shared a great forecast for our sea day.
As the day went on, the temperature started to climb a bit, but in the shade it could sometimes feel a little chilly.
I had some toast and smoked salmon for breakfast from the Windjammer.
I had no plans for the day, so I walked around the ship a bit more to check out more of what was happening around it.
There were plenty of activities offered, from the water slide to rock climbing, bingo, a stretch class and more.
For lunch, I thought about going to the main dining room, but I first went to see what the Windjammer had. Sure enough, I never left because it was a great mix of choices.
I especially liked the fajitas bar, as well as burger bar. There was even turkey burgers and grilled barramundi if you wanted something other than beef.
I took my food to the outside seating in the Windjammer, which was glorious.
After lunch, I took a walk through what used to be Rita's Cantina.
Brilliance of the Seas used to have a Mexican specialty restaurant called Rita's Cantina, located to the side of the Windjammer. It served your basic Mexican food, and also had a bar to enjoy various Mexican drinks, such as margaritas.
The first time I sailed on Brilliance I ate here, and was disappointed with it, so it never was much of a favorite for me. Over the years, it faded away, and is now just a Mexican themed part of the Windjammer seating.
I stopped by guest services onboard, and they told me there are 1190 passengers on this sailing.
Right around 1pm I contemplated what to do next, and taking a nap won out.
I headed back to the pool deck to check out cocktails trivia, where all the questions were about drinks and cocktails.
Tonight was "dress your best", so I went back to my cabin to change.
There was a general trivia event at the Schooner Bar. Here's a question to challenge yourself: how many hearts does an octopus have?
At 5pm there was a top tier Crown and Anchor event for Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members.
I always try to attend these events, because I think it's important to attend events Royal Caribbean does to recognize loyalty.
Dinner tonight brought me to Izumi.
I had originally gone to take advantage of my Diamond Plus buy one get one offer, but I learned Izumi wasn't included with it. Oh well, you don't have to twist my arm to enjoy a meal at Izumi.
During the meal I walked outside to enjoy another perfect sunset at sea.
After dinner, we headed up to the Viking Crown Lounge. On Radiance Class ships, the bar actually spins.
We rounded out our evening in the pub enjoying Jimmy, who I've usually seen performing at Captain Jack's at Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Tomorrow we will be in Costa Maya.
Stray Observations
Brilliance of the Seas has self leveling pool tables, but the seas have been so smooth it's impossible to tell if they are operational or not.
Guest Services told me there are 1190 passengers onboard.
I stopped by Adventure Ocean and they said reservations were not required since there are not many kids on this sailing.
