It is time to talk about a specialty restaurant that we have never reviewed before, Rita's Cantina on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas.

Rita's Cantina is a Tex-Mex inspired restaurant that first launched on Allure of the Seas when she debuted and has since spread to a number of Royal Caribbean ships.

Before ever stepping foot into Rita's, I had read quite a number of reviews online and most guests seemed to have a negative view of Rita's, especially compared to Sabor Modern Mexican.

I try not to judge anything based purely on what I may read or hear about it, but I will admit I did lower my expectations considerably.  I assumed a meal at Rita's would not be similar to my amazing meals at Sabor, but I wanted to keep as open a mind as possible.

Once on Brilliance of the Seas, I made a point to stop in for lunch on one of our sea days.  Will it be a hit or miss? Time to find out!

Atmosphere

On Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, Rita's Cantina is located on deck 11 behind the Windjammer on the port side of the ship.

Rita's is a half open air restaurant, with covered seating and tables out in the open.  If you have eaten at Johnny Rockets on a Voyager or Freedom class ship, the seating arrangement is somewhat similar in that there is indoor and outdoor seating. 

On Brilliance of the Seas, although there is covered seating, there is no air conditioning (or heat) for the indoor portion, so you are still somewhat at the mercy of the weather conditions outdoors.

Regardless of if you are seating inside or outside, there are views of the ocean from everywhere, except the bar (although you could simply turn around to see the ocean).

To describe the decor of Rita's Cantina, I would have to say there are hints of a Southwestern USA/Mexico motif with teals, dark reds and oranges.

Much of the restaurant, however, is not very well themed and feels more like a table at the Windjammer than a typical Royal Caribbean specialty restaurant.

After I scoped out the restaurant for a bit, it was time to dig into lunch.  Let's check out the menus!

Eats

For my meal at Rita's Cantina, I wanted to sample a little of everything that I could to get a sense of what Rita's really offers.

The first thing I noticed about the menu at Rita's Cantina is that while you could have a meal here, the menu really leans more towards being a restaurant that offers a lot of drinks and some snacks and light fare to go along with the drinks.

There is quite a selection of margaritas available, served on the rocks or frozen.

If mixed drinks or beer are your thing, then there is plenty to choose from as well.  Certainly. no one can complain about there not being a good selection of alcohol at Rita's Cantina.

The food menu is fairly limited, with just eight items listed.

The one thing I did notice immediately about Rita's Cantina menu are the prices.  Everything is incredibly inexpensive.  Most items are about $2-3 each.  That is dirt cheap.

I asked my waiter for a recommendation for a margarita and he pointed me towards the Pineapple Orange Margarita.

I opted for frozen and it was served in a rather large cup.

The margarita was fine, neither the best I have ever had nor the worst.  I prefer my margaritas to have more tequila than what I was served, but not the end of the world.

For my food, I ordered the roasted tomatillo broth, fiesta guacamole, chips & salsa and a grilled Quesadilla.  I figured that would be a good assortment of food to consider.

Service was a bit slower than I expected, but not because of my waiter.  The restaurant was not that busy, so at least I could tell the food was not just sitting around.

First up was the chips and salsa. 

The salsa was more of a pico de gallo, and I really enjoyed it.  We had just been in Cozumel, Mexico the day before, so I had a pretty good idea of what good salsa is and this was freshly made.  I could snack on this any day.  The chips were certainly out of a bag.

Next came the guacamole.

This guacamole was, well, awful.  The consistency was too watery and it was really bland.  I hate to say it, but I have had far better guacamole out of a jar from my local supermarket.  

Luckily, the tomatillo soup came out next and it was a welcome distraction from the guacamole.

The soup was more of a tortilla soup than anything else and it was above average.  I certainly ate much more of the soup than I did the guacamole.

Last out was the chicken Quesadilla, which was served with sour cream and more guacamole.  

I sampled the guacamole that came with the Quesadilla to see if perhaps my first guac serving was a bad batch, but this too was inedible.

The Quesadilla itself was okay and lent itself to the comparison that most Quesadilla are just Mexican grilled cheese's.  I ate a good amount of it, but the Quesadilla was just okay.  

Overall

After hearing mixed reviews of Rita's Cantina for years, I did not know what to expect but after eating at Rita's Cantina, I now know why it has the reputation it has.

I have two takeaways from RIta's Cantina on Brilliance of the Seas:

1. The food is nothing special and tends to be more lackluster than anything else
2. The food is really, really inexpensive

I freely admit the food is not going to impress many, but when you consider the low prices (I spent about $8 for all my food), perhaps Rita's Cantina is not an awful value.

I see Rita's Cantina as not a restaurant for a meal, but rather a snack with a few drinks.  If you purchase one of the unlimited alcohol packages, I could easily see Rita's Cantina being a great spot to enjoy the benefits of the drink package with a plate of nachos and salsa.

The bottom line is Rita's Cantina will not be at the top of many guests' favorite restaurant lists, but I do like the low prices and ample selection of drinks available.

Have you dined at Rita's Cantina? What's your favorite dish on the menu?

It seems like everyone is curious what the various stateroom types look like, so we bring to you these photo tours of various stateroom categories.

Today, we have an inside stateroom on Brilliance of the Seas in category N.

On Brilliance of the Seas, we reviewed stateroom 3545, which is located on deck 3 closest to the forward elevator bank.  Entry to the room is by your SeaPass card.

Category N staterooms on Brilliance of the Seas are listed at 165 square feet and can accomodate two guests.  There was a surprising amount of space for an inside stateroom, perfect for one or two passengers to live comfortably.

The bed is joined together but can be split apart if need be, with a nightstand on either side of the bed.  

There is a flat screen television attached to a tilting arm, such that the television can be pointed straight across or swung for optimal viewing in bed.

There is also a sofa, closet, sitting area with desk, drawer space and vanity in the room.

The bathroom contains a sink, shower and toilet.  In our room, the shower had no plastic door, but a curtain instead.  I am not certain if this is standard for Brilliance of the Seas, or just a special case in our room.

The desk features two electric outlets.

There is a large closet near the entrance of the room, with the most storage space available.

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.

10. Comfy chairs at Vintages

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!

9. Thermal spa pass & Ultimate spa pass

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

• Steam room
• Sauna
• Heated stone chairs

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.

8. Surprise at the top of the glass elevators

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.

7. Lounge chairs on deck 12.5

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!

6. Outdoor Windjammer dining area

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.

5. Best spot for sailaway

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.

4. The Cinema

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.

3. You can play darts

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.

2. Self-leveling billiards table

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.

1. Park Cafe

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!

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.

UPDATE: The February 23rd sailing has been cancelled.

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.