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Brilliance Not Quite So Brilliant
 
Reviewed By: Nicola, London on 30th Oct 2008
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruises Times cruised before: 6-10
Cruise Ship: Brilliance of the Seas Sailed: July, 2008
Destination: Mediterranean Age: 56-65
Cabin: Balcony
We boarded the Brilliance with great expectations, we had not cruised with RCI before being P&O fans, but friends who never cruise with anyone else sing their praises, so we decided to give it a go, especially as we had enjoyed an amazing cruise through the Panama Canal on Celebrity's Summit the year before (same company and all that) and hence were expecting a similar experience. However we were very disappointed, the cruise suffered greatly in comparison. The ship itself and cabin was fine and exactly as expected, but the choice and quality of food was extremely poor and unimaginative. In the restaurant half of the items on the menu were "always available" in other words repeated every evening, and the Windjammer buffet selection was particularly unappetising. The serving staff were delightful and keen to please but my poor husband who has a problem with food cooked with garlic or strong spices found himself having to fill up on bread because requests for un-spiced food were not understood by the chefs. I wonder if this is done on purpose to "encourage" guests to switch to the paid dining options - which we did not try on a point of principal, but understand was of a very good standard. We were disappointed with the entertainment which, compared with that on the Summit which was by far the most varied and polished we had ever experienced, was amateurish and uninspiring. The selection of excursions on offer was very good and we particularly enjoyed the trips to Ephesus and Pompei except that the guide at Pompei had such a strong accent that it was almost impossible to understand anything she said. All in all we found the whole experience to be a little "down market". From conversations with staff, I got the impression that this was typical for the Mediterranean routes, whilst the caribbean etc cruises offer a far higher standard, so we might be tempted to try RCI again for a caribbean cruise, but certainly not for the med.
Quality of Food1
In the main restaurant ate mainly the fish dishes. In the Windjammer stuck to salads and very wary of the hot food.
Entertainment1
The most enjoyable entertainment was the Tango show. The least was all the rest!!
Shore Excursions2
Particularly enjoyed the Ephesus and Pompei tours though dislike the way we were herded into the rug and jewellry shops along the way.
Staff1
The Head Waiter and Maitre D in the restaurant made a special effort to please, but unfortunately were not supported by the chefs.
Children's Facilitiesn/a
Onboard Activities2
There were few at sea days on this cruise, and the activities were sufficient.
Cabins3
Yes, was as expected and in fact the balcony was larger than expected
Overall Rating2
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