Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas - Cruise Review

Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 08:22:15 -0500
From: wsnyder@siemens-emis.com (Walter Snyder)
Subject: Review

This New England to Canada cruise was our first. Overall, the ship was lovely and the cabin (deluxe Oceanview with veranda) was larger than anticipated with sufficient closet space. Entertainment was excellent, including a magician, the Platters, a concert pianist who had worked with Liberace, a singer (Bobby Arvon) who was the voice of Happy Days, a comedian and former Bill Cosby writer, and Canadian champion step dancers. Our cruise director, Clodagh O Connor "Hello Clo" was excellent and very funny. We also enjoyed dancing and listening to a singer (Celeste) following the evening entertainment.

I especially liked the comfortable chairs (good padding and arm rests) at dinner and in the lounges (some in our group complained that they were too bulky to move around - the chairs not the people!). There were not quite enough seats in the casual dining room (Windjammer) and at the theatre (we got there 30 minutes early and never had a problem), but I am told that this is typical.

The food was quite good, although we heard comments that it was more elegant in the past (e.g., Cherries Jubilee was not flamed at the table and Baked Alaska was more like ice cream cake). We ate buffet style in the Windjammer for breakfast and lunch (good overall selection) and sit down at dinner. Some in our group had fish that was overdone and the Salmon was past its prime on one occasion. However, the wait staff at dinner worked very hard to give us what we wanted. While the entrée portions were a bit small at times, we could order multiple appetizers and/or deserts, so there was never a problem in getting enough to eat.

The main seating was rescheduled for 5:30 so that the second seating could begin by 8pm. While this seemed a bit early, we did not eat our main course until after 6:30. Serving of the main course was slightly delayed on occasion because the waiters were covering up to five tables (we picked up a comment that the Princess Cruises were better organized with personal waiters). There did not seem to be much food available between meals. Alcoholic drinks were priced slightly lower than what I pay at most restaurants, especially if you bought the 12 drink cards (about $45, including gratuity). Soda or Pop was overpriced, and they even charged for juices outside of mealtimes. Overall, I sensed a bit of cost cutting on the part of management, although the staff outdid themselves.

I enjoyed a food demonstration and also an hour long galley tour given by the executive chef Steve Yates. He really knew what he was doing and the galley equipment was state-of-the-art. Chef Yates looked at his assignment as the "Olympics of Cooking"!

The ports of call were enjoyable (Quebec City in particular), especially if you wanted to appreciate the fall scenery (we hit the fall colors just at the right time). This was a good cruise for enjoying the ship as opposed to a Caribbean Cruise where the emphasis may be more on enjoying the islands.

The one serious problem with the cruise was the loss of the Right Pod (propulsion engine) due to an electrical problem (ABB motor) on the third last day of the cruise. We were quite lucky at that because it only caused us to miss the second last port of call (St. Johns N.B.) as the ship could proceed at only 2/3 speed. Our captain, James MacDonald, kept us well informed and was up-front with us. Management refunded $150 per cabin, which was a bonus if you were just as happy with an additional day at sea (and a second Platters concert), but was perhaps insufficient if you were really counting on seeing St. Johns. What really concerned me was that the problem was not fixed by the time we disembarked (experts had been flown in from Germany), and the status of the following cruise appeared to be somewhat in jeopardy. Did Brilliance of the Seas become Brilliance of the Docks?

This type of problem gave me even greater concern because our first cruise was to have been last spring on Celebrity's Infinity (Celebrity is now owned by Royal Caribbean), and that ship had a problem (premature wearing of rotor bearings) that forced a change in itinerary (also because of reduced speed). We were unable to use our frequent-flyer air tickets to San Juan because NW Airlines would not allow a change to open jaws (ship was being sent back to Miami to dry dock!). Royal Caribbean would not help us with this problem, but fortunately our experienced travel agent was able to use her connections to get us out of the cruise. So, two out of two cruises we were involved with had itinerary changes due to problems with the ship!

The other problem with this cruise was the transfers from the airport to the pier. We had to wait 40 minutes at a bus stop in Boston after being told our bus was on the way. Then our bags were set out on the curb at the pier, in the rain, and we had to carry them to the terminal and give them to the porters ourselves (unless we were content to let the bags get wet). After that, check-in went smoothly, although some others reported not getting their bags until late at night (we had ours within one or two hours). After disembarking the ship, we had to walk a significant distance from the pier to the bus with our suitcases. It seems like a cab is a better deal than the ship's transfers, at least in Boston.

We were on Deck Nine. Some passengers on Deck Ten complained about creaking noises in the cabins; the noises we heard in our cabin seemed normal and were not disturbing.

In summary, I loved the cruise and had a wonderful time. Yet, I would be very apprehensive about scheduling another cruise on Royal Caribbean until I could be reassured that problems with the newest line of ships were under control. We may give Princess a try for our next cruise in order to have a basis for comparison (variety is the spice of life!).

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