12-17-07

December 22, 2007

"The Brilliance is a beautiful ship, one of the Radiance class. Overall, my impression was not quite as flawless as the Radiance."

TRIP INFO

Sail Date:		12/17/2007
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RATINGS

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COMPLETE REVIEW

There was room for improvement on the Brilliance, sailing Dec 17, 2007. The ship is beautiful and was especially so decorated for Christmas. But the little things were not as perfect as other RCI cruises. Overall the crew were fine but small things added up to decrease the overall effect.

The cruise included one day at sea, then a stop at Key West. Since I had been there before I did not go into Key West but stayed on the ship.

The hospitality and friendliness of the crew were there but could have used a little extra something. The cabin attendant was pleasant, did a good job taking care of the room but was not as gregarious or attentive as usual. The drinks were good and some of the bartenders and bar waiters were exceptional, but most did not stand out.

We dined in both the private dining rooms, Portofino and Chops, and both dinners were exceptional, presentation was very nice. Since this was only a 4 day cruise, we only dined twice in the main dining room. The head waiter only appeared at the end of the last meal.

We had a toilet misadventure and the plumber was a little short with us, implying that we had flushed something inappropriate down the toilet (which we hadn't!) and argumentative.

The loyaty ambassador was not enthusiastic and did not know the Diamond Plus passengers.

We gave up twice after being on hold for way too long to reach room service.

The disembarkation process seemed very unorganized and slow.

All in all a good cruise, but the Brilliance won't be my first choice on my next one.