Brilliance Of The Seas

The 2002-built Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship is the 2nd Radiance-class Royal Caribbean liner, with sisterships Jewel OTS, Serenade OTS, Radiance OTS.

The vessel (IMO number 9195200) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311361000) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, trademarked travel brand, and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Group (RCG/shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCG's largest fleet by both vessel number and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities).

All RCI liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 2500-passenger ship Brilliance OTS maintains a relatively low crew-to-guest ratio. The ship feels practically petite in comparison to the newer and bigger Oasis- and Voyager-class fleetmates. However, Brilliance is big enough to offer a variety of dining options and entertainment, yet small enough to offer more immersive itineraries than bigger Royal Caribbean vessels.

Like all Radiance-class cruise ships, Brilliance OTS features glass throughout its interior (including glass elevators and a 5-story glass wall in the atrium), thus granting passengers plenty of ocean views.

Decks and Cabins

Brilliance Of The Seas staterooms (1075 total, in 32 grades) include 66 Suites, 513 Balcony, 247 Oceanviews, 249 Inside (3 Single). Most cabins are sized 165-190 ft2 (15-18 m2). Most cabin balconies are sized 45 ft2 (4 m2). The smallest is Studio Interior (110 ft2 / 10 m2). The largest is Royal Suite (1000 ft2 / 93 m2 plus 105 ft2 / 10 m2 terrace). Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 15.

The boat has 13 decks, of which 12 are passenger-accessible and 8 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The Minstrel Dining Room is the main restaurant. Food is nicely presented and well prepared. The elegant room features tables on two levels and wonderful views of the vessel's wake. The menu offers several choices of salads, starters, soups, main courses, cheese, and desserts. The Windjammer Cafe is Brilliance's main buffet venue. It is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and informal dinner. Numerous stations serve up pasta, burgers, salads, and sweets. An interesting feature is the bar for soda, beer and wine purchases, nice because you don't have to wait for waiters, though the wine is in very little airline-style bottles which cost more than $6 each.

Follows the complete list of Brilliance of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• Minstrel Restaurant (1226-seat aft Dining Room, with two smaller private dining rooms - 122-seat Zephyr and 32-seat Port Side
• Windjammer Cafe Lido buffet restaurant (696-seat, offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 a.m., Breakfast between 7-11:30 am, Lunch 11.30-3:30 pm and Dinner 6.30-9 pm)
• Rita’s Cantina (84-seat Mexican restaurant)
• Giovanni’s Table (Italian specialty restaurant, reservations recommended)
• Chops Grille (92-seat specialty restaurant)
• Chefs Table (12-seat gourmet dining room)
• Izumi (89-seat Asian specialty restaurant). At the Izumi restaurant, "Make Your Own Sushi" classes are also held. They are available for booking at an additional cost (USD 28 pp + 18% gratuity). The sushi-making class is guided by an Izumi chef, teaching the technique for making sushi rolls (3 different types). Passengers then can eat everything they made. included with this class is also a galley tour (of the ship's dining room restaurant's kitchen on Deck 4).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The tone aboard Brilliance of the Seas is set by the 7-deck-high Centrum, which serves as a central spot for activities in the heart of the ship. During the evenings, its Lobby Bar is the hottest spot on Brilliance for after-dinner dancing. The lavish, 2-deck Pacifica Theater hosts the production shows and games.

The ship has a real modern feel and does a fine job in incorporating some of the best facilities that have become Royal Caribbean trademarks. Onboard cruisers will find classics like Schooner Bar and Windjammer Cafe, as well as a climbing wall up to the smokestack, tiny golf, and a waterslide. Other additions include the pretty Seaview Cafe and the rather avant-garde Starquest disco.

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Youth program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

Follows the complete list of Brilliance of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Pacifica Theatre (900-seat, features two grand productions per night with dance, acrobatics, comedy, and game shows)
• Starquest Disco and Nightclub
• Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery
• The Centrum (social hub, offers aerial acrobatics entertainment); Card Room; Next Cruise Lounge;
• The Colony Club (381-seat; hosts Captain’s Welcome Party);
• Singapore Slings(105-seat
• Concierge Club (suite and past guests only); Viking Crown Lounge and Bar; Crown Lounge (fka Diamond Club Lounge & Bar for past guests only)
• R Bar (35-seat cocktail bar); Cafe Latte-tudes Bar (34-seat specialty coffee bar, offers Seattle’s Best Coffee); King and Country English Pub (105-seat sports bar); Vintages Bar (wine bar); Schooner Bar (144-seat piano bar); Sky Bar
• Centrum Boutiques (duty-free; clothes, perfumes, accessories, jewelry, logo souvenirs, General Store/alcohol, and cigarettes)
• Scoreboard (53-seat cinema)
• Casino Royale (262-seat)
• Royal Caribbean Online Center (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 3 jacuzzis; 2 pools
• Solarium lounge (includes Park Cafe, pool bar and adults-only pool area)
• Outdoor movie screen
• Video Games Arcade; Optix Teen Disco Club; Living Room teen lounge area; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Adventure Beach; Adventure Ocean kids lounge area
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall; Fairways of Brilliance Golf Course.

On Deck 12, the teen’s club Optix shares space with the new “Escape Room” (interactive escape-the-room games by Puzzle Break, via a partnership with ShowFX Inc). For 60-90 min, participants (6-12 players) are locked in the escape room. They must work together to solve puzzles, find hidden clues and eventually to find the key to escape the room - before the time runs out. The Puzzle Break game (named "A Royal Mystery") is complimentary.

Itineraries

Brilliance of the Seas itinerary program is based on roundtrip departures from Tampa FL to the Western Caribbean. During summer, Brilliance sails in Europe (Baltic Sea, departing from Harwich UK) and also offers Fall Foliage New England voyages from Boston to Canada, with Transatlantic repositioning crossings.

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance is of company's Radiance-class liners, with sisterships Jewel, Radiance, Serenade.

Ship's godmother was Marilyn Ofer (co-founder of "Eyal and Marilyn Ofer Foundation" supporting culture and education). The naming ceremony was on July 13, 2002, held in Port Harwich England (UK). Marilyn Ofer is also in the executive committee of "British Friends of the Art Museums of Israel" and "Holocaust Educational Trust". The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on July 19, 2002 - a 7-day Norwegian Fjords itinerary.

The ship's Captain is Erik Tengelsen.

Brilliance OTS refurbishment 2013 review

The list of deckplan changes during drydock 2013 refurbishment includes:

• “Diamond Club” lounge was added on deck 13.
• On Lido Deck 11 (in the main pool area) a huge movie screen (outdoor theater) was installed.
• Cabin amenities were upgraded with flat TVs in all cruise accommodations.
• New restaurants were added – “Park Cafe” (complimentary deli on lido deck 11), “Chef’s Table” (private dining tour), Giovanni’s (Italian trattoria on deck 6), Izumi (Asian/Japanese cuisine, on deck 12), “Rita’s Cantina” (Mexican cuisine, on lido deck 11).
• A new “Centrum” program was implemented (daily entertainment, featuring aerial acrobatic shows).
• “R Bar” (1960s-themed) replaced the Lobby Bar on deck 4.
• “Vintages” Bar (wine bar) was added on deck 6.
• King & Country Pub replaced the Scoreboard Bar on deck 6.
• The library was moved from deck 9 to deck 5.
• Royal Caribbean’s signature Nursery "Royal Babies and Tots" was added on deck 12.