Brilliance of the Seas is one of four sisters in the Radiance Class operated by Royal Caribbean International. Brilliance of the Seas is a post Panamax vessel, meaning that she can navigate the Panama Canal, although her home port was once Dubai with voyages to India, the Middle East and the Mediterranean (via Suez Canal). She has since transferred to charters sailing from her 2012 home ports of Amsterdam and Copenhagen to Northern European destinations. She will again transfer to Caribbean destinations at the latter end of 2012 and into the 2013 season.
Brilliance of the Seas has a sleek, sea-going design associated with a more traditional style of cruising. Her interior décor is nautically themed throughout giving her a classic cruising appeal when compared to larger successive Royal Caribbean ships such as Oasis or Allure of the Seas.
The main dining experience aboard Brilliance of the Seas is the Minstrel Dining Room, this is a two tier decadent space, with tall structural gold trimmed columns dividing the room, the restaurant feels bright and airy compared to many other cruise ship dining halls. The menu varies on a day to day basis, featured chefs specials each meal-time as well as vegetarian and allergy-free options.
Brilliance of the Seas also comes with many of the Royal Caribbean signature amenities and on-board entertainment.
The Windjammer Café is a buffet style restaurant that is very popular with many guests. Reviews of the Windjammer comment that the restaurant gets very busy and passengers should consider arriving early to avoid the rush. It is possible that the opposite may be more beneficial with so many passengers now arriving early to “avoid the rush”.
Portofino’s Italian restaurant is a great place to dine on some authentic pasta and anti-pasta dishes, guests have been recommending the lobster here for quite some time. This is a popular restaurant so do consider pre-booking, before you even arrive on the ship. Chops Grille is another passenger favourite, here you can dine on perfectly prepared steaks, and a range of grilled meats and fresh seafood. Afterwards treat yourself to a tempting dessert for a belt loosening evenings dining.
The Colony Club is one of the main evening attractions for guests; this is a British Colonial themed lounge and bar, equipped with billiard and pool tables. Another day-time hide-away worth mentioning is the Late-tudes café on deck 5, this is a coffee house with a very American appeal, they serve many speciality brews coming in many, many varieties.