The
Brilliance of the Seas is part of the Radiance class, numbering four ships and representing a new direction for Royal Caribbean. The ship was completed in 2002 and has a gross tonnage of 90,090. She carries 2,188 passengers, mostly Americans. Officers are Norwegian and the crew international.
She sails Caribbean & Panama Canal itineraries from Miami in the winter and in the Mediterranean from Barcelona in summer. Spring and fall trans-Atlantic cruises link the two regions.
Much emphasis is being paid to a shippy look and the sense of sailing on a ship, from the maritime-oriented decor—dark-wood paneling and deep-sea blues—to the walls of glass that let guests watch the sea while dining, drinking and conversing. The Centrum features a portside glass wall soaring from decks 5 through 10, and four sets of glass-enclosed elevators. Like all Royal Caribbean ships, the Brilliance has the trademark rock-climbing wall and miniature golf.
Most of the public rooms, Crown & Anchor Lounge, Champagne Bar, Singapore Sling's piano bar, Windjammer Cafe, Sky Bar and all, including the trademark Viking Crown Lounge are sheathed in glass, great for viewing arrivals in the world's ports. Public spaces include the Colony Club, an interconnecting suite of five spaces with a rich look, using Oriental-patterned carpets, inlaid wood flooring, intimate seating arrangements and subdued lighting. One room is Singapore Sling's piano bar, spanning the stern with great views over the wake through full-height windows. For amazing views, don't miss having a cocktail here on a moonlit night. Keeping the Asian theme but with a twist, the colonial-styled Bombay Billiard Club provides a patterned wood floor and redwood paneled setting for two high-tech pool tables cradled in gimbals and kept even by motorized gyroscopes to overcome any ship movement. On the Brilliance, the Solarium is East Indian-themed with Indian elephants, bronze statues and a ceramic-tiled peacock. The Aurora Theater is done in gold, purple and red. The Casino Royale has over 200 slot machines and several score of gaming tables, and a baseball-themed sports bar offers interactive games. The Schooner Bar has a nautical theme, and the line's signature room, the Viking Crown Lounge, offers a quiet retreat during the day and a disco with rotating bar at night. Even the public bathrooms will turn heads: They are bright airy marbled spaces with mirrors shaped like portholes.
The two dining rooms are two stories high with an impressive double staircase joining the two levels and a cascading waterfall. The ships have three pools, a sports deck with basketball, volleyball and paddle tennis, a nine-hole miniature-golf course and golf simulators, a jogging track and a rock-climbing wall fixed to the funnel, now a feature on all RCI ships. For children, RCI's Adventure Ocean program offers four supervised age groups with play stations centered around video games, a computer lab, splash pools and a water slide.
More maritime ambience is designed into the Windjammer Cafe with navy-blue carpeting and fabrics, rich wood veneers and scattered ship models. The 11 food counters spread out the lines and reduce crowding, and food may be enjoyed indoors or out. Even more informal, the naturally lighted Seaview Cafe serves the usual fast foods during lunch and dinner hours at tables with rattan chairs. For watching steaks being cooked in an open kitchen, the 90-seat Chops Grill offers seats in high-backed booths and great sea views. Next door, the larger 130-seat Portofino features an Italian menu, and both restaurants provide a sense of occasion that comes with an extra charge.
Historically, Royal Caribbean cabins have been on the small size, while more space has been allocated to public rooms, but on the Radiance-class, they are respectable in size. The 1,094 cabins include 813 outsides (577 with balconies, the most on any RCI ship), 237 insides and 24 wheelchair-accessible cabins. Apart from the largest suites with king-size beds, almost all cabins have twin beds that convert to queens. All have small fridges, cozy sitting areas, ample drawer and closet space, desks-cum-vanities, hair dryers and typically small RCI showers. Interactive TVs tap into booking shore excursions, keeping tabs on onboard spending and checking up on the ups and downs of the stock market. Suites receive butler service and have access to the Concierge Club for tour and travel information and the latest newspapers.
All Royal Caribbean ships are big and bustling, but this new Radiance-class offers a higher standard at a moderate price level.
