by Darryl Brooks

Created on: June 23, 2009

This is a review of the twelve night Mediterranean cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas that departs from Barcelona. The cruise went to Cannes, France, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice, Italy, Dubrovnik Croatia, and Corfu, Greece, with three days at sea. The Brilliance is part of the Radiance class of ships which, as anyone who has sailed one of these, strikes a perfect balance between size and service.

The pier at Barcelona is well laid out getting traffic in and out with little congestion and dropping off luggage was a breeze. Also, as has become customary on RRCL and Celebrity check-in at most ports, the embarkation process was smooth and effortless. It didn't seem to matter whether you got in a normal line or one of the diamond or suite lines, everyone got through quickly. On this particular itinerary, non-European Union guests were required to surrender their passports until after leaving Dubrovnik. As always, you should travel with a copy of your passports. Also make sure you keep the receipt they give you in a safe place.

Depending on when you board, you may or may not be able to get to your cabin, so the first order of business is lunch at the Windjammer. The layout of the buffet is very nice with many different stations instead of single lines. This makes getting to what you want easier, and you can always find something with no line at all. The quality of the food at the Windjammer was good and the service excellent.

While on the subject of food, RCCL continues to push its 'specialty' restaurants and have begun to lower the choices in the dining room to force more people to pay for something that has been traditionally included. You can no longer get a filet mignon without a surcharge outside of Chops, and lobster night has become a thing of the past. They seem to think that two 'giant' shrimp make up for no lobster. Desserts in the dining room have also dropped in quality and choice. A small scoop of ice cream and a few canned cherries are not cherries jubilee.

The ship has a rock climbing wall and a sports area similar to the Adventure class ships, but there is no Johnny Rockets. There is a Seaview Caf serving food a bit above the quality in the buffet, but the better alternative is the pizza, salads, and sandwiches found most of the day in the solarium. The solarium is a small enclosed pool area close to the Spa with comfortable chairs and, at least on paper, no children. Even on sea days, those wishing a seat in the Solarium

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