Thomas St.
George
Itinerary:12-Day
Mediterranean
Sailing Date: July 8th, 2008
Age: 49
Occupation: teacher/professor
Number of Cruises: 4
My wife and I booked a
twelve-day Mediterranean cruise through Royal Caribbean (R.C.)
on the Brilliance of the Seas (B.O.S.). We took our three
grown children ages 23, 21, and 19, along with our youngest
son who was 12. The cruise began on July 8, 2008 and ended
on July 20, 2008. Recognizing that many readers have
particular areas of interest, specific areas of discussion
have been set in bold throughout this review.
We booked our flights through Royal Caribbean International.
On the outbound flights we flew Air France. The usual
evaluation of Air France is that the food is great and
everything else is a maybe. Our trip tended to validate this
opinion. The food was great and, unlike most United States
carriers, alcoholic drinks were gratis in coach. The
entertainment was also up to today’s standards: There was a
nice selection of movies, video games, flight data,
television shows, and news. However, significant issues
deterred from the fine fare and viewing.
We left Los Angeles late, but the captain made up the time
in-flight. Grateful to have plenty of time to catch our
connection to Barcelona, we gleefully prepared to disembark
our Boeing 777 upon arrival to Charles D’Gaulle Airport.
Unfortunately, there were no open gates, which meant we sat
on the tarmac. Fifteen minutes later a gate opened up. Once
at the gate we all stood up, as passengers leaving planes
tend to do---and we waited. After ten minutes we were told
that the gangway had broken. Thirty minutes later, the
problem was rectified, but time was now more critical. In
the airport we discovered that Air France operated many
terminals, none of which were connected. Thus, we asked for
directions. Following the pointing finger of a Frenchmen, we
hopped on what we hoped was the appropriate train to head to
another terminal. Yet when we read the signs, it was obvious
the train we were on was not bound for anywhere we wanted to
go. Back off the train, mildly panicked, we looked for a
friendlier Frenchmen and new directions. This time we were
told to get on a bus, which we dutifully did. Thankfully,
the bus was the right one and we made it to our gate. When
we arrived it was obvious that there was a large, angry
crowd at the gate. The flight was not only late, but it
could not come to this gate; we were to be bussed out to a
runway-holding area for boarding.
Before we were allowed on the bus, we needed to show our
tickets. Oops, in Los Angeles the ticket agent forgot to
stamp my boarding pass for the connection to Barcelona.
Consequently, I was informed that, while my family could
board, my boarding pass was not valid because it was not
stamped. Air France demanded my ticket, but thanks to R.C.
only giving E-tickets, and not the kind that used to get
people on to the good rides at Disneyland, I could only show
them my empty pockets. Whether it was the empty pockets or
my pathetic, American-traveler act, they eventually
acquiesced and allowed me to join my family. In time our
plane arrived, and soon we were winging our way to
Barcelona. This time the doors opened, and we made our way
to the luggage carousel (with all the implied double meaning
that word brings). The luggage took forever to arrive, and
it was never quite clear which of the ten carousels were to
be used. Thankfully, oh so thankfully, all twelve pieces
arrived. We learned later that one of our neighbors on the
ship did not get any of their luggage; it never came to the
ship, and they were told that it was going to be months
before it arrived. Thank you Air France for having pity on
my family.
Luggage in tow, we sought out the ubiquitous guys with the
signs. Finding ours, we were put into a cab. After fifteen
minutes, despite severe jetlag, it was clear that we were
going in circles. I didn’t know much Spanish, but I knew it
was not a good sign when the driver said to his dispatcher,
“Donde esta Hotel Diagonal Barcelona?” Several more dondes
later we made it to the hotel. They had our rooms and were
expecting us, which is good after a long transatlantic
flight. The Hotel Diagonal was clean and upscale. Our only
issue was that the bathrooms were made of glass, and not the
kind that become opaque with the flip of the switch. It was
as if the designer had seen an article in Architectural
Digest but failed to understand the entire concept. For the
grown children a transparent bathroom was more family
bonding than they had bargained for, but it was a minor
problem.
The next day we were picked up by our R.C.-arranged
connection. The connection was on time. We quickly made it
through the ship’s check in (ten minutes). Note: Be
prepared, R.C. does take your passports at check in and does
not return them until the end of the cruise. I definitely
had a problem with this, but what can you do? As with most
cruises, a sea pass card served as passengers’
identification on the ship and was issued to each passenger
before boarding. R.C. recommended that we use our driver’s
licenses as identification when ashore? Once on the ship, we
went to guest relations in order to get Internet for one
son, and a soda wrist band for the other. We opted not to
get Internet in the room, because we were told by guest
relations that it was too slow to be useful. Instead, we
took a 150 minute Internet connection ($50), which was
accessed through RC’s computers or on our own. This
connection proved quick enough for my son to communicate
well with his office. The soda wrist band did not go so well
(these bands gave a guest unlimited fountain sodas). There
must have been a problem in communication, as we found out
later the wrist band my son received was the standard
children’s identification wrist band. Thus, we had to sign
him up a second time. After guest relations, it was off to
Portifino for dinner reservations (more about the Portifino
later).
One other first-day chore was asking the Maitre de to move
our family to a six-person table. We were one of the first
groups on the ship, making this a fairly simple request.
However, he wanted to negotiate, “If you switch from 9:00
p.m. seating to a 6:30 seating, I’ll get you the table that
you want.” Normally, this would not have been a problem, but
this twelve-day Mediterranean cruise was very port
intensive; meaning, guests often would not return to the
ship until 6:00 p.m. or after. Early seating just wasn’t
going to work. I then had a feeling that he wanted an
immediate gratuity. This wasn’t going to happen---no
six-person table, no immediate gratuity, no
end-of-the-cruise gratuity.
The basics out of the way, we headed for the stateroom,
which opened at 1:00 p.m. Our luggage began arriving almost
immediately, and by 2:00 p.m. we had all twelve pieces. Our
stateroom attendant was Anna Palmer, who quickly introduced
herself to us. She, like the vast majority of B.O.S. staff,
was friendly and exceptionally hardworking. We had a couple
of requests for her on the first day, including a roll away
bed, extra hangers, and the removal of the mini-bar
contents. She readily helped with all of the preceding,
along with many other requests made during the trip:
forgotten safe code, locked out child, and dry cleaning
services. Unlike the Maitre de, Anna was well rewarded for
her exemplary service.
Our cabin 7004 was the
family suite. It was located at the very front of the ship.
Literally, there were no cabins beyond ours. I had never
stayed that far forward before and wondered about the amount
of sway we would feel. When the seas were beyond three feet,
there was a noticeable difference between our cabin and
areas in the middle of the ship. (If a person had a tendency
toward sea sickness, these cabins would probably not be a
good choice.) Our family did well in the seasickness
department, so the cabin was perfect. There were two large
windows that faced forward; this forward viewing provided an
interesting perspective. Under the windows were two ledges,
which some of us used to sit on as we looked out the window.
Our stateroom had a small separate area with bunk beds,
along with a second separate area with a large bed. Privacy
in both of these bedroom locations was provided by a
curtain. Also, there was a couch in the main room that
converted into a bed. In addition, we ordered a roll-away
bed. When the beds were not out, there was plenty of room.
However, if someone got up in the middle of the night, there
was precious little walking room. For a family of five or
six the space was perfect. Royal Caribbean allowed seven in
these family suites, which probably would have become a
little cramped.
The lifeboat drill began at
5:15 p.m. We headed off for our station, but we were stopped
and told that our particular station would not actually be
used for the drill, only in a real emergency. Indeed, we
never saw our real station during the cruise and were never
quite sure where it was. However, since the Brilliance kept
itself above water, our ignorance was not a problem. The
lifeboat drill was a little longer than those on ships in
the United States as all instructions throughout the cruise
were repeated in Spanish, but this made sense since there
were many travelers from Spain on the trip. After the
lifeboat drill, it was bon voyage and then party time.
The sail-away party was held around the pool from 6:45 p.m.
to 7:45 p.m., which was great for those of us with late
seating, not so great for the early seaters. By 9:00 p.m. we
were off to dinner at the Minstrel (the main dining room).
Note: the Minstrel was on two decks. First serving for both
seatings, 6:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m., ate on Deck 5, with second
serving, 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., eating on Deck 4. Our
waitress, Bernadette, was great. From the first day to the
last, she kept extra appetizers, entrees, and desserts
coming to the table. Another nice surprise was that our
tablemates had been well chosen. They were a family
traveling with a grown child and an older minor child. We
soon settled into a great dinner, with stimulating
conversation. Shrimp cocktail, although definitely not very
original or cosmopolitan, was a don’t miss every night (full
menus later in the review).
After dinner we chose to skip the entertainment, as we did
for the first couple of nights. Had we gone, we would have
seen Duo Louvilov and his amazing acrobats, along with the
Royal Caribbean dancers. Although I hated to miss seeing all
of the balls and batons in the air, I chose to find the
cigar bar. On the B.O.S. the designated cigar bar was the
Hollywood Odyssey, which was located on the Deck 13, the
highest deck on the ship. This bar almost always had piano
or easy listening entertainment from 10:00 p.m. to
12:00 a.m. Throughout the cruise, I felt like the music
ended too early in the Odyssey. Sets that ended at 1:00 a.m.
would have served the needs of passengers much better. That
said, the music was great, the atmosphere sublime, and the
service excellent. Consequently, this was often my last
haunt of the night, although I almost always went alone,
since my wife hated cigar smoke; this was fair enough since
I hated exercising, which was her favorite activity.
Speaking of exercise and fitness, which I tried not to
during the cruise, my three grown children and my wife all
lost weight on this trip. Each was very happy with the
exercise program. There were many free, instructor-led
sessions, as well as for-fee sessions. My family gravitated
to the free sessions. These included Fab Abs, Total Body
Conditioning, Body Definition, and Walk-a-Mile. Led by Renee
and Mick, they seemed to more than meet my family’s need for
physical abuse while cruising. These were not watered-down
classes for the workout challenged. The trainers expected
passengers to come ready to work hard. Unless we were off
the ship, one or more of my party participated in the
Walk-a-Mile each day at 4:00 p.m., which was six laps around
the ship’s track. A secondary motivation for staying trim
was the onboard carrot known as shipshape dollars. These
were handed out when individuals participated in active
activities. As a passenger accumulated shipshape dollars
they traded them in for “amazing” stuff, such as key chains,
plastic bottles, and workout towels. If shipshape dollars
had been real money, we could have paid for the cruise with
them. I, too, contributed three shipshape dollars to our
family fund: I attended a Rumba class with my
wife---torture, torture, torture---participated in the
miniature golf tournament (which my wife and I won), and a
bago tournament. I had not encountered the game of bago
before; it was a very “sophisticated” game in which the
contestants threw a bean bag into a hole. But I was not
complaining, I took silver, beating an old woman and three
children (all of whom were under five). I highly recommend
bago for people whose spouses expect them to contribute to
the shipshape-dollars fund. Enough about exercise, my
fingers are getting tired.
Day two was the French Riviera. With two exceptions, all of
our days began the same. We skipped the Minstrel dining room
and room service and ate at the Windjammer. The Windjammer
was the Brilliance’s buffet-style restaurant. For breakfast
and lunch they did a good job, if not a great job. For
breakfast there were always eggs, waffles, French toast,
ham, bacon, sausage, fruit, cereal, assorted sweet rolls,
and made-to-order omelets. The omelets were the best of the
offerings. Later in the cruise we decided that using room
service on excursion days would save us time. This was a
mistake, for nothing we ordered was edible. The eggs were
powdery, the bacon rancid, and the sausage tasted altered.
It was our one and only experiment with room service.
After breakfast we prepared to tender to Villefranche. Most
days we had to go to the Discovery Desk early in the morning
in order to obtain tendering tickets (tendering tickets were
not necessary when we had booked a ship’s shore
excursions). It became obvious that getting to the desk
early was important, for the lines got long. Further, the
first two or three tenders left smoothly and quickly, but
after that, tendering became organized chaos. Each time we
had tickets for tender five or later, things broke down
completely; that is, the de-boarding staff made an
announcement that they were no longer going to look at
tickets and it was first-come-first-serve. Obviously, this
was good news if a person had a really late ticket. We soon
learned that if we had tickets for anything other than the
first couple of tenders, after tender three or four was
called, we would go get in line no matter our tender number.
We simply waited for anarchy to break out, and climbed into
our tender.
Villefranche was a beautiful seaside French town. In fact,
it was so nice one might easily spend an entire day there.
There were sandy beaches, plenty of shops, and even private
beaches. In France, there were usually two areas on a beach:
public and private. The private beaches provided deck
chairs, sometimes food/drink service, and other amenities. A
price of 30 or 40 Euro was common. However, Villefranche had
a large public beach, which was great, if one is looking for
a beach day. We decided to make it harder on ourselves and
take the train to Nice, and go to the rocky beaches. All of
Nice’s beaches were Rocky, which we didn’t mind as it meant
we did not have to ride the train back with sand in our
bathing suits.
The train station was to the right and up a hill from where
passengers disembarked the tenders. The landside of the
station was where we bought tickets. We asked for roundtrip
tickets to Nice. We had been told in advance that we needed
to get the ticket stamped in a machine before we entered the
train. This turned out not to be true. The stamp machines
were covered; we were informed stamping was no longer
necessary in this area. There were three main destinations
from which passengers could choose: Nice, Cannes, and Monte
Carlo. The problem with Monte Carlo was that the casinos
didn’t open until 2:00 p.m. and required guests to dress.
Additionally, the beach was private and exclusive; that is,
even if a person had Euros, there was no guarantee that
visitors were going to be granted admittance. Cannes was a
significant train trip from Villefranche. Anyway, once we
obtained our tickets, we crossed back to other side of the
tracks to head to Nice. We waited for more than one hour. I
was told that this was not unusual. It became clear that
French trains in the region did not always come when they
were supposed to. Once on the train, we got off at the
second Nice exit (exit Nice-Ville). The first one would have
left us far from the beach.
Nice itself was a beautiful town. Its architecture was
classically French, with cafes on every block. We knew not
to try a café on this excursion, because we would have
needed to leave at least two and half hours to eat. The
French consider it rude to rush café patrons along, and
getting angry will lead to being ignored. However, a day
just shopping and eating in Nice would have been a day well
spent. But that was not the day that we had planned. After
about a fifteen-block walk we made it to the public beach.
It was clean and we felt comfortable. Of course, there was
some nudity. I had warned my twelve-year-old and he quickly
adapted. Yeah, why wouldn’t he adapt. Come to think of it
his brothers and I quickly adapted too. I digress. Toilets
were an issue as they were not available at the public
beaches. Most of the cafés provided toilets, but they were
definitely for patrons only, unless one liked screaming
Frenchmen two inches from his face.
Once our beach adventure was over, we headed back to the
train station. This was where things got ugly. The train
station at Nice was a large, central station, with short-
and long-distance trains continually arriving. We were not
sure which was ours. At the last minute we jumped off of one
train back onto the platform. At that same moment I
discovered that I had lost my ticket. This meant I had to go
get a new one. My middle son had pity on me and joined me.
Meanwhile, my wife jumped into the employee car of another
train, which proceeded to take off to Monte Carlo---no more
wife. Thus, the picture was two of us getting tickets, three
confused on the platform, and one headed to Monte Carlo.
After a thrity-minute line we proceeded back to the
platform, now sure of our train. There we discovered the
other three. Eventually, our train came, and the five of us
headed to Villefranche. However, at the last Nice stop my
wife was waiting for us. The employees stopped the train and
let her off. Incredibly, we all arrived back at the ship
together.
After a leisurely late afternoon, we prepared for dinner.
Night two, like night one, was casual. For women this
usually meant a sun dress, or pants suit. I wore a polo or
button-down shirt, with some type of slacks. Among younger
cruisers, there were individuals wearing jeans to the casual
nights. This was very rare among the 35+ crowd. On casual
nights appetizers and soups were usually the best fare on
the menu. Examples included stuffed mushrooms, cold peach
soup, French-onion soup, various salads, and a cheese plate.
There was a mixed offering of entrees that usually included
one of the following: chicken, seafood, beef, and a
vegetarian dish. Desserts were varied and always great. Ice
cream could be requested on anything. There was always a
low-calorie option as well.
After dinner I stayed in the stateroom to watch the
twelve-year-old. My wife was off to the casino; I also found
my way to the casino on many other occasions. The casino was
better than average for a shipboard casino. It was, of
course, always closed while in port. Gaming options included
slot machines, black jack, roulette, craps, three-card
poker, and Texas old ‘em. My wife preferred the pushy
quarter game, for lack of a better term. She believed she
could tell the precise moment to put in a quarter to make
the maximum number of quarters fall into the tray. In
fairness to her, she seemed to win. On subsequent days, I
played craps and entered the Texas hold ‘em tournament.
The basics of the Texas hold ‘em tournament were as follows:
The buy-in was fifty dollars, not Euro. Players were
scheduled to play at a table of seven at 1:00 p.m. or 4:00
p.m. on the first sea day or at 1:00 p.m. on the second sea
day. Blinds were raised every ten minutes, and players
started with $800. After twenty minutes, players could buy
an additional $500 in chips for $25.00. The winners from
each preliminary table went to the final table, which began
at 4:00 p.m. on the second sea day. Each player brought all
of his/her chips from the preliminary table, which varied
due to the optional $500 extra buy. I did not make it to the
final table, going out with two players left. The winner
from my table went on to win the whole thing. I heard he
received $900, but I never confirmed this information. The
casino was one place that passengers were allowed to use
cash. Additionally, passengers were able to use their sea
pass cards to obtain cash. There was a $2,000 limit on how
much cash passengers could obtain on their sea pass card.
In talking about money, what about crime? People on my
cruise and people on most future cruises will be victims of
crime. It was and is inevitable. I was told two stories by
people on our cruise. In the first case, the family’s money
was primarily carried by the wife in a fanny pack carried
below the waistline. She was pick pocketed by a man in front
of her in a crowd. He reached behind his back to access her
fanny pack as they both walked. He rifled through it, took
the credit cards, and left everything else. Within twenty
minutes the cards were being used in high-end stores in
France. In the second case the woman was with her young
daughter in a church. A person came up and snatched her
purse in the church. In both cases the cards and money were
not recovered. Here was what we did to protect ourselves. I
carried a fake wallet. In it was a dollar wrapped around
paper to look like a wad of cash. Long before the trip, we
also began saving those fake, plastic credit cards we all
get. I had five of those in my wallet. My real money was
kept in a money belt in my pants below my waist. The belt
contained no metal, so even in airports I did not have to
mess with it. Once on the ship, we put half of our money in
the stateroom safe and the other half in a safety deposit
box in the pursuers’ office. (These went quickly so we
obtained it as soon as we came onboard). On excursion days I
took my fake wallet, with my wife caring any incidental
money we needed. If we thought we might need a substantial
amount of money, I wore the money belt, only accessing it in
a bathroom stall. Obviously, this system was not full proof,
but we were not victimized, but neither were most people.
Day three was Livorno, where we were sternly warned about
pick pockets. Livorno was not a tendering port so it was
easy off and easy on. We chose to take the on-your-own
excursion to Florence. On the way we were forced to go to a
leather factory, ostensibly to watch leather products
made---in reality to entice us to buy some leather products.
These mercenary stops were a fact of life on this and every
ships’ excursions, so they were expected, if not
appreciated. Once in Florence we were dropped in the middle
of the city and the day was ours. There was a guide on the
bus to Florence who was more than willing to give directions
and answer questions.
The most important thing on our agenda in Florence was to
go to the Galleria dell' Accademia to see the statue of
David. Since this was a priority, we had obtained tickets in
advance of the trip. These were purchased through
selectitaly.com. We were given a specific time to arrive at
the museum. Upon arriving at the museum, we observed an
unbelievably long ling. Fortunately, this line was for
people without reservations. We followed the long line to
where it entered the museum; there we saw a short second
line for those with appointments. The non-reservation line
appeared to be an all-day commitment and not practical for
those on cruise excursions. Our appointment was for 1:30
p.m., but anything from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. would have
worked and given us plenty of time to get to Florence and
not rush through the museum. For those without the time or
reservations, there was a way to sneak a peak at the David.
Just beyond where the lines entered the museum, there was an
exit door. People were able to look through the exit door
and off in the distance they saw the David.
Along with the Galleria dell' Accademia. We enjoyed a meal
at a café, saw Santa Croce Church (where Machiavelli and
Michael Angelo were buried), and also saw the Duomo. There
was a long line and a short line for the Duomo. The long
line took people up into the rafters (I was afraid of
heights so this wasn’t an option), while the shorter line
took guests into the Duomo at the ground-floor level. We
chose the ground floor. Unlike the Sistine Chapel, guests
were welcome to take pictures in the Duomo. In all chapels
and cathedrals women were expected to wear modest dress and
men had to remove any headwear. There were also plenty of
shops and other museums to fill the day in Florence. For
this reason, we opted to skip Pisa.
Dinner on the night of Florence was smart casual. For men
this generally meant a sport jacket with a dress shirt but
not a tie. Certainly there were men who did not wear sport
jackets, but they were the exception. For women, smart
casual translated into nicer dresses, although not the
cocktail dresses that were worn on formal nights. The
following was an example of a smart casual menu:
Appetizers
Duo of Melon
an Grapefruit
Baby Shrimp Salad
Melon Prosciutto
Lentils with Root Vegetable Soup
Cock-a-Leekie (chicken broth with rice, leeks, and prunes)
Garden Salad
Caesar Salad
Cheese Plate
Entrees
Singapore Noodles (rice noodles with shredded pork, shrimp,
and vegetables)
Sole Meuniere
Roasted Chicken
Alloo Gobi (curried cauliflower and sweet potatoes served
with samosa, raita, and bread)
Mustard-crusted roast beef
Alternative Selection (These entrees were available every
night)
Fettuccine with Marinara Sauce
Broiled Fillet of Norwegian Salmon
Grilled Black Angus Top Sirloin Steak with Herb Butter
Desserts
Chocolate Bread Pudding
Traditional English Trifle (sherry soaked sponge cake)
Pecan Butterscotch Tart
Suagr-free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Low-fat Poached Peaches
Ice Cream, Sugar-free Ice Cream, assorted Sorbets.
Following dinner, I was on
baby-sitting duty and everyone else went out. For my two
older sons ages 21 and 23, going out usually meant a night
at the Starquest Disco, located on Deck 13 next to the
Hollywood Odyssey. The Starquest featured a rotating bar and
catered to a younger crowd. We certainly found people 30+
plus in the Starquest earlier in the evening but by 1:00
a.m. it was mostly people under thirty. The Starquest and
the casino bars stayed open later than the other bars. My
sons told me the Starquest was open after 3:00 a.m. on many
nights. Indeed, the Starquest did not post a closing time.
Younger teenagers under 18, were not admitted to the
Starquest after 10:00 p.m. One of the more pathetic sights
on the cruise was the nightly accumulation of pre-18’s that
gathered just underneath the Starquest in the Crown and
Anchor Lounge. They often spilled out into the corridors and
stairs, where they were sometimes a nuisance. Curfew for
children under 18 was 1:00 a.m. The result of this late
curfew was bored bans of adolescents. A more reasonable
policy would have been to insist that children under 18 be
with parents after 10:00 p.m. I suspected even the
adolescents would have been happier. The problem of bored
children aside, day four was Rome.
Cicitavecchia was not a tendering port, which was always a
good thing. Cicitavecchia was about seventy to ninety
minutes from Rome, depending on the traffic. Through much
inquiry we had been told that the ship’s excursions to Rome
were very limiting; one could expect to see only a few of
the most important locations in Rome. Consequently, we
booked a private tour with Rome Cabs. They came highly
recommended, although I was skeptical when they did not ask
for any money during the booking process. Happily, our
driver, Alberto, met us at the dock. Alberto quickly drove
us to Rome, where we managed to see all of the major sites.
He knew how to purchase tickets before getting to the
Coloseum, so as to avoid the entire line. At the Vatican he
whisked us to the front of the long line and in we went.
Before we entered, he told us how to navigate through the
labyrinth that was the Vatican in the most efficient way.
This efficiency continued throughout the day.
We saw all of the following
while in Rome---what a day: St. Mary’s Church, Hadrian’s
Arch, the Colosseum, View of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill,
Caracalla’s Baths, view of the Vatican, Forum, several
Republican era monuments, ruins of a Roman empire
apartments, catacombs, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi
Fountain, Vatican Museum, Map Room at the Vatican, and the
Sistine Chapel. The only cautionary advice we had received
was that Rome Cabs had a tendency to cut it close relative
to all-aboard. Consequently, as soon as we met Alberto I
told him we had to be back at the ship at 5:00 p.m. We were.
That evening the only other people we talked to who were
satisfied with their day was a family who used the same
service that we had. When we took a family poll at the end
of the trip as to what was our favorite day, Rome was number
one with all six of us. We had planned on tipping Alberto 50
Euro, but he more than earned the 100 Euro we gave him.
Dinner the night of Rome was casual/country western. Very
few people actually wore country-western clothing, but this
certainly was the night in which blue jeans were the most
acceptable. I was disappointed that none of the waiters and
almost no staff wore country-western clothing. After dinner,
I spent the late evening listening to the Rosario Strings
and enjoying cigars and cognac in the Hollywood Odyssey. The
Rosario Strings played both classical and standards. This
pleasant evening capped off a perfect day. About 12:30 a.m.
I made my way to the cabin.
A good nights rest and we were ready for day five---a sea
day. The itinerary for this cruise was perfect. The longest
days were Rome and Florence, which meant by day five a sea
day was a welcome respite. This was the morning that my
youngest son and I tried the Minstrel for breakfast. I
ordered the freshly baked pastries; disappointingly, they
were identical to those served in the Windjammer. I also
ordered eggs benedict. This was pretty good and probably the
only thing on the menu that I couldn’t have found in the
Windjammer. The menu for that morning was a follows:
Freshly
baked pastries
Cold Cereals
Hot Cereals
Fruits
Regular or Fat-Free Yogurt
Pancakes or French toast
Kippered Herring
Smoked Salmon
Eggs
Bacon
Sausage
Omelettes
Eggs Benedict
My youngest son loved
miniature golf, so after breakfast we found our way to deck
13 and the course. The course didn’t have all of the bells
and whistles of a land-based course, but it gave us many
hours of enjoyment. Following golf, it was off to the pools.
The Brilliance of the Seas had three pools. The main pool
was where most people of all ages opted to be. There were
plenty of shaded and sunny spots. There were also several
jacuzzis in this area. The pool and jacuzzis stayed clean
and bar service around the pool was consistent. The main
pool was right next to the Windjammer, making it easy to run
in and grab a lemonade or ice cream cone. There were two
levels to the main pool area. The lower, where the pool was
actually located, and the upper area. A younger crowd tended
to gather in the upper area, but there were people of all
ages in both areas. There was one bar for the upper area and
one for the lower area. Getting drinks was not a problem,
lounge chairs were a different story. Royal Caribbean issued
a stern warning against people saving spots with towels. The
reality was somewhat different. On sea days most of the
spots were gone by 10:00 a.m., although many chairs were not
actually occupied.
There were two other pools
on the Brilliance. The children’s pool was primarily used by
families with children under twelve. The children’s pool had
a water slide attached to it, although my son complained
that it moved so slow children had to push themselves
through the slide. This pool was also consistently clean.
The Solarium Pool was the showcase pool on the ship. It was
adults-only, and this rule was enforced. The roof was
retractable, which made tanning possible on some days. The
décor of the Solarium Pool was orange and pink. Buddha and
elephant statues of all sizes served as interest points.
There was also a bar in this area. Bar service was not as
reliable here, so using the pool bar was a good idea. Large
windows on both sides of the pool provided panoramic views.
The atmosphere here was quiet and relaxing and I fell asleep
more than once around the Solarium Pool.
Night five was the first formal night. The vast majority of
people still dressed on formal nights, even children. Men
wore tuxedos or suits. Tuxedo rentals were available on the
ship. There were many men wearing tuxedos, so tuxedo guys
did not feel out of place on this cruise. For women, it was
cocktails dresses only. There were three formal nights on
this twelve-night Mediterranean cruise, so women needed to
spend some time planning their wardrobe.
We chose to use this first
formal night to eat at the Portifino Restaurant. There were
two fee restaurants aboard the B.O.S., the Portifino and
Chops. For $20 per person, these restaurants provided an
upscale dining experience. The best reservations for these
restaurants go quickly so we made our reservations the first
day. Both restaurants had beautiful ocean views; as one
might imagine, reservations for tables along the window went
first.
The Portifino offered a large selection of wines. The red
wines tended to be younger vintages than one might find at a
good restaurant in New York or Chicago. However, the nature
of cruising made this a necessity. To compensate for this
problem, Royal Caribbean attempted to choose wines that
matured earlier. We chose a nice five-year-old cabernet.
Unfortunately, white-wine glasses were provided. My oldest
son asked for red-wine glasses, but he was told there were
none. This did not ring true, since he had just spotted them
earlier in the day in another venue. This explained, they
went off to find red-wine glasses. As the wine began to be
poured, it was apparent that there was another problem, the
server could not pour. One after another wine landed on our
plates, utensils, and clothes. Of course the reader of this
review might also conclude, “Had you not asked for new wine
glasses, maybe all of the wine would have ended up in the
glass.” Good point. Revenge aside, the Portifino probably
could have raised its level of sophistication by providing
better training to its employees.
While the wine service was poor, the food at the Portifino
was great. We ordered the shish kabob with a lobster tail,
scallops, shrimp (red wine with fish because my wife is
Italian and loves red wine). The presentation of the shish
kabob was outstanding. They were presented hanging on a
chain. Having all six of these hanging shish kabobs brought
to the table made quite an esthetic impression. The lobster
was fantastic as was all of the food. The desserts were
decadent and worth saving room for. Note: The gratuity for
Portifino was automatically added to the bill. This was our
favorite meal of the cruise. My wife really didn’t want to
try the Portifino but even she was glad that we had.
Breaking up the routine of the Minstrel every night was a
nice treat.
Next to Portifino and Chops was the Schooner Bar. It was
here that I spent my fifth night. This nautically-themed bar
offered a full selection of spirits, beer, beer on tap, and
champagne. Large models of schooners, some six-feet long,
decorated the bar. Every night piano music was played in the
Schooner. This music tended to go a little later than the
Hollywood Odyssey and certainly started much earlier. On sea
days, the first set started as early as 5:30 p.m. Some
nights there were sing-alongs as well. Sing-alongs were not
to my taste, but I did experience one on a subsequent night;
I must confess, everyone seemed to have a great time. On
this first evening Pete Thompson played the piano. Mr.
Thompson created a festive mood any time that I heard him
play.
The atmosphere in the Schooner was a little louder and the
music more up-tempo than the Hollywood Odyssey. The Schooner
Bar was a great place to hang out; however, it did have one
flaw. It was located in a thoroughfare between the colony
club and points forward. The result was people were always
briskly walking right through the middle of the bar. Indeed,
this thoroughfare split the bar in two. When an event was
beginning in the Colony Club, the number of people moving
through the Schooner Bar could be disquieting. Despite the
ergonomic flaw, a nice night was enjoyed at the Schooner Bar
on the way to day six and the Mykonos.
While cruising to the Mykonos, clocks went forward one hour.
Individuals with excursions who forgot to change their
clocks missed their excursions. This raises the question,”
Excursion or not at the Mykonos?” In the end we chose not to
book an excursion, and we were quite happy with our
decision. This was a tender port. Some reviews have stated
that once passengers land they must take a shuttle to the
town. This was not the case for our cruise. Our tender
landed right at the town. We were in shops sixty seconds
after landing. The town was really an attraction unto
itself. A blue and white theme dominated everything.
Wonderful cafes were abundant.
After shopping, we settled into an open-air café with a roof
made of flower-adorned lattice. We sat down at 2:30 p.m. and
finished at 6:00 p.m. (this was not cutting it close as the
ship did not leave until 9:00 p.m.). Beer, Greek breads,
mushrooms, and Greek pastas satisfied our culinary needs.
Leaving plenty of time for café dining saved us from
becoming angry tourists. Note: If after looking at the town
visitors wanted to see more of the island, cars and scooters
were readily available for rent. I noticed a price of 4
Euro for a two-hour scooter rental.
Dinner after the Mykonos was casual. However, from about day
six on the number of people dining in the Minstrel declined,
except on formal nights. Entrees included cheese tortelloni
in a light blue cheese sauce, orange lime salmon, thyme and
garlic lamb t-bones, risotto primavera, and
grilled pork chop. I opted for the tortelloni. As a Blue
cheese lover I found this a wonderful change from a regular
cream sauce or marinara. Unfortunately, it was flavorful
enough that non-blue cheese lovers probably could not enjoy
it. The sad reality was it was about this point we started
to eat all of the desserts. Here was what was on the menu
(we ate all of it, and it was all good): black forest
mousse, dulce de leche cheesecake, flavored baked Alaska,
and low-fat Washington apple cobbler; the low-fat in the
name was just a cruel joke.
Following dinner, we attempted to work off some calories by
strolling on the upper decks. The Brilliance had many
outside and windowed areas that were perfect for strolling.
The velocity of the wind on the top decks became
surprisingly powerful. It was very easy to see how an
intoxicated person could have gone overboard in the strong
winds. Winds that night were 25 mph +, when combined with
the ship’s speed, gusts of 50mph were occurring frequently.
Royal Caribbean could have aided in passenger safety by
posting wind warnings on deck 12.
After our stroll, we went to the Pacifica Theater (the
primary entertainment venue on the ship) to enjoy a show
titled “Big Time Swing.” The house dancers and singers
provided all the music and dancing. They did a good job for
a ship’s band. In the past it has been very easy for
reviewers to criticize shipboard entertainment, but the
musicians were professionals and provided a nice hour of
entertainment. My wife and I sat in the balcony every night
we went to the Pacifica. The most forward balcony seats
looked right down on the stage, which seems to be a small
secret as almost nobody sat in the balcony. Additionally, at
the beginning of most performances, a bar waiter took orders
in the balcony.
Day seven found us at the port of Kusadasi, Turkey. The
wharf was within easy walking distance of the primary
shopping area as well as Pigeon Island. We chose an
excursion that took us to the Roman ruins at Ephesus. Our
driver spoke good, if not great, English. Ephesus was so
large that a four-hour excursion only allowed enough time to
hit the highlights; these included the library, amphitheatre
and a small portion of the residential section. A short
reenactment greeted visitors before entering the actual
ruins. The reenactment was not well done and stole time from
visiting the ruins themselves. When we were given fifteen
minutes on our own, we made our way into several homes in
which floor mosaics were still extant. In one home a small
bowel was still on the floor. Almost total access was
granted to the ruins, which was great for tourists, although
probably not for the preservation of the site.
Ephesus, as with most of the excursion sites, got warm.
Usually the ship sold water, $4.00 a bottle, at the exit
gangway. Some excursions also provided water. This was the
case at Ephesus. Whether provided or purchased, water was
essential for enjoying these outdoor excursions. Following
Ephesus, the bus took us to the perfunctory retail outlet,
masquerading as a factory. In this case it was a carpet
factory. It was close enough to the ship that I felt
comfortable, along with son number two, to leave the tour
and make our way back to the ship. Shopping was plentiful in
this area. My wife and daughter left the ship three times
that day to walk into the central shopping region. Store
owners were aggressive but good deals could be found.
Dinner that night was casual 70’s attire. Crew and
passengers ignored the 70’s but adopted the casual.
(Passengers needed to be warned before their cruise about
these thematic nights, in order for there to be a lot of
participation.) Before dinner, my wife and I took in the
7:15 p.m. show at the Pacifica. Australian pianist Bernard
Walz was featured. His selections included several ragtime
favorites as well as more contemporary tunes. This show was
significantly better than many shipboard presentations that
I have attended in the past. For guests with early seating,
there was always a 9:00 p.m. performance at the Pacifica.
However, for late seaters the performances fluctuated
between 7:00 p.m., 7:15 p.m., or 11:00 p.m. The Cruise
Compass (the ship’s newspaper), which was delivered daily,
provided performer and performance times for each day of the
cruise, as well as dinner attire and other
entertainment/recreational scheduling.
After dinner, we made our way to the Starquest Disco where
we jammed to DJ Luis as he spun some “hip seventies
sounds.” Alright maybe we didn’t jam, but we did dance a
little and managed to spy on our older sons as they made
conversation with the young ladies who frequented the
Starquest each night. That got old quick, and uncomfortable,
so it was off to bed.
Athens, Athens! There were two twelve-day trips in the
Mediterranean offered by Royal Caribbean. One went to
Venice, one to Athens. It was Athens that became the
deciding factor in our choice. Who could resist the
Parthenon sitting high atop the Acropolis. Yet in the end,
Athens fell far short or our expectations and was voted
least favorite stop by our family of six. Athens was not a
tendering stop, allowing us to quickly get aboard the busses
that took us on our Royal Caribbean excursion. The problems
began before we arrived. The preceding day we were told that
the workers at the Acropolis and the museums were on strike.
Thus, we would be able to go to the base of the Acropolis,
but we would not be able to walk up to the Parthenon. We
were given the option of canceling our excursion, which we
did not choose. The consensus was that seeing the Parthenon
would be enough. Our bus did not take us directly to the
Acropolis, instead circuitous meandering through the streets
of Athens was punctuated with the guide regaling us with
“fascinating” stories about when each apartment complex had
been built. When the bus did arrive at the Acropolis, we
were escorted to an area out of view of the Parthenon, where
the guide talked for thirty minutes. She then told us that
we had ten minutes to take pictures and get back on the bus.
Okay, the workers were on strike and we couldn’t go
up---fair enough. However, restricting us to ten minutes to
take in all that there was to see at the Acropolis was not
reasonable. During the rest of the excursion we toured the
venues that had been built for the 2000 Olympics. How
grateful we were when they allowed us 35 minutes to view the
football stadium---not really.
By the time they took us to the shopping district, we just
wanted out. We grabbed the first cab and headed to the ship.
The cab cost us 20 Euro for six of us. We quickly realized
we should have taken a cab from the ship and gone directly
to the Acropolis. Roundtrip would have cost us 40 Euro, ten
percent of our excursion cost, and the cab driver was far
more interesting than the guide. Although we did get nervous
during the following dialogue by the taxi driver, “This is
an immigrant neighborhood. You see that outdoor market. I
take you there if you want. You can get guns, drugs,
people---whatever you want.” Since guns, drugs, and people
were not on our shopping list, we thanked him for his
invitation and let him know that taking us to the ship would
be adequate. Note: The taxis came right to the ship, making
the taxi option at Athens an easy alternative to shore
excursions.
Athens was the one formal night that occurred on a port day.
This was obviously more of a problem for those with early
seating than late seating. On some ships the second formal
night is lobster night, but not on the Brilliance. Before
dinner we caught Daniel Bouchet in the Pacifica. Bouchet
specialized in Tango music. He definitely got the crowd into
it. However, he was heckled by a few Spanish-speaking
passengers when he forgot to translate into Spanish a few
comments he made between songs.
Entrees for the second formal night included baked cheese
cannelloni, pan-seared tilapia, pan-fried pork medallions,
wild mushroom and goat cheese pizza, and Asian duck. I
selected the duck, which was excellent. Dessert? Yes, we had
it all. Once again I was not proud of it, but here was what
we ate: white chocolate cheesecake, pear tart bourdalou,
chocolate banana strudel (this was really good), and ice
cream---so much ice cream. After dinner, I was on
child-sitting duty with the youngest. There was babysitting
available for a fee onboard, but we did not use it nor did I
meet anyone who did.
No longer sleeping well due to an excess of desserts, we
awoke on day nine ready for Santorini. While Rome was a
favorite, we all agreed that Santorini was the place to
which we would most like to return. The view from the ship
alone was magical, as was the entire place. We did not even
consider a ship’s excursion in Santorini. Fira was such a
beautiful town and so easily accessed that a ship’s
excursion was not necessary. Santorini was a tendering port,
but by this point the crew had given up on tender tickets.
When passengers were ready to go ashore, they got in line.
The tenders dropped passengers off at the base of a steep
cliff. Fira was at the top of the cliff. There were three
ways to get to the top: tram (4 Euro), donkeys (price to be
negotiated---before starting up), walk (which was free). I
took the tram and my wife took the donkeys. We both arrived
safely. Whatever the choice, once at the top visitors were
in the heart of Fira. Photographic opportunities were
everywhere. It was one of the few places I have ever
traveled where I regretted not taking more photographs
without people. The town acted as a muse for even the most
unaccomplished photographer. Along with photos, there was
limitless shopping. Here the shopkeepers were not aggressive
but neither were they very flexible. Cafes were present,
though not numerous. For individuals seeking to explore the
island, there were cars and scooters for rent.
After an unforgettable day in Santorini, the Pacifica
Theatre featured Renato Paliari. Renato was a true
performer, who succeeded in getting the crowd very involved
in his performance. A combination of humor and music made
for an entertaining night. Casual/toga attire was called for
at the Minstrel, although I saw no staff or passengers in
toga attire during dinner. However, from 11:30 p.m. until
1:00 a.m. the ship hosted a toga party around the main pool.
Togas were supplied and tied by the staff. Each passenger
lined up to get his/her bed sheets properly wrapped. Some
individuals chose to go toga- only, while others wore the
toga directly over their clothing. Toga tying was followed
by a poolside banquet, complete with all the right buffet
foods and ice sculptures. A dance floor was set up, with D J
Luis playing the music. This was a very well attended and
executed event. The good food and music made it a great
night.
When I booked this cruise the itinerary was the driving
force, but once on the cruise the sea days were as welcome
as the excursions; day ten was a sea day. Breakfast at the
Windjammer was followed by a round of morning bingo. It was
my experience that bingo usually did not start on time.
Blackout seemed to be the game of choice aboard the B.O.S.
Bingo was played in the Colony Club and attracted sizeable
crowds. In order to get a booth or good seat, passengers had
to arrive early. Any player who got a bingo in 50 or less
numbers won the bingo pool. This carried over until the last
day of the cruise on Friday, when it was more than $3,000.
The money from the pool was guaranteed to be paid out on the
last day.
This was also the day that passports were returned.
Passports were returned to passengers on deck 5 of the
Minstrel. In theory, each guest needed to bring the passport
receipt that they had been given the first day. Mine was
buried in the safe, so I just took my sea pass card, which
was sufficient. Guests on decks 8, 9, and 10 collected
passports from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Those on decks 7,
4, 3, 2 lined up between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. This was a
nuisance, but the lines moved quickly.
This second sea day was formal attire and lobster night.
This is the one day we knew that we would not go to Chops or
the Portifino. Apparently we were not the only ones
committed to eating at the Minstrel that night, because
there appeared not to be an empty seat in either level of
the dining room. The lobsters were small, so requesting two
was common and not a problem. Our server had asked us in
advance how many lobsters we would like per person. Formal
nights have begun to be criticized by some frequent
cruisers, but they were always a lot of fun and created a
great atmosphere on the ship. Most people stayed in their
formal attire after dinner; this was particularly true for
those over 30. That night we retired early in order to be
ready for our last excursion.
Naples was a beautiful city, made more beautiful by the fact
passengers did not have to tender. For those who only wanted
to see Naples, the harbor was attached to the city. A three
minute walk put passengers in the heart of Napoli. There
were few, if any, taxis at the wharf, so taxi people found
this port more challenging. We opted for an excursion to
Pompeii. All of the available ship excursions allowed for
less than four hours at the site. Individuals who desired
more time at Pompeii needed to investigate private tours.
There was no water provided on this excursion, so bringing
water was a must. On the way to Pompeii our retail stop was
a Cameo factory/store. This stop bothered me more than
others. Pompeii was vast and there was such a limited time
at the ruins that stopping to sell tourists cameos seemed
offensive.
At Pompeii we were given time to use the restroom and
purchase water or other refreshments before the tour began.
A four-hour trip to Pompeii did not begin to cover the area.
The appropriate result was that our guide tried to show
visitors a variety of areas, along with the real highlights.
A must see were the paintings above each of the rooms of a
brothel; each depicted the “specialty” of the woman who
lived in a particular room. The amount of original mosaic
and art work in the homes was amazing. Further, virtually
all of the streets were extant. In on of the bathes, the
original roof was still present. For travelers with even a
passing interest in history or archaeology, Pompeii was a
stop that could not be missed. As a bonus, Mt. Vesuvius was
clearly visible going to and from the ship.
Our excursion put us back on the ship by 12:30 p.m. This
left plenty of time to see Naples for passengers who wanted
to visit the city. From the ship I counted thirteen church
domes. Despite the lure of Naples, we opted for a leisurely
afternoon of lunch, time around the pool and taking in a
late-afternoon movie. Lunch was at the Seaview Café, which
was located on deck twelve above the Windjammer. This was an
Italian themed restaurant that specialized in sandwiches and
pizzas to order. There were an impressive number of
ingredients available on pizzas. I enjoyed a blue cheese,
mushroom, and ham pizza. There was also limited bar service
available in the Seaview. The Seaview was a nice alternative
for lunch, though its menu was too limited for dinner. After
lunch and the pool, it was off to the movies.
Each day the same movie was shown four times. The Cruise
Compass listed the movie and times. The theatre was located
forward of the casino on Deck 6. It was easy to miss,
because there was only a small curtain at the entrance.
Movies appeared to be projected using a DVD projector. The
large screen size meant that the quality of the picture was
not great. Despite this problem, the atmosphere was
pleasant. Enough people went to the movies that if
passengers had a specific area in which they liked to sit,
arriving ten or fifteen minutes early was a good idea.
Dinner was casual/Rock n’ roll attire. This meant lots of
blue jeans, again. By this point some items began to repeat
on the menu, which afforded passengers the opportunity to
revisit old favorites. Bars and the casino were extremely
busy after dinner. Passengers knew that this was the last
night before they had to pack up. We visited some of
favorite haunts, staying out quite late.
Oh no, the last day. The general rule on a ship
was/is not to mention that it is the last day, at least not
to speak of it in public. I witnessed the following
encounter at the Schooner Bar between a man and woman who
were not sitting together.
Man: “Well, today is the
last.”
Woman: “Oh no, don’t say that.”
Man: “Time to get packed this evening.”
Woman: “Please, stop I don’t want to hear anymore.”
Everyone knew it was the
last day; there was no need to advertise this fact. Our day
was spent at the pool, miniature golf course, rock climbing
(I watched), eating eating eating, Dinner was casual. This
was the night to extend gratuities to the head waiter,
waiter, and assistant waiter. We chose prepaid gratuities
since there were six of us, and we did not want to carry
more cash. If a passenger chose the option of prepaid
gratuities, on day eleven he/she received perforated coupons
for the stateroom attendant and the aforementioned Minstrel
staff. Since we had six people in our party, we received six
set of coupons, but only one set of envelopes for each
person to whom a gratuity was to be extended. (The stateroom
attendant received her gratuity this same evening.)
Following the presentation of gratuities to the table staff,
we said our good byes to our tablemates.
We had packed somewhat in the afternoon. We finished this
process after dinner. On day eleven passengers were given
color and number coded luggage tags. These were to be placed
on each piece of luggage, other than hand-carried luggage.
Between 7:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. all luggage was placed
outside the stateroom. Stewards continually picked up
luggage. It was important to remember to note the number on
the tags as well as the color.
The luggage out, it was time for bed and horrors of the
following day.
We were told that virtually all passengers would be off the
ship by 9:00 a.m. Just before 7:00 a.m. an announcer began
to name colors and numbers (based on luggage tags) of people
who should disembark. For example, “At this time all
passengers with yellow one and red one tags may proceed to
the de-boarding area for disembarkation,” Theoretically,
people with the earliest flights got the first call. The
dining room was only open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m.
Passengers who wanted to eat needed to get there early, and
it was very full. Once a passenger’s number was called,
their entire party took all of their belongings (excluding
the checked luggage) to the de-boarding area. We ran a
little late, which could have caused us some problems: We
had purchased pier to airport transfers through Royal
Caribbean. Busses and luggage trucks were assigned for each
color and number. Passengers who ran too late could find
themselves missing their busses. Before boarding the busses,
parties proceeded to an area set aside for their color and
number. There they reclaimed their luggage (done on the
honor system) and proceeded with it to the luggage truck.
After the luggage was checked, it was onto the buses. At the
airport the busses were parked next to the luggage truck
where the luggage was returned (honor system again).
Instead of Air France we flew back to Los Angeles on Delta,
with a connection in Atlanta. Anyone who flew knew not to
connect through Atlanta on Delta, but our reservations were
made by Royal Caribbean. As soon as we entered the airport
at Barcelona, we discovered that our flight was delayed two
hours. This meant a rescheduling of our connection. After
sitting from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in Barcelona airport,
our flight took off. Service was good and the in-flight
entertainment was great. I loved the behind-the-seat
monitor. Once in Atlanta we were told, just as in Paris,
there was no gate for us. When one did open up, in one of
the strangest coincidences of my life, the gateway broke,
just like in Paris. I tried to stay calm, as I get easily
annoyed in airports, but my head was about to explode.
Eventually the problem was fixed, but we now had thirty-five
minutes to gather twelve pieces of luggage, clear customs,
clear immigration, re-check our luggage, and make it to the
farthest terminal from ours. Eleven pieces of luggage showed
up, one did not. We waited and waited. Finally, it rolled
down. Now we were running through the airport like a bad
commercial. We got through customs and immigration, dropped
off our luggage, and jumped on the correct tram and got into
the right terminal. We then discovered that our gate was the
last one in the terminal---more running. After all that, we
just made our flight. When we finally walked in our home, it
had been twenty-six actual hours since we had entered the
Barcelona airport. Was it worth it? Without question!
Royal Caribbean’s twelve-night Greek Isle cruise was a well
conceived and executed itinerary. The excursions provided a
great mix of history, culture, and beauty. The Brilliance of
the Seas was in great shape. The staff, with very few
exceptions, provided the kind of exemplary service we
expected on a cruise. The food was very good, meeting most
of our expectations. Entertainment possibilities abounded on
the ship and appealed to a variety of age groups, which was
a critical factor for our family. Ultimately, our experience
on the Brilliance of the Seas met or exceeded all of our
expectations.
