Anyone been on the Brilliance of the Seas (or other Royal Caribbean cruise ship)?

[plipplops]

Thinking of trying out cruising and have a pretty good price (I think?!) for a Scandinavian cruise next summer. Still a bit scared of the whole thing, has anyone been on the Brilliance of the Seas and can tell me what it was like??

These ships are big vessels, so for somewhere like Scandanavia, they're maybe not the best type to go on.

Obviously, there's lots to do on board, with crazy stuff like rock climbing, ice skating etc and because of their vastness, you would most likely remain in one neighbourhood/area.
Think about it along the lines of: would you chose to stay in a hotel with three to four thousand guests?
How long will it take to embark/disembark at ports of call etc?
These ships are big, glitzy, glamorous and have an American style to them; big is better, more is more iykwim?
Hope that helps!

I haven't been on that ship or with Royal Caribbean, but I have been on a Baltic cruise with P&O. We loved the Scandinavian ports, had a great time & I would highly recommend going there, but found the P&O ship a bit too traditional & stuffy for our taste. I gather RC are more family friendly, relaxed & easy going, and there will be lots to do so you won't ever get bored.

Do you like really big resort style hotels? I liken these huge ships to those.

I prefer a little, characterful hotel & smaller cruise ships, but these do lack the facilities of the big 'uns.

DS loves to cruise, I think it's a great holiday for children.

We are just back from a Mediterranean cruise on the splendour of the seas which is one of the smallest ones of royal Caribbean fleet.
First time for us and it was fantastic.
The service was first class as was the food and facilities.
The huge new ships have fairgrounds etc on them if that's what you fancy.
Our was just big enough for us first timers. Booking again for next year.
Some great deals on the American cruise websites if you search through.
Go for it.

Brilliance is one of RCIs smaller ships, still big but not gigantic like oasis or

With fussy kids and DH that needs to be entertained we want to try the all-singing, all-dancing type of ship so that's part of the point if I'm honest. It's more about seeing what we think of the boat and that type of holiday, and a happy bonus that the itinerary is really interesting - Copenhagen, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki and Visby in Sweden (think we'd probably explore them all on our own apart from St Petersburg). Have just returned from Disneyworld so happy to be in the American style of things. Hadn't really thought about getting on and off and how long that takes - is it a problem?

Our concern I suppose is more about the standard of the boat, it's apparently been recently refurbished but it would be nice to hear any opinions on the cabins etc.?

Ooh lots of replies in the time it took me to reply to the first comment!

Sorry... We like the ships for the variety. There is a lot to do and really good food! It never feels manic on board which I had imagined it might and there are quieter areas. Definitely worth a shot if you have a good price for the cruise. Enjoy

ik26 and websites you can recommend?

Cabins are nice enough, we tend to book a cheap cabi

There is plenty to do on the ships.
Our group ranged in age from 1 yrs old to 80 yrs old and all loved it.
You will be getting off the ship most days so lots to do and see.
My OH likened it to a posh butlins !
We did everything from jewellery making to towel folding.
My niece particularly loved the outdoor cinema at night.

Sorry but friends go for butler service rooms which obviously look lush!

Worth checking out the times you'll have in each port and make sure you will have enough time for a nose around everywhere

We're looking at a Large Ocean View room - it's a bit more expensive than normal ocean view but you got your drinks and tips included (think we need some natural light I can't imagine staying in an inside cabin for 2 weeks)

My OH is website expert so will ask him. He is out tonight but will post later when he's back.
I got an offer last week about oasis of the seas. 1 weeks cruise all inclusive £999. Med cruise I think.

We had a inside cabin and would definitely get at least a window next time. Inclusive drinks package is good and would be expensive to buy as you go. Wine and cocktails approx $9.

Have a look at cruise critic to get recent reviews and opinions. You would also be able to join a tour for St Petersburg through your roll call-often cheaper than the ships tour.
Also have a lookat cruisedeals to get a proce from a UK agent. We are doing a Baltics/Russia cruise next summer but chose Celebrity over RCCL and got a good deal through them.
If you want to have a look at a US agent then vacationstogo.com often do good deals. And the price they quote is often better than the initial price on the website.

I've been on Splendour and Liberty, which was quite a big ship, but not like Oasis or Independence. The latter was one of my most favourite holidays ever. The ship itself was lovely.

Reading with interest as I have booked Serenade of the seas for July from Stockholm. First time cruising for us