Royal Caribbean Training Visit

Brilliance is one of Royal Caribbean’s smaller ships, although at 90,000 tonnes, still not particularly small! But Oasis of the Seas is three times the size of Brilliance so it gives you an idea of just how big some ships are now! Brilliance of the Seas is part of their Radiance Class, which along with Vision Class ships are their 8 smallest – they are all fairly similar in style and facilities in these two bands. The other classes are very different.

Radiance and Vision Class ships all have a ‘Centrum’ which is the heart of the ship and where many of the events take place. None of the other classes have these as they have the promenade. Radiance and Vision don’t have as many facilities, for example they don’t have the Flowrider, ice-skating rink or zipwire. Brilliance of the Seas did however still have a rock-climbing wall and small splash area with a waterslide, a mini-golf course and a sports court – all included in the price.

These 2 smaller classes of ships which tend to do more destination led itineraries and the smaller ports such as the Baltic, Greek Islands and Alaska.

Jewel of the Seas is pretty much identical to Brilliance of the Seas as they are sister ships. Jewel is in Dubai in the winter and as Royal Caribbean don’t operate in Europe in winter that makes her the closest ship to the UK for winter sunshine. On all their Dubai cruises, there is at least one overnight in Dubai meaning you can really make the most of this amazing destination and the surrounding area. The cruises also visit other ports in UAE such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Oman.

On the larger class ships, they have some amazing experiences included (unlimited too!). Flowrider (a surf simulator), ice-skating rink, zip line, rock-climbing wall, laser-tag and carousel. Some ships even have an Escape Room (this is chargeable though at around US$12-15 per person).

Another great benefit with Royal Caribbean is that you can re-book on board with extra benefits not available when you come back. But you can still pass the booking back to me to look after - a great opportunity to take advantage of some extra benefits and one worth remembering!

A top tip I learnt whilst on board – if you book My-Time dining you can go onto your cruise personaliser prior to departure and book your table reservations, meaning you don’t have to wait on the night if the restaurant is full!

The average age across the fleet is around early 40s but some itineraries and smaller ships have a higher average age up to around early 60s. A real bonus though is that everything is always in English. When you sail out of Barcelona it’s English then Spanish. If you cruise out of China, it’s Mandarin then English. Occasionally if they have more than 5% of another nationality on board, they will add another language. Overall, compared with some other cruise lines this is really limiting announcements – some cruise lines do the announcements in several languages and this can get a little boring!

Every Royal Caribbean ship has a Schooner Bar – a really nice, spacious area with a great atmosphere. In the evening it can get quite lively! Most of the ships also have an English pub which serves draft beer, shows sporting events on TV and again is really popular, sometimes lively option of an evening!

Each ship has a solarium (mostly open air, the odd covered one and some with retractable roof) which is an adult only pool area – this is complimentary – a nice touch as many other cruise lines charge for the adult only area.

Chops Grille is a speciality steak restaurant (supplement applies approx. US$50 per adult) which I am told is well worth a visit. The Italian speciality dining (approx. US$40 per adult supplement) is also a really nice choice and actually really great for families with many sharing platters available. Children also pay for speciality dining but at a much reduced rate (usually around US$12 per child) and every restaurant except Chef’s Table has a child’s menu available. Before you go you can take advantage of offers online for the speciality dining so it’s worth a look before you embark. I really liked the main restaurant, it was really bright, open and spacious with white chairs (sometimes the main restaurants can be a little dark on some ships but this one wasn’t at all), the main menu changes every night and you get three courses (a choice of around 6 per course). If you fancy something more casual for a meal the Park Café by the pool is available and included – this is available for breakfast (often much quieter than the main buffet restaurant), lunch and dinner (open till around 2am!)

Kids clubs are available and included in the price for 3-17-year olds. The teen lounge which is more drop-in is available until 2am. The clubs for 3-11-year olds are complimentary until 10pm but they also have a late night party zone 10pm-2am where it’s chargeable at approx. US$12 per hour per child. The kids club staff will even take your kids for dinner in the buffet restaurant for you! For under 3yrs there is more of a babysitting service (rather than club), this is available at a charge of approx. US$12 per hour per child. And this is a good one to know, you can leave your children on board whilst you enjoy an excursion providing you book an official Royal Caribbean excursion!

And one last top tip – the plugs are American or European, but UK plugs will not work in the cabins!

If you fancy a cruise on board Royal Caribbean please get in touch, I’d love to help!