MAJOR Differences in Quality on Royal Caribbean - Brilliance of the Seas vs Independence of the Seas
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 พ.ค. 2024
- Royal Caribbean is one of the most popular mainstream cruise lines. With one of the biggest fleets of passenger ships at sea, of course it can be difficult to maintain quality. I am currently on the Brilliance of the Seas (May 5th, 2024), and the differences are very evident! #royalcaribbean #cruiseship #cruise
Get my NEW BOOK!
"Getting Stitches on a Cruise Ship" Book Link for USA:
www.amazon.com/dp/B09MV7KR5K
"Getting Stitches on a Cruise Ship" Book Link for UK:
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MV7KR5K
"Getting Stitches on a Cruise Ship" Book Link for Canada:
www.amazon.ca/dp/B09MV7KR5K
"Getting Stitches on a Cruise Ship" Book Link for Australia:
www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09MV7KR5K
Get exclusive videos and behind the scenes looks here:
/ veryunofficial
Amazon links to my gear, and other fun stuff I wish I had!
www.amazon.com/shop/veryunoff...
Follow on:
MorgansVeryunOfficialTravelGuides
Instagram @MrMorganOBrien
Twitter: @MrMorganOBrien
Affiliate Links:
I receive a small percentage from purchases made from affiliate links that may be contained in this description. This does not affect the amount you pay in any way. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Morgan, so right about Royal's fleet. Consistency can be in short supply. Getting on the Harmony on Sunday. We done two Princess cruises since being on Royal. At one point we were totally loyal to Royal. We've kind of changed our tune. We've loved the last two Princess cruises.
Our first cruise 🛳 in many years - we had a great time on BRILLIANCE OF THE SEAS! Good food, good shows, hospitable staff and lots of fun things to do if you choose. One highlight I need to mention is meeting this vlogger in person! He is spot on with this information - I love it when vloggers present a well rounded, realistic picture of what a vacation may be like. Not everything is perfect ALL the time, but it can still be great overall! That's reality - and I'm here for it! 😊 Thank you for your video! (Tall lady - orange glasses 😂)
Send me that video of me getting bootylicious on the pickle ball court 😛
It was nice chatting with you!
Those are the only two RC ships that I’ve sailed. I loved Brilliance and liked Indy. I love an old school atrium and an ocean focused ship as opposed to interior “mall” design.
This is why we love your channel, Captain Morgan ... you give it to us straight👏👏👏
We are going on Brilliance next January. We have not cruised in 20 years, so we are excited. We have just retired and looking forward to being able to travel since we have the time now. We are going with a group. Those large mega ships don’t really appeal to us. So I was happy we were going on a ship this size. I could see the mega ships being popular with families. We have done one Royal Caribbean, two Princess and a NLC cruise in the past. Princess was our favorite back then. I want to try a Holland American ship.
Welcome to the retired club. Made my hubby do a 15 day PC on radiance last year. Ha ha
Now you know what cruise ship shows were like 30 years ago. Back then, the passengers were thrilled.
Thanks and hope you feel better. Enjoy the great desserts!❤❤❤
Thanks for the insight
This makes me happy! My husband and I do cruised for the first time about a year ago. Our first cruise was on independence. We are cruising on brilliance in November. I was worried that we may be slightly disappointed sailing on an older smaller ship than independence. We are going on oasis in May 2025.
Hope you have a wonderful cruise Morgan.
I just finished back to back sailings on the Brilliance of the Seas from Australia to Hawaii and I think that the it was one of the Best Cruises I have ever taken. The Food in the Main Dining Room the food was Great and the service was even better. The size of the ship is wonderful and very accessible . Overall it was a wonderful cruise. The Shows were wonderful on our cruise sorry you had technical issues.
Great Information
The show must go on ! ❤️
I was on Indy last month and had a great time! I would like to go on one of the older ships someday.
We Loved BOTS! We sailed on her in March 2022 and booked cabin 1600, a grand suite in the aft. It sailed out of Tampa, FL and we live in the area so it made it super convenient. We didn't have high expectations and we were so pleasantly surprised.
We were on the Ovation Hawaii-Vancouver. Yes, they also had a show that highlighted the talent of their stage performers. I think this is something new. We have done this crossing twice in the past yr and half, which never had this.
Ive been on the Allure of the Seas and the Symphony of the Seas. Food was great on both.
Just wanted to mention that Quinoa is pronounced KEEN-wah. Love watching your videos, Morgan.
My wife and I have been on near 50 cruises. The food on the ships is not the same variety as before COVID. We find barely acceptable. Except of course for Carnival which was BAD. Lately have been on Allure, Adventure, Voyager, Harmony, Dream, Glory, Harmony booked again, and Brilliance coming in Nov.
I do believe food quality varies by ship. It's also possible that some items are sourced differently depending on where you are in the world.
It is sad they can't do production shows without the computers working.
Tomorrow in Vancouver the weather is going to be 11c/52f in the rain. (We need rain) If you here until Thursday the weather is sunny and 23c/73f. That is early May in Vancouver/Seattle for ya. My last 2 cruises were on the Edge and the Prima. 2 of the newer designed ships from Celebrity and NCL. Did I enjoy my cruises, yes, but they are not rated some of my best cruises. In Nov Im going to be on NCL Escape from Spain to Miami for about half the cost of my Prima cruise. In the same balcony cabin. I did a Celebrity Vancouver to Hawaii cruise in September 2 years ago. I enjoyed the going from the cold to the hot. I think it the better way to go. Then arriving in the cold and rain. Heehee. I still hope you enjoy your time in Vancouver and have a safe journey home.
We actually had amazing weather!
Hi Morgan, did a galley tour on Explorer of the Seas last month and to confirm...most items are freshly prepared. Chef Einstein said that the only thing that is prepared from frozen are lobster tails.
I think what the feedback is saying to me about cutback things and expensive newest ship things once they truly get going...is often the big shows are great and better on all the big ships and included MDR food is better on smaller ships, for Mainline cruising. I think many are suffering a bit with costs rising and many brand new huge ones for these companys to make the grade with.
I've done five week long Oasis class cruises and thought the food was excellent. Then this January I took a 5-day midweek. Ann, Liberty of the seas and the food was pretty much the way you described Independence. I have found out recently that different itineraries and ships have different budgets for food. I believe the booze cruise ships do have a much lower budget. The spring break we went on our first carnival 8-day and the food was light years better than Liberty and often surpassed the Oasis, especially when it came to gluten-free sugar-free
I went on Brilliance several years ago with my brother, and I felt that the food on there was probably my favorite on any Royal ship, outside of the new specialties on the newer bigger, fabulous Ships.
Nice to see you on a Sunday! I've been cruising since 2003 and I have to say I would be highly disappointed with the lack of shows on such a long trip; especially with a crossing with only a few ports and lots of sea days. Never been on RC, but getting ready to go on P&O, Cunard and Princess and will be doing LOTS of comparisons between the 3 and other lines like Celebrity and Oceania and NCL. The evening entertainment is something we look forward to, especially when we have lots of port days. QUESTION - is that a connecting door near the end of the bed? If so, any noise?
Yes, it is, and no, not too bad!
From my experience with RCCL you have to take into account that cruise itineraries have different menus. In addition food suppliers can be different. In addition, not clear as to when you cruised on the Independence Pre and Post Covid there have been numerous changes.
Thank you for this review. I am taking Brilliance in March and was a bit skeptical as I have not been on an older ship. As for your sea sickness. You live in Europe as I do. I always had problems with the motion sickness medication offered in the US because they knock me out. I live in Switzerland and discovered Stugeron. It is a motion sickness tablet that does make me drowsy. I started using it over a decade ago. It was an over the counter medication, but now in Switzerland you have to get a prescription. Give it a try.
Brilliance is my favorite ship so far of all my cruises.
I was recently on both the Wonder of the Seas and the Freedom of the Seas. I really liked both ships which were very different, however, the food on the Wonder was amazing and the food on the Freedom was not that great except in the Crown lounge. Entertainment on both was fantastic.
Thank you for the food review. I've been saying this for a long time. You can't just say Royal's or any cruise line's food is great or lousy across the board. It does vary by ship.
I agree with you about food. I liked Allure’s food more than Symphony’s. Also Quantum’s food was not great
The shows are in my top 3 reasons I go on cruises.
Number one is itinerary, number two is food, and shows is three.
Ask a theater staff if it was a planned event.... don't mention you didn't like it until you know their opinion. Theater staff love to talk about their job because so few people actually seem to be interested.
I think shows are a challenge on ocean crossings because they can't pick up new entertainers every port.
I wonder if they are either experimenting with different menu offerings on certain ships. Or perhaps the size difference decides some choices. Bummer about the shows, it does seem odd.
We cruised on Jewel OTS new years cruise 2018-2019. It was honestly bad, except for our dining room servers.
It was extremely crowded, kinda dirty, food was mid (I think it depends on head chef), nothing felt premium or upscale at all. We have cruises celebrity since 2003 so that is our basis of comparison.
I would really like to try Icon or an Oasis Class ship just to try it, but honestly I like the quality on celebrity or above too much.
Yes Morgan we hated the update of the Independence of the seas , the brilliance is so much better.
I’m in Los Angeles and thought it might be nice to take a Royal Caribbean cruise on this coast since it’s so easy and I wouldn’t need to travel but the ships on this coast are so so old.
The shows are a big deal to me on a cruise so that would be really frustrating. P.S. Your hair looks good.
Thanks!
We were on the TP before your cruise and the food was better than most RCL we've been on recently. I wonder how much the available provisions affect what is served? I doubt it would be greatly different, but for instance the frozen mozzarella sticks may not have been available. Most of the entertainment on the TP was from special individual acts, so I don't think there were many production shows - just one or two and the one I saw was quite disjointed (as you described). Not sure what the issue was... Safe travels!
Speaking of provisions… towards the end of the passage to Vancouver, they had run out of so many of the beers and wines!
Even though they are owned by the same company, the difference has to do with the Hotel Manager: the food and the cabins care are under him, if you have a good Hotel manager, you have a great ship and fantastic cruise.
We were on Explorer in February, from Miami, after having been on Enchantment in November from Tampa and Radiance in October from San Diego. On both of the smaller ships the food, both in the Windjammer and MDR was better. Especially the food on Radiance. We’d previously been on Oasis from Miami in October 2022 and then on Rhapsody from Barbados in January 2023 and the difference in the food was significant. The food on Oasis was same-y and bland, whereas the food on Rhapsody was varied and flavourful. Our general belief is that the bigger ships from American ports have decided to cater to American mass market palates.
Morgan, the show you hated (that may be a bit harsh) is called "Center Stage" and it's a staple on that class of ship. Now, it may not be in the rotation on Brilliance right now, but I think it's one of their better shows. No bells or whistles, just music. You are entitled to your opinion. I don't always need aerial artists and strobe lights in my evening entertainment. I usually agree with your musical reviews but not this time.... 🙂
Hi Susan! I definitely didn't hate it, it just seemed really poorly executed. There were long pauses where nothing was happening, and some of the numbers just didn't seem to match. It seemed like it was missing a clear concept. I don't need all the bells and whistles, either and appreciate showcasing talent and focusing on that... but Royal have done so much better than this.
I was hoping for more info, but I feel like this video is all about the quality and lack of shows. We're sailing on the same brilliance Of the seas in 3 weeks.
Thanks for the info.
Much more info coming in future videos. ✌🏼
Differences in food all comes down to the Executive Chef.
i spent 34 days on Brilliance OTS in Feb and March circumnavigating Australia. I thought the food was good. the only problen i had was that the menu was so limited. not much variety at all. the production show you saw was on my cruise as well (twice), it wasn’t great. the other two productions were not good either.
I believe there are huge discrepancies between RC ships. Recently I was on vision of the sea and the food was so bad even in the main dining room; the lamb was tasteless . In the Windjammer, you either had infant juice or syrup. Even the simplest dessert was a wreck. I left the same type of review for the cruise line.
That’s how it was on independence of the seas. Everything was horrible.
Hey Morgan! Thanks for all the pickleball games AND your JOKES!! So nice to meet you! Now, thanks to you..we’re gonna have to binge your videos🤪 Hopefully we’ll see you on the next one. Aloha!!(p.s. have patience, you may grow to 6’5” ONE DAY😂😂)
Hey Mark, thanks for all the great games. It was a fun crowd and I'm so happy we all met. Yes, still waiting for that growth spurt. I've been eating so much spinach. It should happen any day now, right?
If you haven't already, you might want to give ginger a try for seasickness. It doesn't make you drowsy at all.
We saw Brilliance of the Seas in Hobart (Australia) in February; We saw her and wanted to be on her (we were on Celebrity Edge). No if we want to go on her , we'll have to go to the US 😞
What didn’t you like about the Celebrity Edge?
@@eleanormassaro5195 The inside! It is not all that well laid out and at night everyone tended to flock to the martini bar and it became over crowded. I couldn't get a consistent tasting cocktail; our room attendant wasn't all that friendly; we didn't like the infinite balcony. My partner is almost blind and he found it too dark at night in the corridors to find his way so he was totally reliant on me (unlike Quantum of the Seas for example).
I was surprised how good (ie. non Royal Caribbean) the food on Icon of the Seas was. 100% they juice it because everyone is talking about Icon right now. Indy does party cruises so...they figure who cares. The Radiance class probably draws a more premium crowd so they have to compete with Holland and Princess.
Wait - there are people who like the taste of burnt popcorn? Have they not tried properly popped popcorn?
Well, you knew that you would be travelling with an old ship, right? What were you expecting....
We were on a b2b on the Jewel of the Seas right before she went to dry dock in Brest, France - must be just finished now.
Not everything was going smoothely, that is correct. But we knew about the age, and the cutdowns.
Nevertheless, we had a great time in these 3+weeks, the food was good, the service good, we had a balcony Stateroom that was in good condition (the Stateroom Attendant was a bit strange - but well, we do not want to marry him!)
On the 2nd part we were in an inside cabin, not big, but manageable and we were rewarded with the best Stateroom Attendant there was. She was absolutely fantastic.
The shows were okay, we do not care for that very much.
We had a great relaxing time on a ship where most people nowadays would not want to set a foot on just because it is old.
Much to our pleasure and joy!!!!
We are going on her in September and my favourite cruise was on Brilliance 2 years ago. I don't know I just like the smaller ships to get around.
Was that horrible lighting? I thought your skin looked warm and sort of tanned. :)
Sorry you're missing out on the shows. It is unfortunate that they don't have a better "Plan B" backup show. Are any of the other performances decent? Bands in the bars or lounges? Hope so. We really are "at the mercy" of things when we're on a ship. Sometimes it's performances and sometimes it's changes to the itinerary. I just keep trying to enjoy the fact that I'm on vacation and most of it is really good.
Good Afternoon. You think that they would have found you a red blanket for the bed for you for your Sunday Sofatime video.
I know, right? Don’t they know who I think I am? 😜
What are the odds, I am on the same sailing right now. Maybe I will see you around this last day.
Please say hi if we run into each other 👋🏽
Bonine is great and is non-drowsy.
Each ship,'s food is the responsibility of the Food & Beverage Director...they are not created equally....
Went to see Jesus Christ Superstar on opening night once - way back when - and I got super puzzled because John Farnham playing JC just stood there with his arms out in his death scene whilst Judas got a whole laser light show. I thought it was a puzzling artistic choice. Turns out the rising podium didn’t come up. So it was completely improvised.
Does Bonine make you sleep? I took Bonine instead of Dramamine because it makes me less drowsy.
Yep, makes me feel stoned 🤷🏽♂️
It all depends on the captain and the hotel director. Another thing is the Independence has a lot of kids who do damage because the parents are non existant.. The radiance class is more adult.
“Some people like burned popcorn…”
And those people are wrong lol
This is what I think too, should I take the pills and fall asleep... or... ha ha.
LOL; we were just wondering when we would meet you. Please name a place and time today!!
The food on RCCL can vary by ship and where they port. In Europe, the provisions are differrent. I think Europeans have a different taste palate and it’s obvious when you are served certain staples like milk, sausage and hamburgers, even the eggs can look and taste differently. . When a ship is provisioned stateside the grub is much better. Just sayin.
Why don't you ask someone.. what happened? The cast is often in the gym or pool area... you might ask them what is going on
but but but... what do you think about the ship!... ;) ...Jeez,,, the Jewel is just out of dry dock and going to Iceland this summer... hmmmm?
We loved the ship!
I think the chef and crew can make or break your experience. We did Odyssey and we asked for a window seat. So we went to our assigned table the head waiter and waiter were great. The assistant was not excited about his job. I asked how his day was as I did with the other two and got “ it’s the same every day mam”.
The next night they found us a window table. There the wait staff was awesome and bent over backwards bro make sure we were happy with our day and service.
Sorry your shows got messed up. Maybe it’s dangerous since on a moving ship and they can’t always improvise 😢
Did you ask them?
I forgot to say that we were on the Independence last year. Food was terrible.
Crazy we did last May and it was the best food I’d had !
Morgan, I have to apologize. We were not on the IOS. We were on Celebrity Infinity. Food was still terrible. It does vary ship to ship, not just cruise line to cruise line.
Sorry to be that person but Quinoa is pronounced as "keen-waa"
Thank you for the gluten free information.
Oh what a shame Morgan! I love going to the shows (not necessarily the quality of Royal’s shows). One of the rigs in 270 didn’t work in Australia for the whole season in 2022/2023. I think it was on Quantum but I went on both her and Ovation so it might have been Ovation 🤣. Wishing you smooth sailing for the rest of the cruise ❤⚓️
After watching this I am not surprised you have so few subscribers.
After reading your comment, I am not surprised you have so few friends 🤭
Nice observation about the food. You're probably on a ship with older demographic. Do the show went on but not to your liking. Move on. Thag was more thag half your video spent talking about the show. Amped cruise ships mean new fiversions were affed like new sports bar, waterslides added, new updated good items,
, etc.
Royal Caribbean food is just not that great. NCL and even Carnival are better. On Royal you have to budget in for a dinning package to get good food.