Out of the eleven Royal Caribbean cruises I've taken, the majority of them have been on the cruise line's mega-ships.
I'm familiar with the Oasis and Icon Class—huge vessels with waterparks, movie theaters, and ice skating rinks. Despite the awe-inspiring amenities available on mega-ships, cruisers still enjoy Royal Caribbean's older, smaller vessels.
To see what passengers love about the cruise line's less well-known vessels, I booked a cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. Brilliance, a Radiance Class ship, took her maiden voyage in 2002. She has the capacity for 2,543 guests and carries just 848 crew members. Plus, at 962 feet long, she's one of the cruise line's smaller ships.
I enjoyed the 7-Night Western Caribbean cruise way more than I expected. The sailing visited Cozumel, Mexico; Georgetown, Grand Cayaman; and Yucatán, Mexico, and was filled with adventure and community—despite a few surprises along the way.
Read more: Why are Royal Caribbean cruise ships always so big? Secret strategy explained
Don't be fooled by her small stature: Brilliance of the Seas is a beautiful ship
When I first got onboard the vessel in New Orleans, I was blown away by just how beautiful Brilliance is.
Instead of a long Royal Promenade, the ship features a central, circular Centrum. The Centrum is covered in bright lights and patterned panels, and surrounded by completely glass elevators.
Another beautiful location onboard is the Solarium, a pool area for passengers 18 and up. This area also hosted the Park Café and featured tropical foliage amid a russet theme reminiscent of Southeast Asia.
All around the ship, you'll find sunlit, glass-covered spaces that fill the vessel with light and cheer. As a lover of natural beauty and sunlight, I truly enjoyed my cruise onboard Brilliance.
Read more: 11 things I wish I knew before setting foot on a Royal Caribbean ship
I loved the intimate, small-ship experience
Another aspect of Brilliance of the Seas that I ended up loving was the small size. The limited amount of people onboard created a more intimate and communal experience than you'll have on a larger ship.
Because the ship was so small, I saw the same crew members every day—whether in the Windjammer, at the Park Café, or hosting onboard karaoke events.
I was able to connect with onboard performers, baristas, and waiters, making my cruise experience so much more rich and friendly.
The same happened with fellow passengers onboard—because of the limited space, I would run into the same guests over and over. And on a small ship, passengers seemed more willing to stop and make conversation.
Despite my initial hesitation about sailing on an older ship, I ended up loving making friends on Brilliance.
The pool deck felt limited, with only three hot tubs in total
One of the disadvantages of sailing on the vessel was the pool deck. With only two pool areas—an outdoor section and the indoor Solarium—space was limited. Although I could usually find a pool chair, space inside the pools and hot tubs was harder to get.
The ship only had three hot tubs in total, and they were small, only able to fit five people at maximum capacity. Sometimes I had to sit and wait for a space to clear before I could hop into a hot tub.
Similarly, the pools were larger, but on high-capacity days it was hard to find a pleasant space to swim.
I was surprised by how high-quality the complimentary food tasted
I didn't have any expectations for food onboard, but I ended up being blown away by the quality of the dining.
Brilliance of the Seas' complimentary dining venues include The Main Dining Room, the Windjammer buffet, the Park Café, and Café Latte-tudes. Similarly, the vessel has five specialty restaurants: Chops Grille, Chef's Table, Giovanni's Table, Rita's Cantina, and Izumi Asian Cuisine.
I stuck to complimentary food onboard and was surprised by just how high-quality the food was. The Windjammer had some tasty meals, in addition to unique food offerings I haven't seen on other cruise ships. For example, on Caribbean night, the buffet served authentic oxtail!
While dining options were limited, I was surprised by the unique meals on deck and impressed by the genuine quality of the food. Brilliance of the Seas had some of my favorite free meals of any cruise I've experienced.
Read more: Royal Caribbean ships by age — from oldest to newest (2024)
The bathroom was tiny, with a ragged cloth shower curtain
For the weeklong cruise, I booked a guarantee balcony cabin. The total cost of the cruise was $1,959 (including gratuities).
I received a 167-square-foot cabin located on Deck 9. While I loved the sunlit balcony, ample storage space, and comfortable beds, the bathroom was disappointing. I hoped for a larger bathroom, considering I'd paid extra for the balcony stateroom, but it was a tiny space.
The shower was so tiny I could barely turn around in it. While I appreciated the clothing line at the top where we could dry swimsuits, the shower was so short and thin that hanging clothing was impossible. I didn't have any space to get out of the way of the wet bathing suits, so we opted to dry them on the balcony instead.
The bathroom also had a cloth shower curtain that became the bane of my experience. It was a white, worn-down cloth material that would swing outwards, splashing water onto the bathroom floor, or even sway inwards, clinging to me as I raised soap off in the shower.
However, our cabin steward was a quick and efficient cleaner who always kept the area fresh.
I could tell that, despite the ship's two decades in service, crew members were working hard to keep her well-maintained. If anything broke or went wrong, it was fixed quickly and calmly.
