June_B

Off to a great start. I've waited in the lines to get on board and felt the exact same way- that Henry looks ?

@Callummck Where did you sit for the show in the theatre? I'm sailing on Brilliance in Nov and like to get any insider tips on good places to catch the shows
 
 

Following as well! Even if it's a semi-love blog, any blog from the ship is always great to read! Enjoy the cruise- can't wait to see pictures and hear your thoughts. First time cruising is always so fun to watch someone experience!!

We’ve sat in several seats now...back row is good for a toddler!! But, it’s the kind of theatre where I think all of the seats are good. People tend to congregate near the doors but there have always been  plenty of seats further in to the theatre 

Can't wait for your posts + pictures! Only a few more days in the countdown!

Hello Royal Caribbean Blog members!
My wife Corin and and I will be embarking on our first cruise which happens to be a TA. Go big or go home I guess. I will be doing a daily blog with a few photos and updates starting on the 4th. Stay tuned!
*Crossposted on cruisecritic.com under CruisingWithMatt

Dinner tonight is at Giovanni’s Table. Great choices all around. While I think I prefer Jamie’s Italian, this is a solid menu. 

Garlic and olive starter

Antipasta starter

Buffalo Mozzarella

Eggplant parm

Beef ragu

Tuna crudo appetizer

Pasta of the day in an aioli 

We are at Paradise Beach!

I don’t recall a cruise where everyone on the ship got free play, and/or it was this advertised.

I had heard with Ultimate Dining Package some people had been able to eat at a specialty restaurant for lunch. I figured it was worth the try to see if they would seat us.  Sure enough,  they looked us up and happily seated us for lunch. Keep in mind that if you are cruising soon, you can and should ask politely but be prepared for the answer to be no. The rules clearly state lunch with UDP is for sea days only  

This is the first Royal Caribbean cruise ever I have ever been on that I have not eaten embarkation day lunch in the Windjammer. 
 

Valentine’s Day decorations in the Centrum.  At least they tried, right?

We have arrived! Got to the port at about 10:15 and there was no traffic or fuss. 
Brilliance is at Terminal 3 today and it is a GLORIOUS day weather wise.  Perfect sailaway weather!

 

We just booked Brilliance for the Thanksgiving 2019 cruise as well. Excited to be sailing on Brilliance for the first time and first ever holiday cruise. Any tip or inside tricks to cruising over a holiday, would love to know!

We are also on this cruise next November. Having cruised over Thanksgiving the last three years on Brilliance, I know you will enjoy the ship. Unfortunately, the Christmas decorations generally don't go up until the Friday after turkey day, so we probably miss out on that.
Also the the Tampa-Miami trip is not too bad until you pass FLL, and that last part down 95 is pretty awful...but, you are headed for another cruise, so you have that workin' for ya!!

Just booked a Brilliance cruise yesterday.  Thanksgiving 2019.  It was on the list of "free" cruises that I received yesterday from Club Royale...so why not ?  So now we will be doing our FIRST EVER Side to Side (S2S).  We will be on Brilliance 25-30 November, then drive down to Miami to catch Oasis (hopefully disease-free by then !) on 1 Dec - STAR CLASS <balloons drop, confetti falls from the sky !!> (also a [upgraded] free cruise from Club Royale !).  Dan isn't real excited about the 4 hour drive from Tampa to Miami but he'll get over it.  We will do some relocation recon while we're down there.  He has decided that he wants SOUTH Florida for retirement.  Come on, Oct 2020....