I was on Brilliance for Jan 2-8 to the Bahamas. This was only a week after the increased masks & testing protocols were announced, plus all the news about COVID outbreaks on Royal.
I heard from staff that the ship was at 40% capacity. Someone else said there were 250 last minute cancellations and 100 no-shows.
Honestly, it was wonderful to have plenty of space on the ship. We rarely waited for anything except elevators. My teenage sons were cruising for the first time. They loved doing trivia games, listening to live music, and hanging in the shops. If it was more crowded, they wouldn't have had so much freedom and independence.
Finally, we got to know our staff better than we would have on a crowded ship. Brilliance just returned to service in November. All the staff were glad to be back at work after 18 months off.
Sail on!