Meet
the Captain of the Brilliance of the Sea
Brilliance of the Sea is Royal
Caribbean International’s newest vessel. And like her sister—Radiance
of the Seas—she is another beautiful specimen of the ‘Radiance
Class’ of ship being
built for RCI. A sleek-looking yacht-like vessel, she is all
steel and glass. With three acres of glass covering roughly
one–half of the vessel, the vista of the sea is prominent. Her
glass-encapsulated elevators face out to the sea while in the
major lounges and dining areas, enormous windows bring natural
light in as well as giving spell-binding sea views. Even walking
out on the uppermost decks, especially in aft, one is mesmerized
by the magnificent living sea with all its different hues and
swells.
The ship’s interior focal point is the nine-deck-high
Centrum, an elaborate fantastical cylindrical open space that
gives openness to the décor. It is actually quite amazing to
stand at the uppermost balcony and peer down nine decks to observe
the ongoing activity below. The public areas have been configured
to lend an openness that belies the fact there are some 2000
passengers on board—so much so that one never feels crowded
and can even find the quiet corner if so desired.
Built at the Meyer Weft Shipyard in Papenburg,
Germany at the cost of $350, million, the 90,090-ton vessel
is 962 feet long and has a cruising speed of 25 knots. Her high-end
technology incorporates two General Electric gas turbines that
propel the revolutionary azipods. There is less noise from the
engines and vibration is minimal so one rarely feels the pitch
of the sea and one only gets a sense of movement when peering
out the window.
Advanced Pro-Environmental Technology
Like the Radiance, the Brilliance uses electric gas
and steam turbines as the primary source of power, which reduce
exhaust emission by up to 98 percent as well as reducing the
noise and vibration levels. The waste heat from heat of the
two gas turbines is lead through an HRSG (heat recovery steam
generator) and steam from this generator is utilized by the
steam turbine. Electricity generated by the turbines then powers
the external propulsion pods called ABB Azipods. The pods have
replaced traditional propeller shafts used on other RCI ships,
eliminating the need for rudders and stern thrusters, and tugs.
Because the GE gas turbines burn clean distillate fuel, which
contains fewer impurities than the fuel oil normally used for
diesel-powered vessels, no soot or visible smoke is evident
from the stacks.
The rotating engines do not create the same
kind of vibrations as the reciprocating diesel engines used
on other ships and it is easier to sound-insulate a gas turbine
plant than a diesel engine. Further, the GE gas turbines and
Azipods take up less space, freeing up more for public areas
since they weigh less and help improve the entire power plant
efficiency. Rotating propulsion pods mounted under the hull
enable the Radiance-class ships to be extremely fast for vessels
of this size, allowing them to offer unusual itineraries in
Alaska, the Caribbean, Hawaii and the Panama Canal.
In addition the latest technology is used
in waste-mangement systems including incinerators with emission
controls and storage capacity to maximize opportunities for
recycling and use of shoreside treatment facilities.
Two more ships of this class are being built
and set to debut in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Similarities With A Tweak
Similar to her sister, Brilliance has a nine-deck high
glass enclosed Centrum with glass
enclosed elevators on its starboard side that face the sea;
a wide variety of waterholes (bars and lounges), sport activities
such as a rock climbing wall, basketball, jogging track, and
a miniature nine-hole golf course; RCI’s popular Adventure Club
supervised children’s activities, and a well-appointed health
center—the workout area seems to be larger on this ship—with
the latest equipment and fronts the sea in forward section of
the ship. The spa offers a variety of therapeutic treatments—one
is guaranteed to reduce your body fat by two inches —a plus
to work off the calories accumulating from the abundance of
food served on board. In the adjoining solarium created to replicate
an African Safari water hole, there is a central pool, two whirlpools
and a counter-current swimming area to tone up those muscles.
Any differences from the Radiance are basically
cosmetic with different color schemes and furnishings used in
the Minstrel Dining Room, Pacifica Theater, and the Solarium
and ShipShape Center. There is a slight change in The Colony
Club with its four small areas more clearly defined. The self-levitating
pool tables in the Bombay 
Billiard
Club still take place of honor but new four-feet-high checker/chess
tables are placed against the windows in the Jakarta Lounge.
The Latte’tudes coffee bar offering a varied menu of coffee
and tea delights, is now situated at the heart of the Centrum;
and the Seaview Café serving a menu of comfort food, is now
connected by a stairway to the casual-dining Windjammer Café.
Business
conference facilities have been further enhanced on this ship
to meet the diverse needs of business meetings or seminars,
executive retreats and corporate cruise incentives with state
of the art video conferencing and other technology needs as
well as providing business space for 186 attendees.
Art plays an important role on RCI vessels.
There is $6 million worth of art works on display
throughout Brilliance. While paintings and sculpture grace the
public rooms, there is more emphasis on photography on the Brilliance.
Hundreds of photographic works are displayed throughout the
ship, especially in the main staircases. Some of them are funky,
others more conventional, the works of American and international
photographers.
Food For Joy
Food enjoyed on a ship is part of the cruise experience.
And so is the setting. On the
Brilliance, the stunning Minstrel dining room is set amid a
décor of towering palm trees and a cascading waterfall while
a wall of picture windows invites the sea in to complement the
dining ambiance. Steel columns supporting the two-deck-high
dining room are sheathed in fabric to resemble Ionic columns
while a wall mosaic of glass, brass and copper displays The
Minstrel's Gallery, a work by Jason and Melissa Moul, which
portray eight performing minstrels from the Renaissance era.
Lunch and dinner (2 seatings) are served
in the Minstrel. The international three/four course menu is
varied, ranging from tasty appetizers or warming potage to seafood
and fowl, to luscious deserts. And there are ShipShape dietary
and vegetarian menus also offered.
Besides the main dining room, guests can
opt for the informal Windjammer Café, the main venue for breakfast
and lunch, which offers a buffet and table service for casual
dining at night; or go for fast food at the Seaview Café (burgers,
fish ‘n’ chips, pizza). Guests can also choose two upscale restaurants:
the Chops Grille for steaks and other grilled entrées; or Portofino
for intimate dining and Euro-Italian cuisine. (Reservations
are required for these two restaurants and there is an additional
dining fee.)
One will never suffer for lack of food on
board—nor forget the abundance of sustenance. Imagine, during
a typical seven-day cruise, 18,450 fresh eggs, 4,750 pounds
of rice. 12,500 pounds of fresh vegetables, 11,580 pounds of
fresh fruit, 3,500 gallons of milk, 5,350 pounds of beef, 185
pounds of fresh herbs, 5,000 pounds of potatoes, 556 pounds
of coffee, 785 gallons of ice cream, 549 pounds of lobster,
and 31,345 pounds of chicken are consumed. Not to mention 18,000
bottles of liquor, 12,500 cans of beer, and 6,120 cans of soda.
Rooms With A View
On Brilliance, the majority of the ship’s staterooms
are balconied. Sliding glass doors open on
to a private balcony of various dimensions, depending on the
category of the stateroom. There are 57 deluxe suites of varying
sizes—from the Royal Family Suite with two bedroom and two baths,
living area (can accommodate eight persons) to less grand suites
but equally deluxe. 
Concierge
service is provided with a special lounge in the suite categories.
(The lounge also doubles as a library.) All cabins are fully
equipped with interactive TV, computer jacks, a vanity doubling
as a computer workspace, refrigerator/minibars, hairdryers,
and dual voltage electrical outlets. Laundry facilities are
available on board.
Royal Treatment For ‘Special Needs’
This ship is the most handicapped accessible I have
seen so far. Not only are the passageways wide enough to comfortably
allow wheelchair passability. I was quite impressed with the
wheelchair-accessible staterooms with entry cards actually opening
cabin doors without having to be inserted into a slot. These
staterooms with oversized doorways are located close to the
elevators, and equipped with portable phones and close-caption
TVs. In the bathrooms, there are handrails, lowered basins and
raised commodes, and built-in seats in the showers.
It
is comforting to know that the Royal Caribbean addresses the
needs of physically challenged guests not only in accommodations
and oversized hallways, but also by offering special devices
to aid the hearing impaired. Listening devices are available,
as well as telephone amplifiers, strobe-light door knockers
and telephone ringers. For the visually impaired, cabin doors,
service directories, and even elevator buttons as well as dining
menus are written in Braille. "Our goal is to provide personalized
service to each disabled guest, which sometimes includes extra
assistance at the pier, an early-boarding orientation, a Sign
Language Interpreter, special dietary means or onboard medical
services," says Laura Amor, access specialist for RCI.
Our highly trained Access Desk specialists are committed
to helping travelers make informed decisions regarding the best
itineraries, ships and shore excursions for their particular
needs.’’
The cruise line says it is also making it
easier for handicapped guests to go ashore in Caribbean and
Hawaii: its ships are being upgraded with lifts that allow a
disabled guest to board tender boats for land excursions. In
Alaska for its land excursions, RCI provides the first accessible
motor coaches and glass-domed double-deck trains which feature
ADA-compliant seating on both levels.
As with all of the Royal Caribbean fleet,
professional medical services for a moderate fee are available
on board. The medical department is independently contracted
with licensed international or US physicians and nurses to provide
personalized service to each disabled guest. Also available
at all times are medical consultations with onshore medical
facilities when a medical situation warrants such action.
New Enhanced Security Measures Implemented
Another issue that Royal Caribbean is taking very seriously
especially in the post-9/11 era, is security. The Line has implemented
extra precautions with strict security measures. As Royal Caribbean
president Jack Williams explained on board the Brilliance, "all
travelers booking cruises on Royal Caribbean ships, receive
thorough background checks." In addition, all luggage,
carryons and provisions loaded onto the ships are screened via
x-ray machines, metal detectors, human searches, canine teams
and other methods. Each ship engages a Security Officer who
overseas a staff responsible for enforcing security procedures.
All Royal Caribbean ships use the SeaPass security system, which
provides all passengers and crew with an ID card containing
their digital photo and personal information on a magnetic strip.
As each guest or crewmember boards or departs a ship, they each
swipe their card, and security personnel compare the photo and
personal information on a computer screen with the person standing
before them. This technology allows the ship to know which guests
and crewmembers are onboard, and which are not. Similar security
methods are also utilized at US cruise terminals. Additionally
Royal Caribbean works closely with local federal and international
authorities such as the port authorities where ships call, the
US Coast Guard, US Immigration and Customs Services, as well
as the FBI and Interpol to further enhance the security on board
ship.
Overall Assessment
I found no major fault with the Brilliance during my
short cruise. It strikes me that this company goes all out when
it comes to passenger enjoyment, passenger safety and a new
concern in recent years for environmental issues. It also goes
all out for families by featuring supervised child-oriented
activities and play areas to give parents a chance to do their
own thing. (Babysitters are also available for a fee.)
Physically, the ship is well laid out and
directional signs are clear on how to get from point A to
point B. Cabins are adequately equipped though a bit small,
but having a balcony to step onto more than makes up for loss
of space. The international staff is friendly and helpful. Many
of the cabin stewarts who are American, transferred from other
RCI vessels and knew their job.
My only grumble is cigarette smoke in the
bar or lounge areas (I pointed this out in my earlier review
of the Radiance) and my hope is that along with the company’s
environmental policy, it takes a stronger look at the pollutants
raised by smoking.
Ports of Call 2002/2003
The Brilliance after a succession of highly popular
cruises in northern Europe out of Harwich, England this summer
is now enroute to the US where she will begin several cruises
to the Canadian Maritimes and New England leaving out of Boston.
In November, she repositions to Miami where she will have a
series of winter cruises to Key West, Mexico and the Caribbean.
(In a new development aboard RCCL ships, the line’s Golf Ahoy!
Program on Caribbean cruises offers guests the chance to play
on many of the golf courses near the ship’s ports of call. Golf
packages can be purchased on board or through a travel agent
and include transportation to and from course, greens fees and
cart. Additional fees for equipment rental. Golf Ahoy! is available
at Key West, Cozumel, Georgetown, Barbados; Ocho Rios and Oranjestad,
Aruba.)
In spring 2003, Brilliance makes a return
transatlantic crossing to Harwich, England for the summer-cruise
season. Harwich is easily accessible by train or bus from London
so combining a visit to the UK with a refreshing cruise to other
parts of Europe makes for a wonderful combination package for
travelers.
For more information, visit www.rccl.com
Ship Statistics:
Shipyard Meyer Werft, Pappenburg, Germany
Maiden Voyage July 15, 2002
Gross Tonnage 90.090 grt
Length 952 feet beam;
Draft 28 feet
Cruising Speed 25 knots
Passengers 2,100 (do); 2,501 maximum
Crew 859 (Scandinavian/International)
Registry Liberia
Passenger Decks 12
Staterooms:
1,050 (813-oceanview; 237 Interior; 577 balconied, 14 wheelchair-accessible
)
Swedish-born Thomas Wildung has spent most
of life either by the sea or on it. Exposed to shipboard life
in his youth as his family were involved in the shipping industry,
he decided to follow his own future at sea. After graduating
college in 1965, he signed on as an Ordinary Seaman aboard a
South-America-bound freighter where he spent the next three
years sailing the waters around North and South America.
Captain Wildung then returned home and attended
the Swedish Merchant Marine Academy from which he graduated
in 1971. He then joined one of Sweden’s largest shipping companies,
The Johnson Line, where he remained for the next 14 years. During
this time he accumulated a vast amount of experience sailing
on all types of vessels as he slowly moved up the ranks. In
1985 he decided to join the cruise industry and two years later
was appointed Master with Royal Caribbean International. Most
recently he commanded RCI’s Legend of the Seas.
On the Brilliance during a tour of her ultramodern
Bridge, the ship’s control center, I asked the proud Captain
how it felt to command such a vessel. "It’s an honor and
privilege to sail this ship,’’ said Captain Wildung. "I
especially like the maneuverability we get with the azipods
on this ship. This new technology involves a new way of thinking
in sailing this ship."
Now in a way, he pointed out, it is a new
beginning for him in taking over the command of the Brilliance
with its high-end technology. "All I have learned in my
35 years at sea," he commented, "I now have to start
over and relearn everything again. It’s a new way of thinking
that permeates this ship."
