Brilliance Sea Days
Internet was a little sketchy yesterday so this post will have news of the first couple of sea days… We boarded our ship and headed to the cabin to settle in. Check-in was smooth (thankfully). As usual, we enjoyed the view from our balcony. Now seeing the Tampa skyline from another angle… it’s just as beautiful. Pulling out of port, we will be heading down around the tip of Florida. It takes a couple of days before we even get truly out to sea.
First order of business… a little champagne welcome in the Centrum. The Brilliance of the Seas holds 2,500 passengers but we are told it is not sold out. Actually, my parents had planned to sail with us and had to cancel... their cabin next door to us sits empty :-( With many seating areas and large public venues, it never seems crowded. I love the older, smaller ships. It’s not really “old”, built in 2002, it was refurbished in 2013 and heading to dry dock as soon as this leg is complete.
Our goal is always to avoid the crowds… so on embarkation day, we skip the “trough” and head straight to Park Cafe in the Solarium. As you can see… not a soul around. We enjoyed a peaceful lunch with fresh salad and roast beef sandwiches.
Most ships are extremely crowded around the pool. People mark their territory with towels/books and wander around participating in games, eating lunch etc. There may be two people in the pool and a hundred reserved seats. So, we usually enjoy pool time immediately after eating… while other guests are exploring the ship. By the time they make their way to the pool, we have had enough!
On the movie screen by the pool was this emblem. It shows the ship name and our itinerary. This is the perfect cruise for us because it starts out slow with seven sea days and then ends with several stops… including three in Ireland! Our first stop will be Ponta Delgalda. We aren’t sure we will get off as we have been to this island several times. Odds are, if the weather is nice, we will enjoy the empty ship!
Early on our second day, we had an emergency. Our ship came to a complete stop off the coast of the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, we lost one of the passengers to a heart attack. Originally it was announced that a helicopter would be landing on the ship to pick up the deceased and his wife. I can’t even imagine! We’ve heard several “alpha alpha alpha” calls over the public address systems during our past cruises. Though it’s sad, I really wouldn’t mind leaving this earth doing what I love… cruising!
Instead of a helicopter, we had a Coast Guard boat pull up alongside the ship. They wanted to get the deceased off the ship before we left US waters. It alleviates quite a bit of complicated paperwork in a foreign country. We are hoping for smooth sailing for the rest of our journey!
Tomorrow I will report on meals and of course… wine :-)
