It’s Embarkation Day!! This picture was the view from my parents room. You can actually see the waterfront and where we had breakfast. This area is about 3-4 blocks from the port which was super convenient for our short stay and ultimate destination onboard the Brilliance of the Seas.
We started our morning with breakfast at De Dutch which was right on the water, and walking distance to the port if you’re up for carrying your luggage! Breakfast took a little longer than expected but we were able to get our bags and catch an Uber which arrived at the port around 10:45 am (I would definitely recommend and Uber if you have lots of luggage or are short on time). Our Uber dropped us right at the luggage drop which made it easy for us to drop the heavy stuff and move on to customs! Our travel party had “The Key” which allowed us priority baggage drop off, boarding, and more! Once we had dropped our heavy bags we headed up to customs which was quick and easy due to the check-in process Royal Caribbean uses. You can complete most of your check in, including a health questionnaire currently, from the comfort of your own home. (Be warned: The selfie you take will be used throughout your cruise and may haunt you). We had already entered all of our information, and the attendant at our check in station got us all check in under 10 minutes!
Once we had our passes from him, we moved to the customs area. This was probably the longest portion of our morning but the line continuously moves
and is quick compared to customs at the airports I’ve experienced. Once we had our bags and ourselves scanned, we headed upstairs for our photo opp. There are plenty of these on board, so don’t worry if you’re not prepared! Once we had taken our photo we were onboard. The entire process took under 45 minutes so if you’re someone that likes to be on board early, be sure to get to the port early! The Key members have the chance to drop their carry on bags after boarding which we took full advantage of so we could be hands free to explore the ship! We took our time exploring each deck and scoped out places like the Schooner Bar and the Viking Lounge, which we would be returning to often! The Key members are treated to a sit down lunch in the dining room which is definitely an upgrade from the Windjammer cafe which is the main option for lunch on embarkation day. The lunch gave us a chance to try entrees from Chops Grille which offers an amazing steakhouse experience (more to come on that later).
We enjoyed our lunch and before we knew it our rooms were open. Our room choices were on the 9th floor close to the stairs. While it would seem loud close to the stairs, the hallways are somewhat blocked off so it was quiet inside our staterooms when we were in them. If there’s one thing I can recommend on an Alaskan cruise it’s this….SPLURGE FOR THE BALCONY. The views are totally worth it and you can enjoy room service while kicking back in your own space. After we had checked out our rooms we went down for some trivia at the Schooner Bar. There are all sorts of trivia games offered throughout the cruise and this quickly became one of our family favorite activities, I’m known to be a little competitive.
Around 4:30 pm there was an announcement that we would be sailing away soon. We headed up to deck 12 and grabbed a drink from the Pool Bar and enjoyed the music and dancing from the crew. My husband and I decided not to get a drink package for this trip, as we knew we would be spending most of our time off of the ship and exploring. However, there is quite a bit of time on board and we’ve done the math, so if you’re on the fence about this one, buy the package. There was a dance instructor leading some line dancing which we enthusiastically participated in and then we were off! The views leaving Vancouver were so cool, but at this point we had no idea what we were in store for tomorrow.
After celebrating sailing away, we headed back to our rooms and enjoyed a cheese tray and some wine which we had delivered to our rooms. This is a great option for anyone wanting to send a gift to someone on board or to celebrate a birthday, honeymoon, anniversary, really any celebration! This was the perfect snack to hold us over before we had dinner at the Minstrel main dining room. To be very honest, the food here was incredibly mediocre. I consider myself somewhat of a foodie and there was just not a meal here that really blew our socks off. I can definitely see why RC offers the elevated dining plans and if you are willing to pay the extra money, it’s definitely something to consider. That is not to say that we didn’t have amazing waiters, because we really did! The entire staff onboard was amazing and did everything they could to make our trip the best it could be. Our stateroom attendance Lee was easily our favorite and was one of the kindest humans I’ve ever met. Brilliance, well done on your cast choices!
Once we had dinner we headed to the theatre for the “Welcome Show” which was, in my opinion, cringey at best. The cruise director really and activities director, a married couple, were cute but wayyyy over the top. Some of the crowd seemed to love them while others groaned. We really enjoyed the comedian (I honestly cannot remember his name) but the rest of it made me feel like I could’ve spent my time better elsewhere. My cruising experience prior to this one were onboard 2 Disney cruises and Liberty of the Seas. From what I can remember, both the food and entertainment on those ships far surpassed this itineraries offerings. That’s not to say you should steer clear of an Alaskan cruise, there are tons of other itineraries and options for you, and of course all of this is just one woman’s opinion!
The welcome show brought us the decision to go to sleep or check out the nightlife on board. We decided on sleep since we had gotten up early and had plenty of time to enjoy the ship on our day at sea. Stay tuned for our day at sea, port days, and why you can’t miss the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour.
Adventure is out there! -Ashley
