Today was easily one of the most “chill” days of our vacation as we traveled at sea from Vancouver to Sitka. While there are tons of activities on board, we took the time to relax, explore, and enjoy all that Brilliance of the Seas had to offer! We spent the morning sleeping in and enjoying the views from our balconies before grabbing breakfast at the Windjammer buffet. If you are with a large party, it can be tough to find a table big enough to fit everyone so consider splitting up or sending someone a little early to scope out some seating for you. There was a big variety of breakfast items and there seemed to be something for everyone from pancakes to cold cuts to fritattas, everyone had something delicious!
Another option to consider onboard is the Starbucks location on deck 5. Since there were less options for breakfast than some of the larger ships, all of the Starbucks offerings ended up being included in our deluxe beverage package which was a nice surprise! We enjoyed our drinks and watched some of the latin dance class on the deck below and decided we’d join in on the next day at sea on our return back to Vancouver.
We went for a walk around the ship and stumbled upon trivia which ended up being our favorite family activity. There was music trivia, cartoon trivia, and everything in between! This was a fun way to pass the time and really tested our knowledge base. It was fun to see the other families compete and learn where everyone was from.
In the afternoon we headed to the top of the ship for some activities. We attempted to play mini golf
and it was hilarious since we could barely hit anything due to the wind and waves, no wonder there was no one else up there! Since we had purchased the Key, there were special times where activities were only open to us and we lucked out with the rock climbing wall being open while we were up there. 4 out of the 5 boys in our travel party tried their hand at rock climbing and had a blast! They got to go multiple times on each “track” (not sure if that’s proper rock climbing terminology), and had a great time. I am not one for heights so I enjoyed the views and watching them all from below. Once we were a bit chilly from staying outside so long, we wandered around the ship some more and headed back to Schooner’s for more trivia and a beer as large as my sister’s head!
If you’re someone who is prone to motion sickness or sea sickness today could be a rough one on your itinerary. Make sure to visit the customer service desk for some free Dramamine or purchase some sea sickness bands before boarding, these were a lifesaver for me on this day! We started to feel like Captain Jack Sparrow with some of the rocking and rolling. If you’ve been on a Caribbean cruise, the water felt pretty comparable to a day at sea there!
We ended our day with what I think we would all agree was our favorite meal of the entire trip onboard at Chops Grille. Chops was a steakhouse setup that included delicious appetizers, steaks, and desserts as well as drinks! If you want to elevate your dining experience onboard I’d definitely recommend planning at least one night at one of the deluxe dining experience or even upgrading to the deluxe dining package. Our waitress was hilarious and joined in on the family fun. Huge shout out to my Uncle for planning this surprise dinner for us! It was a great way to celebrate my dad’s birthday and brother’s graduation!
Our dinner at Chops ended up being on the first formal night of our cruise and it was perfect timing since we all looked our best for our favorite meal! After dinner we checked out the pub and other bars on board and headed to be to be prepared for our first day in Alaska! Stay tuned for our day in Sitka.
Adventure is out there!
