Brighter Brilliance off to the Baltic

The spectacular Russian port of St Petersburg welcomes Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas tomorrow (Tuesday) for the first of eight scheduled visits this summer.
The 2,112-passenger ship arrived in the Essex port of Harwich last week fresh from a £20 million revitalization. The 11-year-old vessel has been brought it up to date with the addition of many of the features which are now taken for granted on newer ships.
There’s a 220-square foot LED cinema screen above the main pool as well as new flat-screen TVs in every cabin, wi-fi access throughout the ship and an interactive touch-screen information system.
New speciality restaurants include Rita’s Cantina, the Park Café in the Solarium, and the Chef’s Table in place of a card room at the back of the Colony Club. Asian-fusion style Izumi has replaced the Seaview café on Deck 12, and Portofino has made way for Giovanni’s Table.
A Diamond Club Lounge for members of the Crown and Anchor loyalty club members has been carved out of a corner of the StarQuest night club, which fortunately has retained its rotating bar, and the ship has gained a King and Country Pub and Vintages wine bar.
The Centrum (above) has been transformed into a five-deck-high entertainment space which will stage regular performances of aerial acrobatics.
During the 21-day dry-dock in Cadiz, Spain, a team of 1,700 contractors joined the ship’s crew to work on the ship, and laid enough new carpet to cover two football pitches.
In addition to its cruises from Harwich to the Baltic, Brilliance will be sailing an 11-night cruise to the Norwegian fjords, Shetlands and Iceland on July 27. About 30 per cent of the passengers are expected to be from thr UK, with most of the remainder flying in from the US.
Royal Caribbean’s Nicki Tempest-Mitchell said: “Summer 2013 is a great milestone with three ships dedicated to the UK market, and plenty more throughout Europe. We are offering a huge range of cruise options from Southampton and Harwich.”