Travelling as the guests of Royal Caribbean's The Brilliance of the Seas, the 294m, 12 storeys or 53m tall 90,090 ton ship with a myriad of your soon to be closest friends on board, is nothing short of fabulous.
Freshly rebuffed following a US$30m dry-dock rejuvenation, the 2,100-guest ship now offers many of the Royal Caribbean signature experiences, first introduced aboard Oasis-class (far larger) ships including five new dining concepts, aerial entertainment in the new five-story Centrum that makes Madison Square Garden seem intimate, and wall-to-wall Wi-Fi and Cell phone connectivity. We sailed her around the Baltic calling at Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, St Petersburg, and Gothenburg before returning to Harwich, outside of London.
She's doubled her dining options since the refurb and added premium eateries, some of which carry an additional fee. The trattoria-style Giovanni's Table is really superb (and, when enjoyed as part of a US$55 add-on package that includes dining at three of the premium restaurants, also very good value). There's a 16-seater chef's table for food and wine flights and a Rita's Mexican cantina in the mix.
Also new to this ship are Royal Caribbean's signature Izumi Asian Cuisine (think Nobu) and Park Café. As someone on a limited diet, I enjoyed eating at Park Café inside the Solarium for all-day grazing. There's a salad bar as well as healthy but comfort food options like hearty soups, wraps, and a roast of the day sliced onto ciabatta.
Anchoring the Centrum is the glamorous R Bar on level four which is also where Guest Relations is positioned and is the epicentre of activity on board. New is a Concierge Club for suite guests, a Diamond Club for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty programme members, a new English pub and the popular Royal Babies and Tots Nursery.
New tech includes flat-panel televisions in all staterooms, an outdoor LED movie screen on the pool deck and an interactive digital way-finding system on each floor.
An 11-night Norwegian Fjords and Iceland itinerary, sailing July 27, will call at Bergen and Geiranger, Norway; Lerwick/Shetland, Scotland; Klaksvik, Faroe Islands; with an overnight in Reykjavik, Iceland. Brilliance of the Seas departs for Boston, USA on August 31 on a 15-night itinerary, calling at Paris/Normandy (Le Havre), France; Portland, Dorset, UK; Cork (Cobh) and Dublin, Ireland; Klaksvik; with an overnight at Reykjavik.
My top-tip for your first-day on board is to arrive at Harwich as early as possible (we took the train from London's Liverpool Street), have your bathing costume and book in your hand luggage and as soon as you've checked in to the ship head to the glass-enclosed Solarium and pool to spend the afternoon there until your luggage is delivered to your stateroom, much later in the day.
Having a full first day at sea is perfect to give yourself time to relax into the journey, properly unpack, and settle into your understanding your whereabouts on the ship - it can be a little overwhelming with so many options for food and entertainment.
The first two ports are the beautiful Nordic cities of Stockholm and Copenhagen. Although there are port lecturers on board and many ship-arranged excursions, we decided to do our own thing.
The Brilliance of the Seas docked in Copenhagen at 0800 and we were among the first to head for the city - which was a mistake as shops and attractions only open at 1000. We'd planned to take the Hop-On Hop-Off bus that stops at the cruise terminal into Copenhagen but it was such a beautiful day we walked about half an hour into to the main area. We followed the Centrum Road which, we deduced correctly, would take us into the centre.
Everywhere we looked people on bicycles were going to work or taking children to school. It is odd to see men in suits with briefcases on bicycles or mothers carrying three children in a shopping-trolley-style bike attachment. I was told by a local that Copenhageners even use their bikes in the rain and snow of their long winters.
One of our dinner companions the previous night had been to Copenhagen before and recommended Nyhavn, a historic area that reminded me of Amsterdam or Belgium with tall, narrow houses tooth by jowl along the canal.
At first the idea of eating with others at our 2030 dinner seating got up my nose, but soon I enjoyed their company - a family from French-speaking Quebec, Canada who struggled with English. They were on board because their son played in the ship's orchestra.
In Copenhagen we walked around the famous Rosenborg Castle, which houses their crown jewels and the pretty gardens but, like everything else that only opened at 1000, we just looked in.
As soon as shops opened we headed for the fabulous department store Magasin and connected to their 15 minutes free Wi-Fi over superb coffee at Joe & The Juice.
I fancied myself the sophisticate, interested in art and history, but, in truth, I'm not. I've noticed on previous trips when I've visited galleries around the world that I've only looked for the pictures I already recognise so this trip I decided to focus on the things I really am interested in: Coffee, shopping and ABBA.
We had to be back on board by 1530 but not after last-minute shopping at outlet shops right at the cruise terminal. Typically shops nearby cruise terminals are expensive tourist traps but there were genuine bargains to be had if you were shopping for clothing or Danish homeware.
The ABBA Museum in Stockholm, our next port of call, is like an ordinary museum in that it has dioramas and displays of costumes but it also has a piano that is electronically linked to Benny Andersen's so when he plays in his studio, you will hear it. There's the red phone featured in Ring Ring to which only the members of ABBA have the number and will speak to whomever answers it (it didn't ring while we were there and I tried to lift it off the receiver to hear a dial tone but it remains locked in place until one of the band members decide they want to chat); new technology in the form of holographic and digital imaging is used to great fun effect like a life-sized Wii game.
I got to see myself dancing dressed as each of the band members and could print a pic of me doing so. You can also sing-along to one of their songs in a recording booth and get Singstar-style points, but the most fun is to perform as a fifth member of the holographic band on stage and be applauded or booed by the audience. I can't think when last I had so much fun.
The ABBA museum is next to The Melody Hotel which serves great coffee and has fast, free Wi-Fi for guests. Ask them for the code when you order. Also within proximity is the Spirit Museum homage to Absolut Vodka, the Wasa museum which shows a perfectly preserved Viking ship, the zoo and Stockholm's famous water-edge amusement park.
Speak to Cruises International who arranged our visit - they really are a pleasure to deal with. Email az.oc.sesiurc@ahsorin, see www.cruises.co.za or phone +27 (0) 11 327 0327.
