Brilliance of the Seas vs Radiance of the Seas

The Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2022. It's 1 year newer than the Radiance of the Seas, which was built in 2001 and renovated in 2021.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Brilliance of the Seas is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 962 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. The Brilliance of the Seas and the Radiance of the Seas are in the same class, which means they're sister ships. For the most part, they're similar in terms of size and layout; although they may have different features and attractions on board.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas holds about the same number of passengers as the Radiance of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Brilliance of the Seas has the same amount of space per person as the Radiance of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Class	Radiance	Radiance
Gross Tonnage	90,090	90,090
Length	962	962
Beam/Width	106	106
Passenger Decks	12	12
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,142	2,143
Crew	848	894
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.5	2.4
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	42	42

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Brilliance of the Seas has fourteen different dining options like Windjammer, Chef's Table, and Chops Grille. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other six options have an additional fee.

The Radiance of the Seas has two more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Dog House, Chef's Table, and Giovanni's Table. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other seven have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Radiance of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 14% more dining options than the Brilliance of the Seas.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas & Radiance of the Seas

	Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Cafe Latte-tudes	✓	✓
Chef's Table	✓	✓	Learn More
Chops Grille	✓	✓	Learn More
Dog House	✗	✓	Learn More
Giovanni's Table	✓	✓	Learn More
Ice Cream Parlor	✓	✓
Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks	✓	✓	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓	Learn More
Park Cafe	✓	✓
Samba Grill	✗	✓
Windjammer	✓	✓	Learn More

Bars and Drinks

The Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas and Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas both have 11 bars to choose from during your sailing.

	Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Casino Bar	✓	✓
Champagne Bar	✗	✓
English Pub	✓	✓
Jakarta Lounge	✓	✓
Lobby Bar	✗	✓
Pool bar	✓	✓
R Bar	✓	✗
Schooner Bar	✓	✓
Singapore Sling's	✓	✓
Sky Bar	✓	✓
Starquest Nightclub	✓	✗
The Colony Club	✓	✓
Viking Crown Lounge	✗	✓
Vintages	✓	✗

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Brilliance of the Seas and the Radiance of the Seas below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas has a total of 2 pools and 3 hot tubs.

The Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas has the same number of pools as the Brilliance of the Seas and the same number of hot tubs.

Worried about lots of kids onboard? Visit The Solarium, an adult-only area for guests 18 and older only. Both the Brilliance of the Seas and the Radiance of the Seas have full-depth adult-only pools in The Solarium. Both have adult-only area with a retractable glass roof. They’re both located in the middle of the ship.

	Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Total Pools	2	2
Pools - General Access	1	1
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	3	3
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	2
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	1	1
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	0

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On both ships, 70% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.

	Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Mini golf	✓	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit Royal Caribbean's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

	Royal Caribbean
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services	18%
Soda Price	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$77 - $118 Learn more
Internet Plan	$19 to $30 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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