Sometimes the best adventures are the ones decided at the last minute. In April 2023, we jumped on a 7-night relocation cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas. This mission took us from the bustling Port of Los Angeles up the misty Pacific Coast to the clean architecture of Vancouver, Canada.
This trip was a major testing ground for my travel tech, a deep dive into the “Radiance Class” Ship design, and a multi-port exploration of the West Coast’s most iconic cities.
Read on for the full operational breakdown of the 2023 Pacific Coastal Cruise.
📍 Mission Briefing & Tech Prep
A relocation cruise requires specific logistics. This section covers the “Last Minute” planning and the ongoing struggle to optimize my mobile creator gear.
🛫 Ground & Air Operations (LAX Deployment)
Getting to the Ship is half the battle. This covers the flight out of SLC, navigating the maze of LAX, and the Uber logistics to the San Pedro terminal.
- Flight to LA: Seat Scrambles & Delta Logistics
- Boeing 737-900ER: The Workhorse of the Skies
- LAX 2023: Navigating the Hub
- Transportation from LAX to San Pedro
- DoubleTree Inn San Pedro: The Pre-Cruise Basecamp
🚢 The Ship — Brilliance of the Seas
The Brilliance is a Radiance-class Ship known for its glass and views. We conducted an “All-Access” inspection of the decks, dining operations, and the Ship’s overall infrastructure.
- Brilliance of the Seas — Ship Overview & History
- The Boarding Process: A Rough Start in San Pedro
- Deck-by-Deck Site Inspections (Decks 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 & 13)
- All-Access Tour: How the Ship Operates
- Dining Room & Windjammer Café: Culinary Operations
⚓ Port Operations: California to Canada
Relocation cruises are unique because you hit heavy hitters like San Francisco and Victoria before ending in Vancouver.
- San Francisco: Pier 35 & GoCar Adventures
- Muir Woods & Sausalito Tour
- Golden Gate Bridge: Crossing the Iconic Span
- Victoria, BC: The Southern Tip of Vancouver Island
- Victoria Adventure: Returning to the Capital
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