The ship layout is very easy to get around and ability to get from front of ship to rear without changing levels was a nice change. Overall food was above scale, and options for finer dining was a nice option for a longer cruise. Embarkation was a snap, but getting off in Sydney was just about the worst ever, but can only be put on the port of Sydney and not on the cruiseline. Perhaps after another year or so of contstruction they will get the Sydney port facility fixed. The tendering went well with 6 tenders running in most ports as a minimum. The wait times were not bad, and if you have any perks from your booking it will make things even easier. We had a suite which was really nice and the changes to include Michael's was a new experience for us. Booking a suite gives you extra space and combined with other benefits makes it hard to go back to anything else. Location mid ship was very nice and sound was never an issue with the elevators nearby as a wall separates the hallway from the elevators. Take a door stop or two as the only door which stays open goes to the bedroom. The closet door and two bathroom doors will always close on you and it will begin to sound like a meat locker with the doors shutting all the time. Not alot of 110 outlets so you need some adapters if you want to charge up multiple devices. The room had two TV's but the system is quirky at best and takes a while to get used to navigating. We ordered room service thru the TV menu and had it in 15 minutes, no mistakes. The suite also includes a butler which we wondered about. Turns out we got a bit spoiled waiting for 3:50 each afternoon for our snacks and coffee/tea that he brought. Additionally, he took care of getting anything else we needed arranged or clarified without having to go anywhere. Even brought out passports back after the immigration requirements were completed. Room was kept very clean and in good condition. Shower had good pressure and plenty of light. Balcony was more than adequate and we enjoyed some time out there. Plenty of privacy mid ship out on the bump.

Food was abundant and layout for buffets was superior to Royal Princess. The layout is spread out and easy to see the categories and home in on what you wanted. Options to seat outside or in with short walk was also nice. The turkey burgers could only be found by the pool bar and you had to wait 10 minutes for them to cook when you ordered. Not sure why they don't have them pre-cooked like the other burgers, but they are available if you can wait. We went to all the specialty restaurants and enjoyed Murano's the best. Went three times there and also enjoyed ability to go to Blu since we had a suite. Another benefit which was nice. We ate breakfast in Blu a couple times and dinner also and never waited more than 5 minutes to get a seat. Bistro 5 was a nice venue but not something we did more than once. Food was good though and made for another option. With all the options on the Solstice there never seemed to be a crowd in regard to eating or milling about. The shops are spread out on two levels also and made for some addiitonal viewing. Bingo was held in a separate room and not the main theater. We enjoyed a couple of the main performances and others were hit and miss, but overall we were entertained. Alot of people playing trivia on this cruise. Way more than playing bingo. Plenty of bar entertainment spread about the ship. It's really up to you how much you want to do. The Casino was large and also set up well. No smoking in the Casino was really nice. The ship's Master was active about the ship and along with the other officers made a presence often which was something new. Perhaps there interaction with passengers made the rest of the crew step up as everyone smiled and were focused on making sure you were having a good time. Main dining is similar to ther ships and service was fairly good, but not as good as the special venues which you would expect. We only ate lunch one time in main dining and a couple of dinners. We had booked out excursions in advance of cruise so did not have any involvement with excursion desk to comment on. Plenty of locations on ship to get a good cup of coffee, a latte, or other coffee drink and they were all good. We had 3 formal nights. Plenty of people in Tuxes, but as cruise went on, fewer tuxes observed.