Celebrity Solstice Cruise Review by tomcat

Ship: The ship is beautiful. It is the right size for us. We are not looking for the mega ship with all of the activities like ice skating, rock climbing etc. We found it very easy to move around and it was very well laid out.

Cabin: The cabin was very nice with lots of room for a ship cabin. Could have used a little more drawer space. The shower in the bathroom was very nice compared to some of the other ships we have sailed. You could actually move around in it. We had a verandah which is always nice and we sat out almost every morning and afternoon.

Cabin service: Although we were in concierge class, the service was good, but not remarkable. Our stateroom attendant took care of our needs when we asked for things, but just wasn't as special as I expected. Not complaining, just reality.

Shows and Activities: We typically do not do a lot of the activities, however we did attend the two cooking shows and they were great. The chefs that were on stage were funny and entertaining. We went to the comedy show at night and that was really good as well. Amazing that parents took kids to an adult comedy show at midnight. The comic actually asked some parents to leave. And it was good he did. It was certainly adult material. We also attended the Cirque Du Soleil style show and it too was very well done. Other than that, we did not do much else for activities on the ship. My wife attended the glass blowing demonstration and really enjoyed it.

Dining: Dinner in the main dining room was fantastic. I was very impressed with the food served. Service was good at dinner but slow at breakfast and lunch. Lunch food was very good as well on the 2 days we went there. Do not recommend breakfast in the main dining room. We only had breakfast in the buffet, but it too was very good. Very well organized, lots of choices and cooked to order eggs, omelets, etc. We had burgers and hot dogs at the outside grill and they were better than expected. We had dinner in both Murano and Tuscan Grill. Well worth the extra charge on both counts. We really enjoyed the food and service was excellent. Highly recommend at least one of them for a change of dining scenery.

Bars: We really enjoyed the wine room. Very good selection and decent prices. Great atmosphere and good service. We went to martini bar, Ensemble Lounge and Sky Observation lounge. Service at the bars was so, so. Not what I would have expected. It seemed most of the bartenders had attitudes and were not very quick to serve you. We also went up to the Sunset bar on the back of the ship and it was nice to sit out and smoke a cigar (the only place on the ship you can).

Excursions: We did not book any excursions through the ship. We always do our own using the Internet. More cost effective and adventurous.

Beverage Package: We purchased the premium beverage package and it was well worth it. I have read a few reviews that said it was not worth it and had negative comments on selections and service. We always had a good selection of wines and cocktails that were included with no problem, even in the wine room. We were never ignored by servers or pressured in to leaving additional tips. I would highly recommend this package.

Disembarkation: Disembarkation was very smooth. We were able to select what time we wanted to leave the ship and got off when we were ready. No issues with luggage as it was waiting for us when we got off.

I would highly recommend this ship to anyone. We really enjoyed it will do it again. I would also recommend you get involved with the Cruise Critic Roll Call. We had a very good organizer and a great group of people. Meeting them at the sail party made it a more enjoyable cruise as we hooked up some of them a few times and had fun. We did a slot pull in the casino that was a highlight of the trip.