I booked a 50th Birthday cruise my wife on the Celebrity Solstice in late Jan 2009 and living in Florida it entailed a 4 hour drive so no hardships there. As you drive into the port there are several off terminal parking companies that offer lower rates than actually at the terminal itself so we chose on of those and after parking our car and being picked up right at our car, their bus whisked us and our luggage the 2 minute drive to the ship. Very easy and very convenient plus a money saver.

Boarding: On arrival at the boarding area Celebrity had numerous agents available and within minutes we were checked in and directed to a holding area which along with countless other cruisers we waited to board the ship. Our turn to board came about 30 mins later so no real hardship. Boarding was smooth and without any problems. As we boarded the ship all cruisers were we were offered a glass of champagne or mimosa then we went to find our cabin and explore the ship.

Cabin: I had booked a balcony cabin in the aft section on deck 9 and we quickly found it. Being a new ship we found the cabin exactly as you would expect, new shining and very nice. Great bathroom. Nice balcony but we did hear later that some cruisers would have liked a light on the balcony. Read more