BACKGROUND: My partner and I have sailed on most of the major cruise lines, including Carnival, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean. We have probably been on 18 cruises and are Diamond RCI members which gave us Elite status on Celebrity which offered nice benefits like free laundry. This was our first Celebrity cruise and it will not be the last. We previously avoided Celebrity because I wrongfully believed that they were too formal and stuffy. My job requires that I wear a suit and tie most days; therefore, on vacation I don't want to be required to wear formal attire. The experience was not as rigid as I had believed. A sport coat and tie are acceptable on formal nights and you can dine in the alternative restaurants in casual attire on formal nights if you prefer. I had read great things about Celebrity's new Solstice class of ships and decided to give them a try. I'm glad that we did.

EMBARCATION: Here I thought Celebrity could have done a better job. There were numerous lines and the whole process took almost an hour. They need to improve this in Miami. Once on board we were very impressed. A glass of champagne and a warm welcome greets everyone. The ship is beautiful, very elegant and comfortable at the same time. The lounges, bars and theatres are all stunning.

CABINS: We had an Aqua class cabin on deck 11. There was no noise from the pool deck above or the cabins to either side. The cabin was tastefully decorated and the bed very comfortable. The bathroom had the best layout I have ever seen in non-suite accommodations. The shower was amazing with, I think, 7 water jets, and it was large by cruise standards. There was lots of storage and something I have not seen mentioned before, the mirror is heated so that it doesn't fog up above the sink when you shower. Nice touch. The balcony was a nice size and the furnishings very comfortable with 2 reclining chairs, 2 foot stools and a fairly large table. Aqua class comes with nicer robes and towels. You also get fresh fruit, a bottle of champagne on embarkation day and canapEs each day (which you will want to skip). Read more