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The night prior to embarkation, we stayed at an Embassy Suites in Boca Raton. Good price and very good choice for the convenience to the port, while away from the congestion. We dropped our luggage at the ship and turned in the rental car at the airport. The cruise line along with the car rental agencies arranged a bus from the airport to the pier. All rental agencies and all cruise lines qualified I believe, and the driver did check your rental receipt. Check in at about 2PM was a breeze and we soon found ourselves in the stateroom with our luggage awaiting us. So far, just wonderful. However it came apart quickly. The room was crowded. A couch blocked access to the closet and there was a shortage of drawer storage. We do not travel with a lot of clothes, so we were surprised. Concierge class, indeed. We did have a wee bit larger veranda because it is an end room and we enjoyed watching the other ships depart from our balcony. Very cool, but then we went to register for an internet package which offered a bonus for first day sign up. We had a discount because of being Captain's Club members, but no coupon to give the internet people. The sheets of coupons wee not in our room and the coupon must be presented at sign up. A pain, but resolved. The food and dining were the most disappointing. Good food poorly prepared and the wait staff "couldn't get it right" for anyone at our table. Condiments and utensils were constantly missing and the waiters pushing wine and drinks were simply rude. We spent more time than we planned at Passenger Service. The entertainment was fine. One lecturer in particular was very good, but the shops were a waste of space. The staff attitude was fine, but the competency level was severely lacking. We cancelled our fall reservations on Solstice and will try another boat or cruise line.
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