My wife, three kids (ages 14, 11 and 9) just returned from a fabulous trip to Europe which highlighted a 12 day cruise on the Solstice.In addition to several cruises with the wife, it was our fourth cruise with our three kids (Princess, NCL, 2 x Royal Caribbena). Without a doubt, regardless the line or ship, cruising is the most convenient way to travel with kids in Europe.As for the Solstice, it had some very good things and not so good.The good:- Best staterooms we have seen. Clean, spacious & well decorated. The in-cabin entertainment (TV) powered by Apple was tremendous. From ordering the next morning's breakfast (arrived like clockwork) to the wide selection of free movies you could watch at will. - Excellent food. Dining room was great, but was surprised by the variety at the more casual Ocean View Cafe. In addition to the typical buffet fare, different stations for pizza, pasta, Asian, Mexican, Indian food, sandwiches, salads & BBQ. - Kid's Club. My kids (especially the 9 and ll year old) couldn't get enough of the "Fun Factory". They'd rush thru dinner and skip desert to not miss a minute. - Service. Waiters, bar tenders and cabin crew were all extremely good. Not so good:- The pool area: extremely cramped and rather boring. With three "At Sea" days, much time was spent here and we were disappointed. So much of the ship's outdoor deck is used for the underutilized lawn; all pool lounge chairs (which there are not enough of) are crammed together, making it uncomfortably close (hard to get in to and you're sitting arm to arm with strangers next to you). There was absolutely no background music.- Lack of other outdoor fun. Once again, the ship's "Lawn Club" takes up so much space (and is hardly used), that there are none of the fun outdoor amenities that we have seen on similarly sized ships; no rock climbing, outdoor movies, pool slide, miniature golf, full-court basketball court, etc.Despite all the very good, I doubt I will take another cruise on the Solstice... especially with the kids. While they had a blast in the kid's club, the ships lack of funner outdoor amenities present on other ships of similar size would sway us away.