Background Information

My wife and I (58 years old) sailed on Celebrity Solstice January 11, 2009 as part of a family group of 15 people. Ages ran from 90 to 23; grandmother, children, husbands, wives and children. We all flew in from across the country on January 10th and stayed at the Embassy Suites on 17th Street. All arrived safely and reasonably on time. After checking into the hotel we decided to meet in one of the lobby bars to nibble on bar food and get drinks from the complimentary bar that started at 5:30 PM. Prior to hitting the bar, we set up transportation to the ship using the hotel concierge. The cost was $7.00 per person and we set it up for a 10:45 AM departure time. As jet lag, general fatigue, and age kicked in we drifted off to our rooms agreeing to meet at 10:30 the next morning to catch our shuttle. During the morning we all got something to eat at the complimentary cooked to order breakfast area. After that, we all met and boarded our shuttles to the embarkation area, making certain everybody had their passports and Celebrity documentation with them. Once arriving, we dropped off our bags and were ushered into a waiting area. There were many people already waiting. My guess is people start showing up around 10:00 or so but arriving at 11:00 is certainly time enough. After standing in a short line to process your documents, credit card, and identification, you are escorted to a sitting area where you wait until the ship is ready to board. Expect no special treatment unless you are an elite level Captain's Club member or have booked a suite. While we were sitting, an announcement came over the P.A. system saying something about boarding around 1:00 PM. You couldn't quite hear it as nobody has yet figured out how to install an adequate P.A. system in a concrete building, but having been through this drill before, I figured we were just about ready to board. Sure enough, about 20 minutes later we were headed up an escalator and our way to the ship. The ramp leading up to the ship is steep for somebody grandma's age. I think we could have found her an elevator but she wanted no part of that and walked with us. On arrival to the ship greeting area we were served a glass of sparkling wine and asked to stay away from our cabins until an announcement was made allowing us to enter them. We found a spot in the Ensemble Lounge and took some family pictures and then broke away in small groups to explore the ship. I believe we were on the ship by noon.

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