Embarkation was quite easy. The longest line was going thru security. We arrived around noon, and it probably took no more than an hour before we were on the ship. They were just allowing boarding when we got to the waiting area. Of course, as is Celebrity style, we were offered a glass of champagne upon boarding. In the past, there was always someone to meet you and take you to your room, not the case. We were on our own. They were, however, making announcements not to go to your room yet, as it may not be ready. This, of course, led to overcrowding in the public areas. We did go to our room, however, and it was ready.

The room we choose was perfect. It was in the most perfect location, right by the elevators. We only had to go up or down, and we were always right were we needed to be. It made the ship seem smaller, because we did very little walking. I love the way the Solstice door entries are done. They are set back off the hallways, and are in pairs. There were no inside rooms in our area, so we had no rooms across from us. We never ran into anyone in the halls. I found the room to be quite spacious, and loved the bed. The bathroom was wonderful. Although the counter space was very narrow, there was quite a bit of storage, and you did not need the counter space for storage. The shower was wonderful, no shower curtain, but doors instead. Our room was on the angle, so we had a bigger than normal balcony. If I was to do it all over again, I would choose the room next door, which would be 8252, because it was the first room on the hump, and they were able to see the full length of the ship and see what was up ahead. We were not able to see forward, only backward. The balconies, however, were the most private I have ever seen. You cannot see above or below, or your neighbors. We were able to see down the side of the ship, only because we were on the angle.

The ship itself was very nice. I would not say it had that WOW factor, because it was not glitzy or glamorous in anyway, but very classy, and subdued. No real flashy colors, or designs. I did enjoy the ship tremendously, and will be spoiled in many ways to other ships not of its design. The ever controversial grass on the top deck, was being changed out in many areas as we boarded. Therefore, it tells me they are having difficulty keeping it nice looking. It was very different having the grass, and most times we were up on the top deck, the grass was being used for boucee or golf putting. We enjoyed the fact that there were no announcements every 5 minutes. I actually forgot that bingo existed! Read more