Embarkation was pretty easy, no stress, or fuss, very quick and soon we were on board and exploring this beautiful lady of the seas. The state room was smaller than I expected, after being informed that Solstice staterooms in Aqua class were much larger than normal. The problem is, the foot of the bed has this rounded portion which has nothing to do with the  comfort of the bed, it just takes up more space. The balcony also was an odd shape, very deep  and being on the corner makes it impossible to stand against the rail as the wind is always too strong. other than that the  bedroom is fine, bed extremely comfortable and nice fluffy pillows.Food.Dining was a nice experience, except, I may have misunderstood about where we would be dining, when I booked Main sitting I expected to be seated in the main dining room and that Blu's was an alternative to Grand Epernay not that Blu's was where we would be seated for all our meals. I must comment on our wait staff in Blu's, Pawal Novak; was exceptional in every way.The food imy opinion was average, breakfast was a disappointment, eggs over cooked, and I preferred after the first day to eat breakfast in the Oceans buffet where there was a huge selection of averything and eggs cooked any way you desired.Shows in the theatreEntertainment was average, the Cruise director did his best to keep things rolling along but sometimes was a bit boring.The ShipIs very big, rarely seemed crowded except around the pool deck, there was never any time when you could go to the pool deck and not find dozens od items left sitting on loungers " keeping" places for people, even though it had been stated that this was not to be done. although I would have liked to use the pool there was no opportunity to do so, unless I wanted to swim during the dinner hours.ComparisonsCompared to RC's Brilliance of the seas, Solstice is much more futuristic, almost minimalistic. the Centrum is a great disappointment, it's blah! when you look down on the centrum from a high floor on Brilliance you see a beautiful  glow of color, and classic elegance, on Solstic you see an odd shape holding a tree?  very dull. Although I know cleanliness was a must while the swine flu scare was going on. and of course at any time where touching food is involved, to be constantly told time and time again by a young crew member the use sanitizing gells provided at the entrance to the Oceans buffet was a bit much,  being treated like naughty children was how my husband put it. when, if we wanted to use a different entrance than the main one we would not have been accosted by the crew memberBars.... The Martini Bar is a MUST  The waiters are full of fun, and very talented when it comes to mixing drinks. the other drinking areas around the ship are all very good. There is plenty to do if you want to party and plenty of nice places to just have a quiet nightcap before bed.Around the ship. At any given time you can always find a spot to have a quiet nap or read a book, and you can also find plenty to keep you busy on sea days, there is a huge amount to do if you want to keep busy. In all Celebrity Solstice is a big handsome modernistic ship. if you want the classical look stick to Royal Caribbean.Ports of call Santorini.Be prepared if you decide to walk down the steep cliff path, it's hard walking covered with Donkey poop and very steep with cobbled street. the ride up or down on a donkey is hazardous to say the least. and the cable car is the best way to go up or down. Santorini is not for the faint at heart, lots of up and down hill walking. you cann rent a cart for half a day for $40. but be warned the roads are full of inexperienced people riding scooters. and there seems to be no rules of the road when driving.Mykonos. pretty much the same as Santorini, very pretty place, lots of tourists nd it's all about getting you to part with you hard earned dollar. so be warnedIstanbull. Huge city, very busy, book a tour with Ekol travel, great guides, reasonable prices. good shopping lots of bargaining to be done to get a good deal on just about everything. wonderful sightseeing to be done. a must on any cruise.Athens. Once again a great place for sightseeing, be prepared for a long hard hike up the hill to the Acropollis but well worth it. make sure you wear comfortable  shoes for the walking around Athens.Capri. I could not believe how busy it was there. I expected a sleepy fishing village not a bustling high priced high fashion center, with millions of people everywhere, I was greatly disapointed. The bus ride up to the village  was littl more then a death ride up a mountain, people are squeezed into a small bus until there is no room to breath and then MORE people are allowed on the bus. not a pleasant experience and the ride up and down the hill is scary.Last time I was in Naples we rented a car, went to Pompii, drove the whole area an had a wonderful day,  and wish we had done the same again.OverallThe cruise was  a good experience we met some wonderful new friends. and had a great time overall.