Celebrity, in my opinion, set the bar quite high.

This was our first cruise and it was the most wonderful experience. We boarded the Celebrity Solstice, which had it's first birthday while we were on it, in Civitavechia, Rome. We booked our stateroom in Aqua class, which allowed early boarding and a separate dining among other things. The boarding process went quite smoothly however it took a little long to receive our luggage in our stateroom. The room was delightful with a balcony; and our room attendant could not have been more attentive. Every day we had fresh flowers & ice tea. The food in aqua class was wonderful. You eat in a separate dining room that accommodates 120 guests and the food is prepared without a lot of fats & oils. The wait staff was very professional and knowledgable always making sure that you enjoy your experience. There are four additional restaurants on the ship. We ate in one and the food was wonderful. The ship had a nice variety of art on display and the public areas were all decorated nicely. Our cruise went to Messina, Athens, Mykonos, Ephesus, Rhodes, Saintorini, Naples and back to Rome.

We took two excursions offered by the ship. The guides were extremely knowledgeable which allowed us to really comprehend what we were seeing. We enjoyed the experience so much that we booked another cruise for October to go to Egypt & Israel on the sister ship to the Solstice Read more