First off let me say that I have been a fan of Celebrity's Milleninum Class ships since my first cruise in 2006. My last Celebrity cruise was on The Constellation, so the Solstice had a LOT to live up to. The Solstice, the first of this class, is a great ship, well designed sort of like the Milleninum Class on steroids!

Before I talk about the cruise let me throw a few barbs at US Airways, one of my favorite targets. As usual US Air managed to jamb even a red eye flight to the brim, the Airbus 321 is not the most comfortable of aircraft, the flight crew was however nice, but not overly so. Being packed into US Air's incredible shrinking seats is NEVER a good experience but when one hopes to grab a few winks, it is even worse. My route through Charlotte, was not my first choice as it adds about 1-1/2 hours to the trip, but I wanted to avoid an overnight in Ft Lauderdale. After this trip, if I NEVER go through Charlotte it will be too soon. The distance between gates was quite extensive and the moving walkway was OUT OF SERVICE! Had I known I would have asked for assistance as I have knee problems.

The cruise was a 7 night Eastern Caribbean, well not exactly my favorite itinerary, even though I had only done a part of it before, but as they say "a bad day at sea is better than a good day at work." Boarding in Ft Lauderdale was quick, being on the ship within 20 minutes of arrival at the pier. The one fluke in boarding is that cabin's would not be ready until about 1:30PM meaning that I had to slug my luggage around with me at the buffet area. I have been spoiled by Princess who will let you take your luggage to your cabin even if it isn't ready. Well anyway, there was an attendant in the buffet are that did help me by carrying my plate. Oh yes, did I mention that Celebrity no longer has trays in the buffet? As a replacement they have various size square plates meaning that if you want more than a main entrEe, such as a salad you need to make multiple trips. I did meet some very nice people in the buffet and we took turns watching luggage and holding the table as we each in turn went for additional items. I would hope that Celebrity might figure out how to accommodate passengers with carry ons either letting them drop them off at the room OR having a secure area. Celebrity, PLEASE BRING BACK THE TRAYS! Read more