We had never been on a cruise before, so we used a travel agent to find one that would be just right for us. I am so glad we did, as our cruise experience was just what we desired. My husband and I were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and we wanted a stress-free, relaxing, indulgent vacation, away from our four children. Our vacation turned out to be exactly what we wanted.

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, October 23rd, the day before our ship sailed. We stayed at the Hilton Embassy Suites, which was pretty nice. There were plenty of places within walking distance for dinner that night, and the hotel provided a nice full breakfast on Sunday morning. When we looked out our hotel window on Sunday morning, we could see the Solstice in the distance. The hotel provided a shuttle, which began running at 11 am, which ran to the dock. Security and check-in at the dock were very easy. We breezed through security and then had to wait about 15 minutes in line to check in. Once through, we walked right onto the ship.

The ship is beautiful and you feel pampered from the moment you arrive. It was drizzling when we boarded, and they had two crew members standing by the walkway to the ship to help keep us dry for the two steps it took to get underneath the overhang. The ship is very elegant and sophisticated in its design and decor. We stopped at the Aquaspa Cafe and had a little snack. The food there seemed very light and refreshing, not to mention healthy. We then made our way to the Ocean View Cafe where we had a delicious buffet lunch. It was crowded, but not surprising considering the fact that everyone had just boarded and everyone went straight to the buffet. We found a table and I enjoyed a delicious made-to-order stir-fry. I had chocolate mousse for dessert and it was yummy. The Ocean View Cafe is the buffet area of the ship and that is where a full buffet breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, midnight snacks, etc. are served. We did not purchase a beverage package, and did not miss it. There was iced tea, lemonade, water, juice, coffee, tea and hot chocolate available to us. The food at the Ocean View Cafe was very good. Made-to order omelets, fresh fruit, waffles, different varieties of eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, breads, sweets, cereal, yogurt, you name it at breakfast. Lunch offered many hot dishes, made-to-order stir-fries, pasta, sandwich fixings, lovely salad bar. The hand scooped ice cream offered there was excellent and available in many tasty flavors; praline and chocolate were favorites. I liked that you could sit outside to eat and enjoy the view. We never ate dinner there, so I can't comment on that. Read more