Overall: I want to start by saying that we had a great trip. Celebrity has great service and the Solstice is a beautiful ship. There were a few problems, but I try to not let the problems ruin the vacation. It may sound like many problems when you read my review, but those were the only problems we experienced. A little background on me: this is my 8th cruise, 3rd with Celebrity. Other cruise line I've been on include NCL, RCL, and Princess.

Décor: The Solstice is a fairly new ship, kept in good condition. I really like the décor, overall the colors are classic and elegant. NCL ships seem too bright and loud in comparison. The ship is well laid out, with 8 elevators in the center and 4 near the forward. Since there are only two locations for elevators, it can be a lot of walking depending on your room location. My family like to get some exercise after all the eating so did not mind the walking. There are many lounges to sit and relax and I never really felt very crowded no matter where I was.

Room: My parents and I were booked in the Sky Suite at the Aft of the ship. The room is very large with a window and a large balcony. Since it is a corner balcony, we got both a view of the back and the side of the ship which was very nice. There were some soot visible on the deck of the balcony, but I think they wipe the chairs everyday because I never found the chairs to be dirty. My sister and her family stayed in the adjacent room which is a sunset verandah. First day on the ship, one of the staff told my sister that they are not in a suite and will not get the same amenity as us. We realize that and were ok with it, but we thought it was rather tactless for the staff to say that out loud. Since I am in the suite, we have a butler, which I found to be quite useless. The only things our butler did for us was to bring afternoon snacks and in-room breakfast if we ordered. We ordered in-room breakfast twice and both times certain things were forgotten. The first time, it was just a cup and some utensils. The second time, many items were left off, the butler told us it was because we ordered through the in-Room computer system via the TV. Anyways, we got annoyed and just went to the buffet for the rest of the week. I am not sure what else the butler is suppose to do, but for us he didn't seem to be useful or worth the extra tip. Our room attendants were very good and very friendly. Compared with NCL, I think NCL does better with the suite services and the concierge service. However, I do like Celebrity's room better. Read more