Susan Solomon

My daughter Sarah and I had the opportunity to sail the inaugural Cruise on the magnificent Celebrity Solstice. Celebrity Solstice is a Solstice Class cruise ship owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises.

Our cruise sailed out of exciting Fort Lauderdale on a beautiful sunny day in November. As we entered the ship we were immediately greeted with a glass of champagne and were escorted through the ship to our deluxe ocean view stateroom with veranda. We both stood in absolute awe – the ship was stunning.

The two full days at sea really gave us the opportunity to experience entire the ship. I must start by mentioning the broad choice of dining options; There are a total of 10 restaurants including the main dining room, three specialty dinner restaurants, a restaurant reserved exclusively for passengers in Aqua Class staterooms called "Blue", a Crepe and Panini bistro, a lido buffet with specialty stations, a pool side grill, a spa cuisine buffet and grill, and a coffee bar and gelateria. I must admit although there were tons of alternatives I found that besides dinner time, Sarah and I often found ourselves sitting by the pool enjoying a nice juicy hamburger with a side of Nachos accompanied by a nice cold Corona.
Hey we’re on holidays right?

After lounging around the pool for the afternoon we of course had to take a look at the shops. The ship is laid out in a way that is quite easy to navigate, all the entertainment is forward; the food is aft; and the money (casino, reception, shops) are in the middle. There was everything from cosmetics to jewelry to beautiful clothing to your regular souvenirs and duty free alcohol.

What I found really neat was the different activities that were available on board besides your normal eat, lay in the sun and drink. From the wine tasting event in the wine tasting venue on Deck 4 called Cellar Masters to the heated ocean-view relaxation in the Spa, to the world class nightly entertainment – it was truly an unforgettable experience. The entire ship is really themed around health and wellness and if your like me and in to total relaxation the Celebrity Solstice Spa is truly one of a kind. It has everything your standard spa would have (facials, massages, sauna etc.) plus a co-ed sauna and steam room, herbal infusion sauna, tropical rain shower and as I mentioned my favorite the heated ocean-view relaxation chairs – that moment to me represented “TOTAL RELAXATION” as I am gazing at a spectacular view of the ocean with not a sole in site … I felt like I didn’t have a worry in the world, and to me that’s what a vacation should feel like.

We had such an incredible time, I would recommend this ship to anyone whether you’re a first time cruiser or a seasoned professional - Celebrity Solstice is absolute stunning and has something for everyone. I can’t wait till I get to spend an entire week on board because let’s face it 2 days is just a tease. My daughter and I are already planning which itinerary were going to sail on our next Solstice adventure.