Recently we had an opportunity tour the Celebrity Solstice with a group of travel associates while it was in port in Fort Lauderdale.   During our time onboard we had the chance to experience just a little bit of what this beautiful ship offers.  The Solstice, a 122,000-ton floating city, has more of a resort feel than what you may experience on other cruise ships. Besides the ship’s incredible ambiance, crew members we encountered during our tour were all friendly and attentive—and didn’t mind taking time out of their busy work schedule to point us in the right direction or answer our questions. With its understated elegance, the Solstice seems more intimate, down to earth. In a word: relaxed. 

Although we didn’t see all the cabin choices aboard the Solstice (there just wasn’t enough time, of course), the three cabins we did tour were all warm, well appointed and featured a good amount of storage. The Royal Suite and the Penthouse Suite (which someone commented looked like a condo at sea) were very impressive in their design and layout.  The Solstice also has unique “Aqua Class” cabins.  They are the same in design as the deluxe ocean view staterooms, however they also offer additional spa-oriented amenities, upgraded bedding, robes, complimentary bottled water, canapés and access to an exclusive "spa" room service menu.

The Solstice seems geared toward the adult, though from what we saw children and teens are just as welcome on board and have plenty to keep them occupied and entertained while the adults enjoy their fun. Programs onboard included the "Fun Factory" for 3 to 11 year-old's and the "X-Club" for 12 to 17 year-old's. For sports enthusiasts of all ages the Solstice offers a basketball court on Deck 15.

Besides the Grand Epernay Dining room, the ships main dining room, there are several specialty dining options.  All specialty restaurants boasted beautiful decors with intuitive layouts.  Among the standouts are Silk Harvest, offering family-style Asian dining and the Tuscan Grille steakhouse.   For an even more intimate and elegant experience there is the Murano restaurant, serving modern continental cuisine.   Exclusively for AquaClass guests, Blu restaurant serves healthy dining options in an elegant environment.   More casual dining options include the Oceanview Café, Bistro on Five and the Aqua Spa Café.   For indulging,   Café al Bacio is the place to go.   In addition to the specialty coffee, pastries and Italian ices they also feature a gelato bar (molto bene!)

After enjoying all of the food that the Solstice offers guests can work it all off or just lounge at the AquaSpa.   The highlights include the Persian garden, with soft music, gentle steam and heated seats and the Solarium, a perfect place relax on a cozy lounge chair. 

The lounge areas were impressive, most notably Cellar Masters wine bar and Crush Martini bar. The wine bar, with its enomatic machines, deep leather chairs and couches feels like you have stepped back in the time of speakeasies.  There are also wine tasting events on board for passengers to experience wines from around across the globe. The Solstice also offers a frozen vodka bar where the bar is actually kept at freezing with a thin layer of ice to keep your beverage cold, of course.  For entertainment the Solstice has the standard fare along with some unique options.  There is the main theater which features production shows and headliners.  There are also venues that offer comedy shows, live music, films and even a hot glass blowing show.

During our time onboard we were lucky enough to be able to have lunch in the Grand Epernay Dining room.  The food was impressive to say the least.  Our sample menu was creative and tasty.  If this is the quality of food in the main dining room we can only imagine what the specialty dining rooms offer.

With lunch over (sadly), it was time to make our way back through the ship and head back ashore to reality. As we all prepared to disembark, a chamber quartet was playing a familiar Mozart sonata. It was an elegant and fitting conclusion to a wonderful Sunday tour of the Celebrity Solstice.