The Celebrity Solstice is an elegant ship.
We were upgraded from our concierge class balcony cabin to an aqua-class balcony, room 1579 on the 11th floor. Ahhhh….. such great perks come with aqua class. This was our room:
A goodie bag was on the bed as we arrived. 
The bag itself is a little flat back-pack, and it had bath slippers, chap stick, and a canvas tote bag inside. On our sofa table, was a fresh fruit tray, and on the counter was fresh tea. Tea and fresh fruit was replenished every day. 
The bathrooms have a nice shower with multiple jets and upgraded spa bath products. 
Aqua class guests also get to enjoy Blu, a special dining room where aqua class guests guests can arrive at the time of their choice for a table-size of their choice any time during serving hours for breakfast and dinner.
The menu is different from the main dining room, but guests can request a menu item from the main dining room if they prefer. (The main dining room has French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, and Caesar salad as part of their every-day offerings. Those items are some of our favorites, so it was nice to be able to have them in Blu, too.) I really like the bread basket and the chocolate cake which was available every day.
How were we upgraded? If the price drops on the cruise, and if a person has sailed with Celebrity before and is a member of their loyalty club, Celebrity will allow a one category upgrade upon request – subject to availability. I tend to watch for price drops.
Another feature I love about this ship is the Lawn Club. There is a real grass lawn. Movies are shown here (as well as in an indoor theater and on the stateroom TV.) They also have lawn bowling and croquet offered during the cruise.
Cabanas are available in this area, but they are for rent. I NEVER saw anyone rent the cabanas. I think they are beautiful but overpriced.
Glass-blowing demonstrations are held in this area, and this was one of my favorite ship activities. 
When we sailed, the Corning Museum of Glass sponsored this area, and the talented artists made beautiful pieces and explained the process to the audience. At the end of the cruise, seven pieces were auctioned off for charity. Occasionally, they would hold a random raffle during the glass show. We were present for three different raffles but never won. I understand that as of the summer of 2018, Corning Museum will no longer be on the Celebrity ships. Instead, Celebrity will be partnering with Hollywood Hot Glass, and they will be offering glass-blowing classes. It will be interesting to see how successful this is. I hope they will still have some demonstration shows, too. This is a photo of one of the pieces they created as we watched.
Of course, there are outdoor pools, hot tubs, and a spash pad, too. It was just a little too cool for most people to use the outdoor pools for most of the cruise. 
And a quiet area with an indoor pool.
A favorite area of mine is the Celebrity iLounge. 
Most ships have a business center where people can purchase internet packages and use a computer, but Celebrity has kicked it up a notch with multiple work stations and a small Apple store onboard with the same prices that can be found in the US, but products are usually offered duty free. (Just be sure to check your duty allowances coming back into customs.) Even better, they offer some basic classes for free and a few classes for a small fee. I learned a lot about my iPhone during this cruise.
A beautiful lounge is on the upper deck. Large windows provided plenty of natural light and excellent views day or night.
This ship’s buffet area is called the Ocean View Café, and it always felt crowded to me during peak dining hours. Lots of people seem to hang out at the tables near the windows and LINGER over meals. (All day, even) So, this is my suggestion. Either plan to eat an early meal as soon as the Oceanview Cafe is open, or go to the main dining room and be served for lunch. Also, the Mast Grill near the pool is an option- serving hamburgers and hotdogs and fish sandwiches for a quick meal.
It takes a little longer in the dining room, but it is much more pleasant being served than fighting for table space, plates, and silverware.
And, there is always the option for room service.
I liked hitting up the coffee bar in the morning for a specialty coffee on occasion. The specialty coffee is an extra charge, but the pastries are complimentary whether a coffee is purchased or not.
In the afternoon, pastries would be replaced by cookies and assorted desserts. I became a fan of the lemon and chocolate tarts. 
The ship’s layout is easy to figure out. For convenience, there is an entire ship diagram on each floor outside the elevator banks along with a layout of the specific floor.
All of the complimentary restaurants are aft, the specialty restaurants are all on deck 5, all of the entertainment is forward, and the shops, reception desk, guest services, etc is in the middle. A large atrium is in the center of the ship and open several floors high. One can look down onto the atrium from several floors.
On one floor has a designated game area.
Another floor contains the library.
This is a great concept as far as finding the location while on the glass elevator, but in the late afternoon or evening, the music and activities below drown out any peaceful reading or game concentration.
There are no self-service laundry mats, so plan to pack plenty of clothes, or plan to pay for laundry. Once, during our 16 day cruise they offered a “special.” For $49.00 they would wash all the laundry that could be stuffed into a provided, paper laundry bag. We did not use this service, but it looked like I could get about 5-6 pair of shorts and shirts in the bag if I packed it pretty carefully.
What do I love most about the Celebrity Solstice? The Celebrity brand feels a little classier than some ship brands. The finishes are pretty. I like the enrichment classes that are offered on sea days. Aqua class is such a wonderful experience, but the regular staterooms and dining room are nice as well. Also the size is manageable. Not huge but not too small, either.
What change did I notice that I didn’t care for? Our first Celebrity Solstice class experience was six years earlier on the Equinox. I have noticed a greater push to “sell” things – drink packages, drink of the day, specialty dining, photos, etc… all during the cruise much like some of the lower price-point cruise lines.
In March of 2018, this ship took us from Perth, along the southern coast of Australia, around the southern island of New Zealand and ended in Sydney. It was great to experience this part of the world on Celebrity.