Celebrity Solstice is the lead ship of the Solstice-class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises. Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, she was floated out on August 10, 2008, and christened by ocean scientist Professor Sharon L. Smith at a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, on November 14, 2008. The first post-Panamax vessel in the Celebrity fleet, she features innovative interior design and onboard amenities, including an ocean-going live grass lawn, a glassblowing studio, and a 12 deck-high atrium.

Service history

Celebrity Solstice left Meyer Werft on September 28, 2008, and arrived in Fort Lauderdale on November 3, 2008. Subsequently she embarked on a series of short preview cruises for travel agents and dignitaries. On November 14, 2008, at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, she was officially named by Sharon L. Smith. She began commercial service on November 23, 2008.

Exterior design

Externally, Celebrity Solstice looks very different from previous Celebrity Cruises ships. Martin Francis of Francis Design was hired to design her exterior profile. In original exterior renderings, the hull was shown as all-white with powder blue funnels and blue glass upper decks. In a more recent update, the light blue color had been changed to Celebrity's normal dark blue color and the hull was shown having a resemblance to the current fleet's livery, with the promenade deck painted dark blue. Similarly, the large dark blue funnel with a white X that had been the trademark of Celebrity thus far has been replaced by two thin funnels, and it was planned to have the X logo of the company visible in the glass balcony railings on the ship's "hump" (The area of superstructure which extends outward farther than the rest of the balconies). Throughout her fitting out, sea trials, and launch, it was noted that the glass X, unless seen from certain angles, was not visible. Shortly after, the X was refinished to be darker, but still can be hard to see. An afterthought during the sea trials saw the addition of a white X onto the forward funnel, thus bringing Solstice more closely related to her fleetmates.

Amenities

Celebrity Solstice and her sisters offer a wide variety of stateroom categories, including Celebrity Cruises' signature ConciergeClass and the new AquaClass.

Other onboard amenities include a large theater with a 1,400+ seating capacity, multiple restaurant dining options, The Patio on the Lawn, numerous bars and clubs, Solstice Deck, youth facilities, Online@Celebrity, and many other common and unique features. Some unique features include glass-blowing classes/demonstrations as well as The Lawn Club, a live grass lawn between the ship's funnels on the upper deck. On May 30, 2010 the Celebrity Solstice launched the iLounge.