Staterooms have a residential feel, with doors that open out into the hallway (so you don't clobber your partner trying to edge out of the bathroom), those creamy leather daybeds, larger-than-average bathrooms with closed cabinet storage, rounded bed foot (easier to slither around) and balconies wide enough for a breakfast table.

Nothing is perfect, and if there's one significant quibble, it's with in-cabin closets and drawers, which would have posed a crunch if you and your partner were sailing with a week's worth of clothes. (Hey, guys, you try stuffing a gown into one of those.)

On my recent two-day solo preview, no problem. But that's the short-coming of such brief preview cruises: You can't test cabins, service or food the way you would on a regular cruise.

It was impossible to know, for instance, if a full ship's worth of passengers would move smoothly around the food stations in the casual Lido buffet, or if the not-quite-perfectly seared foie gras in the tony Murano French/Mediterranean specialty restaurant was an aberration.

And whether a ship this big will be able to provide premium service is a question yet to be answered. But if Celebrity maintains its usual high standards for cuisine and service, and creates an experience that matches the ship's style, Solstice will be a standout.

Here's the rundown on some notable features:

DINING

Celebrity Solstice features multiple dining venues. Included with the regular cruise fare are meals in the spectacularly designed Grand Epernay main dining room and the casual Lido-deck Oceanview Café and Grill. For an extra fee, guests can dine in specialty restaurants: Bistro on Five ($5), featuring crepes and light fare; Tuscan Grill ($25), with steaks, chops and Italian fare; Silk Harvest ($20), with Asian dishes; and Blu, offering healthy cuisine for spa-class and suite guests.

ART COLLECTION

Miami art consultant Joan Blackman has amassed more than 4,700 works by 98 artists valued at $6 million. They include a Jim Dine sculptured heart; Nancy Friedmann installation Night Solstice of a foyer featuring painted walls, inlaid floors and audio; John Baldessari's Stonehenge (With Two Persons) and Carlos Betancourt's sculptural installation featuring a live tree suspended inside the atrium.

SPA CABINS

Like several other new ships, Celebrity Solstice features 130 veranda staterooms designated as AquaClass spa staterooms. Guests in them get upgraded cabin amenities and nightly access without charge to Blu, the specialty restaurant dedicated to healthy cuisine. They also get complimentary use of the relaxation room and the Persian Garden thermal beds in the spa. What they don't get: Complimentary spa service. For those, everyone pays extra.

STATEROOMS

Most have verandas, and more than 120 can be connected for families who want more closeness. Additionally, Celebrity invited five women -- including a cruise writer and a woman who had never cruised -- to consult on the ship. Many of their recommendations are offered on other ships, but new is the bar in the shower where you can rest your leg while you're shaving it. (It's a girl thing.)

TOP DECK

The top deck features both the Lawn Club (for croquet, boccé, putting and picnics) and the Hot Glass Show, a glass-glowing exhibition presented e, putting and picnics) and the Hot Glass Show, a glass-glowing exhibition presented several times daily by experts from the Corning Museum of Glass.

LOUNGES

The elegant Ensemble Lounge, near the specialty restaurants, is your pre-dinner drinks venue. During the day you might head to the bar behind the Lawn Club or to the panoramic Sky Lounge. Cellar Masters focuses on wines; Michael's, once a cigar and whiskey bar, retains its clubby feeling sans the smoke. The frosty -- literally and attitudinally -- Martini Bar is raucous and chic; Bond meets Austin Powers and Barbarella in the Quasar disco.

SHOPPING

Think diamonds -- Celebrity has commissioned it's own cut; artisan jewelry by Miamian Elaine Silverstein; glass art from the Corning Museum; fine watches; cosmetics and perfumes; luggage and travel accessories. Artwork offered for sale leans toward art photography, though other media are offered. Don't worry; you'll find some fun, less expensive souvenirs as well.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The ship incorporates solar power, energy efficient lighting, heat-reducing window glass and hull coating that reduces resistence.

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