Don't get me started on the whole "lining up for the dining room thing"...The crush was brutal for the last 15 minutes or so before the dining room opened...what is UP with that? People have reserved tables, why are they lining up to get in?
I feel bad for the waiters in the Martini Bar, it was peak drinking time and there were people just sitting in chairs waiting for the dining room and not ordering anything. People who wanted drinks couldn't sit down. The Martini Bar was great except for the two 15 minute periods before dinner seatings. We often got the prime seating in Crush. Well, I thought it was prime...actually I don't really know why I thought that?
The Ensemble Lounge works well for the specialty rooms. Blu, Murano, Silk Harvest and Tuscan Grille all branch off (more or less) from that lounge.
There are chair groupings outside Cellar Masters and on other decks outside the dining room, but did not notice if people were using those while waiting. I would guess the Martini Bar would be the worst for that due to its proximity to the dining room doors.
I did not get the feeling that the Solstice-class ships were any bigger than the Millenium-class ships, but my perception might have been distorted by a few cruises on the Freedom-class ships on RCCL. Things seemed really small compared to those ships. It could have been the placement of our room though, we were very close to the forward elevators and stairs, so it was quick to get up the pool and down to the bars.
Mike
