Piano vs. Orchestra

I know the piano is a part of the classical music family, but why does everyone seem to always make such a big deal out of orchestral instruments?

I'm sorta wondering because I ended up playing piano for fun here in the US, and I switched to violin at age 29, when I could have also sang or danced and had already started as a piano and organ major.  I  had said I wanted to play violin several times in different ways since I was 6 years old, but I never got to, like old people who all said they got to play with a piano once or twice in their lives and wanted to play but could never afford it or did a brief stint with clarinet in the band.  I never did anything other than piano at first, unless you count singing by yourself and in church choir, which helps relate to so-called solo instruments.