December 8, 2010.

At a press event this morning, Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Dan Hanrahan announced exciting news for the 4th and 5th ships in the Solstice class. Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Reflection will most definitely not be cookie-cutter versions of the Solstice, Equinox, or Eclipse.

To begin with, the Celebrity Reflection will be 1 meter wider and have a deck added to accomodate 72 new suites and staterooms. These will include 34 Aqua Class suites, 8 Sky Suites, 19 Concierge Club staterooms, and 11 inside cabins. There will also be added seating for the main dining room, Restaurant Blu, Tuscan restaurant, Qsine, and the Oceanview Cafe. An important consideration for many is deck chairs. The Reflection will have 245 additional lounge chairs.

Significant changes for both new ships will focus on expanding the use of the Lawn Club. Featuring half an acre of real grass, the Lawn Clubs have been popular but the cruise line felt more could be done to make this area more useful.

The Corning Glass Museum and glass blowing oven will not be featured on the Silhouette and Reflection. Although popular, Mr. Hanrahan said the line wanted to move in a new direction and offer ships that were not identical. In place of the museum and oven area will be new venues for dining and art.

The Porch will be a casual dining venue serving complimentary breakfast and lunch, as an intimate alternative to the Oceanview Cafe buffet service. Seating will be for 48 guests with bar service.

The Lawn Club Grill will offer grilling demonstrations and classes, high end burgers, specialty pizzas, “Savor Your Destination” presentations, and a $30 per person dinner experience. The dinner is all about the grill with guests choosing from a variety of items which will be cooked by a chef, or with the assistance of the guests if they prefer. The artist’s images made me think of an evening on an elegant patio for a cocktail party/cookout. I am convinced this will be a huge hit.

The Art Studio will feature hands-on interaction with experts for a variety of arts, and being it is Celebrity one of those is culinary arts. The Art Studio was presented as being “for true art enthusiasts and culturally savvy guests.” Dan said the area will be available for private dinner parties. No pricing was available.

Other features for the Lawn Club include the addition of hammocks, giant Adirondack chairs (really, they hold 3 people), and 8 private Alcoves. The alcoves are cabanas with sweeping views and seating for 2 to 4 guests. These will be available for all-day or partial-day rental, including evenings. They are wi-fi capable, and for an added fee picnic baskets can be ordered.

Moving on, inside the ship new things are coming to Michael’s Club. The venue will feature craft beers and ales, and boutique spirits. 50 different beers will be featured and numerous small batch whiskies. Classes on beer pouring, glass selection, and beer/food pairings will be offered. Music will be playing either from recorded playlists or live guitarists. Snack foods will be available. Sports will be available on TVs, but it was pointed out that Michael’s will not be a sports bar.

“Team Earth” is an area on the first 3 Solstice-class ships which is about ecology and environmental issues. It has mostly been an underused space and thus will be replaced with The Hideaway on the new ships. The Hideaway will seat 30 in a quiet, retreat-like atmosphere. It is about solitude and reflection. Wi-fi is available, along with complimentary regular coffee and extra-fee specialty coffees and teas. It was described as having a treehouse atmosphere.

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