Celebrity Cruises' last two Solstice-class ships will make striking departures from their predecessors, with redesigned public spaces, new cabins and, in the case of the ship Reflection, a wider hull and an additional deck.
Celebrity CEO Dan Hanrahan said that the Reflection, the fifth in the series, will be widened by one meter, boosting its size by 4,000 gross tons, to 126,000.
The extra room will enable Celebrity to add 72 cabins to the ship, including 34 of the line's AquaClass suites.
Hanrahan said there has been high demand for AquaClass accommodations, which offer passengers special access to the spa and Blu, the "healthy, clean cuisine" restaurant. The Reflection's 251-square-foot AquaClass suites will have butler service.
The Reflection, scheduled for delivery in the fall of 2012, will also have an additional eight Sky Suites, 19 Concierge Class cabins and 11 inside cabins.
"It is surprising what just under a meter gives you," Hanrahan said.
The theater will have 45 extra seats, and there will be 40 extra seats in the main dining room, 118 more seats in the Oceanview Cafe, 24 more seats each in Blu and the Tuscan Grille and four additional seats in Qsine.
The additional deck will be accomplished by moving the pool deck up one level.
The fourth ship in the $3.7 billion fleet, the Silhouette, is due to enter service next summer and will have 17 more cabins than previous Solstice-class ships, but it will not be widened.
On both the Reflection and the Silhouette, Celebrity will overhaul the Lawn Club space, adding two eateries, an art studio and private cabanas.
Celebrity will eliminate the Corning Museum of Glass area to accommodate the new specialty restaurant, which will focus on grilling.
In explaining the changes, Hanrahan said that the ships' Lawn Club, a half-acre of real grass, was "underutilized."
"We wanted to get more out of it and felt there was more we could do up there," he said.
The redesigned Lawn Club will have hammocks and Adirondack chairs as well as a complimentary restaurant called Porch, which will serve "quick, simple, fresh food" for breakfast and lunch, Hanrahan said.
The new specialty restaurant, the Lawn Club Grill, will by day offer interactive classes and cooking demonstrations, such as how to make a pizza and secrets to grilling.
By night, it will be what Hanrahan called "a celebration of grilling" that will feel like "grilling in your backyard, but your backyard is a beautiful cruise ship."
For a $30 charge, diners can choose cuts of meat they want grilled. There will be indoor/outdoor seating for 56 people and an open kitchen.
Hanrahan said the Corning Museum of Glass, which hosts glass-blowing demonstrations on the first three Solstice-class ships, has been "an absolutely terrific hit for us."
"We'll continue to have it on the Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse," he said. "It took some thinking to get it off because it has been so successful, but we felt this special restaurant would really appeal to our guests."
A new art studio will have classes such as beading and painting and will showcase "culinary artists" who will give mixology lessons, for example.
The Lawn will also have eight cabana-style, private retreats called the Alcoves that will be available for rent night or day, for between two and four people. The price has not yet been determined.
The Lawn was among three areas that Celebrity focused on in examining ways to differentiate the last two Solstice-class ships. The others were the Team Earth area and the Michael's Club bar/lounge.
Hanrahan said to make Michael's Club more popular and better utilized, it will capitalize on the "keen and strong interest in craft beers and malts."
On the Silhouette and the Reflection, the venue will have more than 50 beers and will host demonstrations on food and beer pairings, how to select the proper beer glass and how to pour the perfect draught.
The Team Earth area on the first three Solstice ships, which uses touch-screen displays to give information about the Earth and conservation efforts, will be renamed the Hideaway, a space Hanrahan described as "a treehouse-like atmosphere for people to get away and relax."