Big changes are coming to three of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships.
Royal Caribbean has announced that three ships are going to get significant upgrades as part of the cruise line’s ongoing Royal Amplified initiative.
This includes:
- Ovation of the Seas
- Harmony of the Seas
- Liberty of the Seas
The work will begin in spring 2026, and cruisers can expect new dining concepts, entertainment venues, suite accommodations, and reimagined public areas across each vessel.
Bookings are currently open for these ships, with the changes coming online once each vessel returns to service following a lengthy drydock.
The upgrades are a result of how well-received the work was on Allure of the Seas. That ship got new enhancements earlier this year.
Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer at Royal Caribbean, described the amplification efforts as a continuation of the line’s strategy to "deliver the best of every vacation," referencing the strong response to previous upgrades made to Allure of the Seas.
Here's a look at what Royal Caribbean has planned for each ship.
Ovation of the Seas
Amplification date: April 2026
Ovation of the Seas will get a newly renovated pool deck that includes private casitas and a whirlpool. New onboard offerings include Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, Izumi Teppanyaki, the tiki-themed Pesky Parrot bar, and a new nightlife venue called Sound Cellar.
The casino will be expanded as well.
The ship will also add new suites to include the Ultimate Family Suite and Panoramic Suite.
Harmony of the Seas
Amplification date: April 2026
Royal Caribbean will upgrade Harmony of the Seas to coincide with its European summer season in 2026 before relocating to Florida for Caribbean sailings in winter.
Updates include a new Caribbean-style pool area with The Lime & Coconut, a redesigned Solarium, the addition of Samba Grill Brazilian Steakhouse, and the largest Casino Royale in the fleet.
They will also add the Ultimate Family Suite onboard.
The redesigned Solarium is likely to add a pool, given there is no pool in the adults-only area. Instead, it has a water mister system that has been poorly received among guests.
It's also interesting that Samba Grill will be added, given it's only on two other ships. Nonetheless, Royal Caribbean kept Samba Grill on Allure of the Seas and it seems there's renewed life with this restaurant concept.
Liberty of the Seas
Amplification date: 2026
Liberty of the Seas will receive similar changes as the other ships with a reimagined pool deck, a new Royal Escape Room concept, and additional food and beverage options including El Loco Fresh, Izumi Teppanyaki, and Starbucks.
Liberty of the Seas was scheduled to be refurbished originally in 2021, but those plans were cancelled due to the cruise industry shutdown.
The ship will sail from Southampton in summer 2026 with itineraries to Northern Europe before moving to Galveston, Texas, for winter sailings to the Western Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean hinted at more amplifications
Today's announcement is exciting, but not completely unexpected.
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty told Wall Street investors they had intentions to upgrade ships that missed out on it in 2020 and 2021.
The Royal Amplified program, launched in 2018, aims to modernize Royal Caribbean’s older ships so they could better match up with newer vessels.
Ship upgrades add more incentive to cruise
It's easy to feel like cruise ships are leapfrogged when newer ones arrive, especially in terms of what's available to do onboard.
Each ship is largely a reflection of the best ideas Royal Caribbean had at the time it launched.
To ensure they don't feel stale, Royal Caribbean has steadily upgraded most of its ships over the last two decades.
This started in earnest after the Oasis Class ships debuted, and the cruise line began adding features first introduced on Oasis and Allure of the Seas to older ships.
The next phase was the Royal Amplification program to continue that idea, but on bigger ships.
Today's announcement builds on the ships that received notable upgrades leading up to 2020.
The changes on Allure of the Seas was the first step in resuming that program, and now we have three more lined up.
Royal Caribbean's announcement follows similar news from Celebrity Cruises to upgrade its Solstice Class ships.
Celebrity Cruises plans to modernize the ships, elevating the guest experience while continuing to pay tribute to classic cruising.
Celebrity Solstice will be the first when it goes in to drydock in March 2026.
Upgrading ships is a smart business decision. It adds new things to do onboard and makes older ships more enticing to book.
Plus, that added demand that amplifications have ensures higher cruise fares too.
Amplified ships drove up revenue as a result of higher guest satisfaction with the changes.
In 2019, former Royal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain talked about how lucrative the changes were, "Our vessel modernization program is driving strong results. These upgrades are expensive, but our guests love them and reward us accordingly."
