Royal Caribbean Amplification: Which Ships Upgraded?

Booked a Royal Caribbean cruise? Make sure you know which version of the ship you’re getting.

Some ships have had huge makeovers – new slides, reimagined restaurants, upgraded cabins. Others are still sailing almost exactly as they were built.

The Royal Caribbean Amplification program was created to modernise older ships across the fleet. Not every vessel has been upgraded, though, and plans have shifted over the years.

So which ships have actually been amplified… which missed out… and what upgrades are still on the horizon?

What Is Royal Caribbean’s Amplification Program?

Royal Caribbean’s Amplification Program is a fleet-wide upgrade initiative designed to modernise older ships by adding popular features found on newer vessels.

These upgrades can include waterslides, redesigned pool decks, new restaurants and bars, refreshed cabins and enhanced entertainment spaces. Not every ship receives the same additions, but the goal is to bring older ships closer in line with the cruise line’s latest innovations.

Ships That Are Already Amplified

The Royal Caribbean ships that have undergone the Amplification program are: 

• Independence of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas
• Freedom of the Seas
• Allure of the Seas

These ships haven’t been given the exact same upgrades – there are some similarities within the classes, but each ship has had a bespoke renovation.

The program was halted during the pandemic, but resumed in 2025 with Allure of the Seas finally catching up to sister ship Oasis of the Seas.

And then in mid-2025, it was announced that three more ships would get the Amplification treatment in 2026 – Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, and Liberty of the Seas.

Here’s a look at the full list of Royal Caribbean ships, and whether they have been amplified or not:

Ship Name	Class	Year Launched	Amplified?
Grandeur of the Seas	Vision Class	1996	No
Rhapsody of the Seas	Vision Class	1997	No
Enchantment of the Seas	Vision Class	1997	No
Vision of the Seas	Vision Class	1998	No
Voyager of the Seas	Voyager Class	1999	Yes – 2019
Explorer of the Seas	Voyager Class	2000	Postponed
Adventure of the Seas	Voyager Class	2001	Postponed
Radiance of the Seas	Radiance Class	2001	No
Navigator of the Seas	Voyager Class	2002	Yes – 2019
Brilliance of the Seas	Radiance Class	2002	No
Mariner of the Seas	Voyager Class	2003	Yes – 2018
Serenade of the Seas	Radiance Class	2003	No
Jewel of the Seas	Radiance Class	2004	No
Freedom of the Seas	Freedom Class	2006	Yes – 2020
Liberty of the Seas	Freedom Class	2007	Due in 2026
Independence of the Seas	Freedom Class	2008	Yes – 2018
Oasis of the Seas	Oasis Class	2009	Yes – 2019
Allure of the Seas	Oasis Class	2010	Yes – 2025
Quantum of the Seas	Quantum Class	2014	No
Anthem of the Seas	Quantum Class	2015	No
Harmony of the Seas	Oasis Class	2016	Due in 2026
Ovation of the Seas	Quantum Class	2016	Due in 2026
Symphony of the Seas	Oasis Class	2018	No
Spectrum of the Seas	Quantum Ultra Class	2019	No
Odyssey of the Seas	Quantum Ultra Class	2021	No
Wonder of the Seas	Oasis Class	2022	No

This was the original plan for the Amplification schedule across the fleet:

Ships Whose Upgrades Were Delayed

The four Royal Caribbean ships scheduled to be amplified before the program was put on hold were the Adventure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

All four had their renovations cancelled due to the global shutdown and the inability of contractors to enter the ships to be able to work on them.

Allure of the Seas went through the Amplification program in early 2025. As for the other ships:

• Explorer of the Seas underwent drydock renovation in 2023 and did receive racer waterslides, but none of the rest of the Amplification upgrades that were planned
• Adventure of the Seas underwent drydock renovation in 2024, but it was general maintenance – no upgrades were given
• Liberty of the Seas is due to get a multi-million-pound refresh in 2026. She already got some upgrades before the Amplification program started, so she had a head start in that sense.

Explorer of the Seas was due to get:

• The Perfect Storm waterslides
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen restaurant
• A re-imagined pool deck
• The Lime & Coconut bar
• Transformed kids and teens spaces
• Izumi restaurant
• Chops Grille American Steakhouse restaurant
• Boleros Latin lounge
• Schooners Bar
• Playmakers Sports Bar & Lounge

We don’t know what was planned for Adventure of the Seas.

2026 Amplification Program

Now that three more ships have been announced for Amplification in 2026, we know what to expect from their upgrades.

Ovation of the Seas will be upgraded before her spring season in Alaska, and will receive:

• A redesigned pool deck with whirlpools and private casitas
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen and Izumi Teppanyaki
• A new Pesky Parrot tiki bar, first introduced on Utopia of the Seas
• The all-new Sound Cellar music venue
• Larger Casino Royale
• Upgraded accommodation options including the Ultimate Family Suite and Panoramic Suites

Ovation of the Seas is also getting a cool new feature that isn’t something onboard. It’ll be the first Quantum-class ship to offer land-based Cruisetours.

These will allow guests to combine a cruise with guided overland experiences in Alaska for some pretty incredible package holidays.

Harmony of the Seas will be upgraded before a summer spent in Europe. New features for the ship will include:

• A refreshed Caribbean-style pool deck and Solarium
• New dining options such as Samba Grill Brazilian Steakhouse
• Additional nightlife venues
• Expanded Casino Royale – the largest in the fleet
• Introduction of the Ultimate Family Suite

Liberty of the Seas is due to be upgraded before her summer 2026 season when she’ll be sailing out of Southampton. She is set to get:

• A modernised pool deck with The Lime & Coconut bar and shaded lounging areas
• A new Starbucks location
• The addition of a Royal Escape Room
• Dining enhancements including El Loco Fresh and Izumi Teppanyaki

What Happens After 2026?

With Ovation, Harmony and Liberty scheduled for upgrades in 2026, Royal Caribbean appears to be selectively continuing the Amplification strategy rather than applying it fleetwide.

There has been no official announcement of further ships beyond 2026, and the focus appears to remain on newer builds such as Icon-class vessels. That suggests future amplifications may be targeted rather than part of a sweeping fleet overhaul.

No Plans to Amplify the Older Ships

The original Amped program set out to upgrade the Voyager Class, Freedom Class and the older two ships of the Oasis Class only. There have been no plans to renovate the Radiance Class and the Vision Class ships to the same extent.

These ships are smaller, and so it may be harder to find the space to add some of the upgrades being given to the larger ships of the fleet. But especially with the Vision Class, the ships are also older.

Cruise lines do retire or sell older ships eventually, and so the lack of a plan to upgrade the oldest ships in the fleet could be indicative of a roadmap to them leaving the fleet.

Still, some of the Radiance-class ships were dry-docked in 2024 for simple renovations, so there’s still life in those ships yet.

No Need to Amplify the Newer Ships

Royal Caribbean has no plans to amplify the newer Oasis-class ships, or the Quantum or Quantum Ultra classes. The Amplification program is designed to add the features of these newer ships to the older ones.

Will they be renovated eventually? Probably, although these newer ships might end up just getting the servicing dry docks in future.

It depends on the new innovations Royal Caribbean creates for its newest ships, and then whether the cruise line decides it’s worth revisiting the fleet to retroactively add them.

For now, the more modern Oasis-class ships, along with the Quantum and Quantum Ultra classes, are too new to warrant being renovated to this same extent.

Final Word

Royal Caribbean’s Amplification program isn’t the sweeping fleet-wide transformation it once promised, but it’s far from over.

Several older ships have now received major upgrades, and with Liberty, Harmony and Ovation scheduled for 2026, the strategy is clearly evolving rather than disappearing.

At the same time, Royal Caribbean is investing heavily in brand-new ships like the Icon-class, which may mean fewer large-scale retrofits in future.

So if you’re booking an older ship, it’s worth checking whether it’s been amplified, because the onboard experience can vary significantly.

And as for which ships are next? That’s something Royal tends to announce quietly… and often later than you’d expect.

Related Posts:

• Royal Caribbean Ships by Age
• Royal Caribbean Ships by Size: Comparison Chart
• Royal Caribbean Ships Ranked From Best To Worst