Royal Caribbean Amplified Ships: The Updated List (& Which Ships Have Missed Out)

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.

After a long pause, the programme is now back in full swing, with three more ships receiving major upgrades in 2026.

So which Royal Caribbean ships have been amplified, which have missed out, and which could be next?

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 (2018)
• Mariner of the Seas (2018)
• Navigator of the Seas (2019)
• Voyager of the Seas (2019)
• Oasis of the Seas (2019)
• Freedom of the Seas (2020)
• Allure of the Seas (2025)
• Ovation of the Seas (2026)
• Harmony of the Seas (2026)
• Liberty of the Seas (2026)

These ships haven’t all received the same upgrades. Some have gained new waterslides and restaurants, while others have had their pool decks transformed, new bars added or accommodation upgraded.

The programme was paused during the global shutdown in 2020, which meant several planned renovations were delayed or cancelled. It finally resumed in 2025 with Allure of the Seas, followed by three more ships in 2026.

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	Yes – 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	Yes – 2026
Ovation of the Seas	Quantum Class	2016	Yes – 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
Icon of the Seas	Icon Class	2024	No
Utopia of the Seas	Oasis Class	2024	No
Star of the Seas	Icon Class	2025	No
Legend of the Seas	Icon Class	2026	No

Ships Whose Upgrades Were Delayed

Four Royal Caribbean ships were originally scheduled for Amplification before 2020 brought the programme to a halt: 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 finally received her makeover in 2025, followed by Liberty of the Seas in 2026. But the other two ships are still waiting, with no confirmed dates for their full Amplification upgrades.

Explorer of the Seas was originally due for a $110 million transformation in 2020, with a long list of new attractions, restaurants and bars planned.

She did receive The Perfect Storm waterslides during a dry dock in 2023, but most of the proposed additions never happened. Another dry dock followed in September and October 2025, focusing on maintenance and refurbishment rather than the full Amplification programme.

Adventure of the Seas also missed out on her planned Amplification. She underwent a dry dock in 2024, but this was primarily for maintenance and refurbishment rather than the major transformation originally intended.

It’s still possible that either ship could receive more substantial upgrades in future, but Royal Caribbean hasn’t announced any new Amplification dates for them.

Royal Caribbean’s 2026 Amplification Upgrades

Royal Caribbean gave three more ships the Amplification treatment in 2026, with Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas all receiving major makeovers.

The upgrades included new restaurants, redesigned pool decks, additional bars and improved accommodation, although each ship received a different selection of features.

Ovation of the Seas was the first Quantum-class ship to be amplified, ahead of her 2026 Alaska season. Her upgrades included:

• A redesigned pool deck with private casitas and a new whirlpool
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen and Izumi Teppanyaki restaurants
• The Pesky Parrot tiki bar, making its Quantum-class debut
• Sound Cellar, a new music and nightlife venue
• An expanded Casino Royale
• New accommodation options, including the Ultimate Family Suite and Panoramic Suite

Ovation of the Seas also became the first Quantum-class ship to offer Alaska Cruisetours, allowing guests to combine their cruise with multi-night land adventures.

Harmony of the Seas received her makeover ahead of her summer 2026 season in Europe, before moving to Port Canaveral for Caribbean cruises.

Her upgrades included:

• A redesigned Caribbean-inspired pool deck with The Lime & Coconut bar
• A refreshed adults-only Solarium
• New dining options, including Samba Grill Brazilian Steakhouse, El Loco Fresh and Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade
• An expanded Casino Royale, becoming the largest casino in Royal Caribbean’s fleet
• The addition of the Ultimate Family Suite

Liberty of the Seas underwent her long-awaited Amplification before her summer 2026 cruises from Southampton.

Her improvements included:

• A modernised pool deck with The Lime & Coconut bar and private casitas
• A new Starbucks location
• A Royal Escape Room
• New dining options, including El Loco Fresh and Izumi Teppanyaki
• Refreshed accommodation and public spaces

Liberty of the Seas already had attractions such as The Perfect Storm waterslides before her Amplification, so the 2026 project was more about refreshing the ship and adding new venues than introducing an entirely new range of activities.

With all three ships now back in service, Royal Caribbean has shown that the Amplification programme is continuing, even if the upgrades are being introduced more selectively than originally planned.

What Happens After 2026?

With three ships amplified in 2026, Royal Caribbean has shown that it still sees value in giving older vessels a major makeover.

But what happens next? So far, the cruise line hasn’t announced any further Amplification projects for 2027 or beyond.

Explorer of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas are still waiting for the upgrades originally planned before the pandemic, although there’s no guarantee either will eventually receive them.

The addition of Ovation of the Seas to the programme also shows that Royal Caribbean is willing to upgrade some of its more modern ships, rather than focusing entirely on its oldest vessels.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see which ship gets the Amplification treatment next.

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.

Plans For Amplifying Newer Ships

The Amplification programme was originally focused on older ships, adding some of the attractions and facilities that had become popular on Royal Caribbean’s newer vessels.

But that approach appears to be changing.

Ovation of the Seas became the first Quantum-class ship to be amplified in 2026, showing that even relatively modern ships can benefit from a major makeover.

That raises the question of whether other Quantum-class ships, such as Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, could be next.

There’s been no official announcement, but it’s certainly a possibility now that Royal Caribbean has shown it’s willing to upgrade ships from this class.

As for the newer Oasis-class ships, along with the Quantum Ultra-class and Icon-class vessels, there’s less immediate need for a major transformation.

Many of these ships already feature the restaurants, attractions and entertainment venues that the Amplification programme was designed to introduce.

Of course, Royal Caribbean continues to develop new attractions and innovations for its latest ships, so what feels modern today might eventually need an update.

For now, though, there are no confirmed Amplification plans for these newer vessels.

Final Word

Royal Caribbean’s Amplification programme has given several older ships a new lease of life, with the three major upgrades completed in 2026 showing that the cruise line is still investing heavily in its existing fleet.

But not every ship has received the same treatment, and some are still waiting for upgrades that were originally planned years ago.

If you’re booking a Royal Caribbean cruise, it’s worth checking whether your ship has been amplified and, more importantly, exactly what was added. Two ships in the same class can offer surprisingly different experiences.

And with no further upgrades confirmed beyond 2026, it’ll be interesting to see which ships Royal Caribbean chooses to transform next.

Related Posts:

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