Categories: Cruise News

Navigator of the Seas to get massive refurbishment and refit as part of Royal Amplified project

Navigator of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s dedicated short getaway Caribbean cruise ship sailing roundtrip out of Miami to the Bahamas and CocoCay, is to get a US $115-million refit and refurbishment in January, 2019.

Navigator of the Seas will finish her European cruise season sailing to the Canaries out of Southampton this month, and will cross the Atlantic to Miami to sail a series of extended Caribbean cruises before being dry-docked in January. See more details on her refurbishment here.

RELATED: Royal Caribbean launches new terminal in PortMiami

RELATED: Royal Caribbean to fully refurbish the Silversea fleet

Throughout January and February the ship’s soft furnishings will be stripped away and replaced or upgraded, while a host of new amenities, features and attractions will be introduced on-board, from new waterslides and a Caribbean poolscape to Insta-worthy nightlife and dining concepts like Bamboo Room and Jamie’s Italian.

Navigator of the Seas will return to service on February 24th for a series of 5-, 7- and 9-night roundtrip cruises from Miami to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. From May onwards she will cruise year-round on 3- and 4-night itineraries that will visit the cruise line’s highly anticipated private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

“Each Royal Caribbean ship brings a new adventure uniquely designed to deliver on our guests’ preferences from A to Z,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “After launching our Royal Amplified modernisation program with Independence of the Seas and then redefining short getaways with Mariner of the Seas, we are challenging ourselves to take it to the next level.”

RELATED: Spectrum of the Seas to cruise from Dubai to Singapore in 2019

RELATED: Royal Caribbean may overtake Carnival as largest cruise line

“Every detail matters, and we’ve mapped out an unmatched combination of innovative features and experiences for this top-to-bottom transformation of Navigator of the Seas,” he added.

Royal Amplified is Royal Caribbean’s version of Carnival Cruise Line’s comprehensive refurbishment of its four destiny-class cruise ships. All four vessels are a similar age to the 16-year-old Navigator of the Seas, which is itself one of five Voyager-class cruise ships for Royal Caribbean.

Too young to be scrapped, but too old to compete against the likes of the Oasis-class and Quantum-classes, Voyager, Explorer, Adventure, Navigator and Mariner of the Seas need to be stripped back to their basics and almost entirely re-built.

The Royal Amplified fleet modernisation includes the Voyager-class and other ships in the fleet. A total of 10 vessels will be completely overhauled at a cost of around US $1-billion over the next four years.

The project touches every facet of the guest experience. Navigator of the Seas is the third ship to receive this refurbishment.

Shaun Ebelthite

Founder and editor of Cruise Arabia & Africa. I try to create the best news and information specifically for cruise passengers taking cruises to and from Dubai (where I live) and South Africa (where I was born). You can contact me at shaun(at)cruisearabiaonline.com.

Recent Posts

Holland America Line’s 2028 world cruise to feature extended Cape Town call

South Africa is set to play a prominent role in Holland America Line’s 2028 Grand…

3 days ago

Carnival Cruise Line expands Isla Tropicale with new pool area and updated branding

Carnival Cruise Line has introduced a new pool complex and refreshed branding at its Roatán…

3 days ago

Oceania Cruises unveils Christmas, New Year sailings for 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons

Oceania Cruises has released its holiday deployment programme for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons, with…

4 days ago

Carnival Cruise Line debuts new bow crest on Carnival Legend following dry dock

Carnival Legend has returned to service following a 16-day dry dock, unveiling a new bow…

4 days ago

Regent expands Africa and Arabia deployment in 2028/29 cruise season

Africa and Arabia are set to feature more prominently in global luxury cruise itineraries, with…

4 days ago

AD Ports launches Red Sea cruise operations across three Egyptian terminals

AD Ports Group has launched cruise operations across three Egyptian Red Sea ports, marking an…

4 days ago