The line today announced that most of its Vision, Voyager and Radiance class vessels will be getting Chops Grille steakhouses, Rita’s Cantina Mexican restaurants and several other popular eateries found on its latest Oasis Class ships as well as new categories of cabins, new baby care areas and more.
The extensive “Royal Advantage” additions to the older ships will take place during unusually lengthy, month-long dry dock overhauls.
“The Royal Advantage revitalizations takes many of the best features that we have created in recent years and introduces them across our fleet, offering our guests enhanced vacation choices around the world,” Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein says in a statement accompanying the announcement.
PHOTO TOUR: The cabins of a Royal Caribbean ship
The $300 million in spending on the overhauls includes the cost of work already done in May to the Radiance of the Seas, the line says. The next ship to undergo a transformation will be Splendour of the Seas in November, followed in 2012 by Rhapsody of the Seas (March 2012); Grandeur of the Seas (May 2012) and Serenade of the Seas (November 2012).
Additional overhauls planned for 2013 and 2014 will take place on Legend of the Seas, Vision of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas.
Among the enhancements planned for the older ships:
— New Technology. Wi-Fi service will be extended across the vessels, and the line will add interactive flat-panel televisions to cabins. Electronic mustering systems also will be installed.
— Digital Wayfinding Systems. The touch-screen interactive signs found on Oasis Class ships will be added across the fleet.
— Outdoor Video Walls. Oversized LED video screens will go up on pool decks.
— Royal Babies and Tots Nursery. The new day care program for babies from six to 36 months old that debuted in 2009 on Oasis of the Seas will be rolled out to more ships.
— New cabins. New levels of accommodations, including cabins specifically designed for families, will be added during the refits.
— Additional dining options. A five-course Chef’s Table experience will be added to more ships along with such Oasis Class eateries as Izumi (pan-Asian cuisine); Chops Grille (steaks); the casual Park Café (salads and sandwiches); Rita’s Cantina (Mexican cuisine); and Boardwalk Doghouse (brats and wieners).
Royal Caribbean also plans less extensive enhancements for three other ships: Independence of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas. An additional three ships — Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas — received upgrades in early 2011 that included the addition of new elements from the line’s latest ship, the seven-month-old Allure of the Seas.