New Royal Caribbean Cruises in the Southern Caribbean

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Royal Caribbean is planning another major overhaul to one of its ships for Southern Caribbean cruises, the company said this week.

Royal is spending $116 million on an “amplification” of its Freedom of the Seas cruise ship, which will be focused on the southern Caribbean.

Beginning March 2020, the transformed ship will be sailing out of San Juan, Puerto Rico on seven-night cruises around the far corners of the Caribbean.

That will include destinations ranging from Castries, Saint Lucia and Antigua to the Dutch Caribbean’s Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, according to a statement from the company.

A rendering of the ship.

The new-look ship will include amenities like “The Perfect Storm,” a three-story waterslide; a new poolscape; the Splashaway Bay water park and a new poolside signature bar called the Lime & Coconut.

Royal Caribbean is also adding new culinary concepts on the ship, including the Asian-inspired Izumi Hibachi & Sushi; Playmakers Sports Bar and El Loco Fresh, a Mexican grab-and-go eatery.

The transformation is part of Royal Caribbean’s “Royal Amplified” fleet modernization project, which will total more than $1 billion in investment across 10 ships in a four-year period.

The company said its southern Caribbean cruises would also include destinations like Bridgetown, Barbados.

The transformation is one of several for the company this year, including the $115 million makeover for Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas completed earlier this year.