By
Donald Crighton |
Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas are the latest ships in its fleet to be put through the company’s Royal Advantage refurbishment programme. “Vision underwent the Royal Advantage treatment in October last year in Cadiz,” says Kevin Douglas, VP of technical projects. “It was a very successful project completed well within the time frame. The work completed was a ‘standard’ Vision-class scope.”
The refit included overhaul of main and auxiliary engines, mandatory work for classification society requirements, and underwater inspection and repairs to hull, rudder and propulsion equipment.
Navigator of the Seas returned to Galveston in early February after refurbishment at Grand Bahama Shipyard’s Dock no 2. “Navigator is our largest Royal Advantage project to date,” explains Douglas. “The scope is extensive, with the addition of new superstructure and staterooms up forward, conversion of unused public space to staterooms on decks 2 and 3, and the addition of one of our most popular features, the Flow Rider.”
Standard Royal Advantage features such as Diamond Club, Izumi and Giovanni’s were added and a new dining concept called Sabor was carved out of the old Dungeon nightclub, says Douglas. “All staterooms and suites received an upgrade and 80 internal cabins were fitted with the signature Virtual Balcony. The Royal Promenade received an extensive transformation. Retail facilities, public spaces and open decks all got a new look and feel.”
Adventure of the Seas entered drydock for minimal regular work, and later in the year the company will take Voyager of the Seas to Singapore for refurbishment and will follow that next year with Explorer of the Seas. “Both these vessels will undergo Royal Advantage projects comprising major work and refurbishment, which will take approximately nine or ten days to complete,” says Douglas.
Over at P&O Cruises, a £34 million refit to Arcadia has completely transformed the vessel. The extensive refit is part of the line’s ongoing commitment to ensure continuous improvement of its ships and a consistent standard of decor across the fleet. Major works included new flooring, furniture and lighting for the Crow’s Nest lounge and bar. The shopping area has been extended with an open-plan layout, new glass cabinets, display units and LED lights throughout. Twenty four new cabins have been constructed on sun deck 10, including 14 deluxe balcony cabins, four inside single cabins, three larger inside double cabins, two new single cabins with balcony (the first in P&O Cruises’ fleet and unique to Arcadia) and one mini suite. All cabins have also been refreshed with new carpets and curtains. A new restaurant, East, has replaced Orchid on sky deck 11 and the Globe has been closed off to provide a new late-night dancing venue.
During her recent refit in Hamburg, major work transformed Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa. The refurbishment was carried out by German ship repairer Blohm + Voss, who specialise in cruise ship refits. The 13-day annual docking was completed in the company’s number 11 drydock where underwater work included repairs and overhaul of the propellers and rudder, as well as work on the hull and the vessel’s thruster units. Considerable engine work was also completed. This included overhaul of main and auxiliary engines, pumps, condensers, boilers and pipe work repairs and modifications.
In addition to extensive redesign and refurbishment of the suites, veranda suites and spa suites, a comprehensive redesign was also carried out to the vessel’s outdoor areas. More than 150 suites were completely refurbished and all the public areas including the atrium and pool areas were also given a complete makeover.
New carpeting, woven exclusively for Europa, was fitted in all passenger areas. During the refit, 650 specialists worked to modernise the vessel, including the fitting of 5,200sqm of carpeting and 1,000sqm of renewed Bolidt flooring. In addition, a total of 25 tonnes of paint was applied to the vessel’s hull and superstructure. Whilst the accommodation refurbishment was progressing, vital engine and drydock repairs were also completed, much of which was to meet class requirements. The work included underwater hull repairs and the inspection of the rudders, thrusters and sea injections and gratings. The vessel’s atrium was also completely modernised and a new colour scheme, carpet islands and contemporary furniture were fitted to improve the appearance of the central area of the ship. Improvements were also made to the pool area on decks 8 and 9.
Celebrity Cruises’ vessel Celebrity Century was stemmed for drydocking at Grand Bahama Shipyard in the Bahamas from 5-12 February. The 71,545 tonne, 815ft vessel, which was built in 1995, had all her passenger accommodation completely refurbished and also received extensive deck, engine and underwater repairs. The hull was inspected and painted and underwater repairs to rudders, propulsion units and thrusters were completed.
Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity underwent a US$17 million refurbishment at Navantia Shipyard in Spain, emerging with new penthouses and dining spaces as well as updated restaurant spaces. Seventy new hypo-allergenic staterooms were also created.
The entire vessel underwent a complete refit and refurbishment, including the superstructure, underwater areas of the hull, engine room machinery and passenger accommodation. During the refit, environmental upgrades were implemented throughout the ship’s interior and exterior spaces. The Palm Court received a new dance floor, and speciality restaurant Prego was redecorated. The ship’s Lido deck was also completely refurbished, with the existing Lido Café extended to accommodate a new seating area. The indoor pool was removed to create new indoor/outdoor casual dining and lounging spaces.
This article appeared in the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.