Liberty of the Seas Resumes Service From Southampton After Refit
The first post-refit voyage was a two-night cruise to Le Havre, and a mid-October repositioning will precede year-round Caribbean sailings from Galveston.
Royal Caribbean International’s Liberty of the Seas resumed passenger service from Southampton on May 29 after a drydock refurbishment in France that added new cabins, venues and exterior branding. The 2007-built Freedom-class ship returned as part of Royal Caribbean’s revived Royal Amplified program, with its first post-refit sailing operating a two-night cruise to Le Havre.
The work brings Liberty of the Seas closer to the product mix Royal Caribbean has been rolling out across updated ships, including a refreshed pool deck, new food and beverage outlets and expanded gaming space. The drydock also added 68 staterooms ahead of a summer program from the United Kingdom.
Refit adds pool-deck, dining and entertainment changes
The pool deck has been redesigned with a Caribbean-inspired look and now includes private casitas available for daily rental, The Lime & Coconut pool bar, The Perfect Storm water slides and the Splashaway Bay waterpark. Inside, Royal Caribbean expanded Casino Royale and added its Royal Escape Room concept.
Food and beverage changes include a new Starbucks and Izumi Teppanyaki, which offers Japanese cuisine with a hibachi format. The ship also adds dining options at Sabor Mexican restaurant and Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen.
Exterior work included a revised hull livery with larger ship-name lettering and an updated Royal Caribbean logo. Liberty of the Seas, built in Turku, Finland, by Kvaerner Masa-Yards/Aker Yards, is a 154,407-gt ship measuring about 1,112 feet long, with a crew of roughly 1,360.
Royal Amplified program resumes across more ships
Liberty of the Seas is part of Royal Caribbean’s 2026 Royal Amplified group alongside Ovation of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas. The renovation initiative began in 2018 and targeted older ships for new dining venues, waterslides, pool-deck updates and entertainment additions. The pandemic interrupted it.
Before the pause, Royal Caribbean had already amplified ships including Independence of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. The Liberty project extends that program to another Freedom-class vessel, following earlier work on sister ship Freedom of the Seas.
Southampton season precedes Galveston program
Liberty of the Seas will spend the summer sailing from Southampton on Northern and Western Europe itineraries. The schedule includes weeklong cruises to Northern Spain and Portugal, shorter sailings calling in Belgium, France and Germany, and additional cruises to the Norwegian Fjords, Scandinavia, the Baltic and the North Sea.
In mid-October, the ship is scheduled to reposition to North America before beginning a year-round Caribbean program from Galveston. Its Texas deployment will focus on four- and five-night Mexico cruises with calls at Cozumel and Costa Maya.
