All change: the cruise ships getting a new look and fresh venues in 2026

• Cruise lines are heavily investing in refurbishing their existing fleet.
• More significant refurbishments often involve new venues, updated layouts, re-done cabins and more.
• Find out which ships around the world are getting a new look in 2026.

While some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, are expanding their fleet with new vessels, many others are also heavily investing in refurbishing their older vessels. Cruise Passenger was recently onboard the newly refreshed Celebrity Solstice and late last year, the Norwegian Spirit, which underwent a US$100 million renovation.

Due to Singapore being a hot spot for cruise lines to take ships for a dry dock, Australia is often lucky enough to be some of the first passengers to get to try out refurbished ships, so it’s always worth keeping an eye on the dry dock schedules of your favourite cruise lines. 

Sometimes dry docks are just a very minimal retouch and are based more around ship maintenance; however, sometimes they’re larger refurbishments that can include a switch up in the layout of a ship, add new venues, rework existing venues and more. To learn about a few of the ships that have either just had larger renovations like this, or are having some coming soon, have a read of the list below.

MSC Cruises

• MSC Poesia, who’s sailing in Alaska for the 2026 summer has just had a refurbishment, undergoing SC’s Yacht Club transformation, with 69 re-fitted suites, a new steakhouse, a new sushi bar and a new design for some wellness facilities, including the spa and gym. 
• Other Fantasia-class ships from MSC will get a similar resign, with Fantasia, Divina and Preziosa set to get their own touch ups in between now and February 2028.

Carnival Cruise Line

• Carnival Magic will be getting a refurbishment later this year, but at the moment, not too much is known about what changes will be made exactly. The ship is about 15 years-old and sails mostly in the Caribbean, meaning Carnival will likely look to bring it in line with the more modern ships sailing in the region. 
• Early next year Carnival Adventure will head for a dry dock in Singapore. This dry-dock will be watched especially closely due to the surprising news that Carnival Adventure will start sailing half the year in the USA. Given that she’s a former P&O Australia ship with very defined Aussie features, some are expecting drastic changes to be made. However, it’s only a short dry dock of just over three weeks so it’s unclear exactly how much or what will be done. 

Celebrity Cruises

• Celebrity Solstice, a regular visitor on Aussie shores each summer, has just undergone a massive refit. Cruise Passenger has been onboard and can testify to the new life breathed into the ship, with Solstice providing a great option alongside Celebrity Edge for Aussie cruisers. 

Royal Caribbean 

• A refurbishment that might slightly sting for Aussies is the makeover that Ovation of the Seas received. This is because Ovation of the Seas used to sail in Australia but has now moved on and there are no current plans for the ship to return. The ship saw new dining options and bars, 40 new staterooms, a casino expansion, an updated pool deck and more. 
• Harmony of the Seas is currently in dry dock and will emerge with similar changes to those of Ovation of the Seas.
• Liberty of the Seas, an older Royal Caribbean ship from 2007, will also get some upgrades this year, with details to come. 

Azamara

Azamara, who has been steadily increasing their presence in Australia over recent years, is set to begin fleetwide refurbishments under a program called ‘Azamara Forward’. This will mark a significant refurbishment for Azamara Quest, Onward, Journey and Pursuit, with big changes expected across public spaces, cabins, bars, dining, lounges and more.