Royal Caribbean spending $116M on Freedom of the Seas renovation

Royal Caribbean will make Freedom of the Seas the fourth in its string of Royal Amplified renovations, budgeting $116 million to upgrade the 13-year-old ship.

As in previous Royal Amplified redos, the Freedom will get the Perfect Storm duo of racing waterslides, a Splashaway Bay toddler aqua park and a three-level Lime & Coconut poolside bar.

The renovation will also introduce more dining venues. A Giovanni's Italian Kitchen will provide "Sunday supper" Royal Caribbean-style. Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, El Loco Fresh and Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade are also part of the amped-up package.

So is laser tag, in the form of the glow-in-the-dark Clash for the Crystal City.Freedom's dedicated teen space and Adventure Ocean area will be redone.

Adventure Ocean takes on a whole new look, from exploration at Play Place to art, science and tech activities at Workshop and friendly challenges at Arena. There will be gaming consoles and places to chill at Hangout. Babies and 3- to 5-year-olds will each have personalized areas with AO Babies and AO Junior.

The teen space features the latest in movies, gaming and music, plus a new outdoor deck.

Starting March 2020, the renovated Freedom will sail from San Juan on seven-night Southern Caribbean cruises. The 3,782-passenger Freedom will replace the 2,050-passenger Vision of the Seas.

Previously, Royal Amplified redos have refreshed the Independence, Navigator and Mariner of the Seas. Plans call for spending more than $1 billion across 10 ships in four years.