$100M+ Drydock Transformation for Allure of the Seas

Royal Caribbean is preparing for a major $100 million-plus drydock project for the Allure of the Seas this year. The ship will undergo a 42-day drydock in Cadiz, Spain, with a total of 48 days out of service to complete over 14,000 planned tasks. Kevin Douglas, vice president of technical projects and new build, shared insights about the project in an interview with Cruise Industry News.

“This is an opportunity to get back in the saddle. We haven’t been able to do our big revitalization projects due to Covid, and this is a pretty big one for us,” Douglas explained. “It’s a couple thousand people, and a big scope. It’s what we love, and what we do, going crazy with demolition, causing chaos and working very hard and long hours, and then we sprinkle fairy dust on at the end, and everything comes back.

“It’s the ability to get back to where we add value to the corporation,” he continued. “That is the ability to go into the fleet with a very systematic process and not just keeping the ships relevant and current but also improving the guest experience by adding the new venues.”

Revitalization Highlights

The overhaul includes a refreshed pool deck, new waterslides, a state-of-the-art water park, updated restaurants, and a transformed ice rink that will become a laser tag arena.

Tackling 14,000 Tasks

Douglas revealed that the drydock team had already visited the Cadiz site in November 2024 for final planning. The 14,000 tasks are tracked using a custom tool that provides detailed updates on progress, helping identify which parts of the project are ahead or behind schedule. Twice-daily meetings with the shipyard, contractors, and shipboard leadership ensure coordination and problem-solving throughout the drydock.

“We have complete transparency in where we are in the project,” Douglas said. “It’s great someone is ahead. We want them to stay ahead, finish and leave, take their people with them and free up more space. And there might be a reason someone is behind.”

Significant technical projects include a new forward accommodation block with additional staterooms and a complex water park featuring advanced water treatment and filtration systems. “Not only do we install it, but we have to commission it,” Douglas said.

Precision Planning

Douglas compared the project’s logistics to a military operation, with up to 100 containers moving on and off the ship daily. Careful planning determines what gets done when and how tasks overlap between contractors.

“Someone may just have two weeks of work, not 40 days. And not everyone starts and ends at the same time,” he noted. Toward the project’s conclusion, tasks such as artwork and signage installation take precedence.

Douglas emphasized the importance of communication and collaboration to align everyone involved in the drydock: “If you can get coordination, then you start getting alignment. What we are trying to get is alignment between everyone working in a single space or in a certain environment for collaboration. If we get that, it’s more likely each and every action will be successful.”

A Leaner Approach

A decade ago, Royal Caribbean took its main subcontractors to a Porsche factory in Germany to learn lean production techniques. The experience has significantly improved efficiency, Douglas said: “If we go back to where we were in 2003 or 2004, the Allure would have been out of service for six months with this level of production.”

Looking Ahead

Royal Caribbean plans over 300 drydock days in 2025, including major projects for the Freedom and Rhapsody. Douglas is already working on projects for 2026 through 2028, demonstrating the company’s commitment to continuous innovation.

Excerpt from the Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine Winter 2024-25.