So what's new on the ship? Well for one, its maximum capacity increased from 4,375 to 4,515 as new staterooms were added. The ship's premium dining options were revamped with Chops steakhouse getting a new look and new menu, the old Portofino Italian dining option changing to Giovanni's Table and a brand new dining venue in the form of Sabor's Modern Mexican.

"Originally Portofino was an a la carte northern Italian experience and Giovanni's is more of a family-oriented modern Italian experience," said Royal Caribbean spokesperson Harrison Liu. "While Chops Grille kept the name, the menu is completely different. It was a '90s style Chicago steakhouse, but it's now a more modernized American steakhouse."

Sabor's took the place of the ship's two-floor Gothic-themed nightclub The Crypt. Sabor's took the top floor and the space on the bottom floor went to more cabins. The new restaurant offers a vivid and loud atmosphere with family-style touches such as tableside crafting of guacamole. Sharing of appetizers is encouraged by the staff.

The three specialty dining locations are in addition to a Johnny Rockets, which cost cruisers extra. Complimentary dining locations include three main dining rooms, a Sorrento's pizza parlor, the Windjammer Cafe and Cafe Promenade. Other extra-cost venues include a Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor and a high-end cupcake venue.

For those interested in a before- or after-dinner beverage, what was once the Champagne Bar has been replaced with the R Bar, a '60s-era venue that serves unique cocktails like the Texas Collins, which involves watermelon and jalapeno. Other imbibing options on Freedom include Vintages wine bar, English-inspired Bull and Bear Pub and Latin-inspired Boleros among a half-dozen other watering holes.

Also new to the ship is a new class of stateroom called panoramic ocean-view located on Deck 12 in front of the spa. The 26 bow-facing staterooms feature floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows that once were part of a walkway around the ship's spa. Their addition as well as new inside staterooms where The Crypt used to be brings the ship's total to 1,891 staterooms, which means 3,782 passengers at double capacity.

The rest of the ship received the standard makeover for a cruise ship drydock, which occur no later than every five years as required by maritime law. During the drydock, the line replaced mattresses and reupholstered furnishings in all the cabins as well as the sundry sitting locations around the ship including the main theater. The line did not reveal how much the drydock enhancements cost.

The changes to Freedom of the Seas are part of Royal Caribbean's ship revitalization program that began in 2011. The program was designed to take some of the most popular features of the Oasis of the Seas and roll them out fleetwide. The Freedom of the Seas actually was one of the first ships to get Oasis-grade upgrades in 2011, with the addition of touch-screen digital signage, shipwide Wi-Fi and a large, poolside movie screen.

The program means that ships don't have much in the way of original features, except for the new Quantum of the Seas that launched last fall and sails out of New York.

"This is really taking what Royal Caribbean is known for - the innovation and the 'wow' features and bringing them to all of our other ships," said Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President of Sales, Trade Support and Service.

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Royal Caribbean upgrades Freedom of the Seas