Carnival Splendor completed an approximately $60 million refurbishment in Singapore to prepare the ship for year-round deployment in Australia. The project introduced a substantially expanded WaterWorks aqua park with two new waterslides and a dedicated SplashZone, and added or upgraded dining and bar concepts including Guy's Burger Joint, RedFrog Pub, Alchemy Bar, Fahrenheit 555, Pizzeria del Capitano, Seafood Shack and Masala Tiger. Passenger accommodations and public areas were refreshed, while the ship also underwent general maintenance and technical overhaul work before repositioning to Sydney.

Carnival Splendor underwent a 15-day refurbishment at Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, The Bahamas, including scheduled technical maintenance, safety inspections and upgrades to passenger accommodations and public areas. The project added eight new accommodations on forward Deck 9, consisting of six Scenic Ocean View staterooms and two Captain's Suites. The new suites provided larger premium accommodations in an area previously used for other shipboard purposes. Interior improvements included replacement carpeting, new tile work and other cosmetic enhancements in passenger lounges and public spaces. Technical work included installation of an auxiliary diesel generator (ADG), as confirmed by Grand Bahama Shipyard's project summary. The vessel was serviced in the shipyard's Dry Dock 2 before returning to its scheduled Caribbean cruise operations.

Carnival Splendor underwent major emergency repairs at BAE Systems' Pier 70 dry dock in San Francisco following the November 2010 engine-room fire that disabled the ship. Workers cut an opening in the hull to remove and replace a fire-damaged diesel engine and generator and repaired additional engine-room equipment, generators and electrical wiring damaged by the fire. More than 900 workers participated in the project, which was one of the largest marine engineering repair jobs undertaken in San Francisco in decades. The repairs restored the vessel to service for its February 20, 2011 departure from Long Beach.