On the way back to my cabin on Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, I stumbled upon a party.
After a long travel day, I figured I’d turn in early on the first night of the cruise. But I followed a crowd of fellow passengers and the siren call of loud music into Utopia of the Seas’ Royal Promenade, where I found myself in the midst of the One Hit Wonders Street Party. As I sang along while members of the Entertainment Activities Team danced to Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out” – wearing dog ears and tails – I forgot it was a Monday.
On Utopia, the weekend is as much a timeframe as a state of mind. The cruise ship is launching on Friday with short three-and-four-night sailings, a first for the line’s Oasis Class. The line is the second largest cruise ship in the world, after Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which launched earlier this year.
“Every Royal Caribbean vacation is about memories,” president and CEO Michael Bayley said during the ship’s naming ceremony during a preview cruise this week. “With Utopia of the Seas, we said, ‘Let’s make those moments possible for every mood, every weekend and any day of the week.’ ”
Here’s what guests can expect.
Where will Utopia of the Seas sail?
The ship – which can accommodate 5,668 guests at double occupancy – will visit Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and Nassau. The three-night sailings will depart on Fridays from Florida’s Port Canaveral, followed by four-night cruises on Mondays.
What’s new on Utopia of the Seas?
The ship is the sixth in the Oasis Class and has the same layout as its predecessors, with eight distinct neighborhoods. However, Utopia features several new venues.
Pesky Parrot, named for an animatronic bird that will perch inside, offers a Caribbean take on a tiki bar in the Royal Promenade. While tiki has typically drawn influence from Polynesian culture, the space is stocked with spirits from the region such as rum from Angostura, based in Trinidad and Tobago. “Obviously with a name like Royal Caribbean, the Caribbean is very, very important to us,” Linken D’Souza, the line’s vice president of food and beverage global operations, said during the cruise.
I tried the Painchiller – a frozen drink made with Bacardi Caribbean Spiced rum, Hard Truth Toasted Coconut rum, piña colada mix and blood orange sour, garnished with a pineapple slice – which served its advertised purpose on a hot, humid evening.
Bayley described the bar’s feathered muse as a “drunken parrot” that would serve as both amusing barfly and heckler, cheekily mouthing off at guests. “Because what the hell?” he said during a media briefing. “I mean, you come on vacation, it doesn’t need to be serious.” The bird had not yet arrived during the preview cruise, but was expected to in time for the maiden voyage.
Down on Deck 4, the cruise line built a train station – or as close as you’ll find to one on a cruise ship. Royal Railway – Utopia Station offers an immersive dining experience inside two custom train cars, each seating 24 people. Guests can enjoy the scenery from destinations well beyond their planned ports of call courtesy of screens inside window panes, along with themed menus and entertainment. There’s even a classic flipboard outside and a train platform.
The Railway will launch with the 90-minute “Wild West Train Trip.” During a tour of the space, there were vibrations of what felt like train tracks under my feet, while scenes of mountains and cacti flashed in my periphery. At one point, the fictional head engineer directed our attention to an American buffalo running by. The line also invested in custom dishware and Royal Railway gear for actors.
Another more date-night-oriented show centered around the Silk Road is expected to debut in the coming weeks, with plans for more programming in the works.
Pro tip: because of the Railway’s various moving parts – so to speak – punctuality is important. “Once the train departs, there is no boarding the train because it’s left the ship and gone on its journey,” said Jay Schneider, chief product innovation officer and senior vice president for the line’s parent company Royal Caribbean Group.
Other features debuting on Utopia include The Spare Tire. The grab-and-go snack station – serving Mediterranean veggie wraps, cheese and pepperoni Tornados and more – is housed in what looks like a food truck, conveniently located near the ship’s five pools. The new Solarium Suites also offer 280-degree views at the front of the ship.
Some familiar amenities have been updated, too, like Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, which is now in a two-story space toward the ship’s aft, and an extended Ultimate Abyss, allowing Royal Caribbean to reclaim the title of the longest dry slide at sea. Riders enter through the mouth of a giant deep-sea fish near the top of the ship before hurtling 10 stories down to the Boardwalk neighborhood.
AQUA80too in the AquaTheater is also a sequel to the previous show AQUA80, with one jaw-dropping acrobatic feat after another timed to music.
What stood out?
The party I attended my first night was not an isolated event. The schedule was packed, from Royal Kappa Chi – which didn’t start until 1 a.m. – where guests can relive their college days with games like flip cup, to the Las Vegas-style PLUNGE daytime pool party.
Other new programming was designed with children in mind, like a parade featuring superhero characters, the Effectors. Parents can enter a lottery through the Adventure Ocean kids club and four kids will win the chance to participate each time.
Christi Coachman, the cruise line’s vice president of entertainment described Utopia as a “taste” of what passengers might experience on a longer cruise.
“It was really important not only to continue to create the family experiences because that’s very important for our brand, but also to go in a little bit of a different direction and have one party after the other to where you don’t ever stop,” she said.
Not everything is so high-energy, though. One night, I had dinner in the ship’s outdoor Central Park neighborhood and listened to live musicians play string renditions of popular songs.
How much does Utopia of the Seas cost?
Prices vary by sailing date, cabin category and other factors, but a three-night cruise departing Oct. 11 currently starts at $943 per person based on double occupancy.
Fares include most food on board, drinks like lemonade and regular coffee and more.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside Utopia of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s new party-packed ship
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