Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas is advertised as “the world’s biggest weekend” and the ship definitely lives up to the hype!! The newest Oasis Class ship has so much to offer travelers of all ages. It’s a fantastic choice for a family or group vacation. Currently, Utopia of the Seas is sailing 3 & 4 night itineraries out of Port Canaveral, Florida. We sailed 4 nights which included 2 port days and 1 sea day in a balcony cabin. I would highly recommend sailing back to back if it’s in your budget. Getting away for a few days is always worth it, but 4 nights isn’t enough time to fully enjoy everything the new ship has to offer.
This article is a Utopia of the Seas review only. I have a separate Utopia of the Seas tips article, also sharing everything that is new onboard. I recommend checking it out for more ship specific info. The design and artistic touches gave Utopia of the Seas a more glamorous, high end feel. Explore classic spaces such as Central Park, The Boardwalk and Royal Promenade while discovering new venues such as Pesky Parrot and Royal Railway.
Utopia of the Seas Day #1
We boarded Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas around 1pm. An electrical outage at the port stopped the boarding process earlier in the day. Despite the outage, we only waited in line about 45 minutes. Not too bad when the power kept going on and off! The staff were great and worked hard to keep the line moving once power was restored. I highly recommend joining a Facebook group for your sailing. We left our hotel later than originally intended because other guests were posting about the power outage. It helped keep our wait time to a minimum.
We enjoyed a lobster and stone crab lunch at the Solarium Bistro right after boarding. A full array of fresh seafood including lobster was available there and also Windjammer on embarkation day only. This is a new ship perk. Icon of the Seas has been sailing less than a year and still features the same seafood offerings. It will likely end after the first year, but that is still to be determined. In addition to seafood, we enjoyed standard buffet fare such as a large salad bar, pasta and stir fry stations. The Solarium Bistro was busy at 1pm, but it wasn’t as chaotic as the Windjammer can get at the same time. If you’re not interested in seafood, head to Park Café for offerings such as salads and sandwiches or enjoy a specialty restaurant to avoid the crowds.
After lunch we wandered around the ship and went down the Ultimate Abyss. Royal Caribbean has reclaimed their title of having the tallest slide at sea. It’s a must ride for kids and kids at heart. We went to the sail away party and it was definitely a party! Some cruisers believe Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas is too much of a party ship but there are still plenty of quiet spots around the ship. You can easily avoid the party areas if you don’t want to be involved. The Sail Away party was a great event, although it did seem to be a bit more on the adult party side with dancing and champagnators (they squirt champagne in your mouth). However, entire families were enjoying the music together and I didn’t feel it was inappropriate for kids. We like to people watch, so stood on deck 16 overlooking the shenanigans happening at the pool deck below.
We had a great dinner in the main dining room. We all felt the food was better than some of our other Royal Caribbean sailings. It could be that the ship had only been operating for just over a month, so the crew were still being highly scrutinized or it could be that they simply improved the quality. Maybe both. There were plenty of included options and our waitstaff was terrific. We particularly enjoyed the escargot, steak and cheesecake. I ordered the Indian dish every night and loved it each time. I rarely find Indian food while cruising, so I was thrilled to have that option included on the menu each evening.
Due to the short cruise and having an inconvenient time for dinner one evening, we had to attend 2 shows the first night. We watched YOUTOPIA (the ice skating show) and ALL IN! (the new production show). Both shows were incredible, but I think the ice show was our favorite. My kids had seen some YOUTOPIA behind the scenes videos on TikTok, so that may have impacted their preference. The kids and I also attempted to play Aqua Dunes mini golf. The course is all lit up at night making for a cool mini golf experience. Unfortunately, there were a lot of kids running around and across the putting areas as guests were playing so we left after a few holes. I’d love to try the course again on another sailing – maybe on a port day.
Utopia of the Seas Oceanview Balcony Review: Stateroom #7150
We booked an oceanview balcony stateroom. Now that the kids are older, we don’t usually book a single cabin. However, the rates were high for the new ship and I booked last minute so there weren’t a lot of options. It worked out okay for 4 nights, but elbow room and only having a single bathroom were definitely issues. Utopia of the Seas does have ample storage space in the staterooms, so fitting in everything a family of 4 needed wasn’t a problem. The magnetic hooks came in handy for all our wet swimsuits, bags and hats. There were also plenty of outlets, so charging all our devices wasn’t an issue and I didn’t need my extra adaptor. However, we only had 4 phones, an iPad and watch to charge at night.
The stateroom included a queen and a sofa bed. The sofa bed included a trundle bed, so the kids didn’t actually have to share. They had their own sheets, blankets and space. The trundle could be raised to make a double bed but we left it lowered to give the kids more separation. The bathroom was larger than I expected. Standard stateroom bathrooms are small, but Utopia of the Seas was larger than some other ships. There was also plenty of storage and good water pressure. I recommend bringing your own shampoo and conditioner as standard cabins only have a shampoo/body wash combo. Overall, we were pleased with our oceanview balcony stateroom, but would get 2 cabins or a suite if sailing longer.
Utopia of the Seas Day #2: Nassau, Bahamas
The first port of call was Nassau. After a quick breakfast in the Windjammer, we got in line to disembark the ship. Even though it was a full sailing and Utopia of the Seas can accommodate over 5,500 guests, disembarkation was quick and efficient.
We decided not to book an excursion and just wandered around downtown, visited the Straw Market, and browsed the shops at the newly renovated cruise port. Then we had to stop in for a drink at Senior Frogs before heading back to the ship. The renovated Nassau cruise port (Prince George Wharf) opened in May 2023. Nassau spent $300 million upgrading their port and it can now accommodate up to six cruise ships including three Oasis or Icon class ships! The port is filled with local vendors so cruisers can easily purchase souvenirs, get their hair braided or grab a drink and snack. The Junkanoo Museum is also at the port and allows visitors to explore the story and evolution of the national Junkanoo cultural festival. Make sure to plan some time to enjoy the new port venues when heading to Nassau.
Nassau cruise port ideas if you don’t want an excursion:
- Junkanoo Beach – Public beach approximately a 10 minute walk from the port exit. Loungers and umbrellas are available to rent.
- Cable Beach – Public beach approximately a 15 minute taxi ride from the port. Loungers and umbrellas are available to rent.
- Baha Mar – Resort available for day passes. Make sure to book in advance
- Atlantis – Resort available for day passes. Make sure to book in advance
Our main reason for booking the cruise was to take advantage of everything Utopia of the Seas had to offer. Therefore, we returned to the ship after spending only a couple hours in Nassau. Once back onboard, we had a buffet lunch and pool time to finish out the afternoon. Pools aren’t as crowded on port days, so it was a great time to relax and get a lounger right in the pool! K tried a few items from the new pool side food truck, but wasn’t impressed. Lucy and I went down a couple of the slides at The Perfect Storm. Lines were also much shorter than on sea days.
Dinner was in the main Dining Room. I love the French onion soup on Royal Caribbean and Utopia of the Seas did not disappoint! We also enjoyed the coconut shrimp, tiger shrimp, chicken korma, blueberry cobbler and brownie. Derrick and K decided they weren’t interested in seeing the aqua show that evening. Lucy and I loved Aqua 80 at the AquaTheater featuring musical favorites from the 80’s. It was a great performance that the boys definitely missed out on.
Utopia of the Seas Day #3: Sea Day
A sea day means it’s all about exploring more of the ship and relaxing by the pool. We finally went to the new Pesky Parrot bar (replaces the Bionic Bar on other Oasis class ships). Look for Brian the parrot. He had some pretty funny dad jokes. One thing I enjoy about having the drink package was trying different drinks and not feeling like I had to drink it if I didn’t like it. Pesky Parrot had a great cocktail menu, but I can be picky. We were able to try several cocktails over the course of the cruise and not break our budget.
We spent time wandering around before having lunch at Hooked, the seafood specialty restaurant. The cheddar biscuits were delicious! I forced myself to only eat half so I’d have room for my meal. We tried jumbo cocktail shrimp, baked oysters and New England Clam chowder as starters. We all had the filet and lobster as our main except for Lucy who went for the lobster roll. The filet and lobster were great, but the lobster roll wasn’t. I’d read negative reviews about the lobster roll but Lucy really wanted to try it. No one really wanted dessert but we ordered the lemon tart and chocolate brownie just to try them. Lunch was less expensive than dinner for a similar menu, so I’d recommend lunch if you want lobster. It was, obviously, much better than what was served on embarkation day.
After lunch, the boys went to the pool while Lucy and I played Wizarding World Trivia. It turns out we don’t know as much about Harry Potter as we thought. We only got 19 out of 40 questions right! It was fun and a great way to have some mother/daughter time. Trivia is played in Spotlight Karaoke, so the venue gets crowded. We arrived 15 minutes early and snagged the remaining 2 standing spots at the bar.
After trivia, we joined the boys at the pool before changing for my most anticipated part of the cruise – the brand new Royal Railway. Lucy and I were looking forward to the new immersive dining experience and were almost giddy as we approached Utopia Station. What is Royal Railway? Board a locomotive for an adventure combining food, technology and entertainment. You’ll enjoy pre-drinks at Utopia station platform then a five-course menu tasting flavors of the Wild West as you chug along toward Grand Junction. It was a fun experience but the food was just okay. I particularly enjoyed the pimento dip from the bread cart and the braised short ribs. It was a fun experience but definitely a one and done due to the price. We paid the introductory rate, but the current rate is $119.99 per adult. In all honestly, Derrick and K said they didn’t think it was worth the money. I’m glad we experienced Royal Railway and recommend it if it’s in your budget and you can snag reservations. More to come on Royal Railway soon.
We were only able to get tickets for the 8pm seating, so we weren’t able to see any of the shows that night.
Utopia of the Seas Day #4: Perfect Day at CocoCay
Our last day was spent at Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. Once we started making our way down the pier, we were able to view an incredible side by side comparison of how much larger the Utopia is compared to other ships. As the 2nd largest cruise ship in the world, she is massive!
The great thing about CocoCay is you can pay for amenities such as an adults only hideaway and the water park or spend the day lounging around at the pool or beach for free. We chose to relax and snorkel at Chill Island and eat lunch at the included buffet. We didn’t spend a dime during our time at CocoCay. We grabbed a soda from the bar that was free with the beverage package. WiFi is also included on the private island if you purchased an internet package.
There are a ton of free activities on CocoCay. Free beaches and the Oasis Lagoon are all included as well as plenty of loungers with umbrellas at each area. Little ones will enjoy Splashaway Bay and Captain Jill’s Galleon while the entire family can enjoy complementary dining at Snack Shacks, Skippers Grill and Chill Grill.
We had enough sun by 1:30pm so we went back to the ship for a drink at the Lime and Coconut and to try our luck at the casino. We hit it big and left with $97 from the 25¢ slot machine! Dinner was at the Main Dining Room again. The Mediterranean tapas medley, seared asparagus, braised lamb and creme Catalina were some of our favorites. In the evening we watched the adults only comedy show in the Royal Theatre. Both of the comedians were hilarious although it was a little awkward laughing at some of the jokes while sitting next your kid…
After the show it was time to get our bags packed for an early morning.
Utopia of the Seas Day #5: Disembarking & Cocoa Beach
This cruise went by way too fast! We had breakfast in the main dining room before carrying our luggage off the ship around 8:30am. Disembarkation was smooth despite having well over 5,000 people onboard. We had an evening flight, so decided to spend time at Cocoa Beach. We hit the beach, relaxed by the pool and had a quick lunch before grabbing a Uber to the airport. We rented a day room through ResortPass in Cocoa Beach. This was a great option for us as we only paid $20 more for the day hotel room than just resort passes for 4 people. We were able to shower before our flight after spending the afternoon on the beach.
What to do near Port Canaveral if you have a late flight:
- ResortPass has a ton of locations offering day passes, day rooms, cabanas, spa passes and more.
- Visit Kennedy Space Center – a great experience for adults and kids.
- Rent a car – There are a few car rental companies with free shuttle transport from the port. Use the car to store your luggage, explore for the day then drop it off at the airport.
The biggest negative of Utopia of the Seas was the temperature onboard. It was hot all over the ship including our stateroom. I’m usually cold while cruising unless I’m near Central Park or the Boardwalk, but I only needed my sweater watching the shows. We even had difficulty keeping our stateroom cool despite a call to maintenance. This has been a common complaint from many cruisers, so I hope they get the temperature controls fixed as they work out the kinks on the new ship. We bring this fan while cruising and highly recommend it to move air in the stateroom.
Utopia of the Seas only sails 3 and 4 night itineraries. I would have loved another night or two to explore more of the ship and take advantage of all the activities on board, but overall we’ve had a fantastic cruise and highly recommend the new ship. Jump onboard “the world’s biggest weekend” with Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas!
Looking for more cruise content?
- Utopia of the Seas Tips & What’s New Onboard
- Icon of the Seas Tips & What’s New Onboard
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Secrets & Tips
- 24 Things to Pack for a Cruise: Plus Printable Packing List for Cruise Vacations
- FREE Printable Cruise Planner (another option)
- Cruising Do’s & Don’ts – Essential Tips for a Great First Cruise
- 5 Tips for Selecting Cruise Shore Excursions
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