Royal Caribbean is ahead of schedule with its next new cruise ship and wants to get it in service faster.
Guests booked on the inaugural sailing of Utopia of the Seas were informed on Tuesday that there will be a new first sailing.
Inaugural sailings are a big deal to be on, as it's both a badge of honor to be able to be say you were onboard. Plus, they are a big celebration too.
The inaugural sailing was scheduled to be on July 22, 2024, but Royal Caribbean will be adding an extra voyage prior.
The new inaugural sailing is 3-night weekend cruise on July 19, 2024. Utopia will then continue with her previously scheduled sailings after, which would be the July 22 sailing.
Why the change? Royal Caribbean said in an email the new ship will be ready sooner, "Utopia of the Seas is ahead of schedule and arriving at Port Canaveral earlier than originally planned."
Anyone booked on the original inaugural sailing of Utopia of the Seas will have opportunity to move their booking to the new inaugural 3-Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise on July 19.
How to move to the new sailing
If you were booked on the original inaugural and want to transfer to the new voyage, there are options available.
Royal Caribbean is offering guests the chance to move to the exact same stateroom currently booked – at no additional cost to you.
The cruise fare rate will be prorated for the change from a 4-night to a 3-night cruise, meaning, Royal Caribbean will provide a 1-day cruise fare refund. It's only available for changing to the new date.
If selected, the booking will be transferred to the new sail date by March 19th, 2024.
Otherwise, guests can remain on the July 22 sailing as booked.
Guests have until March 12th, 2024 to select the offer. If you are booked on the July 22 sailing and do absolutely nothing on your part, you'll remain on that sailing.
Moving to a weekend cruise for her inaugural
It's almost fitting that Utopia of the Seas is moving her inaugural to a 3-night weekend cruise, as that is the focus of the new ship.
Utopia will be Royal Caribbean's first new Oasis Class ship to start cruises with short 3- and 4-night cruises instead of 7-night cruises. It's a flip of the script for the cruise line, because usually older ships operate weekend cruises.
The change is a concerted effort to attract first-time cruisers, who are leery of going on any cruise ship for a week.
The idea is to offer short cruises on its newest hardware so that anyone who is considering a short cruise as their first sailing will see a clear delineation between what options are out there.
Read more: Five moves Royal Caribbean is making to overhaul its weekend cruise business for the future
Utopia will be the second new Royal Caribbean cruise ship to launch in 2024, following up on Icon of the Seas.
Icon has drawn a substantial amount of attention for being the biggest cruise ship in the world and ushering in a new category of vessel.
While Utopia is about 7% smaller than Icon, she is still packed with plenty for passengers to do to keep them busy.
On the top deck, you'll find three pool areas, an aqua park for kids, surf simulator, zip line, basketball court, and 295-foot dry slide down the back of the ship.
The Royal Railroad will feature a classic train motif that delivers a mixed reality experience. After prototyping the train car experience at Royal Caribbean's Miami headquarters, the team feels confident it will deliver an incredible new option for passengers.
Izumi has been moved up to Central Park, which is a first for the Oasis Class. Izumi will also have a new pickup window which allows quick grab and go offerings for guests.
Park Cafe will have a new evening terrace experience, which the cruise line hopes will invigorate evenings in this neighborhood.
Giovanni's Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar has been relocated into the deck 11 and 12 former Wonderland location.
Speaking of food, there will be a food truck on the pool deck, and a tiki bar on the Royal Promenade.
Read more: Utopia of the Seas restaurant and dining guide
Another inaugural cruise change
This is the second Royal Caribbean cruise ship to have her inaugural sailing change in just a week.
Last week Royal Caribbean announced the first sailing for Star of the Seas would be pushed back by two weeks.
Star of the Seas will be the second Icon Class ship and launch in 2025. Instead of her first cruise being on August 17, 2025, the new inaugural sailing was pushed back to August 31st, 2025.
The reason for the delay was not specified, other than noting, "after a review of the work that remains to be done, we’re unfortunately forced to delay the ship’s delivery date."
Just like Utopia, guests booked on the original inaugural cruise of Star of the Seas were given the chance to move to the new sailing with no penalty and cruise fare price protection.
