Utopia of the Seas is not only one of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ships, but she's packed with lots to do.
If you're like me, you're going to want to take advantage of everything Royal Caribbean has added to this ship. There's lots to see, do, and eat onboard, and you only have a few nights to try everything.
Although the cruise fare is likely higher on Utopia of the Seas than other ships doing short cruises, Utopia has some of the best in class features that you won't get on those ships.
Here are five things to consider before you sail on Utopia of the Seas.
Royal Railway is the hot ticket
Royal Caribbean may have outdone itself with its new immersive dining restaurant experience because demand for it has been quite high.
Royal Railway at Utopia Station is more than just a specialty restaurant. It's an adventure through food and story, and a lot of passengers are clearly interested in booking it.
Reservations are slowly rolling out to be able to book it, but you're going to need to be quick to grab one. The combination of high interest to try it along with cruisers collaborating on social media to alert each other when reservations are available is leading to Royal Railway selling out quickly.
My advice is to book a reservation in advance once they become available on the website, even if you have a Royal Caribbean dining package or you're sailing in Star Class.
You can always get a refund onboard the ship once you point out you have one of those things, and being assured of a spot via this method makes the most sense.
I'd also advise you to join a Facebook group for your sailing to be alerted by others when Royal Railway pops up to book.
If eating at Royal Railway is important to you, then definitely book early and don't wait.
Read more: 7 ways to learn everything you can about your cruise
A lot of the new parties are late night
There are a lot of new parties and events on Utopia of the Seas, and many of them are at night.
Royal Caribbean wanted Utopia of the Seas to offer more to do than its other ships, and it greatly expanded its activities. In addition to the usual Royal Caribbean events, you'll find new pool parties, dance parties, fraternization events, and more.
The new pool events, such as the Plunge Day Pool Party, are still during the day, so there's no concern there. But if you want to experience many of the new events, it's going to be a late night.
These include:
- Toga silent party
- ReZolution Dance Party
- Royal Kappa Chi college party
- Red DJ party
- The Quest adult scavenger hunt
It seems many of the events don't begin until 11pm, and many are only offered once per sailing.
The key is to look at the schedule ahead of time, and take a nap during the day or load up on coffee so you can make it to the late night hours. Some parties have been going until about 4am.
Plan your port day around CocoCay, not Nassau
Time is limited on a weekend cruise, so if you're going to make plans on shore, do it on your visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay.
I'm not disparaging Nassau specifically, rather, pointing out which port to prioritize since it makes sense to also have time for all the fun things to do on Utopia.
Utopia of the Seas has a lot to do, and there's a good argument for staying onboard the ship on one of the port days in order to enjoy more of the ship.
Staying onboard the ship means you could enjoy more time at the pool, less of a wait at the water slides, sample a different restaurant, or go down the Ultimate Abyss.
Not only are there a lot of good choices for what to do at CocoCay, but I find Nassau's shore excursions options limiting in the sense of compelling choices. I actually prefer the beaches around Nassau more than CocoCay, but Royal Caribbean has fine-tuned its private island game to a point where it's far more likely to have a fun time ashore.
Don't take this tip to mean you shouldn't get off the ship at Nassau, rather, if you want to do one port day, I'd pick CocoCay.
The Mason Jar bar is underrated entertainment
Royal Caribbean says Utopia of the Seas is the ultimate party ship, but the Mason Jar bar is where you ought to be going every night.
With all due respect to the Pesky Parrot, English Pub, Schooner Bar, and Red dance party, my go-to evening music spot was the Mason Jar in order to see the Country Trio perform there.
Bryan, Jeff, and Josh put on a great show, and even though I'm not a big country music fan, it's the right mix of new and classic hits that I think anyone can enjoy.
Equally compelling are the bar menu choices. Be sure to try the PB&J Old Fashioned for my absolute favorite cruise drink.
It makes sense to wander on Utopia and sample a variety of bars and lounges each evening, but I recommend stopping by to see the boys in the Mason Jar.
Secrets I discovered on Utopia of the Seas
I spent over a week on Utopia of the Seas taking in as much as I can, and ran across various tidbits I think would benefit anyone.
None of these are "I can't believe how amazing this tip is" sort of secrets, but I do think you'll have a better cruise if you know about them.
Expedited boarding: You can get on Utopia of the Seas faster with expedited boarding at Port Canaveral. Simply do everything in the Royal Caribbean app, and you can qualify for it and it's free.
You can get coffee at Giovanni's: If the line for coffee is too long in the Windjammer or Cafe Promenade, Giovanni's wine bar has an espresso machine. It might not help you early in the morning, but they're open during the day.
You can order food at Giovanni's wine bar: Another Giovanni's tip is to go to the bar for a snack or a meal. There is a limited food menu you can order from, and this can be great for a quick bite or a workaround if you cannot get a reservation at the restaurant.
The shaved ice isn't covered by a package yet: I love that Royal Caribbean added shaved ice to the Wipeout Bar at the back of the ship near the Ultimate Abyss, but your drink or dining packages won't cover it yet. Royal Caribbean may revisit that rule in the future, but for now, plan to spend extra on it.
Look for espresso martini machines: Utopia is the second Royal Caribbean ship to add espresso martini machines to some of its bars (Icon of the Seas had it first), and it's something espresso martini fans seem to love. I spotted one at the casino bar and Schooner Bar so far.
There are USB plugs at a lot of bars: If you need to charge your devices, look for USB plugs below the bar. The Solarium Bar, Schooner Bar, and Pesky Parrot all had USB plugs below the bar to keep your devices charged.
You can buy Wowbands: Royal Caribbean sells its useful RFID bracelets on Utopia of the Seas. Known as Wowbands, you can buy them at Guest Services for $9.99 each.
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