The work is never done improving its cruise ships, and Royal Caribbean is always working on new ways to enhance their vessels.
Utopia of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, which launched in July 2024, and our readers have noticed at least three new things onboard.
Why make changes to a brand new ship? Royal Caribbean embraces a continuous improvement methodology to its business, and a lot of efforts run concurrently.
Moreover, adding a new option to an existing ship is a better way to "soft test" the feature before adding it to other ships or even the next new cruise ship that is under construction.
As an example, Express Boarding was first added to Freedom of the Seas so it could be tested before the launch of Icon of the Seas.
Here are three new things Royal Caribbean has added just to Utopia of the Seas.
New way to deposit cash
If you've stood in line at Guest Services on a cruise ship, you probably noticed a lot of people in line are there to pay off their onboard account.
It appears Royal Caribbean wants to make that easier and cut down the Guest Services line with a new kiosk that has popped up on Utopia of the Seas called SeaPay.
Royal Caribbean Blog reader CGTLH shared photos of the kiosk after it was added, and it's essentially a self-service way to add cash to your onboard account.
Guests can scan their SeaPass card and view their account balance.
From there, they can simply deposit cash proactively or pay off their onboard bill.
Just like an ATM machine, you insert cash into the machine and get confirmation of the transaction.
New Utopia of the Seas Starbucks 'Been There' mugs
Utopia of the Seas is the latest cruise ship to be added to the Starbucks cruise ship collection.
The Starbucks "Been There" mugs is a fun way to commemorate a visit to a specific place, and Utopia of the Seas is now available for purchase.
Destiny Armstrong posted photos of the new mugs on sale at the Starbucks kiosk on the ship.
The design of the mug represents signature features of Utopia, and there are actually mugs available on 9 other Royal Caribbean ships.
The price for a mug is $16.95.
Sam Adams Utopias beer
If you're looking for a different kind of beer choice, perhaps this new Sam Adams Utopias is up your alley.
CGTLH posted a photo of the Sam Adams Utopias beer, which is anything but a conventional beer.
Utopias has always been aged in charred whiskey casks, and this year the Sam Adams brewers expanded the kinds of barrels for more complex flavors.
With a retail price tag of $240 per bottle, and an alcohol level of 28% ABV, Utopias is banned in 15 states.
Utopia of the Seas is the only cruise ship to carry Utopias, and the onboard price is $30 for a 1oz pour, or $55 for a 2oz pour.
