Utopia of the Seas offers short cruises on a ship with lots to do. How can you make the most of it?
I recently sailed on Utopia of the Seas for a 4-night Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay cruise.
Leaving round-trip from Port Canaveral, Florida, I knew I only had a short amount of time to experience everything Utopia has to offer.
Cruisers first criticized Royal Caribbean when it debuted its newest Oasis Class vessel with only short sailings.
However, the cruise line found that first-time cruisers like to start with 3 and 4-night sailings, and Utopia is the perfect ship to draw them in.
With everything from a train car-themed dining experience to waterslides and escape rooms, there are countless activities to try on Utopia of the Seas.
But how can you fit them all into just a few days?
Explore the ship to get your bearings
I always explore the cruise ship as soon as I get onboard, but this is especially important to do on a short cruise on Utopia.
On such a huge vessel, with so little time, cruisers have to know their way around.
You'll want to get your bearings as soon as you board, in order to find events quickly and ensure you don't miss anything.
It's hard to keep everything in your head, so start out by getting a visual sense of what the ship's neighborhoods and venues look like.
I recommend wandering the whole ship at least once—you don't want to miss anything on the map.
Sometimes it takes walking around yourself to find hidden locations or decide if a particular venue piques your interest. Don't take the app's word for it—go see each spot with your own eyes.
Reserve specialty restaurants in advance
A specialty meal is worth the extra cost on Utopia. The 5,668-passenger vessel offers quality venues found on few other ships, such as the Mason Jar, Izumi Omakase, Izumi in the Park, and the Royal Railway.
Other specialty venues onboard include Chops Grille, Sugar Beach, Johnny Rockets, 150 Central, Chef's Table, Playmakers, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, Starbucks, Izumi Hibachi and Sushi, and Hooked Seafood.
Dining at an extra-cost restaurant gets you higher-quality food in a themed venue and allows you to see more of the ship during a short sailing.
To ensure that you're able to dine at your favorite locations, be sure to make reservations ahead of time. Specialty restaurants on mega ships can sell out quickly, and you never want to be turned away from a dinner you were looking forward to.
You're able to reserve individual restaurants or bookings as part of a dining package on the Cruise Planner website before the cruise.
If you don't make reservations online, you can also go to any dining venue on the first day of the cruise and make your bookings then. My advice is to pre-book to save time and money.
Hit the top deck activities on embarkation day
The best time to go to the pool, water slides or hot tubs is as soon as you board the ship.
The pool deck is open on embarkation day, including the water slides. Not only is it available, but it's the best time to experience them because there are least amount of crowds.
Most other passengers haven't boarded yet, are busy exploring the ship, or simply don't have their bathing suits with them.
This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy smaller crowds and shorter lines. Pack a bathing suit in your carry-on, or just wear it onboard.
Use Royal Caribbean's app to prioritize events
To fit in Utopia's non-stop events, you'll need to have a detailed itinerary.
The Royal Caribbean app will become your source of all cruise information and it works with or without the WiFi package.
Events will be listed in great detail each day of the sailing, including the time, venue, and any associated costs.
I recommend consulting the app frequently to keep track of onboard events.
Read more: 5 things to know before sailing on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas
The Royal Caribbean app allows you to add events to your own Calender, and it will even send you a notification 30 minutes before the event begins.
I also saw events get canceled or change times while on my Utopia sailing, so checking the app frequently allowed me to stay updated.
Pack your carry-on efficiently
Maximizing a short cruise on Utopia means using every moment you get onboard—including on embarkation day.
This hack takes a little extra planning but can give you hours of additional fun.
By packing your carry-on efficiently, you'll be able to begin activities before your stateroom is ready or your luggage is delivered.
Read more: 6 mistakes to avoid while planning a cruise and sharing a cabin with a friend
Since luggage doesn't get delivered until late afternoon, packing logically will allow you to start enjoying activities as soon as you get onboard.
Pack lightly, but bring medication, water bottles, sunglasses, sunscreen, a swimsuit, and a change of clothes in your carry-on bag.
You'll be able to enjoy lunch, time at the pool, or other activities while other cruisers are still boarding and waiting for their cabins.
View event highlights on the TV
Each Royal Caribbean stateroom has at least one TV, where guests can view 10-20 free channels, purchase movies, or cast from their devices (depending on the ship).
On Utopia of the Seas, you'll find that multiple channels stream or show recaps of events happening onboard.
While I don't prefer to view events on TV instead of experiencing them, you can use this feature to take advantage of shorter sailings.
If you find yourself double-booked, a quick replay of the previous events can catch you up.
When you return to your stateroom after dinner or late at night, you'll be able to turn on the television and see the highlights of events you missed.
For example, my travel buddy and I stopped in to watch the World's Sexiest Man competition on the pool deck but had to leave to grab lunch before the Windjammer closed.
After that, we went on to the next event, but we didn't get to see who had won the competition!
When we returned to our cabin later that night, the TV's re-run showed us which cruiser was awarded the Sexiest Man.
Get off the ship in CocoCay early
The highlight of any Utopia of the Seas cruise will be a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island, so get more out of it by disembarking early.
You can walk off the ship to Perfect Day at CoocCay as early as 8am, and if you can get going that early, you'll enjoy the best spots on the island.
Not only will there be less people in the pool or ocean, but you can cherry pick the best chairs or day beds.
Moreover, if you start your day earlier, you can enjoy more time before the crowds arrive later in the morning. If you're feeling like heading back to the ship, you'll have already taken advantage of the least crowded time on the island.
