Darren Wittko 1/3/25 Darren Wittko 1/3/25

Tour and Review of Utopia of the Seas with Videos

Go inside Utopia of the Seas, sailing to the Bahamas from Orlando (Port Canaveral), which is the second-largest cruise ship in the world.

Utopia of the Seas

Utopia of the Seas is an Oasis Class cruise ship launched by Royal Caribbean, representing a new standard in the cruise industry. It features an array of innovative amenities and attractions, designed to provide an immersive vacation experience for all ages.

The ship offers a variety of neighborhoods, including a vibrant boardwalk, lush gardens, and expansive waterfront areas, allowing guests to explore unique environments without ever feeling crowded. Onboard entertainment includes cutting-edge technology, live performances, and a wide range of dining options, catering to diverse tastes.

For families, Utopia of the Seas provides numerous activities, such as water parks, rock climbing walls, and family-friendly shows. Meanwhile, adults can enjoy serene spaces like pools, spas, and lounges. Overall, it represents a significant evolution in cruise travel, focusing on leisure, adventure, and environmental responsibility.

Watch my video tour and review of Utopia of the Seas

Why It’s Popular

Oasis Class Ship: Utopia of the Seas is in the Oasis Class of cruise ships. These are among the largest ships in the world. Bigger doesn’t mean more crowded, however. This is a world-class resort that just happens to sail to the Bahamas.

Family-Friendly Amenities: Utopia of the Seas offers a wide range of amenities including multiple pools, a water park, a surf simulator, and rock-climbing walls, catering to all age groups and preferences.
Dining Options: With over 20 dining venues, Utopia provides a diverse culinary experience, from casual bites to upscale dining, including specialty restaurants that showcase global cuisines.
Entertainment Choices: Guests can enjoy a variety of entertainment options, including live shows, music, laser tag, ice skating, and more.
Relaxation Spaces: Utopia of the Seas also offers tranquil spaces like adults-only pools and lounges, as well as spa services, allowing guests to unwind and recharge.
Exciting Itineraries: Utopia of the Seas travels from Orlando (Port Canaveral) on 3 and 4 night sailings to the Bahamas and Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay island.

View current offers for Utopia of the Seas and other ships on my Offers Page.

Utopia of the Seas Onboard Entertainment

The entertainment on Utopia of the Seas is like nothing I’ve ever experienced on a cruise—it's packed with high-energy shows, immersive experiences, and a wide range of activities that keep you entertained.

Entertainment Place, one of the 8 neighborhoods, is located on Deck 4, and where you’ll find the ship’s main theater. There’s no Broadway show on Utopia - but it’s certainly set up for one. Maybe someday. However, the theater is still used for stage shows and comedy shows.

There’s Studio B, the ship’s ice arena. You can skate here during the day - just remember to bring long pants, shorts are not allowed. And at night, there’s a terrific ice show featuring very talented performers. This is also where we played laser tag, my favorite family activity on the ship. Laser tag is free but only offered on select days - so check the app for times. It’s a massive inflatable fortress with strobe lights and energetic music. And don’t worry, you’re not playing on the ice, there’s a retractable floor that slides out.

One of my favorite things about Royal Caribbean is that they have great Casinos. Utopia Casino is one of the largest at sea, with smoking and non-smoking sections available. I like to play a little of everything here. Tables are usually around $10 - $15 most nights. I’d like to see a better selection of slots, there weren’t too many I recognized and some were like off-brand Wheel of Fortune machines.

Dining on Utopia of the Seas

Remember when I told you Utopia of the Seas was the second-largest cruise ship in the world? Well, here’s another amazing fact - it has 22 restaurants onboard. That’s more than most shopping malls and small towns. Now, I could do an entire show just on Utopia of the Seas’ restaurants…in fact, if you’d like to see that, let me know in the comments.

For now, I’ll show you the most popular starting with The Royal Railway Restaurant. This is an immersive dinner show that takes place inside a very realistic train car that uses augmented reality. On our cruise, the price was $140 per person but I didn’t decide on time and it ended up selling out. So next time on that one.

Windjammers, the ship’s buffet was among my favorite spots to dine. This massive space is well-organized and flows well. Royal Caribbean really it got it right here. It can get a little crowded for breakfast so I recommend another option like the Main Dining Room. You can expect salads, sandwiches, a carving station, and a rotating menu of international foods. There’s even a tiny kid’s buffet with things like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and fruit cups.

Windjammers buffet on "utopia of the seas" — *Windjammers Buffet*

And speaking of the Main Dining Room, this is another great option - also included in your cruise fare at no extra cost.

The Main Dining Room is open for breakfast and dinner, and is located on Decks 3, 4, and 5. The dinner menu changes each night and includes an appetizer, a main entree, and a dessert. You can order as much as you like so if you want to try a few different entrees or desserts, that’s ok. Everything we ordered was fantastic here.

*Main Dining Room on Utopia of the Seas*

Here’s a secret, when you get your Sea Pass Card (your room key) read it carefully. You’ll see the floor you have been assigned and your table number at the main dining room.

There is another buffet that is included, Solarium Bistro is located on Deck 15 Forward. It’s a Mediterranean-themed restaurant that serves fresh salads, soups, and sandwiches. The atmosphere and views are amazing from here. It’s often less crowded than Windjammers.

El Loco Fresh on Deck 16 is yet another included restaurant. It serves tacos, which I thought were pretty good, burritos, and a few other Mexican favorites. I was able to order a custom burrito here too because I am a picky eater. It gets very crowded for lunch because it’s close to the pool and sports deck.

And speaking of the pool, Utopia has a brand new restaurant not found on any other Royal Caribbean ship: the Spare Tire. This is more of a grab-and-go quick service location than a restaurant. On my visit, they were serving something similar to a pizza roll that was pretty good, chicken sandwiches, and veggie wraps. If you’re at the pool and just need a snack, mission accomplished here.

As mentioned in the Central Park segment, there are quite a few specialty dining restaurants like 150 Park, Izumi, and Chops Grill. Passengers on Utopia of the Seas have access to a diverse selection of extra-fee restaurants, ranging from casual eateries to upscale dining experiences. For specialty restaurants, reservations can be made online or through the cruise line's mobile app,

Once on board, you still have options for dining reservations. You can easily book a table by calling from you cabin or visiting the restaurant in person to make a reservation.

giovannis italian on utopia of the seas — *Giovanni’s on Utopia of the Seas*

Utopia of the Seas has a new take on a Royal Caribbean classic, Giovanni’s Restaurant, This one is on Deck 12 aft. It offers classic Italian fare like pasta, the meatball gigante, pizza, osso bucco, and chicken parmesan. On my sailing, the cost was $55 per person but if you go for lunch, it’s only $25 per person. The osso bucco is not available at lunch, however.

Mason Jar debuted on Wonder of the Seas. I didn’t see any major changes to the Utopia Version. It’s southern fare, like sweet tea and fried chicken. There’s live music at night and the bar seems to do a good business. Both Giovannis and Mason Jar are pretty good, I would go again.

While there are smaller bars and lounges all over the ship, the most post popular is the Lime and Coconut. This bar is a staple across much of the Royal Caribbean fleet. But Utopia’s Lime and Coconut is 2 floors and situated in the heart of the pool district.

Utopia of the Seas Staterooms

Now that I have shared with you what Central Park and Boardwalk are all about, it’s a good time to discuss some staterooms on Utopia of the Seas. There are Boardwalk and Central Park view rooms, which are nearly as popular as their siblings across the hall— Oceanview Balconies.

On Oasis Class Ships, most rooms overlook the ocean, but some rooms overlook the interior parts of the ship and have natural light and fresh air. This is really what makes the Oasis Class and Icon Class ships so special.

Oceanview Balcony stateroom on "utopia of the seas" — *Oceanview Balcony Stateroom - Utopia of the Seas*

Rooms that overlook Central Park are pretty nice - they come in both Balcony and window-only versions. I have booked Central Park rooms before and really enjoyed the view. But Boardwalk Balcony rooms lack privacy. The sports deck is right above these rooms and fellow passengers can look down right into your room. And don’t expect much of a discount - they are only slightly less than oceanview balconies.

On this Utopia Cruise, My family and I had an Oceanview Balcony room. You’ll notice that the bed is closer to the balcony - which is typical of rooms that can sleep 2. Rooms that sleep 3 and 4 typically have the sofa bed nearest the balcony.

Utopia rooms feel light and modern, and the color palette makes them feel upscale. The bathrooms are smaller than I would like, especially the sink. I was constantly bumping into the walls. The shower is fine, but the shower door insists on closing by itself. So you have to towel off either inside the tiny shower or step out and drip water everywhere. For a ship of this size, I would expect larger bathrooms.

But if you prefer more space, you can upgrade to a suite. Just like Wonder of the Seas, there’s a suite-class neighborhood located on a restricted floor. They come with lounge access, a private pool, and a sundeck.

Pool and Recreation

Utopia of the Seas has an entire water park on Deck 15 Midship. There are 3 main pools including the family-friendly Beach Pool, plunge pools, a water playscape for kids, and several full-size water slides. What I like about the deck plan here is that families can stay nearby even if they have different interests. For example, the kids can do the water slides while the parents can hang out at the nearby Beach pool.

Pools on "utopia of the seas" — *The Beach Pool on Utopia of the Seas.*

The Perfect Storm Water Park features 3 separate slides including 2 dual racer slides where kids can see who went faster at the end. Then there’s Super Cell, it starts off like a normal waterslide and then shoots you into a large bowl.

For little ones, there’s Splash-away Bay, a huge water playground just for kids. There are water slides, water cannons, and of course, a huge bucket that dumps water all over everyone. There are loungers surrounding Splash-away Bay so parents can relax but still keep an eye on the kiddos while they play.

Utopia of the Seas with Kids

Darren Wittko 7/12/24 Darren Wittko 7/12/24

Watching the $1.3 Billion Utopia of the Seas Pull into Port Canaveral

Utopia of the Seas has arrived in Orlando! What it was like watching the world’s 2nd largest cruise ship come through the channel.

On July 11, 2024 Utopia of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s newest Oasis Class cruise ship, arrived in Port Canaveral, Florida - just outside Orlando.

I was on a conference call with Royal Caribbean the day before and it was mentioned that Utopia of the Seas was scheduled to be pier-side by 8am. I wasn’t sure when exactly she would arrive but figured after sunrise so the media could get their shots.

I arrived at Jetty Park in Port Canaveral at sunrise, about 6:45am and a small crowd had already gathered.

It was a beautiful morning, cloudy with a steady breeze. Sometimes the shore looks better when it’s cloudy, this was one of those mornings.

Fox 35 Orlando was already there setting up for live coverage.

I was watching Utopia on cruisemapper.com and could see that she was just off the coast of Cocoa Beach.

At about 7:20am some people near me spotted the glass dome over Utopia’s Solarium coming into view over the trees.

It was so unnatural to see the massive glass dome, some 18 stories up, gliding by the treeline without being able to see the rest of the ship. It was like watching a spaceship coming into view.

Within a few minutes, she was in full view and everything made sense again.

Utopia came in with several blasts of the horn to celebrate her arrival and to give the media a good show. The horn is a low, deep sound, but you can feel it in your chest.

I captured Uptoia of the Seas on video:

Utopia of the Seas Arriving in Port Canaveral with horn blast.

utopia of the seas arriving in port canaveral for the first time

The crew, who had been onboard for 12 nights for Utopia’s transatlantic crossing, came out to wave. They were on the bow and up on the top deck. Some of the crew were in their staterooms and came out to the balcony to wave.

utopia of the seas arrived in port canaveral - orlando | Royal Caribbean

The top deck entertainment team began blasting Meghan Trainor music. Trainor will be the ship’s Godmother.

As she went by, I got a sense of just how big Utopia is.

Utopia of the Seas is the second largest cruise ship in the world, larger than her sister Wonder of the Seas, and smaller than Icon of the Seas.

And speaking of Wonder of the Seas, Orlando - Port Canaveral - will now be home to two of Royal Caribbean’s newest Oasis-class ships.

Wonder of the Seas will be doing 7 night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries while Utopia will be doing 3 and 4 night Bahamas sailings.

Disney Cruise Line will surely take notice. And while both Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean offer very different experiences, it’s hard to ignore the sheer size and of these Oasis Class ships, which are packed with family activities.

So while you might not have character meet and greets, you’ll have about 10 times the amount of activities like laser tag, Ultimate Abyss Slide, a water park with water slides, over 20 restaurants, a shopping mall, Flow Rider surf simulator, rock climbing wall, miniature golf, live musical performances, shows, an aqua theater show, ice skating and ice shows, and more.

I think Disney is very good at what it does, but for families who want a variety of experiences, Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas are the way to go.

But if you prefer to meet Disney characters and see Disney shows, then there’s nothing like a Disney cruise! It’s even better than being in the theme parks.