** Live from the Utopia of the Seas ** September 9-13, 2024: Nassau + Coco Cay

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

After dropping our bags off in our room, we made our way over to the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen to check things out there for the first time. 

 

 

 

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We were surprised to see the lounge quite full since it was still very early in the boarding process but since we can board as early as we want in the suites, I suppose everybody had the same idea. 

 

 

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We grabbed a seat at the lounge bar to grab our first drinks aboard the Utopia so we could continue exploring this beautiful ship. 

 

 

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My wife got a classic Margarita and I opted for a Peach Margarita in recognition of somebody I met on reddit whose father recently passed and always got the same drink first thing when boarding a ship (cheers Frank).

 

 

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My kids initially asked for strawberry daiquiris but we learned they don't have frozen drinks in the Suite Lounge (disappointing) but the friendly bartender made them a Watermelon Lemonade instead. (my kids did not like it but both my wife and I loved it and will try a hard version of it later in the cruise!).

 

 

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We took our first looks at the Coastal Kitchen:

 

 

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Admired the view of the basketball court from the lounge:

 

 

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Took a quick peek at the Suite Lounge buffet:

 

 

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And noted the hours for the Suite Concierge: 

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

As I'm writing this my kids were just awakened from their nap for the 5th time. 

 

This time it wasn't from a room announcement though, this time from somebody calling our room trying to sell us a photo package. 

 

Hopefully that will be the last time wake up.

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

After we grabbed a drink in the Suite Lounge we made our way up to the Suite Sun Deck to check things out. 

 

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It's a nice space with another full bar:

 

 

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Plenty of loungers + a few casitas:

 

 

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And a small wading pool + shallow space with more lounge chairs:

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

First impressions of the suite areas aboard the Utopia:

 

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- The room is extremely nice, very comfortable, and great modern designs, the balcony especially is very nice.

 

- The extra wide hallways outside the suites is a simple touch but it really adds to an elevated, luxury feel. 

 

- It will take some remembering to ensure we're on the right part of the ship to get up to Deck 17.

 

- I think we've been spoiled by MSC's Yacht Club as we were disappointed to see there's no frozen beverages in the Suite Lounge or a swimming pool on the Suite Sun Deck. We also have not yet been greeted by whoever manages the suite experience (not sure of the title on RC).

 

Overall, I think it's going to be a great experience and I'm only disappointed it's only for 4 days!

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Alright, time to wake my wife and kids from their nap so we can catch the tail end of the Sail Away Party! 

 

I'll be back with more later.

 

[dragontrainer]

Excited to see the differences between Utopia and her sisters, thanks for bringing us along with you.

 

Go Bills!

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

My wife corrected me that it was 3 announcements in the room while they were trying to sleep, the 4th was before we got back to the room. 

 

I stand corrected 😬 

[LobsterStalker]

On 9/3/2024 at 12:02 PM, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

 

You sound like who I aspire to be! Hopefully we can keep that same youthful joy for life as we gain more wisdom...I'm working hard in the gym to try and ensure we can still enjoy things like that as our bodies slow down as well! I'm definitely not a fitness guru but I know being active is more and more important as time goes on.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS !

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

There is a LOT to do on this ship... Usually I have plenty of time to contribute to Live threads but with so much to do and see and only 4 days to experience it, we've been very busy. 

 

With that said, I'm going to try to work on some posts now to get caught up!

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

As a cruising family, one of the first things we do on any cruise is to check out the kids club and get our little ones registered.

 

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Adventure Ocean, the kids club on Royal Caribbean, is located at the forward of Deck 14.

 

 

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Upon entering the AI space, you're immediately greeted by a chrome monkey who is far cooler than most of us can ever hope to be 😜🙈

 

 

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There are several different age groups. 

 

The Arena/Hangout for 6-12 year olds is to the right, the younger groups are to the left, and Social 100 for teens is in a different area of the ship. 

 

 

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Our kids are 10 and 8 so the Arena is their space to hangout for the next few days. 

 

 

 

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The hours for the kids club were displayed on the front desk when entering. 

 

 

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One of the cooler features of the club that shows off their modern technology are the interactive touchscreen tables full of different games and drawing apps.

 

 

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The Workshop is an area for crafts, foosball, games, and other activities used by all the different age groups. 

 

 

 

 

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AO Babies is for for the littlest ones, from 6 - 36 months. 

 

 

 

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AO Juniors is the next age group up, for 3 - 6 year olds.

 

 

 

 

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Play Place is an area for smaller kids to run around and have some fun. 

 

 

 

 

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There's also a theater for the kids. I tried to take a look during the Open House but when I tried to open a door an alarm went off so I don't think they wanted me there 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

 

 

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The last thing to mention here is that the Escape U room is in the entrance area to the kids club, which is ironic since kids are not allowed to participate (as I've had to remind mine a couple times because they really want to do it).

 

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

I'm admittedly not doing as well with the Live thread as I usually do with everything going on. 

 

I have lots to share but I don't know how much I'll get to with only two more days on the cruise. 

 

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I had some interesting conversations with various crewmembers today. 

 

Some interesting tidbits: 

 

- A number of crewmembers are currently staying in guest rooms as the ship is overstaffed during the early launch months. This is challenging for crew because they're being told they have to change rooms often after each sailing so they can't ever really unpack. 

 

- None I've talked to have liked the ship. The short 3/4 days sailings attract people looking to party hard, which really wears on the crewmembers. Apparently the 3-day sailings over the weekends are especially bad. 

 

- Going to Nassau/Coco Cay over and over is very boring for them so they rarely ever leave the ship as a result. 

 

- A man in one of the suites in the current sailing is requesting enough ice to fill his bathtub for an ice bath each day, which is causing issues with providing ice to other guests who need it. 

Edited September 11 by FamilyAtSea.travel

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

The Pesky Parrot, on Deck 5 in the Royal Promenade, is Royal's newest bar concept.

 

The decor is fun with comfortable seating but it's been extremely packed every time I've been in there, even approaching midnight last night.

 

 

 

Edited September 11 by FamilyAtSea.travel

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

If you need internet on the ship, I highly recommend getting it connected yourself as the line for support at the Voom deck on embarkation day was extremely long. 

 

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

The Boardwalk on Deck 6 at the aft of the ship is a fantastic space. 

 

 

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It's unlikely I'll get to try the Dog House in the Boardwalk area but the hot dogs look great if I do.

 

 

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Our muster station was G3, just in front of the Aqua Theater.

 

When the ship made the reminder announcement for the muster drill there will still 800 people who needed to complete it at 3pm.

 

 

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This is a shot of the Aqua Theater during the day but we saw AQUA80too tonight and it was fantastic. 

 

 

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The full family rode the carousel and while they allowed us parents on, the horses were clearly not made for adults... It was a very tight squeeze!

 

[mandyleighflies]

6 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I'm admittedly not doing as well with the Live thread as I usually do with everything going on. 

 

I have lots to share but I don't know how much I'll get to with only two more days on the cruise. 

 

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I had some interesting conversations with various crewmembers today. 

 

Some interesting tidbits: 

 

- A number of crewmembers are currently staying in guest rooms as the ship is overstaffed during the early launch months. This is challenging for crew because they're being told they have to change rooms often after each sailing so they can't ever really unpack. 

 

- None I've talked to have liked the ship. The short 3/4 days sailings attract people looking to party hard, which really wears on the crewmembers. Apparently the 3-day sailings over the weekends are especially bad. 

 

- Going to Nassau/Coco Cay over and over is very boring for them so they rarely ever leave the ship as a result. 

 

- A man in one of the suites in the current sailing is requesting enough ice to fill his bathtub for an ice bath each day, which is causing issues with providing ice to other guests who need it. 

 

We are on a 4 night sailing on Utopia in a few weeks. If you get a chance, could you ask crewmembers what they would like to receive most from guests? We always tip additional cash to our stewards (and to our servers) but we also bring treats like snacks or Amazon gift cards for our stewards. I would love to know what they need or would make an improvement in their daily lives. ❤️

Edited September 11 by mandyleighflies

[RFerrington]

Thank you so much for your ship recon.  We board in 2 days for B2B.  Really looking forward to the new Oasis class ship.  Have been warned that we most likely will be disinvited to the SL/CK on the first leg but that's not a problem as we have the UDP and will be eating in the specialty restaurants anyway.  We're trying the new Sky JS on leg #2 so we'll have full access for the 4 nighter.

Thanks again for all your excellent reporting,

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Today was Coco Cay and we did the waterpark + swimming with pigs.

 

Lots I'll share about both but I think this is going to have to a "Not Quite Live" Live thread... Just too much to do in only 4 days! 

 

I'll add some quick highlights and provide more in-depth stuff later.

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Day 1 we enjoyed dinner in Coastal Kitchen and while we had a great meal, I was disappointed to learn they don't offer creme brulee in CK on a regular basis (only on night 4).

 

So imagine my surprise when I walked into the room and there were 4 of these waiting for us on our coffee table! 

 

Nice touch CK... Thank you!

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

On the flip side of that great experience, on day 2 I entered the CK while in Nassau and tried to do some work for an hour or so and was told I'd need to move into the Suite Lounge space.

 

The problem? 

 

Every single table in that area with a window view had not been bussed.

 

It was a very slow day as they were in port and they had plenty of tables available. In retrospect, I should have just ordered an appetizer but instead after seeing the mess in the lounge area, I just moved up to the Suite Sun Deck instead, which was fine... This gave me an opportunity to meet Deddy, the bartender up there and he's a truly great person that I'm grateful to have a chance to get to meet. 

 

Everything happens for a reason!

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Speaking of unexpected surprises, imagine my surprise when I swung by the room for a moment and opened our bathroom door to find this! 🤣

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

IfThe shows on the Utopia have been absolutely incredible.

 

On day 2 we saw AQUA80too in the Aqua Theater and it did not disappoint!

 

The music, the acrobatics, and the choreography were all absolutely incredible.

 

We were fortunate to see the first showing as during the 2nd showing that evening there was a technical difficulty that caused the show to be stopped in the middle of the performance.

 

They were going to be rescheduled for last night but it still hadn't been fixed so hopefully for everybody else it will be resolved in time. 

 

There's a lot of very dangerous acrobatics being done so safety is paramount. I'm grateful we got to see the show because it was incredible! 

 

 

 

I have other pictures I wanted to share but CC flipped them all upside down (why does CC do that to some pictures???).

 

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A great picture from after the show of our family with some new friends we made on the ship! 

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Jumping around some, but tonight is Toga Night...I wonder if people will be upset I didn't wear pants to dinner! 

 

[RFerrington]

Boarding tomorrow.  I’ll wave as we pass.  Thank you so much for the awesome live blog.  You did an incredible job !

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

3 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Boarding tomorrow.  I’ll wave as we pass.  Thank you so much for the awesome live blog.  You did an incredible job !

It doesn't feel like it, but you'll see... Amazing ship with so much to do that it's hard to relax!

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

One of the nice touches they do in the suites on Royal is to gift you a small item each evening. 

 

Below are the items we received on this 4-day sailing: 

 

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Day 1 - Slippers

 

 

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Day 2 - Headbands

 

 

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Day 3 - Luggage Tags

 

 

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Day 4 - Sea Pass Lanyards