Just Spent 4 Nights on Utopia of the Seas: 9/9-9/13/24

[cravecruising]

Hi Everyone! I do not typically post reviews, but since the Utopia is so new, I figured I would provide some input from my recent experience to hopefully help future travelers. I know I appreciated everything that I had read before we left on our cruise. My friend and I are in our mid 30s and often travel together. We are both C&A members, she is Diamond and I am Diamond Plus. Over the last few years we have typically tended to stay away from short cruises, as we are both mostly past the partying stage of our lives, so we were a little apprehensive regarding the atmosphere of the ship. We booked this strictly for the ship, as neither of us have been on a ship so shortly after a maiden voyage, and to also compare to our upcoming cruise on Icon. 
 

I am doing this recap all from memory, and I have plenty of pictures to post as well. Sadly I do not have pictures of the compasses, but I will be happy to answer any questions as best as I can! 
 

We live in Central Florida, so we had about an hour drive to the port. We arrived right around 10:30 and dropped off luggage, parked the car, and went through security and check in and on the ship all in about 15 minutes. It couldn’t have been easier. 
 

 

 

We went to our muster station right away, made a couple of changes to our specialty dining reservations, and then went to the Windjammer for lunch to search for the lobster tails. 
 

 

 

 

Lunch was good and the WJ was not too crowded, but it did start to fill up closer to 12/12:30. 
 

After lunch we went to explore while we waited for staterooms to be ready…

Edited September 14 by cravecruising
Added pictures

[cravecruising]

We went to check out Pesky Parrot while we waited. While the bar could be busy during peak times, we went three times throughout the week and always found a spot. We were at the bar once and on the couch seats a couple of times. There’s also an additional seating area right outside the bar in the Promenade. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staterooms were ready by 1:30, and our luggage was there waiting for us. We had a standard oceanview balcony room on deck 8. The room was spacious enough for both of us and had more storage than we could use. The shower was also the biggest I’ve ever seen in a standard room, so that was a nice surprise. The room was modern and updated as expected, with plenty of outlets. We both enjoyed each having a lamp on the bedside tables that also included power outlets. Balcony was spacious with two chairs with footrests and a nice size table. 
 

 

 

[cravecruising]

Our first evening included dinner in 150 Central Park (which was a first for me), the theater production show All In, and the One Hit Wonders party in the Promenade. 
 

As far as dinner for this cruise, we decided to try specialty dining for 3 out of 4 nights. We did not use the MDR at all this time. I made all our dining reservations online well before the cruise, but we had no problems getting what we wanted and even swapped around a couple of reservations once we got onboard. 
 

As far as shows, that was a little more difficult and we had to be flexible with showtimes as we went about the week. Reservations opened a week before the cruise. For All In, no issues with getting what we wanted. 
 

150 was a delicious meal and I would absolutely recommend. Neeraj took great care of us and also made our table side cucumber martinis. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both also really enjoyed All In. The theater shows are usually hit or miss for us, but this one held our attention all the way though. The singers and dancers were all very talented, the music selection appealed to our age group, and the stage design and effects (including drones) were all very impressive. 
 

 

 

[cravecruising]

After the show was the One Hit Wonders party in the Promenade. This actually turned out to be a lot of fun. Cruise Director Ricky and his staff were full of energy, costume changes, and just overall very engaging with the crowd. He was really the perfect CD for this ship, and he was always high energy, visible at activities and around the ship, and just generally willing to stop and chat if you saw him around the ship. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

After the street party, we took a quick walk out to the Boardwalk and popped our heads into the night club in The Attic before we decided to head to bed. 
 

 

 

 

 

Day 2 coming up next..

[cravecruising]

Day 2 started the way that Days 3 & 4 also started. I forced myself out of bed early to walk a couple of miles around the track on Deck 5 while drinking my coffee. After my walk it, it was off to the Solarium. Never had a problem finding a chair here whether it was in the morning or afternoon. Temperature was comfortable and it was overall pretty quiet. Solarium Bistro was perfect for breakfast as it had a large selection and even an omelet station. I never went to the WJ for breakfast as Solarium Bistro had a large enough selection and I imagine was much less crowded. Same goes for lunch as well. I also prefer to eat breakfast or lunch from the comfort of my lounge chair while I look at the water, so this was perfect for me. 
 

We were in Nassau today, which meant a day to stay on the ship and enjoy a few less people onboard. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cravecruising]

This afternoon we explored the sports on Deck 16. The Flowrider, mini golf, zip line, Wipeout Bar, and Ultimate Abyss are all up here, along with some nice chairs and bar seating that can be used to enjoy a drink and watch the water from the back of the ship. We did the Ultimate Abyss, which was new for both of us. I was a little bit nervous at first due to being over 6 feet tall, but as long as you follow their instructions and make soft to lean back, it’s actually a lot of fun. It also goes much faster than I expected it to. 
 

There is also a large ship model up on deck 16 along with plaques commemorating the various first ports of call of the ship as it came across from France to Florida. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cravecruising]

This afternoon was the Effectors Homecoming parade in the Promenade. It had helped that we had seen the show back in December on the Odyssey, but nonetheless, it was still a nice way to spend about 20 minutes seeing the singers, dancers, and colorful costumes and props. 
 

After the parade, we briefly went up to the pool deck for the sailaway. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cravecruising]

Typically on every cruise my friend and I take, we like to have pre dinner espresso martinis. Tonight we chose the Vue Bar on Deck 15 outside of the Solarium. To our disappointment, we found out that the bars were no longer keeping a supply of espresso and it had been replaced by an espresso flavored mixer. Luckily the bartenders told us that they would be happy to make real espresso martinis for us if we just brought the espresso with us to the bar. So problem solved! And for any other espresso martini lovers out there, let them make you one with either vanilla vodka or skrewball. This bar ended up being our nightly go to spot due to the views of the sunset and it not being crowded at all. Eka, Thomas, and Wilson all took great care of us for the last three nights of the cruise. 
 

 

 

[cravecruising]

Tonight was dinner at The Mason Jar. This was a first for us as well. Overall we enjoyed the meal and had some good food, but I think the desserts were actually the standouts for us from this dinner. We enjoyed the fact that this was something unique and we appreciated the theming of the restaurant and that it also overlooked the water. Barry also provided excellent service as our waiter. We were able to hear the Country Crew Trio in the dining room from where they were playing in the bar area. I’m not sure that we would do dinner here again, but brunch or ordering drinks and small plates at the bar would both be great and cheaper alternatives. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cravecruising]

Tonight after dinner we had the second showing of Aqua 80 Too booked. We really enjoyed the first 30 minutes or so of the show before it unfortunately had to be canceled due to technical difficulties. We were automatically rescheduled for a makeup performance on the last night of the cruise, but we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to fit it into our schedule. After we left the Aqua Theater, we went to the Promenade to check out the Dancing Through the Decades party and then to Studio B for the Red nightclub. 
 

 

 

 

 

Up next, Day 3 at Sea…

[UK-Couple]

3 hours ago, cravecruising said:

 

 

 

 

 

WOW - that has to be the most drab and boring cabin colour scheme and furniture I've seen for many years - it's reminiscent of a 70s motel. 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Thank you for your review and photos. Have been blessed to sail Royal since the early 1980s and glad you had a wonderful experience. 

[CunucuMom]

Thank you for sharing your review and including photos!

[cravecruising]

7 hours ago, UK-Couple said:

 

WOW - that has to be the most drab and boring cabin colour scheme and furniture I've seen for many years - it's reminiscent of a 70s motel. 

Yes I actually commented on that to my friend when we saw the cabin. There were only three little pieces of art hung over the couch. Thank goodness for the balcony to let in some light and brighten it up a bit. 

[cravecruising]

Day 3 was our day at sea and was pretty relaxing. We just floated in circles off the coast of Florida for most of the day.  Started with a walk and breakfast in the Solarium. There was a 9/11 tribute at 11:15am in the Promenade. It was really nicely done. The captain, officers, and cruise director were all in attendance along with musicians and a singer. There were cupcakes and a large American flag on display as well. 
 

 

 

After the ceremony, I decided to do my shopping as there was the 2/$30 tshirt sale, and I was also looking for some kind of inaugural season type of item. I also got my Utopia Starbucks mug. 
 

 

 

 

I also found the Royal Bling product, but sadly the $100k cup and lifetime drink package was not in the budget for this cruise. 
 

 

[cravecruising]

My friend spent some time in the casino today. Overall throughout the cruise she mentioned that sometimes the slots could be full and hard to find a place, but she never seemed to have an issue finding a spot at a blackjack or poker table. The casino was not very kind to her. I walked through a couple of times, and it looked like a nice casino, but not really my thing. 
 

I took a walk around the ship and looked at some of the artwork and went ice skating. I waited too long and wasn’t able to book a spot in advance on the app, but they had a standby list if you want to Studio B and asked. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cravecruising]

Lunch today was at El Loco Fresh, which we enjoyed. After that we went to the pool party hosted by the cruise director and his staff. This was fun to watch for a while as there was a dancing competition and the champagne guns made an appearance. I might have made my way down to the pool for a shot of champagne. 
 

 

 

 

After the pool party we went and got cleaned up so we could have our espresso martinis before dinner. We came back to a towel animal, which we ended up getting 3 out of 4 nights. 
 

 

 

 

Coming up later, dinner was at Royal Railway and then Day 4 at CocoCay…

[cravecruising]

Dinner tonight was at Royal Railway. We were able to book this online about a month before the cruise. There were only two reservation times, 6:10 or 8:40. We chose 8:40. The day before, we received two “train tickets” with our names and reservation time, as well as a note saying that we needed to be 20 minutes early because they could not wait for anyone who showed up late. The day of our reservation we also received a voicemail confirming our reservation and again stressing that we needed to show up 20 minutes early. This all ended up making sense because the waitstaff had to make sure beverage and food service was done at precise timeframes in between the performances from the actors. When we showed up, our tickets were checked and we were directed to a “loading platform” where we were given a moonshine cocktail and were able to take some pictures before our car was called for seating. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 05:50 PM by cravecruising

[cravecruising]

The entire experience lasted about 100 minutes and we were finished just after 10pm. The actors were available out front to take photos at the conclusion of the show. Overall we thought the food was pretty good, and we enjoyed the actors and the show. There were some interactive potions of the performance with crowd participation, and we just appreciated that this was something new and unique onboard. We ended up paying $120pp, plus gratuities. While we thought it was worth it, I don’t think we would do it again at that price. 
 

After dinner, we went to Quest at 11:15. It was a good time, and pretty standard to what we have seen in the past. It was actually a lot more tame than I had expected it to be. Afterwards, we stayed and checked out the ReZolution nightclub in Studio B for a while. Tonight’s theme was white night, so the projections were meant to show up on everyone’s clothes. 
 

 

 

 

[cravecruising]

Day 4 was CocoCay. Unfortunately we had a pretty rainy day here, so our plans for some beach time and the Oasis Lagoon pool never really ended up happening. We just decided to take a short walk, take a few pictures, and grab some lunch. We were back on the ship by 1. My friend went to the casino and I took a nap in the Solarium. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cravecruising]

After the casino and a nap, we decided to do a little snack tour of the ship. We stopped by Sorrentos, Cafe Promenade, Park Cafe, and Izumi in the Park. More or less everything was what you would expect from these places on other ships. Although I did notice full size sandwiches  on sliced bread a couple of times in Cafe Promenade. Also here and in Park Cafe, I noticed a lot more items that were in grab and go containers. Cafe Promenade had grab and go fruit and pasta salad, while Park Cafe had grab and go sandwiches, fruit, and parfaits in the morning, along with the hot pressed sandwiches, the carving station, salad bar, soups, and make your own bagel in the morning. We also checked out the Spare Tire food truck. The raspberry cheesecake pastry is worth a try! But, the snack I wanted the most was the bubble waffle cone from Izumi. It was delicious and definitely enough for 2 or 3 people, and worth the $9.44. 
 

 

 

 

[cravecruising]

Dinner tonight was a quick stop in the Windjammer since we had a lot of shows we wanted to try to catch tonight. We were in there around 8pm, and it was pretty busy but there was still plenty of seating. The theme was Indian, and there was also still plenty of seafood, meat, and vegetarian items, along with salad, bread, desserts, etc. I thought everything looked and tasted pretty good, so no complaints. 
 

 

After dinner was the ice show. I was able to book this ahead of time for 9:15. Once again, we thought this show was very good. The skaters and guest performer were all very talented, and the costumes and sets were all well done. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as the ice show ended, we ran across Deck 4 over to the Theater for the adult comedy show. This was one I wasn’t able to book ahead in the app for the shows in The Attic, but I felt pretty confident we could make it into this showing on standby  in the theater due to it being a much larger venue. I was correct, no problems at all. The two comedians were just okay in our opinion. A couple of laughs here and there. I will say though that if you have to sacrifice something due to time constraints, skip this one and see the production show, ice show, and aqua show. 
 

 

Next up, would we make it in time to see the last 15 minutes of the aqua show that we missed on out on two nights before??

[cravecruising]

The answer is yes! The adult comedy show was over at 10:45, and the aqua show had started at 10:30, so no issue with making it to the Boardwalk for the end of the show. We are glad that we did because we were able to see the high jumpers and the tight rope walkers. 
 

 

 

 

 

After that ended, we went up to the Solarium to check out what the silent disco/toga party was like. It seemed like people were having fun, but we decided not to stick around since we have done silent discos before and opted not to pick up togas earlier in the day. Chairs had been moved in order to create a big open dance floor, and the bar was open. 
 

 

After this, my friend went to the casino one last time, and I went to the Music Hall to listen to the show band. They were very good! If I recall, the musicians were from Argentina, and the singers were from Norway and New Zealand. If you have the chance, I definitely suggest checking them out. I know they were in the Music Hall at least twice and in the Promenade as well. 
 

[cravecruising]

The next morning it was sadly time to leave the ship. We had tag number 6 for a 7:30 am departure time, but we actually ended up deciding to hold onto our luggage and carry it off ourselves. I went to grab a quick breakfast at Park Cafe, which was not crowded at all. By 7:30 they had called self assist, priority, and tags 1-5; by 7:45 they had called tags through 30; and by 8 they were all the way up to tag 50. We left our room at 8:05 and decided just to carry our bags down three flights of stairs instead of waiting for the elevators. It was super quick getting off the ship, and we were probably at our car in about 15 minutes. 
 

Overall we had a really great time. I’m glad that we did the 4 night, because I think 3 nights would have just been too short and felt too rushed to try to do everything. We even skipped a lot of activities and only attended two trivias. I would absolutely book this ship again at the right price, but I think the way to do it is to book the 4 night during the week and not during holidays or school breaks if that fits into your budget and schedule. It really was not the type of excessively loud and party environment that I was expecting based on what I had previously read. You could find that if you wanted to, but there were plenty of places to go if you wanted to avoid it. 
 

And with that, that concludes my review. I’ll be happy to answer any questions if I can, and I hope somebody out there finds this helpful for their future planning! 

[Southern Dan]

Really enjoyed your review/pictures and I'm happy y'all had a great time.  Thanks for sharing!