Months ago Royal Caribbean made waves with the debut of Icon of the Seas. The brand-new cruise ship received an enormous amount of publicity, and for good reason. An entirely new class of ship, Icon offers up things seen nowhere else at sea. It also set the bar for the new title-holder of world’s largest cruise ship.
But compared to the fanfare of Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has quietly been working on something that’s nearly as big a deal… literally.
Utopia of the Seas may not be getting as many headlines as its sister ship, but that doesn’t mean it’s a slouch. This weekend marks the debut of the brand-new addition to the fleet, which comes in as the second-largest cruise ship on the planet.
How big is the ship? The 28th ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet and the sixth of its Oasis-class of vessels measures a staggering 236,500 gross tons (well, 236,473 to be exact). For reference, Icon of the Seas comes in at 248,663 gross tons, so it’s only about 5% larger.
Utopia of the Seas carries 5,668 guests at double occupancy across more than 2,800 cabins. Full capacity pushes the total number of passengers close to 7,000.
Of course, this isn’t just about creating a new ship to pack more passengers onboard. There is also more than ever to do on the ship. Utopia boasts 35 different places to eat or drink. This includes a new bar concept — Pesky Parrot (a Caribbean-style tiki bar) — as well as Utopia Station, a “train-car” experience where passengers dine while video screens change the outside views.
The ship features eight neighborhoods, five swimming pools, three waterslides and two casinos.
All the classics that have made the Oasis-class one of the most successful groups of ships ever also make an appearance. The adults-only Solarium (noticeably absent on Icon) is there. So is the AquaTheater at the back of the ship and Central Park. There’s rock climbing and mini golf, a zipline, Splashaway Bay for the little kids, and tons more.
Fresh off being officially named by godmother Meghan Trainor, Utopia of the Seas will have its first official sailing from its Port Canaveral homeport on Friday. The first sailing is a three-day cruise to CocoCay and Nassau.
Interestingly for a ship with so much to see and do onboard, the ship will sail only three and four-day itineraries. Over the years these short itineraries have grown more popular as they are generally more affordable and allow passengers to have a quick getaway.
For instance, we covered the significant price premium placed on Icon of the Seas sailings here. Currently the least expensive sailing aboard that ship starts at $1,487 per person. Trips aboard Utopia are as low as $567 per person, or about one-third as much as Icon of the Seas.
The only drawback? With short trips and multiple ports of call, being able to see and do everything on the ship might be impossible. Sailing back-to-back might be the only solution, giving you a full week on the ship to explore everything it has to offer.
With the arrival of Utopia of the Seas, Royal Caribbean now boasts all seven of the world’s largest cruise ships. Meanwhile, the company is building a sister ship to Icon — Star of the Seas — that should take over the crown as the world’s largest when completed.
