This article is Weekend Party on Utopia of the Seas. It is a review of my experience sailing on the World’s Greatest Weekend, Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas!
Booking
I was invited by the cruise line to attend the Preview Party which offered a three night sailing from Port Canaveral to Perfect Day at Coco Cay! This was a special sailing for executives, travel agents, media and special guests to experience the ship prior to the inaugural voyage.
I traveled with a friend, Adamsaway, who features some incredible cruise drone photography and videography.
Adam captured the Inaugural Sail away with water cannons and all in this reel:
Sailing
The regular three night sailings include a visit to Nassau as well as Perfect Day at Coco Cay. You can also experience four nights of fun onboard with visits to the two ports plus a sea day.
As this was a preview sailing for medial and travel agents, Royal Caribbean included internet, beverages (including Starbucks) as well as offered complimentary access to the water park and Hideaway Beach at Perfect Day.
For comparison, to book a similar experience on the public inaugural sailing: Oceanview balcony room had a cost of approximately $3,800 for two people for three nights. Adding drinks and internet would have cost two people another $550+. Passes to the water park would have been close to $200 and Hideaway Beach is about $70 per-person.
A bit further out in the schedule, three night sailings will run about $1,500.
Pre Cruise
To make things easy, I had a package from Go Port which included transportation from the Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral for a one-night stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton. In the morning, the package included transportation to the ship. At the end of the cruise, the package also covers the ride back to the airport. The package has a value of approximately $711.
I was picked up privately in a brand new van!
The experience was easy and made for a stress free travel.
On the way back to the airport, the experience was in large bus with other guests.
Check out the packages on GoPort!
Note: The $711 package from Go Port was generously provided by Go Port for this collaboration.
Room
I stayed in an Oceanview Balcony Cabin in room 9710.
The room was modern in appearance with a minimalistic appeal.
Power outlets and USB and USB-C connections are now located next to each bed as well as near the desk.
The bed was comfortable and was made into two smaller beds after this photo was taken.
The bathroom offered a rain shower, which was a nice addition on Utopia. It was a little more cramped space than in the newer design on Icon of the Seas; however, the bathroom was good overall.
The amenities included a bar of soap, and a combo shampoo and body wash in the shower.
Here is a walkthrough video of the cabin:
Overall the room was clean and comfortable.
There were two closest available in the room; however, I felt like the room could have used more hangers. This was only a three night sailing and we ran out of them before putting away all of our clothes for the short sailing.
In addition, the minimalist feel of the room left me feeling like something was missing. Maybe some additional artwork or some other design element would go a long way!
Public Areas
Utopia of the Seas is an Oasis Class ship and has some of the traditional features of the class including the Solarium at the front of the ship, Aqua Theater at the back and Central Park in the middle!
Earlier in the year I sailed on Icon of the Seas and it was nice having a recent comparison since it had been over 10 years since I was on an Oasis Class ship!
Icon has some of the same features but the areas are broken up into distinct neighborhoods.
The boardwalk area offers fun for kids and adults who are kids at heart as well as features some of the casual dining options onboard.
The solarium offered some cool artwork and a comfortable place at the forward of the ship to get some sun but with air conditioning!
There are plenty of pools and whirlpools on the upper decks onboard Utopia.
The pools are colorful and have cool fixtures similar to other Royal Caribbean ships.
New Features
Utopia of the Seas features two new and cool experiences onboard Utopia of the Seas.
The first one is a Pesky Parrot Tiki Bar in the Royal Prominade which features unique drinks and a great atmosphere.
I really enjoyed hanging out at the tiki bar and enjoyed trying the daiquiri machine options.
The drinks were excellent!
The other new area is the dining car or train experience called Utopia Station.
The experience runs about $90 per person ($75 plus 20% gratuity) and offers part meal, part entertainment and has the feel of actually riding on a train. The current experience is in the Wild West!
A friend of mine had the opportunity to experience it and it looked like a lot of fun!
Food
In order to maximize my time exercising all the fun on Utopia, Adam/ and I dined at the Windjammer Buffet for most of our meals.
The buffet was good overall. I loved the Indian offerings each day as they were full of flavor.
With this being a new ship, the lunch at Windjammer on the first day included lobster and filet and other upgraded options. In addition, dinner had filet most evenings during this sailing.
One thing that wasn’t so great on this special sailing was the fact that all specialty dining was by invitation only. Even if I wanted to pay to try some of the locations, it was not possible.
World’s Greatest Weekend
Royal Caribbean bills Utopia of the Seas as the World’s Greatest Weekend! And it definitely lives up to that experience with the jam packed schedule of entertainment and fun options onboard!
There were so many cool parties and events you couldn’t possibly do all of them in three nights!
Ice Show
You can take in a cool Ice Show in Studio B.
During the day you can go ice skating in Studio B and they have fun parties at night. Don’t miss the Quest game if it is offered on your sailing!
All In Theater Show
The fun continues with All In which features drones, acrobats, dancers, singers and more!
What a cool show! The singers and dancers and performers were all amazing!
80’s Music Aqua Show!
I really loved the Aqua Show at the Aqua Theater!
This show is called Aqua80Too and is a throwback to the original aqua theater show on Oasis of the Seas!
The performers were amazing and it really was an incredible experience!
Balloon Drop
Royal Caribbean celebrates the beginning of most cruises with a Balloon Drop in the Royal Promenade! It sure is a fun experience counting down to zero when the balloons are released and everyone had a blast!
As you can see it is a popular experience with everyone’s phone was out capturing it like I was!
Street Party
Utopia of the Seas offers a fun street party with singing and dancing to some great music.
The entertainment team kept changing costumes depending on the song they were playing and they created such a fun environment!
Toga Silent Disco Party
I am a big fan of Silent Disco Parties! Royal Caribbean added another element to Silent Disco by making it a toga party!
You can bring your own toga or the entertainment team handed out sheets that you could wear when you arrived at the party.
This was the last party of the cruise and it was such an awesome way to end the World’s Greatest Weekend experience!
Perfect Day at Coco Cay
It was a beautiful day on the private island!
I had fun exploring by the water park and at Hideaway Beach.
Hideaway Beach is the adults only area at Perfect Day at Coco Cay!
The President of Royal Caribbean even made an appearance at Hideaway Beach to do a Champagne Shower or shots of Champagne by the pool!
I even got to say hello to Michael afterward!
It sure was a fun time on the private island.
Special Events
As this was the media preview event, there were a couple additional activities held on the sailing. Some of them you had to have a special invitation while others were open to the public.
Naming Ceremony
Prior to departing from Port Canaveral, Royal Caribbean officially named the ship with Meghan Trainor as the Godmother.
It was a pretty incredible party. I wish I would have been able to attend!
Sky Diving onto the Ship
Royal Caribbean did something crazy with a sponsorship from Redbull. Two stunt sky divers landed on the ship and then it turned into a party.
I knew a few people who got invited to the party after the divers landed and it sure looked fun!
Meghan Trainor Concert
Grammy wining artist and Godmother of the Utopia of the Seas Meghan Trainor performed a concert in the Aqua Theater on the last night of the cruise.
I watched the concert from above and took a few clips which are highlighted above.
Meghan put on a good show and everyone seemed to have a great time!
DJ RUN and DJ Ruckus party in the nightclub
RUN DMC’s DJ Run and Las Vegas DJ Ruckus was on hand to celebrate with a special party at Studio B during the sailing.
DJ Run revved up the crowd with commentary while DJ Ruckus played some amazing music to keep the party going.
Fireworks
After the Meghan Trainor concert, Royal Caribbean put on an awesome fireworks show just off the coast of Perfect Day at Coco Cay.
This was a cool experience as part of the special events for the naming ceremony!
Utopia of the Seas
What an amazing three day Weekend Party on Utopia of the Seas!
With so many fun experiences onboard it just might be the World’s Greatest Weekend. I think I need a vacation to recover!
