Today, Royal Caribbean International’s sparkling new Oasis-class ship, Utopia of the Seas, sets sail from Port Canaveral on its inaugural cruise, signifying the official start of service with paying passengers on board. This past week, Recommend, along with other invited media, travel advisors and special guests, got a sneak peek at all the onboard delights. To say your clients are going to be ecstatic during their “ultimate short getaway” is to put it mildly.
Oh, what a week it was, with GRAMMY award-winning singer and songwriter Meghan Trainor officially taking up her duties as the ship’s godmother and putting on an electrifying concert that had the crowd in the open-air AquaTheater on their feet for more than an hour. Another special guest, Run DMC’s own Rev. Run, had the crowd pumping their hands in the air during the official naming ceremony as he worked his magic on the turntables.
Your clients might not be able to hang with Meghan or Rev. Run during normal sailings of Utopia of the Seas, but the lineup of entertainment and experiences on board this 2,834-stateroom ship, which welcomes 5,668 guests, features 18 total decks, measures 1,188 ft. in length and 211 ft. wide, will have them gleefully busy from morning till the wee hours.
Sailing on 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday getaways, Utopia of the Seas is ideal for a multigenerational group, with Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, noting during an onboard press conference, that “this is an unbelievable experience. It’s really focuses on multigenerational families with multiple neighborhoods, [with] each neighborhood doing an incredible job of [creating] different moods. It’s a stunning product, and it’s easy to access. It’s pretty much in Orlando, with a huge volume of tourists coming into the area.
“And it goes to the number one destination for Royal Caribbean in the world—[Perfect Day at Coco Cay], which delivers the highest guest satisfaction of all [our] destinations in the world. So, we feel this product, which we’ve curated and created, is perfect for families, particularly young families and we feel it’s really going to do a great job,” Bayley continued.
A few firsts for the brand including the highly immersive Royal Railway – Utopia Station, a first-of-its-kind immersive train car dining experience that takes passengers to the Wild West in it first iteration, as well as a new suite category, the Solarium Suite with stunning views and direct access to the adults-only Solarium, plus new eateries such as the poolside grab-and-go The Spare Tire and a new bar concept, the Pesky Parrot, with a fun aesthetic and amusingly named tropical drinks such as Pesky’s Peanut Butter Pina [colada], not to mention brand-new dazzling entertainment on ice, in the water (and in the heights) and on stage.
Other fun delights include Shush! Silent Party, the biggest silent disco party across the cruise line; the Hey Utopia! poolside party that kicks off the weekend fun; a Vegas-inspired plunge day pool party that turns up the dancing vibes; and Caribbean, Latin, Classical and pub music across an array of bars and lounges.
There’s more to come on Utopia of the Seas across our digital and print channels. Also, check out the fun from Utopia’s naming party on Insta @recommendmag.
