Our entire trip (so far) could best be described as mild.  The weather has been pleasant - not too warm for us.  Some pool dwellers may have had to adjust their schedules to obtain the best warmth, but we never saw an empty pool, even as We choose to just walk by.

The ship has been plenty busy, but not arising to the level of “crowded” very often.  Maybe we just chose our venues well.  We attended a lower number of shows than usual, and seating was easy to obtain.  (Again, a low sample size to accurately describe everyone’s experience.

The most crowded space I saw was El Loco after returning from Coco Cay.  The food is tasty, relatively quick and catches folks hungry, too far from dinner, after getting in some steps on the Cay.

Utopia #7:  1/5 - 1/9/26 (4 nights)

• Cabin #8182 Ocean View Balcony (Mid-ship, portside, which is left while facing forward)
• This location was very good; close but not too close to the elevators.
• No cabins across the hall; relatively low traffic in the hall.
• Every evening, there was sure to be 15 minutes of noisy children, but never very late, not constant, and subsiding well before our bedtime.

Utopia #8:  1/9 - 1/12/26 (3 nights)

• Cabin #10696 Ocean View Balcony (Mid-ship toward aft, and starboard - right while facing forward)
  • It will be confusing after we switch cabins - which occurs due to late planning, and a piecemeal approach (my bad!)

Central Park and Boardwalk

These are features of all Oasis Class ships (of which there are six).

Dining Highlights

• Embarkation day - lobster lunch in the Windjammer - we were fortunate to board early, complete the muster process and be seated for an 11am lunch.  I’m no lobster expert, but we have previously (and on this day) enjoyed the seafood offerings.
• Giovanni’s lunch on Tuesday - Thus remains a favorite, with great service and an outdoor/indoor seating - that is, outside the air conditioned restaurant, but a balcony overlooking Boardwalk - so, breezes with occasional overhead zip-line activity.

Entertainment

Many options were available, including the All-IN! Signature production show (first 2 nights), AUQUA80 and YOUTOPIA Ice Spectacular (each offered twice each, on two nights - so 4x total) - very popular and often crowded.  Name that Tune is a fairly new offering, which we saw in November.  On the first of the January cruises, we enjoyed it once again.  Cruise Director Mark is superb (and a favorite C.D.).  It’s a smooth operation with high quality dance, singing and band accompaniments.  The crowd gets excited; 8 carefully chosen participants do their best, and the choice of songs is fun!  Mark keeps things moving at a brisk pace.

Note:  See other Utopia reviews for many photos of the Auqua and Ice Shows.