Utopia of the Seas

Oasis Class / 5668 Passengers / Maiden Voyage:  July 2024 / Ports:  Port Canaveral; Nassau, Coco Cay

Why is this our favorite?

At this writing in July 2025, we have cruised the Utopia twice and have scheduled several more.  The ship size and variety of activities are appealing.  So far, we’ve enjoyed our meals, including the Main Dining Room, Chops Grille, and even the Windjammer buffet (find seats in the back).  The shows are of high quality and the variety of music is enjoyable.  Central Park offers a quiet respite to relax, along with evening jazz music.  Our balcony overlooking C.P. offered the ability to sit in our room and enjoy the evening.  Utopia cruises out of Port Canaveral which is a convenient location for us.  Random or otherwise, we’ve received Express Boarding on our first two experiences.  Finally, the Utopia has expanded its Non-smoking Casino, to the enjoyment of many.  (To be fair, the regular section had pretty good air flow and was not avoided.)

 

  • 1/9/26 - 3 nights - Bahamas - Oceanview Balcony - Guarantee (2nd of B2B, cabin not yet assigned)
  • 1/5/26 - 4 nights - Nassau and Coco Cay - Oceanview Balcony (1st of B2B)
  • 12/22/25 - 4 nights - Nassau and Coco Cay - Oceanview Window
  • 11/3/25 - 4 nights - Nassau and Coco Cay - Oceanview Balcony
  • 9/29/25 (B2B with cabin change) - 4 nights - Nassau and Coco Cay - Oceanview Balcony
  • 9/26/25 - 3 nights - Bahamas - Neighborhood (Central Park or Boardwalk - our Guaranteed Balcony cabin has not been assigned as of 8/31)
  • 7/21/25 - 4 nights - Nassau and Coco Cay - Central Park Balcony
  • 9/20/24 - 3 nights - Nassau and Coco Cay - Oceanview Balcony

Cabin Plusses and Minuses - location, location, location

9/26/25

  • Guaranteed Balcony cabin not yet assigned (Central Park or Boardwalk)

7/21/25

  • #12583 - Central Park View Balcony - Compared to Boardwalk balcony which was a little busy and loud below, and nicer than a Central Park window view (on the similar Wonder of the Seas), which was fine, but lacked a balcony.
  • The 12th deck has one deck of cabins directly above, but did not fully insulate sounds from late evening deck chair re-arrangements.  Not a significant issue, but we’ll do better with future choices.
  • The ability to sit out and enjoy the jazz music in the courtyard below was a real treat.
  • The gym is on the 6th deck, forward, so just a quick elevator ride away.

9/20/24

  • #9126 - Oceanview Balcony - We love a balcony with an ocean view.  This particular balcony was extreme front Portside (left), but our view was not impacted.
  • There were no noise issues in this location, which had very little foot traffic and no interior cabins directly across the hall.

Crowded?  Kid Friendly?

When it’s summer, it’s going to be busy - pretty much without exception.  Even though most schools were in session during our September cruise, it was also busy.  (Maybe the Friday-Monday schedule allowed some school to be missed.). Plenty of kids and families.  But the Utopia is large enough that it rarely felt crowded.

  • As an Oasis Class ship, the Utopia has a large number of children’s activities, starting with Boardwalk (deck 6) which has a carousel.  In addition to the Splashaway Bay, Aqua Dunes Mini Golf is available extended hours.
  • For teens, the options include FlowRider, Rock Climbing, the Sports Court and Zipline.
  • For 18+ there is “Red” - billed as the “Ultimate Nightclub Experience.”

 

Entertainment

Options abound.  Highlights we have enjoyed include:

  • Opening night Production Show “All In!”  This high energy production kept us engaged from start to finish (just 45 minutes), and looking forward to seeing it again.  That’s a rare endorsement from someone who does not watch any movies a second time.  The music was upbeat, somewhat familiar rock/pop songs, featuring a few soloists and nearly two dozen dancers.
  • Music at multiple venues, including a country trio in the Mason Jar restaurant/bar, guitar and vocal artist at the Bell & Barley pub, jazz band in Central Park.
  • The newly expanded non-smoking casino option offered a more enjoyable experience to make our ‘donations.’ There was a noticeable improvement in July 2025, compared to September 2024.

In addition, consider Family Karaoke, Game Shows, Trivia, and some shows we couldn’t get to in July (but have seen in the past):  the Aqua Theatre Show, Youtopia Ice Spectacular and Quest (definitely 18+).

Dining (also, see Tips)

  • We ate most of our dinners in the Main Dining Room and varied our other meals - sometimes visiting the buffet (Windjammer) and also the Mexican buffet (El Loca Fresh) which is outdoors-adjacent, near the mini-golf.
  • Lunch at “Hooked.”  We will splurge for one premium meal per cruise, and Hooked is a favorite.  (Chops Grills is another.) The lobster and steak combo was superb.  Note that lunch is about half the price of dinner ($20 to $25 each).

Vitality Fitness Center

On this relatively young vessel, all the equipment was in good shape.  It was kept clean and was never busy during my daily visits.  (My observations compare to the mid-size and smaller ships, which have been full, if not crowded, in 2024 and 2025.)

Ports

The following Port notes are repeated on other Ship Reviews, as applicable.

  • From Port Canaveral, the Utopia of the Seas spends a day at its cruiseline-owned island: Coco Cay.  In addition, on 4-night cruises, the Utopia pays a visit to Nassau.
  • Coco Cay - interesting that you will likely have a sister ship docked next to you (and not far away, you may see another cruise line which tenders its passengers to its own island)
    • You can pay a lot, or nothing - no charge for food; your drink packages are valid/active on the island
    •  Food is cooked aboard the ship and brought out to the island venues
    • There are activities and special beaches with service that are pretty expensive
    • We enjoy a brief frolic in the Oasis Lagoon pool, with a swim-up bar.
      • If the swim-up bar is overly crowded, you can walk around to the land-side of the bar and receive very quick service
  • Nassau
    • RC plans a new Nassau experience in late 2025, maybe similar to Coco Cay
    • We’ve walked around Nassau a few times; it gets a little hectic once you leave the gated RC area
    • Some people swear by the bar experience just off the pier.  We’ll have to try it.  A few blocks away, we checked out a theme bar, but decided not to invest in what seemed to be overpriced libations
    • There is a market FULL of stalls with somewhat aggressive sales people.  There are dozens of stalls, each staffed by an individual, usually selling the same merchandise.