Royal Caribbean built a party cruise ship - awesome or awful?
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- Опубликовано: 17 сен 2024
- There are more parties than ever on Utopia of the Seas, but how much different is the experience?
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This is targeting a younger demographic and going head-to-head with Carnival. Good for RC going after a different market! 👏
I was on the inaugural voyage July 19th for Utopia of the Seas, and also only 30 years old. The Utopia can definitely be a party ship depending on which venues and events you attend, but it’s also very classy as well. Most Carnival ships doing cheap, short cruises are definitely in the booze cruise category. They can be a bit ratchet. I’m a partier, but also like to chill out as well, so this ship will definitely appeal to everyone that likes bigger ships. Utopia is my favorite ship that I’ve sailed on, and have been on 26 cruises overall. I would highly recommend trying the Utopia.
@@rmeyer845 thank you for the insights!
How does this compare to Virgin cruises?
We did the inaugural sailing and would have to say we had a blast! There is so so so much to do that you definitely cannot do all of it in one weekend! And though Hubby and I are well past the partying life we still enjoyed some of the parties and the vibe of the ship! we will be going back again!
Not interested in shorter cruises but if Utopia starts going on 7+ cruises I would give it go.
I like the shorter cruise almost every other oasis class has 7+ cruises we need at least one lol
It legit has like 4 other sister ships that sail longer.
They purpose built it for short cruises. It doesn't have enough stores for that many people for longer than a 3 or 4 night cruise.
@@MeatWagonBBQ Just answering the question about sailing on Utopia.
We went on back-to-back on Utopia to make it a 7 day cruise. This is our new favorite ship now. We can't stand 3 day cruises. Just not enough time to do anything. On a back to back, you get to go to CocoCay twice in one week. Then, you have a lot more time to do everything that the ship has to offer.
Matt another great video you do a fantastic job it's great that there are different ships for different quests so there's a verity of things for different people
What’s interesting is that I was on the Utopia inaugural and didn’t even know half of these things were happening.
Yes - The pool deck was more lively and playing upbeat DJ music instead of the usual relaxing Caribbean tunes. Some of this spilled over more noticeably into Central Park throughout the day, for example.
Otherwise, my wife and I had a very “traditional” Oasis class cruise where we enjoyed the food, shows, and pub/Mason Jar and the “party” elements were virtually undetectable to us because we literally did not go to them.
You do NOT need to avoid Utopia if you’re not into the party scene.
currently on utopia. it is not, i repeat, not a party ship. the nightclub was weak for a 4 day cruise. not enough comedy for family. karaoke schedule is weird and should not be categorized. But the ease and availability of the elevators and the awesomeness of the windjammer along with all the included activities will get me to book another cruise on utopia.
I think the biggest issue that even though it’s made as a party-booze cruise ship. It’s still very expensive for the booze crowd that’s used to $100-$500 cruises on like carnival. But at the same time it’s much cheaper than the $1,500-$3,000 other oasis and icon classes so you get an odd group I think it’ll level out in about a year or two once people understand what the ship is known for
As a college student I love this! Theres hundreds of cruises that offer long sailings for retirement people or older so I love that we finally have a market. I do hope that royal comes out with a newer upgraded small ship though
Great overview (as always)! You said it well.
I cannot wait to sail Utopia! I've been waiting for RC to offer this experience and target adults.
I'd like to see a pool party at night or at least on the pool deck
Oasis used to have big pool parties especially like the “hottest guy” or something. After Covid though lots of cruise pools are kind of empty most people sit around the pool and there’s only 3-5 people actually in it and it’s usually a family or friends that know each pther
Matt you know I love a good party!!!! I’m excited about this
It’s a lot of fun!
I probably won’t ever do Utopia just because a short cruise is not worth the flight to Florida.
This is interesting as a Florida resident it’s something I never even thought of! I’m a college student from Miami and 3-4 days are the most convenient for my friends and I because it’s shorter not that many classes missed. But if you are from across the country it make sense to book longer cruises considering the flights cost so much
@2:28 is the absolute best picture of Matt!!!
Omg!
Toga party? @@RoyalCaribbeanBlog
Was there no dress code inspection?
I love it as a 21 year old college student to have a ship with people my age a difference from being in that odd age of being too young for the adults and too old for the teens and kids. Love this! I also love that it’s split between cruises there’s still plenty of older ships and smaller ships for other customers
DINK couples in their 30s are a great bid. Revive your college years when you have a job, cash, and no exams to fail at the end of the semester.
Great video! One of my favorites. I was wondering about all the parties
Glad you enjoyed!
I loved Utopia and was on the naming ceremony cruise with you Matt. You can be as active or not on Utopia and there are lots of quiet places if that’s what you are looking for.
It sounds like a weekend in college, not a vacation for an adult or family. It seems loud, crowded, and chaotic. I'll stay with Liberty or Anthem. I bet it'll fun for someone, just not me.
Wonder and Harmony are awesome ships too.
Thankfully. College students don’t have many ships to choose from. I am glad that royal carribean has a diverse selection and people can choose what’s for them and mature
We just did the same weekend cruise on Allure in June and all of the info I’ve seen on Utopia so far looks like essentially the same cruise except on a shiny new ship with more features. We loved our cruise on Allure and already had that FOMO you described on that cruise, not sure it will be that much different on this one.
I feel like RC is also doing this with the intent that cruisers will want to quickly book their next cruise to try to do more of the things they missed on their weekend cruise.
It won’t be for everyone but I do like that they are offering this type of experience on a ship now. I think it’s smart of them too
We always cruise on Royal Caribbean for both stateside and overseas cruises and enjoyed them so much. For us RC is our only cruise line but we have no desire to go on Utopia.
Going B2B got a great price but I reserved the cruise September 2023. My wife and I enjoy the party atmosphere in RCL.
Congrats, currently 7 nights on ICON is cheaper than 7 nights on Utopia and more interesting ports as well. I don't recommend anyone to book B2B on Utopia when ICON is cheaper.
@@sherrjo if you can get it cheaper, of course. Utopia was less than half Icon when I booked. I'm going more for the ship. Icon was way too expensive when I booked.
@@sherrjo We just got back from B2B from Utopia and it was about half of Icon 7 day (which we also sailed on). Additionally, Icon still goes to the same ports that every other ship does and when you've been to them a dozen times, it gets boring so we ended up staying on the ship (Icon) instead of paying for yet another beach club or excursion.
With Utopia, at least we got to go to CocoCay twice in one week. While not an exotic port by any means, at least, everything is included, drink package and wi-fi work there, and you can just get off the ship for as long as you want and then get back on. So for people that don't care about ports or paying twice as much, Utopia B2B can be a great choice.
With that said, if Icon is cheaper for a week, I'd pick it and just stay on the ship for a week. That ship is amazing!
I'm not interested in short cruises or booze cruises. I get why Royal is doing this, but I won't be on Utopia.
Fortunately, they have alot of ships.
Good I don’t want people like you on my ship
I was just on it and agree with your sentiments - HOWEVER, you do not need to avoid Utopia. It was wonderful and my wife and I completely avoided the party things and simply enjoyed the shows/food/solarium. This doesn’t need to be treated as a party/Carnival cruise. Just my two cents as an introverted relaxing cruise enjoyer
It's Smart, just not for me.... Another good job RC
We'll try it out when it does 7-night cruises. We have to fly to the port, so we don't do short cruises.
We don't cruise on Utopia till September 2025 however it does look like a very fun ship! We figure by then RCCL will have made adjustments to the activities so only the most popular remain.
I'm torn. Wife and I never cruised before, but she doesn't want to do anything over say 4 days for fear of not liking cruising. Afraid small ships she won't enjoy (more seasickness or things to do) so was leaning bigger ship like utopia. Guess will see how things pan out over next couple months.
I think this is wonderful.. it's better to have lots to do than nothing to do at all..
Excited to sail on Utopia in October!!😊
One of the reasons I prefer Royal over the other companies is because it isn't a party line. While I would love to try out the new Railway restaurant, that isn't enough to make me want to get on this particular ship. I'll stick with some of the "older" ships that doesn't have this vibe.
Exactly. Me too!
Me three!!!
Great video, thanks Matt! I really appreciate that you know the difference between tiki (Polynesian) and Atlantic/Caribbean. This point is completely lost on most people.
Looks really fun!
Hard pass. We'll see how this turns out, but this seems like a privileged consultant right out of college managed to get Royal Caribbean to do this and I'm sure Utopia is going to change to "less partying" in the future. I don't think there's enough profit given the competition from Virgin and Norwwegian and even Carnival in the "party atmosphere" space. I think there's a certain level of appetite, but beer pong at 1 AM is just silly. If you have money to cruise; it's not beer pong you're looking for.
My take is this was the wrong approach for the brand with the collage level shenanigans. If they wanted a nightly party atmosphere, rotate through select party holidays depending on the length of sailing. Four off the top of my head: New Years Eve, 4th of July, Junkanoo, and Carnevale di Venezia. But there's plenty more to draw from.
Good to know. I was interested, but now I’m no longer. 😅
We will be on Utopia October 7th!!!!
Sounds like so much fun. I’d love to take my daughter for her 21st birthday celebration.
Utopia as a ship id fantastic however royal has turned it into a 3/4 night party ship. I feel for the staff tbh
What’s (if any) Broadway show on the ship please? Thank you!
No Broadway show on Utopia
I sailed on Utopia for the preview/media cruise and I think RC accomplished their goal for this ship. It was a party on the ship and that party extended to the beaches of Perfect Day at Coco Cay. It wasn’t a restful cruise atmosphere, but it was definitely a fun time. The parties were not Peyton place, but good clean fun. I think the concept will be successful…J
I get what Royal is going for but I feel like they missed the mark on this. If I just wanted to party I’d go on a cruise line without kids (Virgin) or something cheap (carnival).
Kappa Chi 2:40 "Chi" is pronounced "kai" - strong "i" as in "light"
I should have known that!
I will definitely be trying this ship in the future🎉
Still a higher price point that the trashy cruise lines. So a classier crowd. Nice to have the options!
as someone that has done a few oasis class ships... these are 7 day ships, as in, actively going out to look for things to do, you won't be really repeating things to watch or eat. feels like you'd be missing out in 3-4 day cruises :o
I can't wait to sail Monday 💃🏽
Can’t wait to sail on August 19th!!!
I wish them well and hope it succeeds for their target market. That said, not for us, we'll stick with the smaller ships.
Beautiful ship but I am not a fan of 3 day cruises. I have done one and I just felt like it was over before it got started. With Carnival they attract the people you don't really want to cruise with however I don't think that would be the case with this ship, at least not for a while, because of the price being higher as it is a new ship.
People are surprised about this when the tag line of the ship is " the worlds biggest weekend "
It is basically to rival Virgin cruise line weekend cruises. Younger crowd but still tons to do on the ship to avoid that if you actually want to. I am all for a ship like this.
Just not trying to have a bunch of drunk people going crazy in the middle of the night. Let's hope that doesn't happen
I LOVE IT. Because there will now be a pull from the party crowd, and leave others in the fleet for a more subdued "sea" journey.
So if you want the carnival experience but not the people who use carnival…. Gotcha!!
I was very upset that oasis only had a ‘young’ people club on the last day. Had they had it for all 7 days, mannnn that would’ve been amazing
Royal Caribbean has a fleet of cruise ships for everyone and every budget...If you want a weekend getaway to recharge and reset or a long getaway to see the world...I think it's a good thing to diversify your crowd and the customer can see what they like and don't like...Change is good
Agree if we can keep all the spring breakers on one ship that'd be great :)
What a party!!! 🎈
Merecidas vacaciones Royal Carribean crucero 🚢 de excelencia presente
I’m ready 🎉🎉🎉yasss 🙌🏾
Utopia is the "ultimate weekend". But to book it you can choose between 3 Day cruises from Friday to Monday, or 4 day cruises Monday to Friday.. So... Are they both the "ultimate weekend"?! 🤔
I am not a partier or short cruise person. 7 days is my minimum cruise. So, I think Utopia is some thing to avoid for me.
They gotta make a push to get Ricky matthews on here as the cruise director. Seems like the perfect fit for what they're going for.
I don’t think I’ll go on it. I like it to be peaceful.
Hi Matt, when and where is your group cruise for 2025?
www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/events
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Thank you😀
Well look if you can’t hang just say that 😂😂 I’m looking forward to this cruise!
It’s targeting us younger people so if this isn’t what you want don’t book it. But the criticism is biased based on most people being “older” and not wanting this type of ship. Not really a fair take in my opinion
It sounds like it's geared to appeal to somone who is 21 and no first time cruisers. I have my first cruise booked. I booked one to go to a specific place. Sadly, the affordable one for me that goes to the right destinations is the older ships that do not offer much. I would love to see the aqua show and the ice-skating, but I will not be getting that on Enchantment.
This is definitely why beginner cruisers need a travel agent to steer them to the proper crusie for their age range. As a an older, and experienced cruiser, I would hate to book this ship and have all of that going on. I like a little activity but like much more to just chill on ship.
I love Royal but this is not my cup of tea, however the Solarium suite is the only interest I have on this ship which is why I’ll eventually sail on her.
Not interested in the 3-4 day cruises nor the party vibe. Im looking forward to booking whenever she changes to 7-night cruises. She's a beautiful ship!
I won’t be going on Utopia because of being a party ship. Reminds me to much of Carnival ships and how worn out they looked because of all the younger partying.
I find its funny how royal is pushing the partying and carnival is trying to stop it because they think its the booze thats tje problem instead of it being the trashy clientel and crappy security that wont intervene and stop the fights
Are people more loud and intoxicated around the ship given all the parties and alcohol?
No, because alcohol costs just as much as on any other Royal Caribbean cruise... and it's not cheap!
Can utopia of the seas be a ship that you can relax on or will it always be about the party?
You can definitely relax on it. I’m living proof during the day!
Very interested in shorter alaska cruises. 4 and 5 days. But not a party cruise
What's scheduled for the 4 day weekend sailing that's not offered on the 3 day weekend cruise? How are the sailings different?
The 4 day has a sea day, I imagine it would be hard to see all shows on 4 day. That would be the main difference.
@@FelixTorres-wl5vt Thanks. I was wondering about differences in activities. Thanks
We just did a back to back (3 days + 4 days). Main shows are the same and were all amazing. There are more of the other types of activities, like game shows, trivia, karaoke, etc. Most of them were added on the sea day. I couldn't imagine going on this ship for 3 days! A week was perfect to experience most of the things available (but sill not everything).
@CruisingKat Thanks. Did the four day have a feel that was any different than the three day weekend cruise?
Which ship/cruise do you recommend for someone who wants quiet, chill more than partying and drinking
A 7 nighter is a good starting point. The smaller ships certainly have less of a party vibe
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I was actually researching the smaller cruise ships. I'm not a big crowd, or too noisy person.
Im looking for utopia of the seas vibes on a 7 night sailing
I'm sure there's a market for it, but not for me. Actually, it sounds like the least ship I'd want to go on. Would love to see Utopia Station, maybe they'll add it to another ship.
Awful. 6,000 drunk frat boys crammed into an enclosed space is my idea of Hell.
A “party ship” is definitely NOT something I am interested in.
Thank you for sharing. I now know to look elsewhere.
I guess if I wanted to go on carnival I would just go on carnival and not pay the huge expensive price that Royal is going to charge
Thank goodness both my sailings are complimentary 😊
I agree. Mine are complimentary too or I would not be on it. I don't want Carnival.
Carnival
Yep. Don't want a Carnival scene.
I am worried they are going that direction. I really don't want a party boat.
Not the party goer. I wanted to do a back to back, but now I think we will just cross this ship off our list.😢
I’ll pass. If I want to go on a 3 or 4 night cruise, I’ll go on DCL. And I still prefer at least 5 night on DCL.
I canceled our cruise on Disney Magic to try Utopia instead, and now I think I'm going to regret it!
@@HeatherTravels I’m sure it will be fun on Utopia especially since it’s new. We usually cruise on Royal but we really enjoyed our cruise on the Dream in January.
The only draw for me is Royal Railway. Put that on another ship with a longer sailing and better itinerary, then I'd skip this party boat.
That said, I would consider the 4-night sailing to avoid the weekend with Utopia. The price is pretty good for a brand new ship. 3 or 4 cruises on this vs. 1 cruise on Icon? Not bad. Still, with other cruises I already have booked, it's going to be a few years before we plan our next one. I'll wait and see...
explain your pricing. I've been looking and you won't get 3-4 cruises on this for ICON pricing.7 nights on ICON can even be cheaper than 7 nights on Utopia. Take May 2025 Balcony 7 nights on ICON $2204pp or 7 nights on Utopia 2206$ You ain't getting 3 cruises on Utopia for the price of an ICON nevermind 4.
@sherrjo inside cabin on Utopia when I looked a while back was $570 for the 4-night. Inside on Icon was around $1800. Granted, longer sailing, but still...
Matt, it seems like RCL is moving away from family cruising to a more Virgin Voyages model. Is adults only in the future for these new weekend cruises?
Absolutely not. Royal is adamant family cruising is still their number one priority. You will never see adult only cruises on Royal
Their last big launch was Icon, which many people complain is "too family friendly" and Star is coming out next August. So they are definitely not moving away from family cruising. However, they are trying to attract a new generation of cruisers by letting them sample shorter cruises on an amazing ship. Once they go for 3 days on this ship, they'll be coming back and bringing their families for more Royal Caribbean cruises.
Utopia or the seas and the party vibe, what happens on Utopia, stays on Utopia. Not 25 anymore, so big nope on three day party ship. Like the longer quieter laid-back cruises.
We will be on Utopia of the Seas in November. My granddaughter will be 21 months old. Is there anything there for her age group? She loved her first cruise when she was a year old...
There is plenty. They still have a boardwalk, an outdoor play scape, Splashaway Bay, and indoor play area on deck 14 next to the nursery.
Thank you!
Not interested in 3 or 4 day cruises.
Not for us.
No way you will find us on booze cruises of 3 or4 days, on resort cruises, on mega ships.
No, every penny from us is too much for that.
We understand why RCL is building these Monsters but we definitely do not support this trend.
If it keeps on growing more and more we will stop cruising. Maybe not for All, but for sure with RCL.
We have done more than 65 cruises since 2005 and are so far loyal to royal with being Diamond plus.
But there are limits to our loyalty
Not a party ship fan. Wouldn’t mind a little bit but not for a whole weekend of constant partying. 😊
I love it ❤
Carnival is known for partying and booze....and fights and sometimes low class. Good move RC hope this works
We are mega ship people, we even love Carnival who’s known for being a “party ship”…. But the college frat scene is definitely where I draw the line. 😢 I guess we may stick to Icon and the other Oasis class ships. Parties are great but a constant party is not for me. I feel like this is going to attract young 20 something’s which is fine but I’m not sure about for family’s with kids or older people
I like the video. But I miss the old intro.
Ying and Yang for me. As a shareholder in RCCL I love this strategy. This should be a force multiplier to profits and bump share value. As a RCCL cruise consumer, "no, no, and hell no". My wife and I are about chilling these days which is why we like long repo sailings and nice interesting itinerary cruises. Don't look for us onboard - but go get'em RCCL!
🍍 that’s all that matters
Looks like a beautiful ship but not liking the party theme. I'll wait for 7 day cruises on Utopia.
Da fuq is going on at 5:17 ? 😂
I was really excited about our upcoming cruise on Utopia of the Seas, but now you've actually made me quite nervous. I hope I don't regret it. It was never my understanding that they meant it to be a party ship; I thought that Royal Caribbean meant it to be a more affordable option for people who don't have the time or money for a 7 night cruise OR a "taste" of an Oasis class ship experience before going on a full 7 night cruise.
Royal is honestly going the wrong way with this ship. Maybe I’m just more of a celebrity person now ☹️
Uh yeah...I gave up partying like on Carnival years ago. I can nap in bed at home. I look for something more than a party ship.
Will stay away. Nearly 6,000 passengers and only one Flowrider?
They need to kick Nassau to the curb tho, it really isn’t all that great, they have Atlantis and that’s really about it.
I’ll wait till she goes on 5 plus given she is an oasis class probably 7
Will this make it less suitable for families with younger kids?? Can they play at the kids pool without the blast of the loud music??