If there’s one thing that is true of Royal Caribbean’s massive Oasis-class ships, it’s that their size makes it next to impossible to experience everything onboard in a single cruise, especially when it’s a three- or four-night getaway on Utopia of the Seas. But there’s beauty in that truth, because that means that mega ships are often worthy of repeat visits.
That was my mindset when I reboarded the second-to-largest cruise ship in the world last month, along with my wife and our family friend, who were sailing on Utopia of the Seas for the first time. Both of my companions were music majors, so we were eager to see all of the performances we could. I aimed to enjoy the culinary experiences I had missed the first time around, including the unique Royal Railway — Utopia Station dinner show.
Here’s how the sailing went for our trio, and what we recommend clients try, whether it’s their first, second or third time onboard.
Suggestion #1: Visit The Mason Jar
We had heard of a signature kummelweck (like a kaiser roll) roast beef sandwich from the ship’s complimentary venue, Park Cafe, so we all gave it a whirl; I enjoyed the gravy-topped meat but thought the bun was a bit dry. Our enjoyment dramatically improved when we later paid for specialty dining at The Mason Jar, which I had only been to before for brunch.
Dinner is also served here, and this is one comfort food restaurant clients should save plenty of room for. Point them toward the biscuits and cornbread, should you desire to make it all the way to the excellent shrimp n’ grits and fried Oreos.
Suggestion #2: Try the Escape Room and Watch Aqua80Too
Our first taste of entertainment was the ship’s singular “All In!” production show. While we all agreed the performance was technically perfect — giving most praise to the illuminated drone flight sequence and creative musical mashups — we much preferred the interactive classroom-themed escape room, which four of us defeated in near-record time.
Later, we took our tasty to-go sushi from the Izumi in the Park carryout window up to my friend’s stylish one-bedroom AquaTheater Suite. From here, we could see Aqua80Too show from high above. I had seen the AquaTheater performance previously, but never from this vantage point; I say viewing it from here is a must for clients who enjoy a behind-the-scenes glimpse at shipboard things. We could see the scuba divers who supported the show, and watch the watery stages mechanically ascend and descend below exceptional pool performers.
Suggestion #3: Book The Royal Railway — Utopia Station Experience
The Royal Railway — Utopia Station experience is a 90-minute dinner show that best combines the ship’s entertainment and culinary talents. A kinetic split-flap display, just like the analog arrival and departure boards of the past, welcomed us to the station, and we were served drinks before boarding one of two full-sized train cars.
Animated monitor “windows” and vibrating subwoofers below two- and four-top tables convincingly convey the illusion of rail travel, and a Wild West cast playfully “hijacks” the scene in silly fashion. We were most amused by our waiter’s Slavic accent (which stood) out against southern ones, all while he played up the obvious disparity for comedic effect.
Most reports would have you believe that the food plays second fiddle to the live hijinks on the Royal Railway, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Old West empanada trio to start, the braised short ribs entree and a chocolate Royal Railway Cigar; I paired my meal with a distinct Sarsaparilla Old Fashioned.
Just watch out for any “snakes on a train,” as it were, while also keeping an eye out for several other clever cinematic easter eggs in the material.
