Royal Caribbean's latest megaship is garnering all sorts of attention, and for good reason. Utopia of the Seas may not be the first Oasis Class ship, but she does a few things better than the rest.
At 236,860 gross tons, Utopia of the Seas is now the world's second-largest cruise ship and sails short cruises to The Bahamas.
To their credit, Royal Caribbean builds successive ships within a class with new features and upgrades older vessels don't have.
Utopia of the Seas has a lot of changes compared to Wonder of the Seas, both big and small. While not all of them will factor into your cruise experience, I found a handful that I think really stand out compared to other Oasis Class vessels.
Here's my list of the five things Utopia of the Seas does better than the five other Oasis Class ships.
Elevators
The writing on the wall was clear after Icon of the Seas that passengers really loved the destination elevator concept.
Traditionally, elevators on cruise ships are easily overwhelmed with demand and that leads to long waits. Up until this year, it seemed like a necessary evil of cruising.
But when Icon of the Seas debuted, Royal Caribbean changed to destination elevators and it worked out so well. As a result, Utopia of the Seas them too.
Rather than simply pressing "up" or "down" in the elevator bank, you'll be required to make a deck selection. Then, you'll be assigned a specific elevator that will take you where you want to go.
In my experience, the elevators on Utopia might not be as fast as Icon's, but they're definitely a step up from any other Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Specialty dining
There are three specialty restaurants on Utopia of the Seas where Royal Caribbean raised the bar.
Izumi is now on Central Park and has a grab-and-go sushi window for convenient snacks.
Guests who prefer a more formal meal can head inside Izumi for Royal Caribbean's first omakase option. This is an elevated meal for sushi lovers who are adventurous.
If that's not enough, Izumi has more hibachi tables than other ships and of course plenty of sushi seating too.
Equally impressive is Giovanni's Italian Kitchen.
The Italian restaurant is available on both Wonder and Utopia, however, the one on Utopia has been upgraded and is now two stories tall with a new al-fresco dining area.
And then there's the first Royal Railway restaurant.
The immersive dining experience includes food, a fun story, and it really makes you feel like you're on a classic train car. Digital screens are disguised as windows, adding to the effect.
Read more: Trying out Royal Railway on Utopia of the Seas
Parties
Royal Caribbean made the choice that Utopia of the Seas was going to be the ultimate party ship, and to that effect, they added so many parties to Utopia.
Many of the shows are unique to Utopia, giving it an edge to anyone that enjoys lots of opportunities to dance.
Not only does Utopia have the events on other ships, but they've added a toga party, college party, sunset pool party, and even an epic light production party.
Ultimate Abyss slide
The Ultimate Abyss has been extended 43 feet on Utopia, making it the longest slide at sea.
There's added effects within the slide to make it more intense, and overall, it's a better experience than the Ultimate Abyss found on other ships.
Theming
One trend I noticed on Utopia is a deeper push for better theming in venues. It's not something the cruise line pointed out, but it seemed that way to me.
The Royal Railway is the first and most obvious place we see this. It was built to be all encompassing, and I think Royal Caribbean hit a home run with this idea. It will be especially impressive when more shows are added, and the venue gets to reach its full potential.
The Pesky Parrot bar is another great example of theming in action.
Replacing the aging Bionic Bar concept would have been enough of an upgrade, but the new tiki bar idea goes well beyond a different place to get drinks.
When you enter the Pesky Parrot, you'll notice how much more cohesive the bar feels, and how much attention to detail there is within the venue. There's a beautiful digital display at the back to make it seem like you're looking out to the ocean. Royal Caribbean even added a talking parrot that might had a few drinks already when you talk to him.
It seems like Royal Caribbean has embraced not only coming up with new spaces, but ensuring they feel like an experience as much as being somewhere new to eat or drink.
