81. Royal Caribbean Cruising - Can You Have a Luxury Travel Experience Onboard? | Utopia of the Seas Recap, Cost Analysis and Cruise Line Comparison

Ahoy sailors! I recently cruised on Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Utopia of the Seas. I'm a bougie traveler and this mass market cruise line is not usually my cup of tea...so, I selected upgrades to strive for a more luxury experience. Was I successful? Tune in as I share a trip recap, a cost analysis of what upgrades I purchased (and if they were worth it), and compared Royal Caribbean with other cruise lines.

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This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher.

Transcript

Hello, jetsetters. Welcome back. It's another weekly edition of jetsetting with me. And today, I am diving deep into the debate. How's that for some alliteration? Diving deep into the debate about the new mega ships I've cruising. So not only did I have awesome alliteration there, I had a great, you know, dive deep ship cruising. Okay. That's my squirrel moment for the entire podcast, I promise.

Specifically, I wanna talk about Royal Caribbean's brand new utopia of the seas and what I would call a mega ship, although there is even more mega coming out. More on that in just a minute. I will explore true luxury as I define it, and can it even be achieved onboard this humongous ship, or does it really come but with a very hefty price tag? So first, what's luxury? And this is luxury according to cruise lines, not just me. So typically, we think of 3 different types of cruising. So there's kind of the mass market product, which Royal Caribbean proudly is. Norwegian Cruise Line is also Carnival definitely is the big, sort of mega ships that are meant to really entertain you on board. They usually do shorter trips, you know, 3, 4, and 7 nights at the most, and they have a lot of people on them. So they're definitely built to have lots of people, and they have what I would call entry level pricing.

Then there's what's called the premium product that is typically seen as Princess Celebrity Disney Virgin Voyage, Virgin Voyages. Excuse me. And those are a bit smaller ships, although princess ships can be very big as well. But they're usually slightly smaller than that mass market product, but there's some debate there. They come at a higher price tag and at the entry level for sure, and then they come with even more amenities that you can add on or different types of cabin prices. But we're gonna talk about that in a little bit more detail. Then there is what's called the luxury liners. Things like Silversea, Regent, Azamara is another one that you have.

Now, you'll notice I didn't put MSC anywhere. It is also in, mass market. It's just one that I have failed and didn't really enjoy, so I don't talk about it much. And there's also Oceania, which, typically, they like to say they're in between premium and luxury, but I consider them to be luxury. Now, for the record, I have never ever sailed on a Silverseaase or a Regent or an Azamara or any of the luxury cruise liners according to the cruise lines themselves. So for me, we have always done a premium cruising product with upgrades to make it feel very luxury. Now, luxury liners get to call themselves that because they are all inclusive. And by all inclusive, I mean all your excursions, your transfers, your Wi Fi, every beverage, not just nonalcoholic beverages, but all alcoholic beverages as well.

Larger cabins, they all have balconies, and sometimes the cabins are are referred to as suites, and they even come with a shower tub combo or a freestanding tub. So they get the right to call themselves luxury. Oh, yeah. Because of that price point, they usually have less kids, and they probably don't have kids clubs at all. So we'll talk about that in a minute too. So that's what luxury is to the cruise liners. Now that brings us to my 2 favorite cruise lines, which is Oceania and Virgin Voyages. So Oceania likes to, say they have a higher entry level price than a princess or a celebrity cruise liner, but they include more.

And they actually have just shifted their pricing to where they include more, as in you can get 1 or 2 excursions. You can get a basic beverage package. You don't have to pay for the transfers. So they're trying to actually bring that entry level cost down, and I have been very fortunate to sail on them in a concierge cabin, which does give us more space, the balcony, but also the kind of benefits that you would see on a luxury liner, although not the Wi Fi. I always have to buy that Wi Fi package, except on Virgin Voyages. So the Oceania cruise line is my definition of luxury, and I wish I could sell it more often. They have longer itineraries. They have smaller sized ships, and the service is next level.

And I guess I should have said that about the massive entry level product versus a luxury or even a premium cruising product like Disney. You are going to see a definite service level. For example, on my recent Royal Caribbean cruise ship, we had once daily housekeeping instead of twice daily housekeeping. And the only way to change that is to be in the club level. So that is going to increase the price. And I'm gonna get to pricing in just a second, but I did just wanna briefly touch on my other favorite cruise line in Virgin Voyages. This is actually a very good segue into pricing because I'm going to do a quick cruise comparison of the price. So this would be a 4 night cruise with 2 adults in November of 2024.

Virgin Voyages on the Valiant Lady goes to Miami, Key West, and the Bimini Bahamas, and then back to Miami. A sea terrace with a balcony hammock. So basically, what you would call an ocean view with a balcony. Entry level price is 27.22. Now they include soft drinks and water. They include Wi Fi, which is Starlink Wi Fi. They include the crew staff appreciation, and they include all specialty dining. That's really critical in pricing of a cruise is the dining.

Now total cruise price is 27.22. Now on a same fortnight, 2 adults in November on the Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas. So their newest, latest, greatest, brand new ship. I mean, she has new cruise ship smell for sure. Going out of Port Canaveral to Nassau, the Bahamas, And their private island, perfect day at CocoCay, which I do have to say, probably the best private island there is. But in an ocean view balcony, their entry level pricing, slightly less. 26.93, we'll call it. We'll just round it up.

Now they had a basic beverage package on sale for soft drinks and water that we purchased for 2.83. Then they had a Wi Fi sale price for a 192. Their crew appreciation is set in this basic cabin level at 144, and then an unlimited specialty dining package, which they do offer a lot of different specialty dining restaurants. Although, on a 4 night cruise, you wouldn't really be able to go to all of them, but the sale price for that was 4.41. Well, really 4.42 if we're gonna round up. So that total cruise price that started at 26.92, to make it feel more like a premium product, like Virgin Voyages, the total price was 37.53. So that's over $1,000 more than sailing on Virgin Voyages. Now there are 2 really critical differences here.

Virgin Voyages is adults only 18 or up, and the Royal Caribbean has obviously got a lot of kids. So, again, comparing that entry level cruise point with Celebrity, if we call it go ahead and call it that 37100, now you're looking at a very close comparison to a Disney cruise entry level cabin. So it's all about what your priorities are. So that's a very long explanation of the different kinds of cruises that are available and why it's really, really important to work with a travel adviser to get the right fit for you. So let's talk about this Royal Caribbean Liners Utopia of the Seas. So it's about 6,000 passengers. I will say it was too big for me. I definitely felt the size of the ship.

Previously, the largest ship I'd been on was 4,000 passengers, and this definitely felt more crowded. The entertainment is phenomenal. They have an ice show. They have a water show with, like, high towers. And I do have amazing videos that I will post to Instagram when this episode drops, so you can see that. But the, like, main show stage, which has the, quote, unquote, Broadway style entertainment, was just average versus a Disney, Celebrity, Princess, or even Oceania. Main stage shows are fabulous. They actually do get Broadway performers sometimes that are on those shows.

They are well choreographed, well rehearsed, excellent costumes, lighting, dancing is now, I will say, Disney, once you've done those shows, you have done those shows. They do not change very often. Usually, only a new show is only introduced with a new ship. That being said, they are the best Broadway shows at sea. I did read an article where and maybe the icon was bringing Back to the Future, which is a Broadway show to this stage. So that could change the calculus. But the other entertainment that wasn't on the main show stage was great, but it is hard to find seating. They oversold the shows.

So if you wanted to guarantee seating for those shows, a, you have to reserve it in advance on the app, b, you have to schedule your dining around the show times. And, c, you have to get there early. So you're talking about, like, an extra 30 to 45 minutes to an hour to be there to, see the shows. Now, we did go to see the water show, and we had some sort of I don't know. We weren't VIPs, but we had some sort of, like, anyway, I will say that it was so overcrowded that they put a party of 4 into really what maybe should have been 3 and a half seats, and the guy next to us basically cussed us out the entire show. He was very over served, and it was the show was great, but the seating was very unpleasant. I found the utopia of the seas, and this is just my opinion, to be very internally focused versus having a lot of outdoor spaces. Usually, when I'm on a ship, you will have seen me post pictures in the past of waking up, it being very quiet on board, and going out to see the sunrise.

Virgin Voyages is a great example of that. I'll walk down to get my coffee at the grounds coffee shop, and then, like, the doors open. And you basically have this whole patio area with loungers to yourself, and you can watch the sunrise. On the RCL, wake up, go to Starbucks, and you find yourself in the lobby with no windows and a fully covered glass, you know, roof, like, it's kinda almost difficult to find where to take your coffee to go outside. I found myself missing that fresh air and that ability to just look out except on my own personal patio. So that was frustrating for me. I love the the extra vitamin d I get on a cruise. Now, the kids versus no kids issue.

Also, a very big deal for Royal Caribbean and especially on this ship. There are a ton of families. It is priced perfectly for multi generational large families. There is something for every age to do. The kids clubs got although we didn't use them, obviously, they got very good reviews. So kids versus no kids, if that's an issue for you as it is for me, that's something to definitely consider. People often ask me how I can then enjoy the Disney cruises, and I will say that the Disney cruise has a lot of adults only areas. It has an adults only pool, and has an adults only coffee bar, It has an adults only pool bar, and there are several, areas.

And, also, the kids are kind of very well contained in their kids pool area, but, also, the kids clubs on the Disney ships are so good that you drop your kids down there, and they don't wanna leave. Now I would say that's for kids under 12. I don't think necessarily the teen clubs at Disney are great. And for that, this Royal Caribbean cruise is probably perfect for that because they've got a wave runner. They've got a climbing wall. Like, I know that my teenage children would have loved it, but keep in mind that that is all extra. None of that is included in that entry level price. And the kids club is not included either as it is on a Disney ship.

Dining on the Utopia of the Seas. We did 2 specialty restaurants. They were both very good. They both took a really long time. So on a short cruise, that took us out of being able to see any of the great shows on those nights that we had specialty dining. Also, we had to make reservations in advance to make sure that we could get them. We did have to purchase the specialty dining in advance. We did it on sale so that we could then make reservations at those restaurants.

We, as I said, did not get to try them all because we wanted to see the shows. We prioritize the entertainment over dining, which is unusual for me, I will say. And there was no adults only dining area, which I will say on Celebrity, they have a spa class, which is, not adults only, but it does have its own dining area, and I don't remember seeing any kids on our cruise in there. There is also a special dining area on Celebrity and Princess for concierge level guests, and there were no young kids. There were 20, 21 year olds. I remember it was my son's 21st birthday. So dining, my favorite thing on the Utopia of the Seas was the pizza. And sadly, we ended up at the pizza a lot.

The full service buffet, the only time I could stand it was for breakfast. For lunch, it was your typical overdone buffet, hamburger, hot dog, wilted French fries, sandwiches that have been sitting out in a salad bar. It just wasn't what it could have been, which brings us, of course, to Virgin Voyages and the dining that's all included and even the specialty dining, it's all much better than the main service buffet at Utopia of the Seas. Pizza parlor was awesome. Sadly, we ate a lot of it. I guess not sadly we ate a lot of it. But sadly, we ended up eating it a lot. We never made it to the main dining room, which I heard was very nice because our dining time was 7:30 PM.

And the shows usually start at 8. And so we never made it into the main dining room, which also meant I was pretty hungry because the pizza didn't necessarily fill me up. Didn't try room service. Okay. One last thing I wanna caution people about this fabulous new ship is if you wanna go, go now. She does very short trips. 3 4 nights, which means the wear and tear and the turn on that ship is going to show very soon, I believe. Especially, with only once a day cleaning.

I just think that while she looked amazing and she was very, very pretty and she is going to remain very pretty for the next year or 2, I believe that the wear and tear on her with that many people and that much turn is going to be evident sooner rather than later. So I already did that little cost comparison. So I'm gonna tell you what we chose to do on our recent Royal Caribbean cruise, and I was with a friend, a fellow travel advisor. And so we really went above and beyond what I would say some people would do to see if we could make it feel we both love virgin voyages. If we could make this trip feel like a virgin voyages. So one thing we did was we knew we weren't gonna get off at the Bahamas, in Nassau because Nassau is very much a tourist trap. It's really not very pretty, and we've both been there. And I usually do recommend people in Nassau use it as like a sea day.

So we upgraded on that port day, the the day the ship was in port in Nassau to a cabana. It was great. We had butler service for drinks, but not for food. Although it is situationally located close to the buffet, you would have to go in and bring your food back to the cabana. It did have bottled water, which was nice, and it did have plugs so you could plug in your devices. It was a 100% not worth it. It was on a port day, and the ship wasn't that crowded that if I had been up early in the morning as I usually am, I could have just staked out a beautiful couch across from where our cabana was located. Now we wouldn't have gotten the nice little butler, but still not worth it.

In addition, what I was never told was that to pick your cabana, you have to go to where they give them out. Now in the app, it told me they would not do that until 9 AM. But by the time I got there, my choice of cabanas was not what I had hoped, and I got my last choice, basically. Now we had one person in the cabin got Starlink Wi Fi complimentary. The other had to purchase it. Again, these are included on a Virgin Voyages, both Starlink. And I still, with the free Wi Fi, ended up having to upgrade to more than one device because I had a phone and a laptop, which is pretty standard for when I travel. I am technically always at work, and so I always have a laptop and a phone.

And it was so difficult to maneuver between more than one device that I finally got frustrated and upgraded to a second device. And even for Starlink Wi Fi, I would say it still had its issues, especially depending on where you are in the ship. We were there for a conference, which is basically in the basement, and the Wi Fi in those meeting rooms was not Starlink worthy. Okay. Specialty dining. I kinda already touched on that. I would say it was practicing my French for Morocco. You know, it was worth it because I definitely did not enjoy the buffet at all.

But it made seeing the shows, it made scheduling a little more difficult. And I probably, next time, would have wanted to do we did 2 night specialty. I probably would have wanted to do the unlimited and just avoid the main dining room, which we did, but also avoid the buffets completely. Now with all of those upgrades, to me, price wise, it just made sense to start at a premium cruise line and decide what you want to, include from that. But I did say it and I'm gonna reemphasize it. This ship, Utopia of the Seas, is an ideal family reunion and multi generational vacation. As I said, I think there is something to keep every age person entertained. The teens, the kids, mom and dad, can certainly drop kids off and have a good time.

While we were there, there was a group of neighbors who adults only, and they had a blast. We kept running into them because we were adults only too. And then I saw lots of grandparents really having fun with watching the shows with their grandkids. I do think it's an awesome trip for multi generational families. Now, if you're wondering if I plan to sail on the icon, which is 2,000 people more, the answer is no. And that's it for today. Jetsetters, I will talk to you next week. And until then, safe travels.