Utopia of the Seas- 2026
Our family just got back from our first cruise of 2026 on board Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas. We opted for the 3-night cruise, which was the shortest cruise that we have taken to date. Back in March of 2025, our family went on the 4-night cruise, which included the same ports but also had an at Sea day. We had a fun time on that cruise but, we felt overwhelmed and a bit exhausted after a whirlwind of what Royal Caribbean was calling “the Biggest Weekend”.
We were determined to enjoy this cruise a bit more and wanted to focus on experiencing the activities, events, food items, drinks and vibe that bring us the most joy. While we still agree that the cruise was too short, I feel that we actually did a good job of accomplishing our goal. We had four specific experiences that we were hoping to check off of our list: 1)we wanted to eat at Giovanni’s Kitchen, 2) we wanted John to ride the zipline, 3)we wanted to check out Royal’s new Beach Club at Nassau and 4)we were hoping to finally have all of us experience the jet ski tour while at Cococay (oh, yeah and we wanted to make sure that we got a Chilla Thrilla- a beer exclusive to Cococay). And, we did it all.
Giovanni’s Kitchen is one of our favorite restaurants on Royal Caribbean, because not only does all of our family love Italian food but they offer a good variety from Salads to Pastas to Pizzas to Tasty Desserts. What makes Giovanni’s unique on Utopia of the Seas is that it is located overlooking the Boardwalk as opposed to being typically in Central Park or along the Esplanade. And, while typically the speciality restaurants are usually only open for lunch (which is much cheaper than dinner) during Sea Days, on Utopia’s 3-night cruise they are open everyday, even embarkation day. This turned out to work out really well for us, because it prevented us from having to visit the delicious but overcrowded Windjammer on embarkation day. It also proved to be a great way for us to start off our vacation. We even got to sit outside so we had great views of the Boardwalk and the Zipline, which would be our next stop.
The Zipline on the Oasis class ships is short but is all the way up at deck 16 and travels over the Boardwalk, which is down on deck 6. So, it is a fun, thrilling, quick and included experience that every cruiser should try at least once. John had not been able to do it until now because you need to be at least 75 pounds to ride it, which he had finally accomplished over the last 6 months. To prevent us from having to deal with long lines, we started lining up for the zipline 15 minutes before it was set to open. Also, doing it on the first day turned out to really work out for us as there were shorter lines, and I have a feeling that if we had waited then John would have decided not to do it. On top of it being a very proud mama moment for me to see John do this, the crew that helped get John set up for it was excellent and confirmed for us, once again, the quality and care of the crew on Royal Caribbean ships.
On Day 2 of the cruise, we docked in Nassau, which is not usually a port that I get off in. Chris will usually get off and walk over to a brewery where the owner is nice and makes some tasty beer. I typically prefer to stay on for a quieter ship experience. But, this time we were excited to try out Royal Caribbean’s new Royal Beach club. The club had only been open for about 10 days and so we definitely wanted to check it out. Our main goal was to have a good time while determining if it would be worth the high price point that is it currently being offered at. At $140 per adult, you receive all-day access to the beach club, the use of towels, complimentary food and wifi as well as unlimited alcoholic beverages. While we had a good time, we felt that we would wait to visit it again once the price dropped considerably.
Don’t forget essentials like sunscreen and gear like towel clips, cover ups and sunglasses that make beach and pool days easier.
On Day 3 of the cruise, we stopped at Cococay, which is Royal Caribbean’s private island. We have been to Cococay many times at this point and have experienced most of what they have to offer. The water park is lots of fun, the Coco Beach Club is really nice, and the Hideaway Beach Club (an adults-only beach and pool area) all provide a great way to spend your day. The complimentary activities available are really great as well. We love Cococay but we had tried and failed to go on the jet ski tour 3 times previously. The first time, the ship wasn’t even able to dock at Cococay due to windy and rough weather. The second time our older son had a broken arm and so couldn’t do it. The third time it was too windy to do it safely, so it was cancelled. But, the fourth time it all worked out. We had so much fun doing this. While I was pretty nervous at first (as this was my first time driving a jet ski), the tour guide did an excellent job of putting my fears at ease, and I was able to really enjoy the remainder of the tour. He also was nice enough to take some photos of us and air drop them to us. I can’t recommend that crew enough and we would definitely opt to do it again.
We were so happy that we got to check everything off of our list, and we definitely considered our cruise a success because of this. 3-nights makes for a short cruise but these 3 or 4 night cruises are a great option for families, especially those living in Florida near Orlando, looking for a quick getaway. Or, this cruise might be a good idea for groups spending a few days at Universal or Disney before or after the cruise. For us, it was a great way to start off our 2026.
Contact me today so I can help get your vacation priorities in order (wink).
