ANN RUPPENSTEIN
It was a Monday night but that didn’t stop Royal Caribbean International from kicking off “The World’s Biggest Weekend.”
And while this particular pre-inaugural naming ceremony sailing with a performance by godmother Meghan Trainor was special, the weekend vibe will be applied to all Utopia of the Seas itineraries.
That’s because the new ship is exclusively dedicated to short three and four-night getaways from Port Canaveral, Florida.
“Utopia will have a lot of focus on party. We want new-to-cruise and we want a younger demographic and this is a great runway for this product,” said Michael Bayley, the CEO of Royal Caribbean International, from the ship. “We’ve come together to celebrate and that’s what Utopia of the Seas is all about — celebrations — they always mark significant moments and people in our lives and moments make memories.”
For travel advisors in the Canadian market, Bayley said this shorter cruise offering can easily be paired with Orlando getaways.
“One of the reasons we put this brand new Oasis Class [ship] into this market is that we really expect to see a certain amount of demand coming from tourists who are doing some kind of Disney or Universal combo,” he shared. “Where they are doing something in Orlando and then they can tag on three or four nights with a stop at Perfect Day — if you’re a family, that’s a great vacation.”
While the shorter cruise segment traditionally uses older and more dated ships, Maria Gibson, strategic account manager for Eastern Canada, believes this new offering “completely raises the bar on the three and four-night cruising, which was always depicted as the more tired ships that people didn’t care much for — well what a turn-off for a first time cruiser,” she said.
Notably, Eric St. Pierre, national account manager for Royal Caribbean International in Canada, said the onboard experience rivals Las Vegas, Nashville, Miami and New York, for arguably a lower all inclusive price point.
“Tradition, evolution, revolution, that’s really the three pillars of product development and nowhere is that more evident than on Utopia,” he said. “Look at Royal Promenade, that’s your tradition. Look at Giovanni’s where it’s located with a new outdoor patio, that’s evolution. And then look at Pesky Parrot, that’s revolution. It’s all about keeping what works, improving what guests like already and then bringing in new elements to keep people engaged.”
To this day, he says the overwhelming majority of bookings made on Royal Caribbean ships are from the travel trade.
“To us, it’s always been the channel of choice and it will remain the channel of choice. There’s nothing that replaces the value the the travel agent brings to the equation,” he added.
Utopia of the Seas marks the sixth ship in the Oasis Class, which first debuted in 2009.
“Two-thirds of every sail date is first time cruisers and for our first time cruisers to have their introduction to cruising on the newest ship out there, especially on a three and four market visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay and as of next summer our Royal Beach Club in Nassau, really changes the game,” added Strategic Account Manager Mitch Merucci, who previously worked as a cruise director for the company.
Compared to other short getaways to Nashville, Vegas or New York, Jeff Carpenter, strategic account manager for Western Canada, said the value proposition for shows alone stands out.
“What would you pay to see some of these live entertainment Broadway shows? The Aqua Theatre, the ice skating, it’s all included, so the value when you put it all into perspective is what we really emphasize,” he said.
Some features new to Utopia include the Pesky Parrot, a Tiki Bar with a Caribbean twist; Royal Railway — Utopia Station, an immersive dining concept that mimics the train travel experience starting in the Wild West; and brand new high calibre shows such as Aqua 80 Too, a new AquaTheatre show that follows up on Aqua 80, which first debuted on Oasis of the Seas.
As for selling tips, strategic account manager Nate Allen says he frequently fields requests for itineraries with multiple calls on Perfect Day at CocoCay.
“The nice thing about Utopia is that you can do a three or a four night back-to-back, now you are hitting Perfect Day twice,” he suggested. “A lot of people who could possibly be intimidated by the larger ships, this is the opportunity to try a larger ship.”
