New Oasis-class ship will homeport in Port Canaveral
ANN RUPPENSTEIN
Fresh off the naming ceremony for Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is set to make even more waves this year with the debut of Utopia of the Seas in July. During the naming ceremony sailing for the world’s biggest ship, executives from the company revealed some exciting details for the new Oasis-class ship, set to homeport in Port Canaveral, Florida.
Michael Bayley, CEO of Royal Caribbean International, noted that Utopia of the Seas will feature a new immersive dining experience set in a train car that will utilize technology to display different scenery.
“It’s a train station and it’s absolutely knock your socks off stuff. So you go to a train station with all the effects and the carriages are restaurants. You feel like you are in a real train carriage — it moves a little bit. The tech in terms of the visuals are really very authentic. You can take a train trip through Europe, through the US, through the desert, you can go on a winter wonderland type trip and the menu will reflect your train trip,” he shared.
The idea for the food to be paired with the flavours of the region that’s being showcased.
“If you’re mature and you want a sophisticated European train trip from Venice down to Rome, we’ll give you that train trip with fine cuisine,” he added. “If you want to have a trip to the Wild West, see some cowboys, get involved in a shoot out, we’re going to give you that kind of experience.”
The concept is also being developed for kids.
Linken D’Souza – Vice President, Food & Beverage, at Royal Caribbean International, revealed that fan-favourite The Mason Jar Southern Restaurant and Bar, which debuted on Wonder of the Seas, will also be on Utopia.
“Mason Jar’s success was exceptional — my favourite concept ever developed — so we’re very excited to have it on Utopia for our guests,” he added.
The restaurant offers southern cuisine items like crab beignets or a classic po’boy and fun cocktails like a PB&J old fashioned, complete with live music sets.
“On Utopia of the Seas we will also have three new concepts. The first one is called Spare Tire, which is a casual complimentary menu on the pool deck. It’s going to have really fun grab-and-go food like a fried chicken sandwich,” he said.
Another new concept is the Pesky Parrot, a fun tiki bar experience.
“We had a tiki bar previously that does really well for us but this one is going to be a little bit larger, more energetic, a different vibe,” he said. “It’ll be a more fun tiki bar bringing a different energy to promenade of Utopia of the Seas.”
The other new concept is the Royal Railway, which Bayley spoke about.
“It’s an immersive dining experience that really brings all your senses to life and food and beverage is a core part of the experience,” he added.
Itinerary wise, Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean International’s senior vice president of Sales, Trade Support and Service, noted that Utopia will be offering shorter three and four-day cruises.
