For us, Utopia is wasted on 3/4 night sailings

[Tatka]

Thank you for this nice review. 
 

Out of 63 cruises we had only one 4 dayer (attached to 10 dayer from the same port) and two 5-6 dayers. We used to mostly cruise 7 days or on occasion 9 dayers, due to kiddo in school, but now even 7 days feel “wrong”.

As for cruise business … aside from wear and tear of loading and unloading luggage (shorter cruises usually feature smaller bags, right?) shorter cruises bring more $$$ to cruise lines as people on both 3 and 4 dayers will buy photos, each set of gamblers will play in casinos, etc. Each “set” will go all out. 

 

[cruiselvr04]

The shorter cruises are part of Royals new plan.  
 

We have a B2B booked on Utopia for next year.  The 2 together are less than a 7 day on Harmony out of Galveston so they are not necessarily more expensive. 

[twangster]

9 hours ago, NickinNY said:

 

I understand the business rationale for RC. I wonder if they’ve ever figured out a formula for capturing PV of a first time cruiser. I also wonder what the incremental lift is for getting those passengers on a brand new Oasis class ship for 3 or 4 nights, versus an older Oasis class ship, or a non-Oasis class ship, on the same itinerary. If you’re saying they’re getting a 40% increase in first time sailers on Utopia and Icon vs. other ships, that’s a material increase. But if it’s the same increase on Icon and Utopia then that argues against the idea that 3 or 4 night itineraries (Utopia currently) are necessary to draw in the first timers. They won’t know until they try it, so I have no issue with them using Utopia for 3/4 nighters or marketing those sailings at first timers. 

 

Based on earnings calls something is working very well and a part of that is short Florida and Utopia.

 

They wasted little redeploying Ovation away from China when the results weren't happening,   They gave Ovation a lot less time to show results compared to how long Utopia has been open for booking.  If the Utopia strategy wasn't working I have little doubt they would have pulled the plug already like they with Ovation.  

 

Also consider Perfect Day is basically a money printing machine,  It makes sense to put the biggest ships with the most number of passengers on routes with frequent stops at PDCC.

 

They did try short Oasis class with Allure and they are moving Wonder to short from Miami soon.  This isn't a wild experiment that someone could lose their job over.  It's already proven to be successful and making bank.

[Ocean Boy]

21 hours ago, NickinNY said:

We were just on a 4-night sailing on Utopia. We are not hard core veteran cruisers, but we’re also not the newbies OR the weekend party set to which Royal is marketing this ship and these sailings. This was our 9th cruise, 5th on Royal. This cruise fit into our budget and calendar, and we were excited to be on a brand new Oasis class ship. We’re a family of four, two daughters ages 19 and 17. We didn’t really care about the ports of call, having been to both Nassau and Coco Cay several times before - we planned on using port time for onboard activities without the ship at its full complement of passengers (~5500 on this sailing).

 

Utopia did not disappoint. She’s beautiful, and more importantly, she’s everything you want and expect from an Oasis class ship. The crew and service were excellent. We agreed the crew was the most engaged and excited about being there of any of the Royal cruises we’ve been on. One of our daughters commented that they were almost Disney/DCL level happy to be there. She meant it as high praise. Maybe that’s just “new ship glow”.

 

We did not encounter an excessive party scene. Now, we weren’t checking out the frat party at 1am, so maybe it was there and we just didn’t see it. But we did what we wanted/like to do on a cruise, when and where we wanted to do it, and we didn’t have to dodge over-served donkeys as we were doing it. So, if you were there and were an over-served donkey, more power to you and thank you for staying out of my way. 

 

Best entertainment we’ve ever had on a cruise. From the big shows to the guy rocking (and I do mean rocking🤘) acoustic covers in the pub. *BTW, Royal needs to release the soundtrack to the aqua 80s show. I would listen to it at least twice a day.* Fantastic. And you know how most ice shows look like Borat took a bunch of hallucinogenics and then designed an ice show? This one was way more fun/less “impress the iron curtain king”, with more impressive skating. 

 

We felt the food in the MDR was still getting up to speed. Not bad, just not to the level we’ve experienced on other Royal ships. But the service in the MDR was outstanding. And they were so clearly interested in feedback about the food that we’re confident they’re invested in getting the food there. We did a lunch at Chops and it was as good as it always has been on other ships.

 

Saying you have 2 casinos on this ship is a little misleading. It’s really one casino and one fairly big closet where you can gamble. As a non-smoker I appreciate the non-smoking option. Utopia is still new enough that the main/actual casino doesn’t smell like a well used, shag carpet-lined ashtray, yet.

 

When it was busy, the elevators were an issue. Many people, us included, ended up also choosing floors one above or below where they were going, to try to get another car to stop, which just mucks up the system and defeats the purpose. Look, when it’s busy there’s always a wait for an elevator whether you’re on a cruise ship or waiting to get up to the pearly gates (so I’ve heard). This isn’t any kind of black mark for Royal in general or Utopia specifically. But other people had written about the elevators on Icon like they were some revolution in vertical conveyance, and A) that really only counts when it’s busy, and B) these were not. It’s just that going from the Promenade on 5 to WJ on 15 is a lot of stairs…. 

 

The point of this homily is that - for us non-newbie cruisers - our takeaway was that this class of ship is wasted on a 4-night cruise, and that can only mean it’s that much more wasted on a 3-night cruise. I suppose if you live in FL and are an experienced cruiser, this is still a more-fun way to spend a weekend than playing in the canasta tournament with the blue hairs at the club, again. But for us, we never got to the point where we felt settled in and could just lock into vacation mode, like we do on 7-night cruises, for example. Maybe that’s us, but that’s how we felt. We love the Oasis class ships because the massive amount of options for stuff to do becomes a “Jesus and the Entertainment Director take the wheel” moment where we decide to just float around and engage in whatever looks fun at that moment, with no FOMO agita. But, on such a short cruise, the vast amount of options became a point of anxiety - “We can’t go back to Trellis Bar yet; I still have to try a bunch of other bars!”

 

If that wasn’t your experience, that’s great. But, if it was, then you’re not alone. We weren’t disappointed with Royal or Utopia. It just made us decide we won’t do another short cruise on this caliber of ship.

Exactly what I have imagined I'd feel on a short cruise on an O class ship. For that matter, a short cruise on any ship that I'd be inclined to sail on.

[Ocean Boy]

17 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Assuming these ships continue to sellout, you now have two packed Oasis class ships going to Coco Cay twice every week, which is a huge revenue producer.  

And two packed O class ships at CC on the same day. That means demand for CC amenities goes up as well as the pricing.

[orville99]

20 hours ago, twangster said:

Royal hopes to give this new to Royal market the best possible exposure to Royal so they will come back and sail something longer next time. 

Based solely on the demographic mix (and their reluctance to spend anything extra while on board) we've seen recently on RCL's ships and an economy that is at great risk of crashing, my best guess is that a significant percentage of those first time cruisers will never come back to do another cruise.

[PhillyFan33579]

2 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Based solely on the demographic mix (and their reluctance to spend anything extra while on board) we've seen recently on RCL's ships and an economy that is at great risk of crashing, my best guess is that a significant percentage of those first time cruisers will never come back to do another cruise.

I don’t understand your comment about passengers not spending money. My experience has been the opposite on recent cruises. Speciality restaurants are selling out; excursions are selling out; cabanas at Coco Cay are selling out at incredibly high prices; Hideaway Beach has sold out almost every time I have been to Coco Cay this year; stores are always crowded on ships, etc. If anything, people are spending more money than ever on cruises. 
 

I

[orville99]

14 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I don’t understand your comment about passengers not spending money. My experience has been the opposite on recent cruises. Speciality restaurants are selling out; excursions are selling out; cabanas at Coco Cay are selling out at incredibly high prices; Hideaway Beach has sold out almost every time I have been to Coco Cay this year; stores are always crowded on ships, etc. If anything, people are spending more money than ever on cruises. 
 

I

On our last six cruises so far this year (three in April and three in July) the on board stores have been empty, you could walk past/through the perennial "sales" in the promenade without having to dodge any crowds, the pool bars opened late and closed early, the casinos were always empty, the specialty restaurant waiters were circling like buzzards every day (and during every meal) in the WJ trying to convince anyone to try one of the spec restaurants, there was never a line at any of the Freestyle machines, the bars that were open were never crowded, and the cruise director kept reducing the prices for the spa specials. The stores in the ports were virtually empty, and on the 4 times we were on PDCC alongside of Icon, the beaches/bars/pools were never crowded either. Our CD said that more than half of her passengers never leave the ship when she ports there.

 

Other than that...

[SUgwoz]

30 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Based solely on the demographic mix (and their reluctance to spend anything extra while on board) we've seen recently on RCL's ships and an economy that is at great risk of crashing, my best guess is that a significant percentage of those first time cruisers will never come back to do another cruise.

First time cruises and younger demographics are used to spending for extras, tipping for everything ect, have lower expectations of service. 

 

Generally its the veteran cruisers that balk at up charging and unhappy when comparing to cruises in the past.  New cruiser has nothing to compare to, except to land vacations where eating at Chipotle can cost a family $40, theme park tickets $150 per person, ect.

[PhillyFan33579]

7 minutes ago, orville99 said:

On our last six cruises so far this year (three in April and three in July) the on board stores have been empty, you could walk past/through the perennial "sales" in the promenade without having to dodge any crowds, the pool bars opened late and closed early, the casinos were always empty, the specialty restaurant waiters were circling like buzzards every day (and during every meal) in the WJ trying to convince anyone to try one of the spec restaurants, there was never a line at any of the Freestyle machines, the bars that were open were never crowded, and the cruise director kept reducing the prices for the spa specials. The stores in the ports were virtually empty, and on the 4 times we were on PDCC alongside of Icon, the beaches/bars/pools were never crowded either. Our CD said that more than half of her passengers never leave the ship when she ports there.

 

Other than that...

I have been on 14 cruises this year (10 RCI, 4 X) and my experiences couldn’t be more different than yours on RCI. Maybe the ships make a difference. I have been on Icon, Symphony, Allure, Explorer, Radiance, Grandeur, Enchantment, Independence and Freedom twice. 

[lovesthebeach2]

16 minutes ago, SUgwoz said:

First time cruises and younger demographics are used to spending for extras, tipping for everything ect, have lower expectations of service. 

 

Generally its the veteran cruisers that balk at up charging and unhappy when comparing to cruises in the past.  New cruiser has nothing to compare to, except to land vacations where eating at Chipotle can cost a family $40, theme park tickets $150 per person, ect.

While I agree with you….i also agree with @orville99 with my thoughts that although they have the money and don’t mind spending it, they may not liked cruising after all.  

[Vibe]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Exactly what I have imagined I'd feel on a short cruise on an O class ship. For that matter, a short cruise on any ship that I'd be inclined to sail on.

For those that have to fly to a port and only go on one cruise a year, I agree that a short cruise is not the best option.
For those that live within driving distance to a port and go on several cruises per year including longer cruises, a short cruise on an Oasis class ship is an excellent addition to their yearly cruise experiences.

[Ocean Boy]

17 minutes ago, Vibe said:

For those that have to fly to a port and only go on one cruise a year, I agree that a short cruise is not the best option.
For those that live within driving distance to a port and go on several cruises per year including longer cruises, a short cruise on an Oasis class ship is an excellent addition to their yearly cruise experiences.

That may well be true. I was writing what pertains to me.

[orville99]

39 minutes ago, SUgwoz said:

Generally its the veteran cruisers that balk at up charging and unhappy when comparing to cruises in the past. 

Until this year, DW and I always joked that the restaurant hawkers actively avoided anyone with grey hair and focused all their attention on the younger crowd because historically us grey haired folks had already "been there, done that". We could literally sit in the WJ during any meal and watch as they walked out of their way to avoid any of us "grey hairs" so they could hit on the younger "rookies". On our last eight 2024 cruises they were hawking to anyone who had a pulse or could possibly fog a mirror.

IMHO, their revenue model is in trouble, and I predict it will fall off a cliff when the 2026-2027 itineraries are released.

[lovesthebeach2]

24 minutes ago, Vibe said:

For those that have to fly to a port and only go on one cruise a year, I agree that a short cruise is not the best option.
For those that live within driving distance to a port and go on several cruises per year including longer cruises, a short cruise on an Oasis class ship is an excellent addition to their yearly cruise experiences.

We live close enough that we can cruise easily from PC or Tampa and we are booked on Utopia because we wanted to try it out…… BUT we’re not short cruise people and mostly cruise for itineraries and not ships, which is why you’ll see us on European cruises much more than the convenient PC shortie cruises. Usually a 5 night is what we consider a short cruise, and not usually on an Oasis ship. We’re not Royal’s current “target audience”. 
Luckily Royal has many ships for everyone.😁

[lovesthebeach2]

3 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Until this year, DW and I always joked that the restaurant hawkers actively avoided anyone with grey hair and focused all their attention on the younger crowd because historically us grey haired folks had already "been there, done that". We could literally sit in the WJ during any meal and watch as they walked out of their way to avoid any of us "grey hairs" so they could hit on the younger "rookies". On our last eight 2024 cruises they were hawking to anyone who had a pulse or could possibly fog a mirror.

IMHO, their revenue model is in trouble, and I predict it will fall off a cliff when the 2026-2027 itineraries are released.

I’m agreeing with you on all points here. Theres a lot of competition. Royal isn’t the only one out there building ships bigger and bigger…better and better…

[SUgwoz]

47 minutes ago, Vibe said:

For those that have to fly to a port and only go on one cruise a year, I agree that a short cruise is not the best option.
For those that live within driving distance to a port and go on several cruises per year including longer cruises, a short cruise on an Oasis class ship is an excellent addition to their yearly cruise experiences.

On top of that for Floridians, leaving the state for many means flying.  Aside the added costs for flying, trips out of state have to allocate more time. Driving 2 hours or less to a port for a 3-4 night getaway becomes a very appealing option.

 

For myself I rather do a vacation every few months vs. 1 or 2 times a year.  However, logistically taking 7+ day vacations every couple months is not a realistic option.

[orville99]

33 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

I’m agreeing with you on all points here. There's a lot of competition. Royal isn’t the only one out there building ships bigger and bigger…better and better…

Once we burn through our already booked RCL cruises, we are moving to other lines. We have already flagged 5 of those RCL cruises to move/cancel (2 in 2025 and 3 in 2026) and have replaced them with cruises on X (we have an 11 night "best" of the Southern Caribbean, a 10 night Southern to the windward islands B2B with an 11 night Panama Canal (partial transit), Cartagena, and A,B,C islands out of FLL in Sky suites that will cost us less/day than an 8 night eastern or southern in a GS on Adventure), have 2-3 exotic cruises on Cunard we are tracking, and coin tossing between Regent and Silversea depending who releases the better South American itineraries.

 

 

 

 

[lovesthebeach2]

10 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Once we burn through our already booked RCL cruises, we are moving to other lines. We have already flagged 5 of those RCL cruises to move/cancel (2 in 2025 and 3 in 2026) and have replaced them with cruises on X (we have an 11 night "best" of the Southern Caribbean, a 10 night Southern to the windward islands B2B with an 11 night Panama Canal (partial transit), Cartagena, and A,B,C islands out of FLL in Sky suites that will cost us less/day than an 8 night eastern or southern in a GS on Adventure), have 2-3 exotic cruises on Cunard we are tracking, and coin tossing between Regent and Silversea depending who releases the better South American itineraries.

 

 

 

 

That all sounds fantastic! No way could I get DH to cruise that much, although we do currently have 12 booked out to April 2026, and 4 of those are X and one is Silversea.….. do you do you own bookings?

Edited August 5 by lovesthebeach2

[orville99]

29 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

do you do you own bookings?

Yes, DW chooses, I book and pay😇😍

[lovesthebeach2]

14 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Yes, DW chooses, I book and pay😇😍

I book….and I pay…..

[ARandomTraveler]

4 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

I book….and I pay…..

Same 😂

[Baron Barracuda]

From an onboard revenue perspective 3 day cruises are really only 2 1/2 days.  Most passengers aren't aboard until afternoon of day 1 with shops and casino closed until ship is at sea.  Final day everyone is off right after breakfast.

 

For Coco Cay would love to know how much spending falls off for repeat customers.

[molly361]

Older person here.  I live an hour from PC and LOVE the 4 day cruises.  I don't like to fly and just want to get away from home for a few days to relax, eat, drink and hang out.  Don't really care where the ship goes.  I have several booked on the Utopia first one coming up in 2 weeks and then pretty much almost once a month for the rest of the year and into 2025

[PhillyFan33579]

4 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

While I agree with you….i also agree with @orville99 with my thoughts that although they have the money and don’t mind spending it, they may not liked cruising after all.  

I agree with both of you on this point. No doubt a lot of first time cruisers won’t cruise again for one reason or another. Also no doubt RCI closely tracks how many first time cruisers (or first time RCI cruisers) end up booking another cruise on RCI. I have no idea what the number is, but I am sure RCI knows, for example, that 25 percent of these first time cruisers will book another cruise with RCI. I have no idea what the actual percentage is (it could be much higher or lower), but I am positive RCI used the real number when deciding to use Oasis class ships for short cruises.