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Royal Caribbean details new dining on Port Canaveral-bound Utopia of the Seas

The latest Oasis-class ship from Royal Caribbean will bring with it some unique dining experiences when it debuts from Port Canaveral this summer.

At the top of the list for Utopia of the Seas is an offering that will virtually transport passengers onto a train.

What the cruise line has dubbed Royal Railway – Utopia Station builds on a thematic dining experience in the same way that Empire Supper Club does on its new ship Icon of the Seas. While that dining venue takes passengers to a 1920s New York City-themed restaurant, the railway will go when step further introducing digital screens to mimic train travel in a dining car to a variety of destinations with matching cuisine.

One of the first experiences will mimic America’s Wild West, according to the line. Diners will start with pre-dinner drinks on a themed station platform, and when the train whistle sounds, board the dining car “for a multisensory culinary adventure that will transport them to any place and time.”

“We’re going on this journey of really figuring out where we’re going to go and shoot the video,” said Linken D’Souza, vice president of food and beverage for Royal Caribbean International during a press conference on board Icon of the Seas in January. “How are you going to go research the food? I just talked to the team. We’re going to head out to New Mexico and California and do some research on kind of some of the ingredients.”

He said special dishes are up in the air, but quail might make the final cut.

“We’ll see where we end up. We just started the journey,” he said. “There’s going to be some fun stuff. There are some unique, fun ideas coming out of it. I think you’ll have some really fun dishes.”

The railway will like Empire Supper Club be a limited experience, with two cars with 24 seats each for a 48-passenger capacity per seating, but length of the experience and cost has yet to be determined. Empire Supper Club has only one seating per night catering to 38 guests who pay $200 each for the eight-course experience that can last close to three hours on a ship that can hold more than 7,000 guests.

“We’re going take you through to the places that we’re talking about, to the food and beverage, and we will be playful and fun throughout bringing it to the table,” he said. “It’s not going to be an E for everyone experience, but it’s going to be super cool. … You’re going to have an experience that you’re going to walk away going, ‘Holy crow, that was special.’”

The ship will also feature a new poolside food truck with quick bites called The Spare Tire featuring dishes like pulled pork sandwiches and cheeseburger flatbread as well as daily rotating desserts.

Utopia will also incorporate a feature that debuted on Icon in Central Park, a walkup window for Japanese restaurant Izumi with Japanese-inspired street food and sweets.

The sit-down Izumi will also add to its special dining options with a multicourse omakase-inspired private experience paired with sake cocktails.

While the restaurant is on other ships, Italian venue Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar will get the spot taken by Wonderland on other Oasis-class ships overlooking the Boardwalk neighborhood including a new outside terrace called Gio’s Terrazza.

The venues are from among more than 20 dining experiences on board that will also feature the second iteration of the popular Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar that debuted on Wonder of the Seas. Also on board will be Hooked Seafood, Chops Grille, 150 Central Park, Park Cafe, Sorrento’s, Boardwalk Dog House, Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, Windjammer buffet, the main dining room and chef’s table experience.

A new bar on board will be the Pesky Parrot, offering fruit-based cocktails and frozen drinks on the Promenade taking place of the Bionic Bar found on some of its sister ships.

While Icon of the Seas became the world’s largest cruise ship, Utopia of the Seas will become No. 2 projected to be incrementally larger than sister ship Wonder of the Seas at 236,860 gross tons.

It will be the same length at 1,188 feet long, slightly less wide at 211 feet, still with 18 decks, but with 33 less staterooms so a smaller 5,668-passenger capacity based on double occupancy.

Currently under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, it’s slated to arrive in Central Florida in July.

The ship is taking on three- and four-night Bahamas sailings from Port Canaveral, replacing Allure of the Seas that began the short sailing duties from the port last fall. The sailings each will visit Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s private island Perfect Day at CocCay.

Unlike Icon, Utopia will have the new Oasis-class mainstay of the Ultimate Abyss dry slide, except at 295 feet long, will be 43 feet longer than its sister ships’ versions. The ship’s outdoor features will also include eight hot tubs, five pools, three Perfect Storm waterslides, Flowrider surf simulator, mini golf, climbing walls and the Splashaway Bay water play area.