I tried new £1bn cruise ship with 5 pools, affordable cabins & private island (2024)

SIPPING pina coladas in a freshwater lagoon on a private Caribbean island, I’m lost for words. Which, for a journalist, is a bit of a problem.

I feel like a lottery winner on a holiday for the super-rich.

But my two-person cabin on the brand new £1billion Utopia of the Seas cruise ship that brought me here starts from just £451 per person for four nights.

And Royal Caribbean promises passengers their “Perfect Day” at the mile-long paradise of CocoCay, the cruise line’s sun-drenched island in the Bahamas.

With six white sandy beaches and ten separate areas — from the adults-only Hideaway with in-water hammocks to Maldives-like overwater cabanas — it’s exactly what you would imagine the Caribbean looks like.

There’s even a hot air balloon that takes you 450ft into the sky for that ultimate holiday snap.

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All this is just an added bonus on my mini break on board Utopia of the Seas.

The ship embarked on its maiden voyage last month and is offering three and four-night return breaks from Florida’s Port Canaveral to the Bahamas.

At 1,188ft long and 211ft wide, this is the second-largest cruise ship in the world and can accommodate 5,668 passengers.

But its eye-popping size means it doesn’t ever feel too crowded.

Like many cruise virgins, I feared seasickness, but the scale of such a ship means I don’t feel any motion.

Day or night, the only clue we are moving comes when I step on to the balcony from my sea-view suite.

It’s one of the starter accommodations but is spacious and impressively sound-proofed.

It is kitted out with a double bed, en suite shower and toilet, desk and smart TV. Handily, there’s wifi on board and on CocoCay.

If you’ve got deeper pockets, the classy Royal Loft Suite, spread over two floors, can welcome six guests and has a huge private balcony and whirlpool.

Meanwhile, the Ultimate Family Suite can fit ten and has its own cinema and karaoke room — along with a slide to whizz you from one of the three bedrooms into the living room.

You can buy packages to include food and drink, and I guarantee you’ve never been to an all-inclusive resort with this many dining venues.

Once you’re familiar with the deck plans, it’s an exhilarating adventure in a floating city

There are 22 in total, from high-class restaurants to food trucks, buffet restaurants and even a free-flowing ice-cream machine poolside.

Unique to any cruise ship and brand new for Royal Caribbean, though, is the Royal Railway, an energeticimmersive dining experience on board a virtual steam train.

If the station platform outside of the virtual reality ride isn’t enough to fool you into thinking you’re on train tracks instead of seas, the sound effects and jolts inside the carriage will be.

Endless party

There are roleplay actors, dressed as train conductors, guiding guests to tables and TV screens disguised as windows showcasing scenery shots as the train judders along. Talk about dinner and a show.

You’d do well to even complete a pub crawl too, as there are 13 bars.

These include a Latin dance bar, a British pub, a Caribbean tiki bar, a sports bar and even a “floating” elevator bar that will take you up and down between decks while you sip Caribbean co*cktails.

You’ll never hear 'I’m bored' from the kids

A running track and state-of-the-art gym with daily exercise classes means you can indulge guilt-free.

But you’d get your steps in just making your way around this vast vessel, which has five pools, eight hot tubs and a world of entertainment and activities.

The bustling Royal Promenade, with its bars, restaurants and high-end shops, is overwhelming at first.

But once you’re familiar with the deck plans, it’s an exhilarating adventure in a floating city.

And each time you exit a lift on to another of its 18 decks, you’ll end up discovering something new.

You can really make your holiday your own.

Maybe you’ll have an endless party thanks to daytime DJs, two casinos, a karaoke club, comedy club and nightclub.

Or perhaps you’ll relax in peace courtesy of an art gallery, spa and the classy adults-only Solarium with bar, cafe, pool and hot tubs.

And you’ll never hear “I’m bored” from the kids thanks to the sports deck with crazy golf, rock-climbing walls, zipline, basketball, surfing simulator and The Ultimate Abyss, the largest dry slide at sea.

Its carousel and sweet shop will delight the youngest passengers, and there’s a huge arena offering games, playrooms, workshops and even babysitting and dining chaperone services.

When the sun goes down, take your pick from live bands, the West End-worthy All In! production, ice-skating extravaganza YouTopia or the combination of aerial acrobats, water dancers and divers of Aqua80too that will take your breath away with heart-thumping routines to 80s hits.

With so much to do, look out for the daily Cruise Compass planner, an extensive brochure delivered to your cabin every morning highlighting every class, club or activity from 6am until gone midnight.

Pick from solo traveller get-togethers to parties, quizzes, sporting contests and dance lessons.

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Of course, it’s a long way to fly for a three-day break, so I’d suggest making it the trip of a lifetime by combining it with a short stay in Florida (see right) before or after setting sail.

Royal Caribbean promised me just one Perfect Day — but I had the perfect holiday.