Cruise Spotlight
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Royal Princess vs Utopia of the Seas
The Princess Cruises Royal Princess was built in 2013. It was renovated in 2018. This ship is the third to carry the Royal Princess name. It's also one of 3 ships that feature Princess' Watercolor Fantasy Show, an outdoor dancing fountain show. It's 11 years older than the Utopia of the Seas, which was built in 2024. The Utopia of the Seas is the first Oasis-class ship to run on LNG, a cleaner burning fuel.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Royal Princess is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,083 feet long and 126 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 19-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas, the Royal Princess is 40% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Princess Cruises Royal Princess holds 37% fewer passengers than the Utopia of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Royal Princess has less space per person compared to the Utopia of the Seas.
The Utopia of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Royal | Oasis |
| Gross Tonnage | 142,229 | 236,860 |
| Length | 1,083 | 1,188 |
| Beam/Width | 126 | 211 |
| Passenger Decks | 19 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,560 | 5,668 |
| Crew | 1,346 | 2,290 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 40 | 41 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Royal Princess has 20 different dining options like World Fresh Marketplace, Alfredo's Pizzeria, and Crown Grill. Of those options, 11 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee.
The Utopia of the Seas has 10 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Hooked Seafood, Solarium Bistro, and Starbucks. 15 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 15 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Utopia of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 50% more dining options than the Royal Princess.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Royal Princess might be a better choice then the Utopia of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 20 | 30 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 11 | 15 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 7 | 15 |
| % of Included Options | 65% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Utopia of the Seas below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The Princess Cruises Royal Princess has a total of 3 pools and 7 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are adults only.
Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas has more pools than the Royal Princess and the same number of hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Utopia of the Seas. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Royal Princess. Only 73% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Utopia of the Seas, 85% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adults-only area (additional fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✓ | ✗ |
| Animated fountain | ✓ | ✗ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Art Auctions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sports Court | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Princess Cruises is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, is considered a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $18.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $2.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $6.25 | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $59.99 | $70 - $125 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $24.99 per device per day | $17 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
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