Utopia of the Seas vs Carnival Paradise

The Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas is a fairly new ship, being built in 2024. The Utopia of the Seas is the first Oasis-class ship to run on LNG, a cleaner burning fuel. It's 26 years newer than the Paradise, which was built in 1998 and renovated in 2023.

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 Utopia of the Seas is considered an extra large ship. Coming in at 1,188 feet long and 211 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.3 football fields, as wide as 4 tractor-trailers, and the same height as a 16-story building. Compared to the Carnival Paradise, the Utopia of the Seas is 237% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

The Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas holds more than double the number of people as the Paradise based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, the Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas holds more than double the number of people as the Paradise.

When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Utopia of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Paradise. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

The Utopia of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

	Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas	Carnival Paradise
Class	Oasis	Fantasy
Gross Tonnage	236,860	70,367
Length	1,188	855
Beam/Width	211	103
Passenger Decks	16	10
Passengers (double occupancy)	5,668	2,052
Passengers (maximum occupancy)	6,988	2,606
Crew	2,290	920
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.1	2.8
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	34	27

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 Utopia of the Seas has twenty-four different dining options like 150 Central Park, The Mason Jar, and Chops Grille. Of those options, fifteen are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other fifteen options have an additional fee.

The Paradise has fourteen fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Pizza Pirate, Carnival Deli, and The Chef's Table. Twelve of these restaurants are complimentary and the other three 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 more than twice as many dining options as the Paradise.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Paradise might be a better choice than the Utopia of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas	Carnival Paradise
Total Dining Options	24	10
Complimentary Dining Options:	15	12
Additional Fee Dining Options:	15	3
% of Included Options	38%	70%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas has 8 more bars than the Carnival Paradise. The Utopia of the Seas has 19 bars like Giovanni's Wine Bar, Spotlight Karaoke and The Attic. On Paradise, you can grab a drink at 11 different bars such as Casino Bar, Java Blue Cafe and Serenity Pool Bar.

Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas	Carnival Paradise
•Boleros • Cantina Fresca • Casino Bar • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Music Hall • Pesky Parrot • Playmakers • Rising Tide Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Suite Lounge • The Attic • The Lime & Coconut • The Mason Jar • The Vue Bar • Trellis Bar • Wipeout Bar	•America Piano Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Leonardo Lounge • Punchliner Comedy Club • RedFrog Rum Bar • Rex Dance Club • Rotterdam Bar • Serenity Pool Bar

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 Barq's 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.

You can check out the recent bar menus for the Utopia of the Seas and the Paradise below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

	Utopia of the Seas	Paradise
General-access pools	3	1
Adults-only pools	1	0
Exclusive pools	1	0
General-access hot tubs	2	2
Adults-only hot tubs	3	2
Exclusive hot tubs	2	0

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas has a total of 5 pools and 7 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.

Carnival Paradise has fewer pools than the Utopia of the Seas and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Paradise. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and three of the hot tubs are adults only on Utopia of the Seas.

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. On the Utopia of the Seas, 84% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Paradise, only 73% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas	Carnival Paradise
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Aquatheater	✓	✗
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Carousel	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✗
Comedy Club	✓	✓
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✗	✓
Escape Room	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✓	✗
Ice Skating	✓	✗
Jogging Track	✗	✓
Kid's Play Area	✓	✗
Laser Tag	✓	✗
Mini golf	✓	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✗
Shows - musical review	✓	✗
Spa	✓	✗
Splash park	✓	✓
Thrill Slide	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✓
Zip Line	✓	✗
	Learn more	Learn more

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties, which vary by ship.

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean and Carnival are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. 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. Typically, newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas will likely be more expensive than on Carnival Paradise.

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 may 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.

	Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas	Carnival Paradise
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.50	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	20%
Soda Price	$3.50	$3.25
Domestic Beer Price	$7.49 See drink menus	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$77 - $118 Learn more	$83 - $88 Learn more
Internet Plan	$19 to $30 per device per day	$18.70 to $23.80 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

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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