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Utopia of the Seas vs Aqua
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 1 year older than the Aqua, which was built in 2025. The Norwegian Aqua will be the 20th ship in the NCL fleet and will debut in March 2025. The Aqua is still under construction and Norwegian hasn't released all the details yet.
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 size 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 Norwegian Aqua, the Utopia of the Seas is 52% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas holds 59% more passengers than the Aqua 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 Utopia of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Aqua.
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 | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Oasis | Prima Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 236,860 | 156,300 |
| Length | 1,188 | 1,056 |
| Beam/Width | 211 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,668 | 3,571 |
| Crew | 2,290 | 1,388 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 44 |
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 30 different dining options like Solarium Bistro, Hooked Seafood, and Cafe Promenade. Of those options, 15 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 15 options have an additional fee.
The Aqua has 13 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Onda by Scarpetta, Le Bistro French, and Hudsons. 6 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 11 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 76% more dining options than the Aqua.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Utopia of the Seas might be a better choice then the Aqua. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 30 | 17 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 15 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 15 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 50% | 35% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas has 3 more bars than the Norwegian Aqua. The Utopia of the Seas has 19 bars like Boleros, Schooner Bar and The Vue Bar. On Utopia of the Seas, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Belvedere Bar, Swirl Wine Bar and The Haven Bar.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Norwegian Aqua |
|---|---|
| •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 | •Belvedere Bar • Improv at Sea • Luna Bar • Metropolitan Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Penrose Bar • Proof Whiskey Bar • Soleil Bar • Starbucks • Swirl Wine Bar • Syd Norman's Pourhouse • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • The Bull's Eye Bar • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves 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 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.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Utopia of the Seas and the Aqua 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 Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas has a total of 5 pools and 7 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 3 of the hot tubs are adults only. 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.
Norwegian Aqua has fewer pools than the Utopia of the Seas and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Aqua. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 3 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 4 |
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 Aqua, only 53% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dart Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Slidecoaster | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian 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.
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.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus | $7.00 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more | 106 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device |
| *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.
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a More at Sea fare. Through this program, guests receive open bar, a discount on excursions, some free internet, and some meals at specialty restaurants. If you book using this promotion, you'll be responsible for the gratuities on the dining and drink package. If you won't be using these options, booking a "sail away" rate that doesn't include the More at Sea benefits is considerably cheaper. Also, most of these benefits are the base packages; you can spend more to upgrade to better alcoholic drinks or faster/more wifi.
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