Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Utopia of the Seas vs Star of the Seas
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 Star of the Seas, which was built in 2025. Star of the Seas will start sailing in Summer 2025. It'll feature many of the same restaurants and attractions as its sister-ship Icon of the Seas. The Star of the Seas is still under construction and Royal Caribbean 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 Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas, the Utopia of the Seas is 6% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas holds about the same number of passengers as the Star 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 Utopia of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Star of the Seas.
Both the Utopia of the Seas and Star of the Seas use a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Oasis | Icon |
| Gross Tonnage | 236,860 | 250,800 |
| Length | 1,188 | 1,198 |
| Beam/Width | 211 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 18 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,668 | 5,610 |
| Crew | 2,290 | 2,350 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 45 |
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 Royal Railway - Utopia Station, Izumi, and Hooked Seafood. Of those options, fifteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other fifteen options have an additional fee.
The Star of the Seas has one fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sorrento's Pizza, Izumi in the Park, and AquaDome Market. fifteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
The Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas & Star of the Seas
| Restaurant | Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas |
Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| AquaDome Market | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Basecamp | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cafe Promenade | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Dog House | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| El Loco Fresh | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Park Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Pearl Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Solarium Bistro | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Sorrento's Pizza | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sprinkles | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Surfside Bites | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Spare Tire | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Windjammer | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Izumi in the Park | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Playmakers | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sugar Beach | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Flat fee | |||
| 150 Central Park | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Celebration Table | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chops Grille | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Hooked Seafood | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Izumi | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Izumi Hibachi & Sushi | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Johnny Rockets | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Lincoln Park Supper Club | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Royal Railway - Utopia Station | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Mason Jar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Unnamed Surfside Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| Coastal Kitchen | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Grove | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas has 5 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Basecamp Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Boleros | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bubbles | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cantina Fresca | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Desserted Milkshake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dueling Pianos | ✗ | ✓ |
| English Pub | ✓ | ✓ |
| Giovanni's Wine Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lou's Jazz 'N Blues | ✗ | ✓ |
| Music Hall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pesky Parrot | ✓ | ✗ |
| Playmakers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rising Tide Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rye & Bean | ✗ | ✓ |
| Schooner Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Solarium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spotlight Karaoke | ✓ | ✓ |
| Suite Lounge* | ✓ | ✗ |
| Swim & Tonic | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Attic | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Grove Bar* | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Hideaway Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lemon Post | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut: Frozen | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Mason Jar | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Overlook | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Vue Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Trellis Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windjammer Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Wipeout 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 Star 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 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.
Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas has more pools than the Utopia of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Star of the Seas. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Worried about lots of kids onboard? Visit The Solarium, an adult-only area for guests 18 and older only. On Icon Class ships, there's isn't a Solarium, but instead, the adult-only area is called The Hideaway.
The Utopia of the Seas has a wading adult-only pool, while the Star of the Seas has a full-depth adult-only pool. Utopia of the Seas’ adult-only area is fully enclosed and climate controlled, while Star of the Seas’ is not enclosed. The Utopia of the Seas’ adult-only area is in the front, while the Star of the Seas’ is in the back.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 7 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 5 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 3 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Royal Caribbean editions with places like Studio B and Sorrento's featured.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Royal Caribbean Edition
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Royal Caribbean Edition
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 Star of the Seas, only 79% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean is 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.
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 understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.
| Royal Caribbean | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 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.
Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Articles Related the These Ships
About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.