Sponsored By

Utopia 'the right product with the right vibe in the right place': BayleyUtopia 'the right product with the right vibe in the right place': Bayley

Utopia of the Seas' splashy debut just six months after Icon of the Seas makes a one-two punch for Royal Caribbean International.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

July 19, 2024

4 Min Read
CRUISE Utopia Michael Bayley
Utopia of the Seas' splashy introduction just six months after Icon's huge success is cheered by Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael BayleyPHOTOS: ROYAL CARIBBEAN AND ANNE KALOSH

The brand enjoys a 'very positive track record of creating incredibly relevant vacations for its target customer' — the multigenerational family — President/CEO Michael Bayley said aboard Utopia this week. The 'hugely successful' Icon of the Seas already showed that.

'It hit the market at the right time, with the right vibe in the right way, and everyone said "I gotta have that,"' Bayley said.

'It's the same with Utopia. It's the right product with the right vibe in the right place. It's going to do the job perfectly.'

Market relevance

Bayley thinks Royal Caribbean's 'got the formula right.'

He credited Jay Schneider, chief product innovation officer, and his group, combined with CMO Kara Wallace's team's consumer data analytics for 'making sure our brand is consistently relevant for the demographics of our target market and how they're going to evolve over time.'

'Giant on-ramp for new to cruise'

As the first Oasis-class ship going directly into the short-break market, Utopia provides a 'giant on-ramp for new to cruise,' Bayley said. '... It's a perfect product. People don't have to commit so much time and money ... It's no big deal to hop on Utopia Friday and be back in the office on Monday.'

About half of Royal Caribbean customers are new to cruise, and half are millennials or younger, 'and they like short vacations,' Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty told Seatrade Cruise News.

''[Utopia] gives them the opportunity to have the weekend of a lifetime ... to come on, experience the quality' and once they do, they're five times more likely to choose Royal Caribbean again over another brand, Liberty said.

Perfect Day, Royal Beach Club and Canaveral's easy access

Bayley pointed to how Utopia combines Royal Caribbean's top-rated destination globally, Perfect Day at CocoCay ('Tell your kids they can go to the tallest water slide in North America,' he enthused), with an 'unbelievable experience' aboard ship for multigenerational families.

When Nassau's Royal Beach Club Paradise Island comes on line next year, that only adds to the allure with features like the world's largest swim-up bar.

And Port Canaveral-based Utopia is easy to access for the huge number of families coming to Orlando, many by car.

'It's perfect for families, particularly young families,' Bayley summed up. 'It's totally top-notch, world class at great value pricing.'

Oasis-class staying power

Utopia arrives 15 years after the first Oasis-class ship, as the sixth in the series.

Having just hosted the President's Cruise aboard 2009's Oasis of the Seas in the Mediterranean, Bayley thought 'Wow! What a great ship!'

This class has been 'a true game-changer,' he continued, 'and its level of satisfaction for the customer is epic. It consistently delivers, and it ages so well.' Investing in major 'amplifications' (updates) also keeps the product current.

Bayley said: 'The reason it works so well is size and the neighborhoods' (concepts carried through to Icon) that provide something for each age group, from Boardwalk for the little kids to Central Park for adults. Then, in the evening, 'Everyone can come together for a great family night, or a date night or a burger. It's a great family vacation.'

New on Utopia

Of course the Oasis technology has been updated (Utopia is first of the class to be LNG-powered) and the product has evolved.

Instead of a Bionic Bar on the Royal Promenade — a concept Bayley said had 'run its course' — there's the Pesky Parrot Caribbean tiki bar with its wise-cracking parrot Brian, flying in to debut on today's inaugural cruise. Also new: the Royal Railway family dining adventure ($119 for adults and $24.95 for kids), a two-story Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, the Asian restaurant Izumi now located in Central Park, new water slides and more.

And Utopia has the best room mix of any Oasis-class ship, according to SVP Sales Vicki Freed: 20 categories, and more suites — 176 including the stunning new aft-facing Solarium Suite with its vast, wrap-around views.

High-energy ship

It's a 'high-energy ship,' Freed said, because families on a short cruise are trying to pack it all in.

That's reflected in the entertainment. There's a new production show, 'All In!,' more live music throughout, and new AquaTheater and ice shows under VP Entertainment Christi Coachman and her team.

Soaring stock price

During a news conference, Cruise Week's Mike Driscoll asked how much all the buzz about Icon and Utopia have played into Royal Caribbean Group's soaring stock price over the past year.

During trading Tuesday, the day after Utopia's naming festivities, RCL shares hit an all-time high of $172.64.

All in all, Royal Caribbean Group is on an 'extremely positive trajectory,' Bayley responded, citing the way the company managed its debt during the pandemic while continuing to design Icon and Utopia.

'And when we came out of the pandemic, we started launching new ships. We never strayed from our strategy, but we pressed forward. The product and the brands we have are generating very happy customers and that's producing very strong results.'

New Discovery class in development

A seventh Oasis-class ship is on order for Royal Caribbean International, and Bayley said the company's thinking about the future of the Icon class even as it develops a new Discovery class.

No details yet on the latter, but: 'We always focus on the relevancy for the customer,' Bayley reiterated. 'Most of the time we've got it right, and I think we'll continue to succeed.'

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

The latest cruise news, analysis and more straight to your inbox
Get the free newsletter read by industry experts

You May Also Like