Royal Caribbean cuts steel for Utopia of the Seas, next largest cruise ship in the world

Construction of Utopia of the Seas has officially begun, with Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France having cut the first pieces of steel for Royal Caribbean’s new vessel.

When she is launched in 2024, Utopia of the Seas will be the new largest cruise ship in the world, taking over the title currently held by her sister ship Wonder of the Seas.

The 362-meter vessel will boast 3,000 cabins and space for almost 10,000 guests, more than any other cruise ship in the world.

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Wonder of the Seas was launched only a month ago, and at 236,837-gross tons is the largest cruise ship in the world. She is the fifth Oasis-class vessel, with each having been slightly larger than the first.

For comparison, Oasis of the Seas, the very first of these mammoth cruise ships, is 226,838-gross tons and carries 6,780 passengers at full capacity, whereas Utopia of the Seas will carry just under 10,000.

In addition to being the new largest cruise ship in the world, Utopia of the Seas will also be the second Royal Caribbean vessel powered by liquified natural gas (LNG), after Icon of the Seas, the first of a new class of ships currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.

Royal Caribbean have yet to reveal many details about Utopia of the Seas, but what we do know is that she’ll have a split superstructure like her sisters, with twin pool areas and activity spaces, and is likely to feature the Ultimate Abyss slide found on her sister ships, as well as the FlowRider surf simulator, the zipline across the Boardwalk and Central Park neighborhoods and more.

All the Oasis-class ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet feature at least 7 distinct neighborhoods (although the latest one, Wonder of the Seas, has 8). Utopia of the Seas may therefore also feature this additional space, which is essentially Royal Caribbean’s own version of the ship-within-a-ship luxury enclave concept pioneered by Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises.

Royal Caribbean is known for offering unique, mega-resort-style ships with aquatheatres, bumper car pavilions and some of the largest water parks at sea and Utopia of the Seas will be no different.

The ‘smallest’ of the Oasis-class ships, Oasis of the Seas, boasts 25 dining options, 4 pools, 10 whirlpools, 2 FlowRider surf simulators, 2 Rock Climbing Walls, Zip Line, an Ice-skating rink, a Carousel, a Basketball court, an aquatheatre and 34 categories of cabins with everything from windowless interior cabins to multi-room, double-deck luxury suites that come with private overseas balconies.