All-Star Lineup Welcomes Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas
by Dori Saltzman
Photo: Dori Saltzman
The travel industry’s “world’s biggest weekend” got off to a rollicking start at the inaugural of Royal Caribbean International’s newest Oasis-class ship – and the second largest ship at sea – Utopia of the Seas.
“This is one hell of a ship,” Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said shortly before Joseph Simmons, better known as Reverend Run, founding member of the hip-hop group Run-DMC, joined Utopia’s DJ for an a 30-minute-plus set of classic rap, hip-hop, and 80s hits that had the entire crowd dancing despite the scorching heat.
Utopia of the Seas, which sails from Port Canaveral, is the first all-new cruise ship dedicated entirely to the three- and four-night cruise market – thus its moniker “world’s biggest weekend.”
But Bayley told the crowd, “It’s not about the size. It’s because you can make the most of every single minute in more ways than ever before.”
Utopia features 40 ways to dine, drink, and party, including a new Caribbean tiki bar – The Pesky Parrot – as well as themed parties, two casinos, numerous pools, and entertainment that spans ice, water, and stage.
For Utopia’s party-themed inaugural, Royal Caribbean kept the speeches to a minimum with only Bayley and Jason Liberty, CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, taking to the stage to thank numerous people at Royal Caribbean Group and International, as well as key figures at shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Port Canaveral.
Per tradition, a rabbi and priest gave their blessings. Royal Caribbean also stuck to its tradition of escorting key players to the AquaTheater stage with bagpipers, but then turned that tradition on its head when three rock bagpipers came on stage to perform Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance,” right before Utopia’s Godmother GRAMMY-aware winning singer and songwriter Meghan Trainor came to the stage to name the ship and perform “All About that Base.”
The only snag in the entire proceedings saw the bottle of Champagne break somewhere no one was able to see.
