Friday Funny

 

Trip Report: Royal Caribbean's Utopia Of The Seas

 

We previously posted two articles about the nightlife options aboard Royal Caribbean's brand new Utopia of the Seas. They can be found here and here in case you missed them. Today we're going to look at some of the other food and entertainment options on the ship which is doing 3nt & 4nt cruises from Port Canaveral. There is just SO much to do that it's impossible to see and do it all during one short cruise.

Along the ship's Royal Promenade on Deck 5, we previously reported on the Pesky Parrot. There are no cover charges at any of the bars onboard; you just pay for your drinks as you would in any bar unless you have a drink package.

Sorrento's Pizza can be found nowadays on all Royal Caribbean ships. It's open until 3AM and it is free.

Bell & Barley is an English-style pub along the Royal Promenade.

They had a guitar Top 40 singer in here nightly.

The promenade is also home to Spotlight Karaoke. It was absolutely packed every time we walked past it. Rather than have karaoke taking place in one of the ship's lounges, they gave it its own spot!

Boleros is also a feature on Royal Caribbean ships and it has its own location along the promenade. It's a Latin music club.

Promenade Cafe is also down here. It has snacks and light bites and is free.

Photo ops too! The liquor store is also located here along with the Logo store. The Royal Promenade can be found on all of Royal Caribbean's Voyager Class and Oasis Class ships.

Oasis Class ships also have a Boardwalk area. This is on Deck 6 on this ship.

This open-to-the-sky area has a free carousel with balcony cabins that look down upon it.

Playmakers Sports Bar is located out here with more than 2 dozen televisions.

There's a Johnny Rocket's branch out here too but it does cost extra.

All the way aft is the Aqua Theater which we describe in one of the other posted articles.

Boardwalk Dog House is out here as well and it's free. You can't go hungry on this ship!

On Deck 8, another outdoor area facing the sky called Central Park.

Along the walk in the woods is Park Cafe which is also free.

Down on Deck 4, The Attic. It's another bar but we did not see any events in here.

We previously posted about Music Hall located on Deck 8/9.

The ship's showband plays here. We attended a 70's Night & 80's Night here.

Studio B is also on Deck 4. It contains an ice skating rink home to the free YouTopia professional skating shows but they also do other events in here.

If you've ever sailed Royal Caribbean, you're familiar with Quest. These are the 6 finalists.

These are the 6 finalists two minutes later!

The FlowRider is an extra fee sport on Deck 16. But basketball (Deck 16) and rock climbing walls (Deck 7) are free.

As are mini-golf.....

.....and pickle ball (3 courts).

And there is so much more that we couldn't show it all. (We didn't mention the Casino, the Buffet, the specialty dinner on a train, the arcade, the water slides, the dry slides, the toga party, the silent disco and it goes on and on!) On board Utopia of the Seas, a good time was had by all.

This Weekend In Techno Town

This weekend is jammed with options!

THU   19SEP     CELINE     DJ Bou (GB)

THU   19SEP     LIVE! AT THE POINTE   DJ James Kennedy (USA)

FRI     20SEP     CELINE     DJ Blanke (AUS)

FRI     20SEP     MORSE CODE     DJ Knightlife (USA)

FRI     20SEP     VANGUARD     DJ Shiba San (F) & DJ CID (USA)

SAT    21SEP     VINES GRILLE     DJ Carlos Mendoza (USA)

SAT    21SEP     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Oscar G (USA)

SAT    21SEP     WALL ST PLAZA     DJ It's Murph (USA)

SAT    21SEP     CAPITAL ROOM BAR (Sanford)  DJ Mark Sanchez (USA)

SAT    21SEP     MORSE CODE     DJ Mike House (USA)

SUN   22SEP     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Cristoph (GB)

TUE   24SEP     ARENA ART BAR     DJ Freeda Sol (USA)

PI Update: As Bleak As Ever

Let's cross this bridge one more time to beautiful Pleasure Island. Well, let's not. The only venue over there with potential dancing is The Edison Orlando but sadly they no longer create a dance floor after the radio shows are finished for the night. Instead, the music ends at 11PM and nothing happens after that. Post-covid, we've never seen the return of Late Night Disney Springs either. Pleasure Island is as bleak as ever.

PI Update: The Motion Corridor

While shops on Hill Street on Pleasure Island has suffered from quite a bit of turnover, this spot has remained remarkably stable. This is the so-called "Motion Corridor" which used to be the service/garbage area behind Raglan Road and adjacent club Motion. When this area was converted from Cast-only to a retail area, the 3 stores that opened there all remain in business today. On the left, flip-flop store Havaianas is still there. On the right, Chapel Hats and Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC are still there. That's pretty impressive!

 

Club Reports: Privilege Day Club (Nassau), Aqua Theater, Studio B (Utopia Of The Seas)

An absolutely amazing aqua show aboard Utopia of the Seas and we've posted a few pictures over on our sister website Orlando Entertainment News. Check it out here.

Club Reports: Sail Away Party, Pesky Parrot, Schooner Bar, Music Hall (Utopia Of The Seas)

We met DJ Ruby Voo (BR) at the Sail Away Party on Day 1 of this cruise on Royal Caribbean's brand new ship, Utopia of the Seas. We visited several clubs on the ship that first day and you can find the pics on sister website Orlando Entertainment News here.

 

Friday Funny

 

PI Update: Magic Marshmallows?

The newest kiosk addition at Riverboat Square on Pleasure Island is Wondermade Magical Marshmallows. The other three kiosks there remain the same as before. The marshmallows come in an assortment of flavors and some are made with alcohol although that cooks-out during the manufacturing process.

 

This Weekend In Techno Town

The DJ's just keep on coming!

THU    12SEP     TACO KAT     DJ Derek Fereal (USA)

THU    12SEP     IRON COW     DJ Darcii Darka (USA)

FRI     13SEP     CELINE     DJ Westend (USA)     

SAT    14SEP     VANGUARD     DJ Marauda (AUS)

SAT    14SEP     SANFORD BREWING     DJ Jason Brown (USA)

SAT    14SEP     ABBEY ORLANDO   Gimme Gimme Disco 70's Night

SAT    14SEP     FALCON BAR     DJ Spank (USA)

SUN   15SEP     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Andruss (MEX)

 

DS Update: Candy Cauldron Renovations

Long-operating Candy Cauldron in Disney Springs West Side closed last month for extensive renovations.

It is supposed to reopen this Fall but no exact date has been announced.

PI Update: The Climb Up Hill Street

During the conversion of Downtown Disney to Disney Springs, initial heavy construction and demolition took place the most on Pleasure Island including this section of Hill Street. And this was the first place where new shops opened in the entire complex. Let's take a look at the current state of affairs down there.

Beginning at the Hub and then heading uphill, this corner was the former home of PI Live Bar. It got its name from its location across from the elevated PI Live DJ booth.

The first shop to take over this location after PI Live Bar was demolished was Erwin Pearl Jewelry. We never saw more than one or two customers in there and often none so we had predicted this would be the first new shop in Disney Springs to close. It wasn't but it did eventually shutter.

It was replaced by Gideon's Bakehouse which has been a total success. We always witness long lines during our Disney Springs' visits.

Heading uphill, the next new shop was Apex by Sunglass Hut. It didn't differ much from what you find in every shopping mall everywhere except for the Apex name.

It was replaced by an Oakley store. Both Sunglass Hut and Oakley are brands owned by Luxottica so there was no ownership change, just a rebrand to a more-trendy name.

The actual first store to close in Disney Springs was Sound Lion, a shop selling phone supplies. We often see similar stores in airports so it seemed like a good idea since there are so many tourists here. But nope, it closed in April, 2017.

It was replaced by Savannah Bee Company which had been located in a kiosk in Riverboat Square. We really don't know what they sell in there but it's been there since 2017 so someone must be buying their products.

Climbing higher we come to The Ganachery. It was the last storefront to be occupied along Hill Street, not arriving until December, 2015. They apparently sell ganach and apparently a lot of it to pay the rent.

The next shop was Sanuk and it was an original in this spot where the front of 8TRAX had been carved off to fit this place. They sold odd-looking flip-flops. It opened in February, 2015 and seemed to be doing well..

Until they abruptly shuttered last month!

Finally up near the top of the hill, Art of Shaving was an original shop along Hill Street. It sold shaving supplies and you could actually get a shave and a haircut in there. It surpassed our expectations because who needed relatively-expensive shaving supplies while they were on holiday? Art of Shaving was located roughly where surf shop Curl by Sammy Duval was once located which in itself was where Superstar Studios once stood.

But it closed in early 2024 and has remained unoccupied for more than 6 months. So now we have two shops side-by-side which are idle. We've always speculated that views of these shops are blocked by planters with trees just high enough to block the views of passersby. If they want these places to be successful, they should make them more visible.