Royal Caribbean’s newest ship is the incredible Utopia of the Seas – but how does she compare to one of the most famous ships of all time, the Titanic?
One ship was designed for elegant crossings of the Atlantic Ocean, while the other aims to provide the ultimate weekends – they really couldn’t be much different in their aims!
Let’s take a look at just how different these ships really are!
Size comparison
Utopia of the Seas is around five times the size of the Titanic when you’re looking at Gross Tonnage – a measurement of the internal volume.
That’s the typical measurement used for comparing ship sizes, because it takes into account length, width, height and more.
Indeed, Utopia’s only around 33% longer than Titanic, but she’s more than twice as wide, and she has nearly double the number of decks. That’s a serious upgrade in terms of the space available for everyone onboard!
Of course, there are a lot more people onboard Utopia – over twice as many passengers and over twice as many crew too.
Utopia of the Seas is not the biggest ship in the world – that’d be Icon of the Seas, part of Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class. But she’s not far off, so it’s no surprise that she’s so much bigger than Titanic.
| Titanic | Utopia of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Tonnage | 46,328 GT | 236,860 GT |
| Length | 882 feet | 1,188 feet |
| Width | 92.5 feet | 211 feet |
| Guest Decks | 9 | 16 |
| Guests | 2,435 | 5,668 |
| Crew | 892 | 2,290 |
Which is faster?
Surprisingly, not much has changed in the 110+ years between Titanic and Utopia of the Seas when it comes to sailing speed. Titanic would’ve cruised somewhere between 21 and 22 knots on average which is the same as Utopia of the Seas. That works out at around 25 mph.
That’s because speed doesn’t really matter for modern cruise ships. As long as they can get to the next port in time for the next day, that’s enough – there’s no need to invest in turbo-charged engines which would be super expensive to run.
Even the fastest cruise ship – Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 – only has a top speed of 30 knots and it rarely pushes the limits on that.
Read more: How Fast Do Cruise Ships Go?
Utopia of the Seas has WAY more facilities (obviously!)
Life onboard the Titanic was not dull – the ship did have some leisure facilities that guests could use. However, compared to modern ships like Utopia of the Seas, it really was nothing – the difference in modern ships is crazy!
Activities
Utopia of the Seas has loads of exciting things for guests to enjoy including a zip-line, mini-golf, rock climbing, surfing simulators, a carousel, and an AquaTheater.
Titanic had a squash court, a gym and some deck games such as quoits and shuffleboard, but to pass the time guests would’ve spent more time playing games such as chess, dominoes or card games.
Swimming pools
You might not realise that Titanic did have a swimming pool onboard – although it was only for the use of guests in first class, and it had set times for men and women to use it. Here’s what it looked like:
Utopia of the Seas has a pool too. And another one. And another one. And… well, there are 10 in total! It also has a water park with lots of slides.
So you really shouldn’t struggle to find one to relax in, though strangely none of them are really suited to proper swimming, unlike the Titanic’s was.
Where to eat on board
Titanic had four restaurants onboard for guests to enjoy – the A la Carte restaurant, the Dining Saloon, the Verandah Cafe, and Cafe Parisien. Not a bad amount of choice for a ship back then.
Utopia of the Seas offers slightly more flexibility though with a huge 20 dining venues, including some debuting concepts such as the immersive train car dining experience and an omakase-inspired restaurant. Plus every cruise will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay with another 5 dining venues to choose from.
Considering how Utopia of the Seas is marketed as the ultimate weekend getaway, you’re going to need several weekends to try everything!
Accommodation
Utopia of the Seas has a huge range of accommodation options to suit all budgets, from comfy Inside cabins through to the very best suites. As an Oasis-class ship, there are some balcony staterooms which overlook the internal promenade or Central Park, instead of facing the sea.
The top suites include the Ultimate Family Suite, a vibrant two-storey room aimed squarely at kids (and big kids) with its own slide from the bedroom to the living area!
Titanic had suites too, with the top suites being the two-bedroom Deluxe Parlour Suites. These had two spacious bedrooms, two walk-in wardrobes, a sitting room with a fake fireplace and a private bathroom.
Of course, a private bathroom was a luxury then, and the vast majority of passengers onboard would’ve used shared facilities.
Third-class cabins were pretty basic with many not even having a washbasin, but they were seen as being relatively more comfortable than third-class rooms on other ships at the time.
Huge advances in safety
I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone these days that the Titanic was not the safest ship in the world – the fact that it sank on its maiden voyage, despite being branded as “unsinkable”, is a testament to that.
But how do modern ships like Utopia of the Seas compare?
They are a lot safer, don’t worry. Technically Utopia of the Seas could sink in extreme conditions such as with a rogue wave, or with a hurricane or iceberg, but it’s extremely unlikely.
The biggest risk to modern ships, according to a ship pilot I spoke to, is running aground – just like what happened to Costa Concordia. And since that happened, captains are even more careful about where they sail.
Utopia of the Seas also has enough lifeboats for every passenger, unlike Titanic, so if the worst did happen, there would be enough boats to get everyone to safety. Titanic only had 20 lifeboats – a capacity for around half the people onboard.
Cost to build comparison
Utopia of the Seas is expected to have a final build cost of around $1.35 billion, which is around the same as sister ship Wonder of the Seas. It’s a lot more than the Titanic’s cost to build, which was $7.5 million.
And inflation still doesn’t make a difference – even accounting for that, Titanic would only have cost around $200 million to build today, so less than a sixth of the cost of Utopia.
Read more: How Much Does A Cruise Ship Cost To Build & Operate?
Titanic did have higher suit costs for sailing though – the most expensive suite would’ve cost £870, which is around the same as $104,000 now. The Ultimate Family Suite will cost around $15,000 per person for a weekend, so around $60,000 for a typical family.
But Titanic was cheaper on entry-level fares. A third-class cheap ticket would be the equivalent of $900 today, and that was for a journey of around a week. Doing back-to-back cruises on Utopia of the Seas for a total of 7 nights would cost around $1,100 per person.
Read more: How Much Was A Ticket On The Titanic?
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To conclude
While there are some surprising similarities between Utopia of the Seas and the Titanic, these are few and far between. Utopia is the ultimate weekend party ship for families, whereas Titanic was more of a luxury ocean liner.
Utopia is much bigger in every way, and she’s packed with amazing things to keep you busy for every second of your voyage.
Comparing Titanic to modern cruise ships shows just how far things have advanced, and how different the cruise industry is now that it is more focussed on shorter itineraries – with Utopia of the Seas the perfect example with its 3-night and 4-night sailings.
Related posts
- How Cold Was The Water When The Titanic Sank?
- The 10 Best Titanic Museums In The World
- Utopia of the Seas vs Icon of the Seas
- Titanic Vs Carnival Cruise Ships: Comparison
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
