When sailing aboard Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas, you have an abundance of dining venues to choose from. Still, one stands out above the rest for fans of immersive entertainment: Royal Railway – Utopia Station.

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Royal Railway is billed as the “first-ever simulated railway adventure at sea” by Royal Caribbean, and it is exactly that. You’ll feel as though you’ve left the present and stepped into the sepia-toned heyday of the wild West.

Tickets, please!

The experience actually begins earlier in the day, before your reservation, when your physical tickets are dropped off at your stateroom and the Head Engineer for the train leaves a message on your stateroom phone, reminding you (while keeping in story) of your upcoming “travels.”

Getting physical tickets to board the train was such a surprise, and really set the tone for what to expect on this culinary expedition. You have to bring them to your dinner, but you get to keep them as a souvenir afterward.

When your reservation time arrives, you’ll head to Utopia Station to show your ticket and wait to board on the “train platform.” Outside of the restaurant is a working split-flap display, showing the last names of the dining parties set to board at the evening’s departure times. It’s very cool to see the parties’ names tick by while you wait to show your ticket to the station porter.

While waiting your turn to board on the platform, one of the station workers (in costume!) will hand you your choice of a mocktail or moonshine — ours was apple pie-flavored — to toast to the journey ahead. The moonshine is served in a glass bottle with an attached cork, which we thought was neat. At this point, you can also take commemorative photos with props like a barrel of TNT — but if you want the photos, you will have to purchase them at the end of your dinner.

Once it’s time to board, your conductor and the porter will welcome you aboard (with the porter carrying a suspiciously large crate of dynamite). Royal Railway consists of two 24-seat train cars, though you only see one during your dinner. You meet your server as everyone gets seated, and the conductor will come by to check your tickets.

All Aboard!

As we sat in our two-top train booth, we were blown away by the level of detail in making our car feel like a real Western railway car. Each table has a window that is an LED screen, showcasing natural Western views as you travel along the route. Also, be sure to check out the menu — it doubles as a map!

Once everyone is seated, the train leaves the station. The railway car seems to be on some sort of motion base, as it actually does chug along the “tracks” like a real train. For those nervous about the movement while also on a cruise ship sailing the open ocean, have no fear. We didn’t experience any motion sickness at all during our ~75-minute experience.

Time for Delicious Western Grub

The meal is a three-course dinner, kicked off by the Outlaw Bread Cart. That includes a “fresh-baked selection of wild rice & cranberry bread, spicy cowboy crackers, fruit and nut bread, a blue cheese pretzel with a cheesy pimento dip, and caramelized onion butter.”

We loved the wild rice & cranberry bread, and found it very sweet (in a good way). The cowboy crackers are indeed very spicy! Part of our group enjoyed it while some did not, so your mileage may vary depending on how you feel about spice.

As for our appetizers, our table opted for Fart & Dart Baked Beans, Golden (Chicken) Nuggets, and the Old West Empanada Trio.

The baked beans were more like a chili in texture and presentation, and were served with soft, toasted bread. It wasn’t a bad dish, but it wasn’t what we expected. As for the nuggets, they were standard but good! They were also not nuggets as you’d expect, but strips. The included bourbon BBQ sauce was delicious. Our final appetizer, the empanada trio, included a chicken, vegetarian (beans), and beef turnover. The chicken was our favorite, but they were all excellent!

On to the entree! We chose the Braised Short Ribs and the Barbecue “Impossible” Ribs to compare the standard dish with the vegetarian offering.

The short ribs were quite literally “fall off the bone” good. You don’t need a knife to cut them at all if you’re not a fan of eating with your hands. As for the Impossible ribs… absolutely delicious! No bone to worry about here, so you can cut and eat with ease. It comes served with charred corn and gem lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and a trio of sauces. The lettuce was a little wilted but fine, and the tomato was crunchy and fresh. Our favorite sauce in the trio was the brown sugar BBQ, which was tangy with a touch of spice. It also came with unadvertised cornbread, which we enjoyed!

Dessert? Yes please!

After finishing our entrees, dessert arrived to close out the meal. There are only two options here, so we got them both: the Royal Railway Cigar and the Denver Gold Bar.

These desserts were the true highlight of the meal. So imaginative and tasted just as good as they looked. The cigar looks just like a cigar, complete with cookie crumble “ash.” Made of hand-rolled milk chocolate and stuffed with sweet cream, we thought it tasted just like a Ferrero Rocher! The gold bar was comprised of layers of vanilla cake, coconut and sweet raspberry jam, topped with gold flakes and moscato rhubarb sorbet. To us, the texture was more akin to a mousse, and it is definitely the lighter of the two desserts. A nice plus for us was that you could get a cup of coffee alongside your dessert to close out the meal.

Overall, the dinner menu is American fare with various twists to complement the Western theme (like gold leaf on the chicken strips). There’s bound to be something to suit every palate in your party. If you’re vegan, options for that dietary restriction are available upon request.

A Tale of Adventure and Mystery in the Wild West

All the while, during your meal, a story of a bandit trio after valuable jewels unfolds around you. The cast includes just three performers (with one playing the three bandit roles), but they find ways to interact with each guest to make the experience feel special. Two moments in particular stood out for us: when the porter read aloud telegrams meant for select passengers, with many Jungle Cruise-style jokes, and when one passenger was named deputy by the Conductor (with a star badge to match!).

Overall, the experience was truly delightful and immersive in a way that we could only compare to the feeling of playing a Western-themed video game like Red Dead Redemption. Every passenger was in on the joke, and the performers were game to play as much as you’d like. It would absolutely fit right in at a theme park, to the point where you almost forget you’re even on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean.

If you have the opportunity to experience Royal Railway while cruising on Utopia of the Seas, we highly recommend it. It’s geared toward families with older kids, but even adults traveling solo can still get plenty of enjoyment out of it.

If you’re interested in sailing on Utopia of the Seas, check out Be Our Guest Vacations! They sponsored our cruise series and planned the entire trip for us. Check out our affiliate link to speak with a travel agent about planning your next cruise at no additional cost to you: BeOurGuestVacations.com.