Royal Railway, Royal Caribbean's new immersive dining experience, made its debut on the new Oasis-class ship Utopia of the Seas. With Royal Railway, guests can enjoy dinner aboard a train featuring views of the West and interactive touches that transport them back in time to the Old West.

Utopia of the Seas began sailing with paying customers on July 19, 2024, and we were some of the first to try this new dining experience. We’re not strangers to Royal Caribbean dining, having tried their Empire Supper Club on Icon of the Seas, but would Royal Railway live up to that standard?

Now, Empire Supper Club and Royal Railway are different concepts altogether, and we can’t compare them against each other. Empire is a curated dining experience with a prix fixe menu and a live jazz band. Empire is a multi-course and comes with cocktail pairings for each course. This also comes with a much higher price tag of nearly 200 dollars.

Royal Railway on Utopia of the Seas offers three courses: an appetizer, a main course, and dessert. This is very similar to regular specialty dining on Royal Caribbean cruise ships. However, the price tag is much lower, at around $80 per person. According to Royal Caribbean, this may vary based on sailing.

From the very beginning, we were immersed in the Royal Railway experience. While waiting to board, you are greeted with a complimentary beverage at Platform number 4. The train station is fitted with luggage and sound and visual effects to truly emulate a train station. Royal Railway is a dinner theater, so pay attention as the story begins even while you wait to be seated.

The train car is beautifully decorated and truly feels luxurious and of the time period. Upon entering, all shades are down, and you are presented with the menu and map of the train route you will take. Additional cocktails are offered at a price, but the Royal Caribbean deluxe drink package will work on Royal Railway.

The story begins immediately and, quite frankly, does not stop during the entire dinner service. Even before the train leaves the station, the actors on board immerse you in the story. Bandits, Marshals, and treasure are at stake during this adventure. The only drawback was that the dinner service itself felt rushed to accommodate the fast-moving story and train.

Timing is everything with an immersive experience like Royal Railway and adding a storyline with actors to the mix, and it could feel a bit rushed. Then again, that added to the fun and storytelling experience. We had a unique situation as we filmed for our YouTube channel, and it was a challenging additional element to our evening. Several instances where our food was taken to make way for the next course and storyline before we had a chance to finish our food. We did not complain since we were excited to see the story progress. We did witness other tables not vlogging having a similar situation, so perhaps it is not unique to just vloggers.

Our only note is that it felt rushed, but that could truly be by design. We would absolutely book Royal Railway again. In fact, we were told that they are working on a Spice Road route storyline and dinner service along with a Halloween and Polar Express concept. The opportunities are endless for Royal Caribbean with Royal Railway, and we certainly will be back someday. We hope Royal puts this Royal Railway on more ships as they are amplified or built.

Check out the experience if you are interested. Note: There are spoilers ahead, as we filmed the experience, including the story, and reviewed our dinner. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more travel content!