Halloween is a memorable time to take a cruise vacation, especially on the world's greatest party ship.
To celebrate, Utopia of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's first-ever purpose-built weekend getaway ship, was transformed into a floating Halloween extravaganza.
Marc Walker, Utopia's Cruise Director, shared pictures of the ship decked out in spooky decorations.
For starters, the Royal Promenade is filled with inflatables, ranging from friendly ghosts waiting for trick-or-treaters to haunted archways.
There's also an inflatable pumpkin patch and an ominous octopus with glowing eyes rising from the wreck of a sunken pirate ship.
Another octopus is perched on top of the Bell & Barley pub, while faux spiderwebs are draped all around the Promenade.
And the café tables behind Starbucks are covered with white cloths splattered with red blood stains.
In addition to the festive decorations, Royal Caribbean ships, including Utopia of the Seas, have fun Halloween-themed activities — think costume contests, parades, themed arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, late-night parties, and more.
Later this afternoon, Utopia is embarking on a short 3-night weekend getaway cruise from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, to Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
According to the ship's Cruise Compass, tonight's theme is Halloween. Halloween events begin around 5:00 p.m., starting with themed trivia in the Schooner Bar on Deck 6.
After that, there's a family trick-or-treat hunt in Adventure Ocean at 5:15 p.m., followed by a family Halloween dance party at 6:00 p.m. in the Music Hall on Deck 8.
The Halloween costume parade is scheduled to take place at 10:45 p.m. in the Royal Promenade. Sign-ups begin at 10:15 p.m.
What Halloween is like on one of the world's largest cruise ships
All of Royal Caribbean's ships are decked out for Halloween, including Icon of the Seas. Like Utopia of the Seas, Icon's two-story Royal Promenade features themed decorations throughout.
By the Attic, for example, there's a giant evil pumpkin inflatable, spooky skeletons, and spiderwebs.
The stairs are lined with balloons and orange and black flag banners. Downstairs, there's perhaps the largest inflatable pumpkin ever (at least on a cruise ship...). It's so large that its stem is squished against the ceiling!
Month-long celebrations
Although the fleet is decked out for Halloween, the festivities have been going on all month long.
Historically, Royal Caribbean passengers could only enjoy Halloween activities if they were on a sailing on October 31. However, for the first time ever, the cruise line celebrated the holiday throughout the entire month of October.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed the news in an email to Royal Caribbean Blog earlier this month:
"Guests are encouraged to participate in the festivities, so we recommend they pack their favorite costumes and accessories to have a ghoulish-good time!"
Read more: Royal Caribbean just added Halloween fun on its cruise ships all month long
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
