Trip log, day two. Nassau, The Bahamas.
3-Night Bahamian Royal Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida
December 13, 2025
Cruise Compass – Day 2
Utopia of the Seas Deck Plan
An early start to Saturday began with a trip for coffee just after Cafe Promenade opened up for the morning. Like most cruises, the early mornings can be a great time to walk around a quiet ship. I still am not a fan of the mall vibe of the Royal Promenade, but I am getting used to it. The Icon of the Seas version was much better with more stairways to go up a deck and bypass crowds during busy times & having the Pearl view the sea.
Emily headed to the fitness center, where she found a treadmill with porthole view.
Coffee and book in hand, I found a spot on the upper deck to take in our arrival. However, once seated, I realized there was an opportunity to capture a timelapse of other ships arriving so I raced back to the stateroom and clumsily found the GoPro without waking up Isabelle and made it back to deck 16 aft in time for the next ship’s arrival.
From my vantage point, I had a great view of the progress on the nearly completed Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island which opened on December 23, 2025. We didn’t have much planned for today and would have booked this if it was open on this day. We’ve never ventured across the bridge to Paradise Island in all of our stops in Nassau. In reality, if we did go, we still wouldn’t cross the bridge as Royal Caribbean uses tender boats to move guests between the port and beach club.
Off in the distance, the Disney Wish appeared on the horizon and eventually docked.
Below is a quick timelapse of the arrivals of the Symphony of the Seas and Disney Wish.
When we left the room this morning I noticed we had some mail, more specifically a telegram and tickets for the Royal Railway, which I left in place to investigate later.
We made our way ashore to do some Bahamian Christmas present shopping for friends and family (and ourselves) back home. Today, the port was bustling with nearly all of the shops open compared to other visits with less ships in port and a lot less foot traffic in the port marketplace area. It was awesome to see.
For those interested, I’m currently working on a walking tour video of the port, similar to the video I created from Falmouth, Jamaica last year. Nassau’s port area was also decorated for the holidays and even had a spot set up to meet Santa, but I did not see a sign for times and guests were simply using it as a photo op.
On our way back to the ship, I detoured to take some photos of the Disney Wish.
Back onboard, we read the correspondence from The Caribbean Union Telegram Company which is such a cool nod to the old ways setting the scene for the experience to come.
In the envelope, were three non-transferable tickets for the Royal Railway Wild West Train Trip with our scheduled departure time and seating assignments. Be sure to read the fine print on the back of the ticket.
On our way to grab lunch, we stopped by the Schooner Bar for some holiday activities.
Lunch consisted of Sorrento’s Pizza and salads from Café Promenade. I have been harsh on Sorrento’s pizza in the last two Royal trip reports and we were prepared with some hot honey to spice things up, but I was pleasantly surprised by the pizza served on this voyage. It was lightyears better than what was served during our previous cruises on Wonder/Icon of the Seas. Still, the pizza on the Carnival Mardi Gras maintains the #1 ranking on my cruise ship quick service pizza list.
While I maintain the stance that I want more sea views and nautical motif while on a cruise ship, that is not what the industry seems to be offering on new builds (although I do feel like they improved upon this on the Icon and presumably the Star of the Seas). Rather than be that old man complaining, I will find ways to enjoy the experience and Royal’s Central Park which is the area we overlook from our balcony and s a lovely spot to sit out and relax. I can picture myself in the Disney Imagination Garden, as a similar area on the Disney Adventure. Given our experiences on these Royal Caribbean cruises, there are a lot of similar aspects onboard the Disney Adventure that leave me disappointed the ship will be sailing on the other side of the world because, I am starting to have a gut feeling that I will really like that ship aside from it’s distinctive exterior physical design.
Holiday movie trivia was well attended and I am glad we arrived early to secure a seat as it ended up being standing room only. We discovered that the topic of Die Hard being a Christmas movie was such a polarizing debate. I’m not sorry… John McClane flies to California for Christmas, arrives during an office Christmas Eve party, the film ends on Christmas Day, and features Christmas music and themes in the score and soundtrack. The film is also included in the Christmas collection section on streaming services in November and December. It is a Christmas movie and I will not be entertaining a discussion on this topic.
We spent the majority of the afternoon hanging out in the Solarium and spending time in the hot tubs (one which had TVs showing college basketball) and reading. At one point, I made a trek to Windjammer (my one and only visit!!) to create a fruit and cheese charcuterie plate for the family to enjoy. The Solarium is a great spot as it is protected covered area that stays a bit warmer on what was not a very warm day. This adult-only area is a nice retreat that offers protection from weather.
We stopped at The Mason Jar, which is kinda like a Homecomin’ at sea. We had brunch there previously, but this weekend cruise, we just stopped in for cocktails to-go from the bar.
On deck, they offer free soft serve in a well maintained line with a crew member serving guests. Oh, and sprinkles!
The plan was to head down to Playmakers for a little bit to watch America’s Game: Army vs. Navy, but the game was not one of the games available.
We decided to head back to the stateroom and streamed the game while we prepared to board a train for dinner.
Royal Railway – Utopia Station – The Wild West Train Trip Dinner Experience
I teased the train trip earlier when the deliver of a telegram and tickets to our stateroom above, I want to to start by sharing the summary overview of this unique experience from Royal Caribbean’s website.
ROYAL RAILWAY – UTOPIA STATION
A DINNER TIME MACHINE
Step onto the platform for a welcome drink — and step back in time. Royal Railway — Utopia Station is the most immersive dining experience at sea. Settle in for a five-course journey of American favorites with an upscale twist as the sights, sounds and flavors of the Wild West unfold all around you. Savor delights like melt-in-your-mouth short ribs and chocolate decadent gold bars that redefine richly sweet on a cross-country trek through the American Frontier, without even leaving the ship. But beware — it’s so good, bandits just may want a taste.Upon arrival at the train station, you check in with the host and wait to be called in based on the split-flap departure board that makes the satisfying sound each time it updates.
When your table is called, you are welcomed into the train station between two Royal Railway cars.
While fellow passengers arrive, you are offered a Welcome Drink – Ole Smokey Apple Pie Moonshine, Cherry Syrup, Lemon Juice, and Black Iced Tea, or a zero-proof, Cherry Lemonade, is available for those preferring a non-alcoholic welcome beverage or are underage. Photos are also taken for purchase along with your other cruise photos.
Tables were seated and our tickets were checked. Thankfully, they just partially tear the tickets ensuring you have a unique souvenir to take home. No expense was spared, these are quality tickets with a perforated line to rip off the end tab and even included a wavy line watermark that did not show up completely in the scans presented below.
For comparison, this is a photo taken in the stateroom where the wavy lines are visible. A small but unique detail to further establish the scene.
The dining cars on the Royal Railway feature booths for two or four. Please do not ask me what happens if you have 5 or 7 people; this is the Disney Cruise Line Blog & I am not getting that detailed in my coverage.
Each passenger is presented with a guidebook and menu. The menu is a single two-sided insert while the guidebook is a detailed tri-fold on heavy cardstock.
While there is a dinner show component, I am going to focus on the dinner first. The dinner is prix fixe and included in the upfront cost of the experience, but there is an additional fee for cocktails, soda, beer, and wine. You can use your onboard beverage packages for applicable drinks.
After we made our dinner selection, each table was presented with an amuse-bouche, a barbecue chicken meatball in a phyllo dough cowboy hat. These were incredibly delicious.
To start the dinner service, each table was given an Outlaw Bread Cart with a select 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. The blue cheese pretzel was special and the pimento dip was a lovely indulgence to start the trip.
To accompany our dinner, we ordered the Gold Rush and Pisco Sour from cocktail menu. The Gold Rush consists of Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whiskey, Aquafaba (leftover liquid from garbanzo beans), honey syrup, and lemon served in a BenShot Rocks Glass. The Pisco Sour is made with La Madrina Quebranta Pisco (a Peruvian brandy), Aquafaba, and lime served in an etched vintage martini glass.
For our appetizer course, there was clearly one and only entree that is blog-able. The Fart & dart baked beans with pulled pork – the baked beans were smokey with pickled onions and crispy pancetta served alongside cajun rye large pieces for dipping in a fun bean can that I now wish I kept just for the laughs. We also selected the flavorful Soapy smith’s corn chowder – blended sweet corn and corn topped with salsa verde and spiced chili oil, served with crispy cayenne dusted crackers. An order of Golden Nuggets was also ordered and they were exactly as the description states: crunchy coated tender wings with gold dust served with bourbon bbq sauce. Outside of the gold dust, these were just chicken fingers. While the beans were flavorful, I regret not ordering the empanada trio.
For entrees, we had the lobster, chicken, and trout. The 1st class lobster salad is a poached cold water lobster tail with mixed salad composed of citrus supremes, pickled root vegetables, candied cashews, heirloom tomatoes, and a creamy avocado puree that Emily enjoyed. I went with the Roasted Poussin, a spring chicken served roasted with pancetta and herbs, buttered baby vegetables, crisped skillet potatoes, with fragrant au jus. The chicken was well prepared and really flavorful. Isabelle opted for the Baked River Trout which was a spiced silver plume trout with crispy fried skin served with tender cider butter braised potatoes and fennel and a baby root vegetable medley. The flavors were ok, but if I were to return, I’d consider one of the two rib offerings, which both sound intriguing.
At this point, we were stuffed, so we opted to just order one of each dessert and share them. The Denver Gold Bar is a vanilla cake, coconut and sweet raspberry jam topped with gold flakes and moscato rhubarb sauce. The Royal Railway Cigar is a hand-rolled milk chocolate cigar stuffed with sweet cream served with house-made dulce de leche ice cream. The gold bar had potential, but it was served on the cold side so the various flavors were not as impactful if they would have been resting at room temperature a little longer because I enjoy rhubarb dating back to a pie my mom would make when I was a kid.
Overall, the dinner was enjoyable and service was timed really well with the dinner show which worked because it was a small venue dining experience.
Resetting the scene back to boarding the railcar at Utopia Station. Inside the station, there were signs promoting the experience and a wanted poster for the Yates Triplets.
Once at our seats in the railcar, we were presented with a Royal Railway Wild West Train Trip the following guidebook and map.
Welcome
All aboard… The royal railway, where every trip is a wild ride through luxury, decadence, and a daring adventure! As the proud owner of this inventive train, i promise you an unforgettable journey that’s as thrilling as it is delicious.
Hold on to your hats folks, because this train has more twists than a sidewinder’s tail! I urge you to sit back, relax and indulge in a dining experience that will leave you longing to return again and again.
Whether you’re hungry for a journey to the past or the future of entertainment, our train is the perfect ride for anyone ooking to dine in loco-motion.
Welcome aboard!
Michael Bayley – Royal Railway President
The map on the reverse was packed with more information than you can really read over while still being an engaging table mate, eat, and enjoying the show. Thankfully, they let us take one as a keepsake which I’ve scanned in the highest resolution possible on my scanner then proceeded to shrink it back down to upload below. If you are interested in the full scans, they are available here.
The Royal Railway Wild West Train trip dinner show offers an immersive 90-minute experience. Once seated in a dining car, the journey begins as you gaze out at the captivating Wild West scenery. Motion technology within the rail car enhances the experience, making it feel like you’re truly riding the rails.
The show employs a multi-rolling ensemble to portray various characters, including the Yates Triplets, a trio of bandits who are attempting to steal the royal bling. The story unfolds within the narrow aisle of the dining car, with fellow passengers also being part of the narrative. The actors frequently interact with the guests, adding an element of engagement to the experience. For instance, we closely observed the handcuffs for a while.
This was a really enjoyable experience, but it is not really repeatable from a show perspective. From what I gather, pricing is dynamic by sailing, ranging from $75-120-ish. For our sailing, we snagged it at 15% off and paid $318.54 total for 3 ($269.97 + $48.57 in gratuities), which was worth it for the immersive and well-choreographed show and dinner. We were also presented with a folio at the end, where we left additional gratuity for the server (while not required).
After dinner, we retired to the stateroom where we watched as Fernando Mendoza was awarded the Heisman Trophy.
Tomorrow, we are headed ashore for a relaxing Perfect beach day!
