World’s second largest cruise ship debuts with short trips

• Royal Caribbean says Utopia is "the first of its kind to debut with 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday getaways."
• Major cruise lines usually have older and smaller ships on shorter trips and devote their biggest and newest ships to weeklong journeys.

By the numbers: Utopia is 236,680 gross tonnage, just 973 more tons than sister ship, the Wonder of the Seas, which is now the third largest ship.

• Utopia is 1,188 feet long with 18 decks and a 5,668-passenger capacity based on double occupancy.
• It has 21 restaurants, five pools, two casinos and an ice skating rink.
• The seven largest cruise ships in the world are all Royal Caribbean.

Flashback: The Icon of the Seas, the world's largest ship and also a Royal Caribbean ship, debuted in January and sails from Miami.

• It has a gross tonnage of 248,663 tons — weighing 12,190 tons more than the Utopia.

The intrigue: Shorter trips are a way to attract first-time cruisers, give them a way to test their sea legs and are also cheaper.

• But with so many food options and amenities, is three or four nights enough time to explore a big ship?

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