The first thing I heard was the clickety-clack of black tiles with white letters flipping on the board at Utopia Station, letting me know when the next train was leaving and where it was headed. The next train was leaving at 8:30 p.m. for the Wild West, according to the board.
I was not actually in a train station but on a portside stairwell landing on the Utopia of the Seas, the newest ship from Royal Caribbean International, which is sailing short Caribbean cruises year-round out of Florida's Port Canaveral.
I was cruising on the Utopia's July naming voyage to explore new elements on Royal Caribbean's sixth Oasis-class ship. While much of the ship's design was reminiscent of its sisters, this train concept, Royal Railway -- Utopia Station, is a new feature for the class and the brand.
I stood on the landing until a camouflaged door slid open to reveal what looked like a small, rock-lined underground train station housing two railcars built in Ireland.
Low ceilings and cement floors help create the illusion of being in an underground train station platform. Photo Credit: Andrea Zelinski
While well-lit, the area was dark in the way any underground train platform might be. Steam blasted from between the railcar's wheels. I could have been on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters from the "Harry Potter" series, so suspended was my disbelief.
But we weren't headed to Hogwarts. We instead would be visiting the Wild West sometime between the 1880s and 1940s, a time and place underscored by a nearby "Wanted" poster of the dangerous Yates triplets, sought "dead or mostly alive" in seven states, the Caribbean and Mexico.
I walked into the narrow dining car to find seats for about 24 people at small tables next to what looked like windows with the shades drawn. The space was intentionally cold to offset the warmth soon to be created by two dozen people in tight quarters. At my table, I found shiny and heavy silverware and a place setting with a menu slipped into a map on my plate.
The menu on the Royal Railway is themed for its virtual journey through the Wild West. Photo Credit: Andrea Zelinski
The menu was true to the theme, with "fart and dart baked beans" and "Soapy Smith's corn chowder" among the appetizers and braised short ribs and baked river trout among the entrees (along with barbecued Impossible ribs made with plant-based meat). For dessert, one choice was a hand-rolled milk chocolate cigar stuffed with sweet cream and served with ice cream.
I was on a sneak peek train ride for media, which did not include a meal or the whole 90-minute experience, but travel advisors I spoke with who had taken the full ride said the food was excellent and paired well with the themed entertainment.
After a few moments, I felt and heard what sounded like the gentle rumble of the train moving under my feet as the shades on the virtual windows rose. Through those windows it appeared the train was emerging from a tunnel as epic adventure music with a Western theme set the mood. The view showed the red and yellow, sandy colors of the West, dotted with cactuses and scraggly brush, the buildings of a small town and horses grazing.
I was seated next to the window, and gazing through it from that seat felt more like I was looking at a screen. But the view was better when I moved to an aisle seat at the table or when I looked across the train car at the other windows as the train seemingly rolled forward.
A map shows the train's route as computer-generated scenes of the West stream past on the railcar's windows. Photo Credit: Andrea Zelinski
The views were built with computer-generated imagery (CGI). Royal had originally captured images from the set of the film "Oppenheimer" for this attraction, said Jay Schneider, chief product innovation officer for Royal Caribbean International. But in this case, the CGI looked better on the screens than the actual scenery did, he said.
Schneider told me that in addition to the imagery, this dining car experience will include the theatrics of the wanted men I had read about at the station. While my short train visit did not include the show, he said storytelling and drama would soon turn this family-friendly dinner into a dialed-up adventure. Ambient train noise would occasionally pipe in through subwoofers, accentuating the feeling of really being on a train; "butt-kickers," which are devices built into the seats to literally give a kick during dramatic moments of the ride, would add to the experience.
There is no age limit to ride the Royal Railway. Prices are $24.99 for kids and $74.99 for adults. With two train cars, the experience serves 48 people per dinner seating. Two seatings are offered per evening.
Royal is planning to introduce less-dramatic train tours on the Utopia, too, intended for date nights. Examples will include dinners riding through the Wild West or themed to Marco Polo's journey home through what became known as the Silk Road. Options still in development include whiskey tastings while traveling through Appalachia or wine tastings in Napa Valley, Schneider said.
