It’s been a rough run for the “Cruise Section” at Modernlifeisgood Towers. We haven’t published much lately, and it’s hard to run a cruise blog without, you know, cruises. The good news: we’re back at sea on Utopia of the Seas. Here’s the short version of why we went quiet, and what is coming next.
When the World Stopped, So Did Our Momentum
Early in 2020, Modernlifeisgood hit some pretty impressive pageviews. It finally felt like this silly little project was going somewhere — and then the world shut down. Overnight, traffic cratered. We weren’t alone; every travel blog took a hit. But Modernlifeisgood has always been a passion project, and life quickly pushed it down the priority list. Posts dried up. So did reports.
The extended travel ban didn’t help, but let’s be honest: that ship sailed a while ago. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been dusting off our Orlando content, updating guides, and slowly watching both visitors and Google rankings perk up. That said, it doesn’t explain the tumbleweeds blowing through the cruise pages.
We Actually Came Back Early. Then, Hit a Wall
Here’s the ironic part: we were back on cruises earlier than most bloggers. We sailed one of the first, possibly the second, Anthem of the Seas UK coastal cruises. Anthem was a blast. Disney Magic, the very next week, wasn’t as memorable.
Then came Wonder of the Seas in late May 2022. We remember the date because it coincided with Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and how the Royal Family has changed since that week. Back in 2022, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was still the Duke of York, Harry was still writing Spare, and Charles III was still heir to the throne.
The cruise was full of huge celebrations and full-on party vibes along the Royal Promenade. We fully intended to write it all up… and then a couple of days later, we all tested positive for COVID-19. After that, and a few relatives getting sick on other sailings, our appetite for cruising nosedived. The half-written Wonder posts never made it out of drafts, and the wider cruise section went dry.
Time Heals (Most) Things—and We Missed the Ocean
As with most travel mishaps, time dulls the rough edges. This autumn, we decided to give it another go and boarded Utopia of the Seas. She’s Royal Caribbean’s newest Oasis Class ship, marketed as “the world’s biggest weekend.” Utopia of the Seas was the first Oasis Class ship not to hold the title of the world’s biggest cruise ship; that title now goes to the Icon Class.
Online, Utopia has a bit of a party-ship reputation. In reality? It felt very familiar: Oasis-class energy, with a four-night itinerary crammed with entertainment and activities. We didn’t see the bachelor/bachelorette chaos YouTube loves to highlight; what we did see was a ship running a tight, high-tempo schedule that’s easy to love.
So, How was It?
Short answer: We had a great time. The cruising bug bit again, hard. Utopia delivered precisely what we needed: big-ship fun without the drama, and reminded us why we started doing this in the first place.
What’s Coming Next
We’re lining up fresh posts on Utopia of the Seas, which will explore more about this fantastic ship, including the Royal Railway Utopia Station and the Royal Escape Room. We might even dust off those Wonder of the Seas notes and finally finish what we started.
