Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Royal Caribbean's next-gen cruise ship will have the largest water park to thrill all ages

cruise ship with water park

“One of the ways to do that is to charge for it, and then suddenly, automatically shrink capacity. We didn’t want to do that, so we just built a bigger waterpark,” Schneider said. While things can always change, unlike the waterpark on CocoCay (Thrill Waterpark), Category 6 and Thrill Island are said to be free aboard Icon of the Seas. He has been in marketing for 19 years and has been cruising for just as long. Over the years, he's worked with products like TVs, copiers, light bulbs, and EV chargers, but cruising has always been his passion.

Are There Height/Weight Limits for the Rides?

For a racing themed slide complete with special lighting effects as you zip through, look for the Speedway Splash. For a slide with a major swirl at the finish, check out the aptly named DrainPipe. To get absolutely soaked, stand under the PowerDrencher, which drops an enormous bucket of water on its victims.

Norwegian Cruise Line Expands Its Water Parks at Sea

With a footprint of 17,010 square feet, it’s easily one of the largest water areas at sea. From an early age, children display an unmistakable fondness for splashing around in the water -- which is why cruise ship water parks have become fabulous features for the younger set. Royal Caribbean started adding water parks to select ships in 2006 with the H2O Zone, which first debuted on Freedom of the Seas. Ten years later, in 2016, the line changed up the design and launched Splashaway Bay on Harmony of the Seas; it's now been added to five more ships. While both interactive aquatic playgrounds share a few elements, they are more different than alike. Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream have the water park fan-favorite AquaDuck -- an elevated two-person-raft "water coaster," made up of a 765-foot-long tube that veers out over the side of the ship.

Enhancing the family vacation experience

Almost-identical twin ships MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview take cruise ship slides to the next level with the Slideboard. The Slideboard is more than just a water slide, it’s also an interactive game, dropping two decks, this duo of slides twists and turns with flashing lights and music. Some family cruise lines are better for water parks than others, while some might not even have one at all.

Many Royal Caribbean ships also feature the FlowRider surfing simulator which is very popular with teenagers. Hurricane Hunter is a family raft slide that can seat four people per tube. That’s right; Royal Caribbean managed to pack a large-format waterslide on a cruise ship (technically two if you read below). Hurricane Hunter is a mostly enclosed tube and will send your family through 425 feet of twists and turns. Two MSC Cruises ships — MSC Seashore and MSC World Europa — even have virtual reality waterslides that involve riders wearing virtual reality headsets as part of the experience. You'll typically find the biggest Carnival water park complexes on the newest Carnival ships, such as Mardi Gras, Celebration and Carnival Venezia.

There's nothing Randy likes more than the first couple of hours on a ship, exploring every nook and cranny and seeing how it's different from everything else out there. He's known for providing detailed and analytical coverage of cruising to help cruisers get a comprehensive picture of a ship's offerings. Frightening Bolt is the most intense of the bunch and will intimidate even the bravest people. You get in the slide, and the floor drops from under you, sending you 46 feet down and through a full 360-degree loop. On a record-breaking ship, Royal Caribbean had to put record-breaking slides. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to be a useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean.

cruise ship with water park

But without a doubt the most eye-catching and discussed feature of Royal Caribbean’s newest ship is the massive waterpark that dominates the back of the ship. This waterpark, dubbed Category 6, is actually part of a larger neighborhood on the ship known as Thrill Island. Sliding down a water slide face-first on a waterslide just feels different. It’s much more exhilarating, and you feel the water splash your face as you speed down the inclines.

On Norwegian Breakaway, the lineup includes twin free-fall slides that drop passengers nearly straight down several stories; two side-by-side twisting racer slides; and a family-friendly slide with a more modest drop. One of the Carnival water parks, on the line's 5-year-old Carnival Horizon, even has Disney-style theming revolving around Dr. Seuss characters. But as early as 1978, at least one line was spicing up its Lido decks with a little waterslide fun — little being the operative word. That's the year Carnival added a single slide into the pool on its 728-passenger Festivale — a slide so small it's now hilarious to think it was touted as an attraction. Royal Caribbean also plans a record six waterslides on its next new ship, Icon of the Seas, which is scheduled to debut in January 2024. Carnival Vista and Carnival Panorama, meanwhile, feature an enclosed water tube Kaleid-O-Slide, on which riders make their way around 455 feet of twists and turns on one- or two-person rafts.

Cruise Ship Water Parks Aren’t Just About Slides; Royal Caribbean Started with Flow Riders

He answered that it was based on studies of how to best ensure there were enough rides to minimize lines based on the expected numbers in the waterpark. We sat in on an information session about Icon of the Seas when Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider was asked about why the waterpark would have six slides. At a minimum, guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride the slides, although each one has its own requirements (for those without children, that’s typically around eight years old). The second family rate slide, Storm Surge, has an open slingshot element. Towards the end of the ride, the slide shoots up an open lotus leaf, giving guests an amazing ocean view while experiencing near-zero gravity. In all, 14 of MSC Cruises' 22 vessels now have at least one waterslide on their top decks.

The water park can be found on select Carnival ships, including Carnival Freedom, Sunshine, Breeze and Magic. Each ship has slightly different offerings and themes, but you can expect water slides tall enough for even the bravest thrill seekers. Below, you'll find everything you need to know about Carnival WaterWorks. NCL’s newest ship, Norwegian Prima, debuts a new class of ships for the line, along with a new waterslide – a single-rider tube ride called The Wave. And the onboard water park game grows more daring, more techno-oriented, and frankly, more fun each year, with features and attractions that rival those on land. When it comes to the best cruise ship water parks at sea, five cruise lines stand out because of their impressive aquatic chops.

My favorite amenities on Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas cruise ship - Business Insider

My favorite amenities on Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas cruise ship.

Posted: Sat, 20 Apr 2024 10:58:00 GMT [source]

The line has added full-blown water park areas with waterslides, watery play zones and other features to all but four of its 25 ships. All but one of Carnival's ships (Carnival Luminosa) now have at least one waterslide. They are the dominate feature, that colorful first thing your kids notice as your family car, taxi or shuttle bus gets closer and closer to port.

All together, the park looks like a giant, vibrantly-colored Rube Goldberg machine. Although you will get a great experience on any Carnival ship, the newest ships, Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee, are where you find the best of the best cruise water parks. Royal Caribbean is a great option for families for a number of reasons, primarily because some ships feature splash areas and smaller water slides that are great for even the tiniest of tykes. Additionally, their newest ship debuting in January 2024 will feature the largest ever cruise water park with even more attractions that are sure to please family members of all ages.

The AquaLab, available on the Magic, Wonder and Fantasy, is an all-ages water playground with pouring paint cans, leaky pipes, geysers and jets, guaranteed to keep you cool on a hot day. On the Magic and Wonder, the Twist n’ Spout double-looping waterslide will slide and spin you down hundreds of feet. Carnival Cruise Line has unveiled details about the water park which will be featured on the new Carnival Panorama cruise ship arriving at the end of 2019. Carnival's water slides have height restrictions that vary from ship to ship and are based on slide type. On Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway Class ships, you’ll find no fewer than five multi-storey waterslides.

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