Life’s a scream on perfect Harmony

STEPPING gingerly into the giant jaws of a long-fanged fish, I stared down through the glass floor and saw the grey sea churning 150ft below. With my heart thudding, I laid out my mat at the opening of the steel tube just 30in wide, and I was off, hurtling down the Ultimate Abyss.

Racing through twists and turns in complete darkness, then ambushed by swirling pink disco lights, I was too terrified to scream.

The exhilarating experience of descending the highest, longest and most thrilling helter-skelter on the ocean waves takes place on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas. And the biggest cruise ship ever built has plenty more wonders in store.

No sooner had I staggered off the Ultimate Abyss than I was strolling along the Boardwalk, packed with seaside nostalgia, from 1950s-style diners serving hot dogs and shakes, to a charming merry-go-round.

The Boardwalk is just one of seven ‘neighbourhoods’ on Harmony. In the Royal Promenade area, I sipped a glass of fizz in the Rising Tide as the bar itself glided up three decks where I alighted in the middle of leafy Central Park. Surrounded by greenery, I enjoyed a lunch of soup and a sandwich at an outside table in the Park Cafe.

In the pool and sports zone, shrieks from the Perfect Storm trio of waterslides matched those coming from the Ultimate Abyss, while squeals of delight came from Splashaway Bay, where a huge tipping bucket drenched toddlers and their parents. Meanwhile, surfers and boards were out on the Flowrider simulator. Indoors the family fun continues with encounters with DreamWorks animated film characters – I bumped into Gloria the hippo from Madagascar, left – a rink for ice-skating shows, and full cast performances of Grease, complete with electrifying special effects, in the Royal Theatre. With so much going on in this extraordinary, moving resort, it wouldn’t surprise me if the majority of guests didn’t venture ashore until they absolutely have to at the end of their holiday.