Onboard Adrenaline
Rides, Slides, and Thrills
The amusement industry, much like the travel industry, is evolving by leaps and bounds. Cinephiles, for instance, can now enter and interact with the world of Star Wars — like getting on board the Millennium Falcon or an Imperial Star Destroyer — with Star Wars: Galaxy Edge at both Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.
It was not a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that the most thrilling thing you could experience on a cruise ship was a kiddie waterslide. Of course, one can argue that a cruise itself is satisfying ride enough, but in today’s market, elaborate onboard attractions are a part of cruise lines’ competitive edge. Now, enter everything from daring free-fall waterslides to full-blown roller coasters at sea. Let’s get extreme, shall we? Simulators
Royal Caribbean International was first to begin innovating with the likes of its FlowRider installations. The signature surf simulator was introduced on Freedom of the Seas and has since made its way on many of the line’s largest ships, some of which feature two. The attraction crafts a rapid wave of water atop a padded surface on which passengers can safely surf and inevitably wipe out. It’s additionally enjoyable for spectators to watch, especially the pros that demonstrate advanced spinning maneuvers and the greatest longevity.
On its Quantum-class vessels, which also showcase the leisurely craned passenger pod North Star, Royal Caribbean unveiled another simulator: RipCord by iFly. This time around, skydiving is the activity of choice but without the need to jump from a plane. Instead, high-velocity air is recirculated in a translucent chamber that riders can float within. Similar to FlowRider, this is another great attraction to either try for oneself or simply watch from a distance.
Simulations don’t stop there. Norwegian Cruise Line has its Galaxy Pavilion aboard the
Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Encore that en
compasses a large collection of virtual-reality rides. Guests can hop into motion bases and don VR headsets, or be engulfed by a screen, to virtually drive speedy race cars, shoot at menacing targets, and much more. They have fewer variations, but Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises also offer interactive dark-ride simulators. Zip Lines
Where MSC shines brightest is with its zip line aboard MSC Seaside and its sister ships. With the longest run at sea, MSC allows a pair of racers to simultaneously and rapidly ride from the central smokestack, bridging across a swimming pool, to the sternd to more elaborate canopy courses on land, there may be less flora and fauna to pass by, but the 360-degree sea view is undeniably unique. Racetracks
Royal Caribbean once again takes its cues from shore with its SeaPlex bumper cars aboard Quantum of the Seas and its sisters. The multipurpose arena invites kids and kids at heart to collide at relatively slow speeds. It’s a timeless attraction not unlike the traditional carousels offered on some of its other ships.
By comparison, Norwegian upped the ante with its fast go-kart racetracks beginning on
Norwegian Joy. ( In fact, yours truly was the first-ever tournament winner during media previews on the ship originally customized for the Chinese market but since reassigned to the American one.) The initial route was challenging, but it has been enhanced with each new iteration on Norwegian Bliss and most recently on Norwegian Encore, which sports the longest track at sea. Swiftly racing and dodging other riders on the top of a cruise ship, across multiple cantilevered decks no less, is simply a kick in the pants. Water (and Dry) Slides
Cruise ships have come a long way since the occasional itty-bitty waterslide of the past. Despite its other pioneering attractions, Royal Caribbean was actually the slowest to adopt thrilling waterslides, but has since made waves with several of its own, ranging from body
Only on Norwegian do you drop so fast and gain enough momentum to go downhill and then uphill twice in one breathtaking figure-eight run.
Guests can hop into motion bases and don VR headsets, or be engulfed by a screen, to virtually drive speedy race cars, shoot at menacing targets, and much more.
tube slides to boomeranging raft ones. However, it is probably most known for the Ultimate Abyss. The 10-story-tall dry variety (riders sit within cloth sacks to avoid friction) spirals down from the Sports Deck and FlowRiders high above all the way down to the Boardwalk below in just 13 seconds.
As far as bonafide waterslides go, though, Norwegian takes the cake with its super thrilling Ocean Loops on aforementioned Joy, Bliss, and Encore. There are other free-fall slides on Carnival (Green Thunder) as well as Disney Cruise Line (AquaDunk), but only on Norwegian do you drop so fast and gain enough momentum to go downhill and then uphill twice in one breathtaking figure-eight run.
Honorable mentions also include MSC’s Slideboarding, which combines interactive video game controls with a playful slide, and Disney’s AquaDuck, which is an aqua coaster that first propels rafts rapidly up and down and then into a lazy river–like finale.
Roller Coasters
It was only a matter of time before a cruise line attempted to perch a genuine roller coaster on a ship, and Carnival came very close with SkyRide on its Vista class. The self-pedaling cycling attraction follows an outdoor track over the ocean and periodically lets gravity take over for brief dips and turns.
While SkyRide is relatively thrilling, Carnival’s new Bolt, described as the “ultimate sea coaster,” is definitely anticipated to supersede it on the upcoming Mardi Gras this year. Ride vehicles will traverse about 800 feet at speeds reaching nearly 40 miles per hour — all 187 feet above sea level.
The Future
The question that remains is what more is to come. Hong Kong–based cruise line Dream Cruises is already planning to one-up Carnival with its own roller coaster, measuring longer at close to 1,000 feet, and the pressure is on Disney to respond as well. It has three new ships set to come online starting in 2022, and very little in the way of attractions has been announced yet. As it’s the only line to tell stories with its rides — both AquaDuck and AquaDunk follow the antics of Donald Duck and his mischievous nephews — one would expect it to pull the curtain back on some form of fresh narrative ride to compete.
Might we see something closer to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge-level immersion on a cruise ship? It’s not outside the realm of possibility for a non-virtual, fully-realized dark ride to make its way on board, and that may just be what Disney has up its sleeve. Only time will tell, but until then, we have a lot to enjoy and look forward to.