‘First roller coaster at sea’ coming on Carnival ship
Cruisers may not have the chance to sail right now on major cruise lines amid the pandemic (at least in the U.S.), but that doesn’t mean they can’t get excited about future trips and ships – including one featuring the “first roller coaster at sea.”
Carnival Cruise Line posted a video Sunday previewing its anticipated Mardi Gras ship’s new roller coaster, BOLT, while the industry is otherwise shut down in U.S. waters. The ship is set debut in February 2021 from Florida’s Port Canaveral, and if timing holds, it could be among the first major ships unveiled since the pandemic began.
“The countdown to her arrival starts now,” cruise director Matt Mitcham says in the video, which was taken before the pandemic. The video shows the roller coaster at Maurer headquarters in Munich, Germany, where viewers can get a closer look at the coaster (on land). It will have to be disassembled, put into containers and shipped to the shipyard.
What makes the ride different from others? Riders control it themselves, according to Steve Boney; they’re not just strapping in and letting the ride do all the work. As the video shows, it’s just one two-seat car going around the track. It can go up to 40 mph.
The company revealed photos of the ship’s construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, several weeks ago. It will have more than 2,600 staterooms which includes 180 suites in 11 different categories, not to mention six themed zones featuring dining, beverage and entertainment options. Restaurants from the likes of Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri and Shaquille O’Neal will be on board.
And then, of course, the roller coaster: “Workers have installed nearly 800 feet of suspended track for BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, that will encircle upper decks and offer guests an exhilarating ride with dips and drops with breathtaking ocean views 187 feet above the water line,” according to an update from Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen. The ship is selling itineraries through April 2023.
The cruise industry voluntarily suspended voyages in U.S. waters until “at least” Oct. 31, a month past the date the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s “no sail” order is set to expire.
“We believe it is prudent at this time to voluntarily extend the suspension of U.S. oceangoing cruise operations to Oct. 31,” Cruise Lines International Association, the major trade organization for oceangoing cruise lines, said in a statement provided by Bari Golin-Blaugrund, senior director of strategic communications.
The association’s member lines carry 95% of the world’s oceangoing cruisers. The new order will apply to all member ships to which the CDC order applies: vessels that can carry 250 or more passengers.