Table Of Content
- Major Differences Between Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line
- The Splashy Leader in Cruise Ship Water Parks is Carnival WaterWorks
- MSC Preziosa
- Epic Plunge – Norwegian Epic
- What Are the Height Requirements for Carnival WaterWorks?
- Designing Thrill Island
- Free Fall – Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Getaway
- AquaDuck
It’s not just about great cruise water slides with Royal Caribbean though. One of their signature water park attractions is the FlowRider surf simulator, which is available on almost all of their ships excluding a few of the smaller ones. This is a great way to get a little surfing experience without having to brave massive ocean waves crashing down on you. Although if you want to keep it to a traditional water park experience, the primary water slide for Royal Caribbean is the Perfect Storm, a pair of racing slides that are sure to satisfy. Flow Rider surfing simulators have become synonymous with water fun onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
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Major Differences Between Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line
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Norwegian Cruise Line began going big with waterslides in 2010 when it debuted Norwegian Epic. Norwegian Epic offers three monster waterslides, including the thrilling Epic Plunge — a 200-foot-long tube ride that ends in a swirling bowl. Epic Plunge is part of Norwegian Epic's Aqua Park, the first water park on a Norwegian ship. Norwegian has since added Aqua Parks to six more new vessels, including its biggest ship, the 4-year-old Norwegian Encore. In more recent years, Carnival has gone into waterslide-building overdrive.
The Splashy Leader in Cruise Ship Water Parks is Carnival WaterWorks
At Norwegian, you'll find the biggest waterslides and water parks on the line's relatively recently built Breakaway Plus-, Breakaway- and Epic-class ships. At MSC Cruises, the new Seaside-, Meraviglia-, Meraviglia Plus- and World-class vessels have the line's big water parks. There are no lazy rivers, pools, or splash park in this specific area, and it doesn’t even have a dedicated entrance. With a footprint of 17,010 square feet, it’s easily one of the largest water areas at sea. The latest cruise ships have a variety of activities that appeal to all age groups, but in this guide, we’re most interested in water parks & cruise ships with water slides.
MSC Preziosa
Cruisers often fall into two categories when it comes to water parks on cruise ships -- either you and your gang must have slides and splash parks onboard, or you have never given them much thought at all. Either way, knowing which cruise ship water parks rise above the rest can be an important factor in your hunt for the perfect cruise vacation. 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.
Epic Plunge – Norwegian Epic
We love the AquaDuck because it’s a two-person raft ride that actually goes uphill like a roller coaster (thanks to water jet propulsion) before ending in a lazy river. At night, there are multicolored lights to make the AquaDuck even more spectacular. Leave it to family-focused Disney Cruise Line to come up with the coolest watery family attraction at sea.
Some family cruise lines are better for water parks than others, while some might not even have one at all. So, if a great water park is a must, you’ll need to consider exactly what’s on board each ship. A compact zone of splish-splash fun for the whole family sits high atop the Carnival Horizon. Dr. Seuss Waterworks is dominated by the colorful red and white Cat in the Hat slide and the twisting Thing 1 and 2 waterslide, appropriately colored blue like their whacky hair. The park also includes a youthful splash area with smaller slides and a big bucket regularly pouring hundreds of gallons of water down onto happy kids. In addition to AquaDuck, the two Disney ships with the attraction (Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream) have a relatively small, kid-friendly waterslide next to the centrally located Mickey's Pool.
Designing Thrill Island
On the right side of the pier you’ll see a large tower with waterslides branching off. This is Daredevil’s Tower — the most noticeable feature of the park. The waterpark is literally just a few minutes’ walk from the ship and the entrance is right at the entrance of CocoCay. Choose a Royal Caribbean ship with the H2O Zone if you have kids still in swim diapers as this water park offers the littlest cruisers more of the water park attractions that are appropriate -- and safe -- for them.
Free Fall – Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Getaway
Two of the three slides are the Cyclone and Typhoon – twisting racer slides. The third slide varies by ship (except Adventure of the Seas which doesn’t have the third slide). On Harmony of the Seas it’s the Supercell which has a circular bowl at the bottom which riders swirl around in before sliding down one final length into the plunge pool. On Liberty of the Seas, the third slide is the Tidal Wave – a boomerang-style slide which uses inflatable rafts.
AquaDuck
With one ship in port, the longest we waited in line was about minutes for the popular Daredevil’s Peak. No matter the reason, you can leave and re-enter Thrill Waterpark as much as you want. The only thing is that you’ll need to scan in and out each time (or show your wristband), so be sure to keep your cabin keycard on you at all times. One thing to note is that we have seen discounted admissions that allow access only in the afternoon hours, but it’s not clear if that’s still an option.
Carnival Cruises has long been known as having the “fun ships” and their water park offerings are no exceptions. Spray cannons, water geysers and one or two deeper pools (about 3.5 feet in depth) for bigger kids round out the space. The shallowest areas are open to babies and toddlers in swim diapers. For the younger set, Caribbean Princess offers a splash pad area for toddlers and little kids. Winnie the Whale greets young kids with a big grin and small toddler slide inside her mouth. There are spray guns and fountains and bucket drops all conveniently located next to the outdoor lawn game area, where you can enjoy giant games as a family.
For lighter crowds, try visiting the park on port days when most guests are off the ship or on embarkation day. On a record-breaking ship, Royal Caribbean had to put record-breaking slides. While Thrill Island is chalked full of brand-new experiences, the cruise line is also bringing back some fan-favorites, including the FlowRider surf simulator and rock wall.
Thrill Island was designed to ensure that the multigenerational family is able to have a great vacation together. Throughout the neighborhood, you will find plenty of seating to cheer on family and friends who are stepping up to the challenge. Groups of four can ride together and boomerang off of a lotus leaf while soaking up some incredible ocean views. According to Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean, "It is a thrill at every single turn. No matter what your age, you can have a great time on Thrill Island."
Carnival, the so-called Fun Ship line, would go on to become the early leader in waterslides at sea. The 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy, which debuted in 1990, was the first cruise ship with a significant waterslide. Often cited as the first waterslide ever on a cruise vessel, the Festivale slide was of a sort that was found at backyard pools at the time. The cruise industry was still in its infancy, of course, and ships were orders of magnitude smaller than they are today. Festivale measured just 32,697 tons, about one-seventh the size of today's biggest cruise vessels.
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