94 CRUISE ORDER BOOK Bigger, better, faster Ever more adventurous rides and other thrilling onboard experiences are trending in several of the largest ships due for delivery in the first half of 2025. Michele Witthaus reports Not content with confining onboard theme rides to the top deck, one operator is thinking outside the ship for its latest theme park-style ride. MSC Cruises’ latest LNG-powered newbuild, MSC World America, will offer guests the chance to get closer to the ocean while onboard the company’s new Cliffhanger swing attraction and thrill ride, which allows guests to dangle over the side of the ship, 50 metres above the water. Another adrenalin-fuelled experience on the ship will be the Jaw Drop slide, which descends over 11 decks. Built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in SaintNazaire, France, the ship will embark on its Caribbean itineraries in April 2025. Also debuting in April 2025, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Aqua is the first of four ships to be welcomed by the line in the Prima Plus class and will bring the fleet size to 20. The brand’s contribution to the trend for bigger onboard thrills and fairgroundstyle experiences is its Aqua Slidecoaster, which the company bills as the world’s first hybrid roller coaster and waterslide. And even a customarily sedate meander around a shipboard mini-golf course will be dialled up a notch with the new Tee Time interactive golf game, which is described by the company as “a supercharged version of mini golf”. Other new onboard facilities on Norwegian Aqua and still-to-be-completed sister ship Norwegian Luna include the Aqua and Luna Game Zone, which will expand gaming options to guests within the Galaxy Pavilion and arcade venues. Attractions in the updated spa facilities The 367-ton dome for Star of the Seas’ AquaDome is the largest-ever glass and steel structure to be lifted and installed on a cruise ship
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=