Cruise ship waterparks up the ante with terrifying slides and a 'watercoaster'

01 September 2023 , 13:17

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Cruise ship waterparks up the ante with terrifying slides and a 'watercoaster'

Long gone are the days when a cruise ship had a few restaurants and a bit of entertainment - nowadays, cruise lines have hugely upped the ante, especially when it comes to onboard waterparks.

Whether it's family-friendly AquaDuck rides with Disney Cruise Line, the world's largest waterpark at sea with Royal Caribbean or terrifying slides that hang off the edge of the ship, there's heaps for adrenaline-seekers.

One of our picks of the coolest onboard activities, there's everything from thrilling water slides to gentle splash zones for smaller children. That's not even counting the various swimming pools to be found on deck.

To give you a helping hand we've put together a guide to the best cruise water parks - check out our top picks below...

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean offers up heaps of thrilling slides (Royal Caribbean)

Thrill-seekers may want to have Royal Caribbean's ships on their radar, where you'll find some pretty epic water slides.

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There's Blaster, the world's longest slide at sea, and RipTide, a mat racer slide where you're propelled headfirst along the twists and turns, complete with a section that goes right over the edge of the ship (both exclusively on Navigator of the Seas ), as well as the Ultimate Abyss which plunges down 10 decks and happens to be the tallest slide at sea (on Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas ).

Meanwhile Icon of the Seas will be the world's biggest cruise ship when it sets sail on its maiden voyage in 2024, and will feature the world's largest at sea waterpark, named Category 6, which will feature six record-breaking water slides, seven pools and nine whirlpools.

Ships also offer gentler splash zones for younger children such as the H2O Water Park with water cannons, waterfalls and pools. Anthem of the Seas, which will be sailing on UK itineraries, features the H2O Water Park.

Find out more at royalcaribbean.co.uk.

MSC Cruises

MSC Virtuosa will boast an Aquapark (DAILY MIRROR)

MSC Cruises offers up a wide array of water parks, with different slides and features depending on the ship you're on.

For example, MSC Seaside has a multi-storey water park with FIVE slides including two racing slides, and a 367ft-long slide with lights and music playing as you make your way down. There's also plenty of fun for younger passengers thanks to the splash zones and adventure trails. Meanwhile, MSC Preziosa has Vertigo, a 394ft-long slide with a transparent section that hangs off the edge of the ship!

New ship MSC Virtuosa has a Savannah Aquapark complete with THREE twisting slides, a ‘Himalayan Bridge’ and plenty of pools and water features for all ages. Oh, and it happens to be sailing on UK itineraries this summer!

Find out more at msccruises.co.uk.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Magic features the AquaDunk slide (dcl)

Disney Cruise Line has a host of exciting water rides. Disney Magic has onboard water park, AquaLab, with a kids' splash zones and a family pool area, while both Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy feature the AquaDuck water slide, where riders get into inflatable rings and get propelled down the tube all around the ship, as well as the Nemo's Reef splash zone for smaller cruise fans.

The cruise line's brand new ship, the Disney Wish, has brand new 'watercoaster' the AquaMouse which propels you along a 760ft-long loop way above the top deck and through the front funnel, complete with dazzling lights and a fun story featuring Mickey and Minnie.

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Find out more at disneycruise.disney.go.com.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian has plenty of water parks splash zones (Norwegian Cruise Line)

Norwegian's water parks have everything from splash zones and hot tubs to swimming pools and towering waterslides. Daring holidaymakers can take on Free Fall, the fastest drop slides at sea. (you'll find these on NCL's Breakaway Class ships), or get their adrenaline going as they slide down the 200ft-long Epic Plunge on Norwegian Epic. There are also kids' parks for smaller guests!

Find out more at ncl.com.

Carnival

Carnival's new Mardi Gras ship has a water park (Carnival Cruise Line)

All of Carnival's ships have at least one waterslide, but over half of its fleet is also home to one of the WaterWorks parks. These include the likes of the Twister Waterslide, side-by-side racing slides, DrainPipe with a huge swirl finish, and the epic PowerDrencher bucket.

New ship Mardi Gras will feature one of the brand's biggest water parks yet, (we've got a sneak peek at the ship where you can see what else will be on offer).

Find out more at carnival.com.

Julie Delahaye