Best Amusement Park Attractions at Sea! WOW!!!!

Best Amusement Park Attractions at Sea

Fran Golden, Special to USA TODAY 2:16 p.m. EDT August 28, 2013

Passengers can try simulated surfing with FlowRider on five Royal Caribbean ships.(Photo: Royal Caribbean)

 

Those who like their vacation with a dose of adrenaline will find it on cruise ships. The cruise lines have been busy adding amusement park attractions to appeal both to the family crowd and those of us who are kids at heart.

The following will add thrills to your cruise vacation, or at least a whole lot of fun.
AquaDuck. When I first tried this first-of-its-kind water coaster at sea on the Disney Dream, I screamed and got soaked as I whirled – with ocean views – around the top deck and through the ship's smokestacks. The 765-foot coaster can also be found on Disney Fantasy.

AquaDunk. Set to debut on the Disney Magic in October, this three-story, fast and wet thrill slide will be attached to the ship's funnel. In the prototype, you climb a tall staircase, enter a cube, the door closes, the floor opens and you drop feet first. A 20-foot section even juts off the side of the ship with nothing but the sea below.

North Star. Debuting on Royal Caribbean'sQuantum of the Seas in November 2014, a windowed capsule will stretch off the ship on a mechanical arm, providing cruise passengers with views of the ship from above and the sea in every direction (if not a rush, at least breathtaking).

Ripcord by iFly. Simulated skydiving comes to the high seas next November with the debut of this experience on Quantum of the Seas. You fly in the air in a pressure controlled space.

The Plank. Not for the faint of heart, on the largest ropes course at sea on Norwegian Breakaway and the soon-to-debut (in January) Norwegian Getaway, the 40-plus attractions include this piece of track, where strapped into your harness you, indeed, walk the plank – eight feet off the ship with nothing but the ocean some 180-feet below.

Free Fall. Among the five waterslides on Norwegian Breakaway is this multi-story, feet-first drop-slide, breaking records as the fastest waterslide at sea; you reach speeds of 2.8G. It will also debut on Norwegian Getaway in January.

Epic Plunge. The Norwegian Epic brought to cruising the first tube slide and the largest bowl slide at sea, The Epic Plunge, where you whip around on inflatable tubes before you drop.

Twister. Added this year on Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Destiny) as part of a $155 million redo, Twister, a 334-foot-long slide appeals to thrill-seekers, especially the portion that shoots out over the side of the ship.

Zipline. Passengers on the world's largest ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, can glide on a zip line with views of your ship's open-air Boardwalk area nine decks below.

FlowRider. Found on five Royal Caribbean ships (and also a feature on next year's Quantum of the Seas), the FlowRider simulates surfing by creating challenging mini-waves in a contained on deck attraction.

GAINING IN POPULARITY, RIVER CRUISES ARE AMAZING!

It was BOUND TO HAPPEN! The rising tide of river travel is sweeping in as a mainstream vacation choice for Americans who enjoy a convenient and hassle-free way to travel iat an unhurried pace, experience multiple destination stops with easy access to city centers, hotel-style accommodations and gourmet dining. Frequent cruisers report that river cruising is more sociable than ocean-going cruises, because of smaller numbers of passengers, open seating arrangements in dining rooms and shore excursions shared with small groups and they praise all-inclusive features such as daily shore excursions and wine with meals. Add the hotel like cabins, small spas, fitness facilities and intimate environment of the ships themselves and the satisfaction rate is one of the highest in the industry.

I concur ... River Cruises are, in a word, AMAZING and an incredible way to immerse yourself in the art and culture of a country in an intimate and joyful way. You will not only gain a personal view of the towns and villages but you will be able to taste and experience them in a personal manner without having to make your way there via a tour bus after having arrived via a large ship in a port far removed from the place you wanted to visit. Many new and exciting ships and itineraries are now cruising the fabulous rivers of the world and offer an amazing experience.

There are several companies that do a fabulous job of providing that all-inclusive experience that river cruising provides.

AMAWATERWAYS: From the tulip fields of Holland to the Temples of Southeast Asia, AMA Waterways is offering myriad opportunities to experience many of the great waterways in Europe, Russia and Southeast Asia in 2011 aboard new snips, following new itineraries and offering enhanced amenities.

AVALON WATERWAYS: Avalon Waterways, part of the Globus family of brands, is a major force in Europe and is famous for its Rhine and Danube itineraries and will be introducing the industry’s first Suite Ship, the Panorama in May of 2011.

UNIWORLD Boutique River Cruise Collection consistently scores high marks from clients and is offering over 500 departures on 40 itineraries sailing on 11 rivers in 18 countries throughut Europe, Russia, China and Egypt for 2011. The 11 day Portugal, Spain & the Douro River aboard the Douro Sprit is highly anticipated as well as the move back to Russia.









TAUCK WORLD DISCOVERY offers 12 itineraries for 2011on ships that carry no more than 118 passengers. Offerings include cruises on the Rhone River and Themed cruises such as two 8-day Christmas Market Cruises along the Rhine and Danube and the Family Riverboat Adventure aboard the Swill Jewel which will travel from Budapest to Slovakia, Austria and Germany, offering kid-friendly activities en-route with one very special sailing on Jyly 9 which will be accompanied by Elisabeth von Trapp who will perform many “sounds of music” onboard and host a special event in Salzburg.









I hope this has peaked your interest in River Cruising. Please contact me and let's get you started on the trip of a lifetime!

When Cruise Lines Work Together!

OK, it’s not a cruise line executive climbing a tree to rescue a kitten, but the recent cooperation between Carnival Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Line to get a handful of nonflying Carnival Dream passengers back to Florida is still pretty neat.

Here’s the scoop.



A few weeks back when Carnival Dream ran into problems with its emergency backup generator, which left it unable to sail back to Florida with passengers, the cruise line had to make arrangements for about 3,600 passengers onboard. Almost all were fine with flying back.

But some 30 others were not. Whether scared of flying or medically unable to fly, these passengers could not or would not get on a plane to return to the United States. So Carnival needed to think outside the box.

As it turned out another cruise ship, Norwegian Sun, was heading from St. Maarten to Miami right around the time Carnival was trying to get passengers to Orlando. We can only guess how the conversation between Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s CEO, and Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s CEO, went (or whether they actually spoke with each other at all), but when all was said and done, Norwegian happily welcomed Carnival’s passengers onboard for the three-night trip back to Florida.

“They had a range of staterooms (balcony, oceanview, etc) depending on what was available,” AnneMarie Matthews, vice president of public relations for Norwegian, told Cruise Critic. “Carnival covered the cost, and a representative from Carnival’s Care Team traveled with them.”

While neither Norwegian nor Carnival would comment on exactly how much was paid, Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen did say the line covered the cabin costs as well as gratuities for crew.

In a statement to Cruise Critic, Carnival expressed its gratitude to Norwegian for the cooperation and support the line provided.

But Norwegian might end up with more than just a little extra pocket change. According to Matthews, feedback from the guests “was very positive.”

“Guests like having a range of dining options and had a great time onboard. They were also very appreciative to us for taking them back to Florida so they didn’t have to fly.”

Cruise Critic member floridagal062 was one of these passengers.

“I will say the food was better on Sun, as well as great service. The people were so nice to us on that ship and very accommodating,” she wrote as part of a post about her Carnival Dream/Norewegian Sun experience.