Crazy Things to Do on a Cruise Ship

Crazy Things to Do on a Cruise Ship

Walk the Plank on the Norwegian Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class of ships.

In the challenge of attracting new cruise passengers while at the same time keeping veteran cruisers hooked, largest cruise line companies roll out original industry-first activities. 

There was a time when limbo, shuffleboard and miniature golf were the craziest activities found on a cruise. But today, thrill-seekers can practice their surfing, go ziplining or strap on a bungee cord, all without leaving the cruise ship. One of the biggest changes is just how many experiences passengers can enjoy these days. The world's largest cruise ships have a mind-boggling array of dazzling entertainment.

The trend started with waterslides, rock climbing walls and ice skating rinks but quickly escalated to levitating cocktail bars, skydiving simulators and the latest high-tech entertainment on board the newest cruise vessels. With fun attractions like these, guests may never want to leave.

Cruises are no longer just sedate affairs, as the following adrenaline-pumping activities can attest. Sea days full of dozing by the pool in an alcohol stupor are over, so let us reveal the WOW side of cruise life with 20 crazy on board experiences that will leave you breathless.

1. Cirque Dreams & Dinner. During a Cirque Dreams & Dinner on board Norwegian Epic, passengers get a play with food. The 265-seat theater pairs mealtime with a show that features hula-hooping, acrobatics, aerialists and singing. The entertainers perform circus-style tricks as waiters serve dinner amid the chaos.Norwegian Breakaway followed up with its Jungle Fantasy show. The latest take on NCL dinner theater, Illusionarium, debuted on Getaway. The show comes complete with special effects and magicians. 
2. Lawn Club. Natural carpet is rolled out with the Lawn Club on Celebrity Cruises and the Central Park on Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure of the Seas. It features rambling pathways and abundant flora, including flower beds and shade trees. The floating parkland offers tasteful restaurants and and shops reminding Fifth Avenue. Celebrity's Solstice-class vessels have a half-acre of green grass on their top decks, ideal for bocce or croquet. Passengers can also order baskets and have picnics. 
3. Formula 1 simulator. If your kids want to take a spin, tell them to go have fun. No time to worry if they crash the car while driving 200 mph. MSC Cruises' Fantasia-class ships give speed lovers permission to enjoy speed in a Formula 1 simulator. Guests climb into the driver's seat of a car that whines, bumps and bounces like the real thing. With Costa Cruises' Grand Prix simulators, guest "drivers" simulate the sensation of zipping around a racecourse from a Grand Prix-style car, tricked out with lots of gadgets, sounds and movements. 
4. 4D cinema. The 4D theaters, found on Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line, offer real-life sensory shocks as squirts of liquids, pumped-in smells, quivering seats and visuals invading your personal space. Thankfully, all seats come with belts, so not to become part of the on-screen action. 
5. Planetarium at sea. Cunard's Queen Mary 2 brings the stars out, even on cloudy nights. In the only one at sea planetarium, housed in the Illuminations, stargazers sit beneath a huge dome sparkling with celestial glitter. On a 7-day cruise astro-geeks can explore galaxies with three different shows. Members of the Royal Astronomical Society are at hand on select voyages. 
6. Magic PlayFloor. Floors and walls come alive, just like in the movie "Fantasia." Go see it for real on Disney Fantasy and Dream. On the Magic PlayFloor, kids stomp around on the virtual game board. The Enchanted Art inspires jumping, but more as a response to artworks which move and talk without warning. Minnie Mouse poses as Mona Lisa, and Mickey Mouse, as Steamboat Willie. Once the show is over, all images go back to their dormant selves. 
7. Moving Bars. The Rising Tide bar on Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas really is moving. It travels like an elevator between the Central Park and Royal Promenade neighborhoods on Decks 8 and 5, respectively. A roundtrip takes 30 minutes, with 10 minutes reserved for embarkation and debarkation and 20 in motion. 
8. Ice bars. The temperature inside Norwegian Epic, Breakaway, or Getaway's Svedka ice bar is Arctic. The bars are made of ice, including sculptures and furnishings, which are themed to reflect Miami on Getaway and New York City on Breakaway, and are illuminated by bulbs glowing like the northern lights. The bars provide a rack of gloves and hooded coats to keep hands from freezing to the ice glasses and buttocks from sticking to the ice-cube seats. 
9. Brewing onboard. Several varieties of German beer are crafted in the microbreweries on AIDAblu,AIDAmar, AIDAsol and AIDAstella. The braumeisters of the German cruise line can produce up to 265 gallons of beer a day. One unexpected ingredient is seawater, minus the salt. Guests can sign up for brewing workshops to receive a "brewing diploma" onboard. 
10. Waterworks. The AquaTheater, found on Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, could be just another pool on board, until you notice it's 18 feet deep and nearly 21 feet long, with passengers taking scuba lessons in it. The venue shines when the moon comes up and the natural light goes down. Then, the area transforms into a unique 700-seat AquaBroadway. The shows include a choreographed musical, starring divers, aerialists and gymnasts, as well as a trapeze act creating the illusion of Spiderman climbing up water. 
11. Waterslides. Kids of all ages can't resist the hair-raising steepest waterslide at sea. Both Carnival Spiritand Carnival Legend feature the Green Thunder, part of the top-deck water park. Carnival Waterworks also boasts a Twister Waterslide and SplashZone for smaller kids. The AquaDuck water coaster on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy twists and turns for 765 feet over and around ships' pool decks. One elbow of the coaster protrudes 12 feet off the vessel and 150 feet above the sea. The AquaDunk waterslide onMagic offers a 3-story-high thrill ride, including a tumble through a trap door into a translucent tube shooting out 20 feet over the side of the ship. Other notable waterslides include Norwegian's Free Fall (on Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway) with twin "free fall" slides dropping guests at speeds of up to 26 mph; the Speedway Splash on Carnival Sunshine, with 235-ft-long dual chutes and special lighting effects; and MSC Cruises' Vertigo (MSC Preziosa), offering 390 ft of colorful turns and twists, including a spin over ship's edge from 18 decks high. 
12. Marina Water Sports. Board one of the SeaDream yachts if you are a speed demon. Both offer high-speed watercraft from a retractable watersports platform. The marinas also feature stand-up paddleboards, glass-bottom kayaks and Laser sailboats. Today every decent yacht is equipped with water sports toys likesailing dinghies, jet skis and kayaks. On board SeaDream I and SeaDream II are also experts on hand to give instructions. 
13. Zip lines: Fly through the air. Passengers aboard Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas can strap on harness and speed up through the air on the intra-ship zip line. Set on the Sports Deck, the Peter Pan-esque activity is not for the acrophobic as the wire is suspended 9 decks up and with a diagonal course of 82 feet across ship's atrium. Don't forget to wear secured footwear: otherwise, fellow cruisers strolling through the Boardwalk below may end up with flip-flops in their ice cream cones. 
14. Walking the plank. After mastering some challenges on the ropes courses aboard Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway, get ready for The Plank. This extraordinary 15-centimetre-wide board extends 55 metres above the open ocean and 2.5 metres over the side of the cruise ship. But at least the brave ones have to wear a harness. 
15. FlowRider. The surf's always up on Freedom, Oasis and Quantum-class Royal Caribbean ships. The FlowRider surf simulator generates waves on the top of a cushioned platform. Guests can catch their waves standing up or belly-down. The tide is faux, but humiliation and pain can be real. However, it's fun and challenging - surf conditions are always the best. 
16. Robot bartenders. One of the greatest novelties aboard Quantum of the Seas is its Bionic Bar, featuring a duo of robot bartenders who dole out drinks to charmed guests. In a "mixology meets technology" futuristic setting, passengers order cocktails from a tablet device. The pair prepares mixed drinks while shaking and stirring, with a system based on the assembly-line technology used to manufacture cars. 
17. SeaPlex. Royal Caribbean really reached the top with the activities on board its Quantum of the Seas. One of the innovative features is SeaPlex, the biggest indoor active spot at sea that boasts a roller-skating rink, circus school and bumper cars. 
18. The North Star. Another innovation from Quantum of the Seas (repeated on the Anthem), the North Star observation pod swings passengers away from ship's deck for a 15-minute ride with bird's-eye panorama. The glass-enclosed capsule (modeled on the London Eye), has room for 14. It is attached to a mechanical arm extending to over 300 feet above sea level, and out over the side of the ship, for unparalleled 360-degree views over the vessel, port and sea. 
19. Skydiving simulator. The innovative Quantum-class ships of Royal Caribbean, including Anthem of the Seas, have rolled out a great deal of industry-firsts. These include such WOWs like RipCord by iFLY, the first skydiving simulator at sea. Thrill-seekers are asked to attend an informational session in order to learn the rules of play. Then they gear up in a flight suit, protective headgear and goggles. It's time to dive on into the glass-enclosed, 23-foot-high vertical window tunnel for a gravity-defying simulated skydiving. The whole time guests will be safe in the hands of a pro so to enjoy the minute-long floating. As a bonus, the instructor usually puts on a show of flying tricks and sensational flips in the air machine. 

Asia’s Largest and most revolutionary cruise ship Quantum Of The Seas makes maiden call at Cochin

Asia’s Largest and most revolutionary cruise ship Quantum Of The Seas makes maiden call at Cochin

Quantum of the Seas

One of Royal Caribbean International’s newest and most revolutionary cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, has visited its first Asian port today in Cochin, India. The 18-deck, 167,800 gross registered ton ship is the largest ever to call at any Indian port and with the highest number of guests onboard, totalling close to 4,000 from around the world. She is on a 14-night cruise from Dubai to Singapore which has also called at Muscat and will next visit Penang.

 
Traditional plaque exchanges are conducted with Captain Srecko Ban of Quantum of the Seas with Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair, Traffic Manager Cochin Port Trust and Mr Keki Master, Sr Vice President of J.M.Baxi & Co to commemorate the ship’s maiden call, in the presence of local government officials, media, business partners as well as TIRUN Travel Marketing, Royal Caribbean International’s exclusive representative in India.

 

Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive of TIRUN Travel Marketing said, “We are thrilled that Quantum of the Seas has finally arrived in Asia today which is a huge milestone for Royal Caribbean. This is the ship that will change everything, in pushing the boundaries, elevating cruising to be among the top vacation choices and reinforcing our brand as an industry leader. The Quantum Class is the next generation of cruise ships filled with innovations in entertainment, technology and culinary that take guests to new heights on the high seas, which we are sure will unleash a new wave of excitement and cruise boom among Indian vacationers.”

 
Quantum of the Seas introduced many firsts-at-sea features such as the North Star elevated glass capsule, RipCord by iFly skydiving simulator and the Bionic Bar. She also features transformative venues such as the Two70 multi-purpose multi-level room, which offers 270 degree panoramic views out of the back of the ship and the SeaPlex indoor activity area, which is the largest active indoor area at sea that features bumper cars, rollerskating and even a circus school.

 
With 18 different restaurants on board, guests will be spoilt for choice when it comes to dining. Guests can look forward to dining at specialty restaurants created in conjunction with award winning chefs Jamie Oliver, Michael Schwartz and Devin Alexander, or at one of five complimentary restaurants available onboard.

Every room on Quantum of the Seas comes with a view thanks to the introduction of Royal Caribbean’s Virtual Balcony available in all interior staterooms. Multi-generational families now also benefit from new Family-Connected staterooms, which connect three different stateroom categories into a special layout with separate bedrooms and bathrooms for all.

Making a return are signature features found on other Royal Caribbean ships such as the H2O Zone kids’ aqua park, rock climbing wall, FlowRider surf simulator, Adventure Ocean children’s programme, Royal Babies and Tots Nursery and DreamWorks Entertainment.

Quantum of the Seas is currently on her 53-night epic Global Odyssey which departed from New York en route to Shanghai where she will homeport year round. As part of her Global Odyssey, she will also be embarking on Jun 12 on a 3-night round trip from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), followed by her 9 night long cruise on Jun 15 from Singapore to Shanghai, calling at Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and Xiamen.

Royal Caribbean takes delivery of Anthem of the Seas

A signing ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany, made the Anthem delivery official.

Meyer Werft shipyard formally turned over Anthem of the Seas to Royal Caribbean International on Friday, 10 days ahead of the ship's naming ceremony in Southampton, England.

The 4,200-passenger Anthem, the second ship in Royal’s Quantum class, will sail from the U.K. on various European itineraries this summer and fall. In November, it will arrive in New York Harbor to dock at its permanent home port of Cape Liberty, N.J.

Unique features of the Quantum-class ships include the North Star aerial observatory, the SeaPlex bumper car arena and the RipCord by iFLY skydiving simulator.

Passed Anthem of the Seas to Royal Caribbean International: Meyer Werft

Passed Anthem of the Seas to Royal Caribbean International: Meyer Werft

by ship journal

Passed second ship of the Quantum class for Royal Caribbean

Today the Meyer Werft the 168,600 GT cruise ship Anthem of the Seas in Bremerhaven delivered five days before the original date agreed at the American Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (Miami) from.

Photo: Meyer Werft

In the Anthem of the Seas is the second ship of the so-called quantum-class. With the Anthem of the Seas have the Meyer Werft and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. rebuilt a particularly environmentally friendly cruise ship. The ships of the Quantum-class are equipped with the most advanced emission control systems called Hybrid Scrubber. 

Very energy efficient technical systems, optimized hydrodynamics, heat recovery, as well as an extremely effective underwater paint, or eg an extremely energy-efficient lighting system with LED illumination lead to considerable energy savings. 

A diesel-electric pod propulsion system, complex alarm and security systems, interactive communication systems and the latest stage technology to guarantee security and entertainment on board according to the latest technical standards.

The ships of the Quantum class perform another ground-breaking innovations one at sea. Below are the skydiving simulator "Ripcord by iFly" up to 90 meters high glass view gondola "North Star" and the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea "SeaPlex" with bumper cars and roller skating. In "Two70 °" Guests will experience the Anthem of the Seas during the day a fascinating 270 degree panoramic views and breathtaking shows at night.

The cruise ship, has a total of 18 decks and a survey of 168 600 GT. With 2,090 cabins, which are the biggest and most versatile cabins on the ships owned, it can accommodate 4,180 guests at double occupancy.

After delivery to the shipping company, the Anthem of the Seas leaving presumably on 13/14. April 2015 Bremerhaven towards Southampton. The 27-year-old Emma Wilby from the UK is the godmother of the Anthem of the Seas. 

The employee of a Scottish travel agents is the newest and most modern ship cruise brand baptized on 20 April 2015, Southampton before 1,500 invited guests. Emma Wilby was chosen from numerous applicants from across the UK. The Anthem of the Seas will be on the road in their inaugural season from / to Southampton in the western Mediterranean, before transitioning to New York on October 27, 2015.

Quantum of the Seas: It's familiar yet innovative

SOUTHAMPTON, England — For all of its innovation, Quantum of the Seas will be familiar to anyone who has traveled on Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom-class ships. The footprint for Quantum is a step back from the radical ship design of Oasis of the Seas.

Quantum doesn’t have a Viking Crown Lounge, and the central promenade is a little different than on Freedom- and Voyager-class ships. But the overall impression is of a Freedom-class ship with a number of very innovative features bolted on to the prototype.

The “wow” features are new, of course. The North Star observation gondola looked quite inviting on a beautiful fall day before Quantum’s departure on a two-night preview cruise here.

The SeaPlex, an open indoor rec area, looked like fun with its bumper cars idling along its sides. It feels airy and open, with lots of windows illuminating the space so it doesn’t feel dim.

The Ripcord by iFly commands the aft part of the upper deck, along with a hulking magenta bear sculpture that serves as a conversation piece and is a bit unlike anything else on a Royal Caribbean ship.
The big attention-getter so far, however, has been the Bionic Bar. Crowds are consistently watching the two robotic bartenders pour their libations. There is something fascinating about the precision movements of these blue, impersonal robots.

Interior cabins are brightened by the floor-to-ceiling virtual balcony screens, another add-on that has also been installed on Royal’s Navigator of the Seas.

Perhaps the most noticeable change on Quantum is the number of restaurants, with the main dining room split into five new themed dining venues. Yet even here, the complimentary restaurants are in their usual place on the lower aft decks, except for Coastal Kitchen, a new concept for suite guests only, which is high on Deck 14.

Windjammer and the Solarium, also on Deck 14, are staples of Royal’s recent ship layout. The line’s trademark design elegance, quality materials and attention to detail is there, too.

The windows on the Two70° lounge (named for 270-degree panoramic sea views) at the back of the ship look enormous, defining the rear profile of the ship. But I have not seen the evening entertainment programming yet in Two70°, nor in the Music Hall, or the Royal Theater.
Another standout feature of Quantum is the poolside movie screen, which is mounted to one side of the pool, rather than at the end of the pool as on most designs.

The passenger mix on this two-night cruise reflects Royal Caribbean’s increasing international outreach. There was a noticeable contingent of Chinese guests, who were there to see the ship in anticipation of its deployment to Shanghai starting in May 2015.

June Arlen Eggesbo Lundeby, general manager of USA Spesialisten, a travel agency in Oslo, Norway, said that Quantum will appeal to clients from Norway who will combine a cruise with a pre- or post-cruise stay in New York.

“Cruise in Norway has been booming,” Lundeby said, as appreciation grows that on ships such as Quantum many passengers are not retired, and that it is a relative bargain.

“The prices are of big interest,” Lundeby said. “You would never find the same value in a four-star hotel vacation in Miami Beach,” she said.

Royal Caribbean’s third Quantum Class ship commenced construction

Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean’s third Quantum Class ship commenced construction at Meyer Werft’s Papenburg shipyard. In addition to celebrating the construction of the new ship, Royal Caribbean also announced the ship will join the fleet as Ovation of the Seas.

Ovation of the Seas, sister to both Quantum and Anthem of the Seas, will be constructed at Meyer Werft’s primary yard in Papenburg, Germany. The new ship will feature similar features and design to her earlier Quantum Class sisters, including North Star, RipCord, The Bionic Bar, SeaPlex, the Two70 entertainment complex, and virtual balconies.

Ovation of the Seas is scheduled to debut with Royal Caribbean in the fall of 2016. At this time, Royal Caribbean has made no indication of the new ship’s potential itineraries or homeport.

Meyer Werft: steel cut for the third Quantum cruise ship "Ovation of the Seas"

Shortly before the completion of the new Quantum of the Seas today there are another milestone for Royal Caribbean International: the steel section and thus the start of construction of the third cruise ship the new Quantum-class. 

The Smartship named Ovation of the Seas. The completion at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg is planned for autumn 2016.

Photo: Royal Caribbean International

The ships of the new Quantum class perform other ground breaking innovations at sea a (maiden voyage Quantum of the Seas November 2014 from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, maiden voyage Anthem of the Seas in April 2015 from Southampton). The Quantum class of ship boasts a number of new additions; skydiving simulator "Ripcord by iFly', the 90-meter-high swinging arm" North Star ", the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea" SeaPlex "with bumper cars, roller-skating and much more, as well as the biggest and most versatile cabins. 

The cruise ships each include 18 decks and a tonnage of 168,666 GT. With 2,090 cabins they provide space for 4,180 guests at double occupancy.

Quantum of the Seas Fact Sheet

Quantum of the Seas

At the fitting of the shipyard work is underway on the first ship of the Quantum-class in full swing, as early as October 2014, the Quantum of the Seas will be completed. Then she will be the latest environmental technologies and improved energy efficiency score with their exciting entertainment news.

The North Star, a London Eye gondola views modelled at 90 meters height, will be unique. And not just for the guests, it will be a spectacular novelty, but also from marine construction perspective, the gondola is a masterpiece.

The "Two70 °" is a large area at the stern of the vessel, which is used during the day as a lounge with bar and dance floor and in the evening as a show stage. The name stands for "270 degrees" and refers to the almost all-round view through the large windows. The nightly shows, they also serve as projection.

Another innovation is the "SeaPlex", a multi-function room where the travellers can pass the time, for example, with bumper cars and basketball. The simulator "RipCord by iFly" creates even feel a real parachute jump. And even the inside cabins offer an attraction: 82-inch screens with real-time views of the sea serve as virtual balconies and provide the same view as the outside cabins.

From her future home port New York this innovative marvel with more than 4,100 passengers and 22 knots will go on the journey toward Bahamas and Bermuda and in the Caribbean.

Quantum main data of the Seas

Survey	167,800 GT
LOA	348 m
Moulded breadth	41.4 m
Decks	18
Machine performance	67,200 kW
max. Speed	22 kn
Number of passenger cabins	2094
Passengers	4188