There are some amenities, activities and venues that are just commonplace on cruise ships. Just about every cruise ship has a spa, casino, lounges and theater. Everyone has a sports court with basketball courts or bumper cars.
However, more and more, cruise lines are looking to wow guests and make their ships stand out with “first at sea” features that go above and beyond the average — and, out of them all, these are the incredible cruise ship amenities you really need to experience.
In This Article:
Roller Coasters
The first-ever roller coaster at sea debuted in 2021, on Carnival’s Mardi Gras cruise ship. Since, Carnival has added this feature — dubbed BOLT — to Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee as well.
An all-electric coaster, BOLT features two-person cars, traveling at up to 40 miles per hour, on an 800-foot track. The track twists, turns and drops its way along the deck, also taking cruisers nearly 200 feet out above the water line.
BOLT has been extremely successful since it launched, and has won numerous industry awards, including being named best cruise ship feature in the Cruise Hive Awards, multiple years in a row.
So how does this roller coaster stand up to the experiences you could expect on a traditional roller coaster?
According to cruisers who’ve tried this entertainment option out for themselves, and reported back on Reddit, BOLT is not only a unique experience, but also offers great views. While the coaster isn’t as fast as a traditional coaster, the ocean breeze coming off the water make the journey feel faster than it is, and you get to go around the track twice.
Go-Karts
For more thrills, some cruise ships, namely those from Norwegian Cruise Line, now feature go-kart tracks. You can find this amenity on Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Bliss.
The biggest of these go-kart tracks can be found on Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima, where the tracks stretch over three decks and 1,400 feet.
An activity that’s hardly just for kids, you’ll take to the track at up to 40 miles per hour, for a truly heart-pounding experience! The track overlooks the ocean, features all sorts of twists and turns, and altogether is sure to test your mettle.
Unfortunately, this feature isn’t free. You’ll pay $15 to start, for each ride, with extra fees for private use of the track or luxury unlimited rides throughout your cruise. Each ride is eight laps.
The Magic Carpet
A feature exclusive to Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class ships, which include Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Ascent), the Magic Carpet is like nothing you’ve ever really experienced.
While you could easily find a go-kart track on land, or a roller coaster at a nearby traditional amusement park, the Magic Carpet is in its own league. So what is it?
The Magic Carpet is the world’s first cantilevered, floating platform. It basically hangs over the ship’s side and provides passengers with an extra space where you can dine, drink and soak in the views, all while sitting 13 stories above sea level.
Whether it’s being used for relaxation or as one of the specialty restaurants’ dining options, It’s truly a one-of-a-kind space where you’ll feel as if you’re floating above the ocean.
The Magic Carpet can fit about a hundred or so people and can be rented out for private events.
Skydiving
Certain Royal Caribbean ships — including Ovation of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas — are home to Ripcord by iFLY skydiving simulators.
These skydiving simulators provide a safe and expert-overseen environment in which you can feel all the thrills of skydiving, without actually facing any of the scary heights or that heart-pounding leap out of a tiny airplane.
All you have to do is suit up and step inside, and you’ll be on your way, with the wind in your face. The experience only lasts about a minute or so, but past cruisers who have tried the experience out say that this is entirely enough time. Plus, the experience is free for your first try.
Robotic Bartenders
This is one of the few unique cruise ship features that’s actually available on multiple cruise lines. Both Royal Caribbean and MSC have discovered that there’s just something fun about watching a robot mix up your drink or pour you a beer.
On Royal Caribbean, you’ll find the cruise line’s robotic bartenders at the aptly named Bionic Bar. There, in a futuristic, glitzy setting, multiple robotic arms twist and turn to produce your drink of choice, chosen from a touch screen menu.
You can order both classic cocktails or your own bar favorites (so long as you know how to make that favorite — you’ll have to tell the robot the ingredients to use!).
Currently, the Bionic Bar can be found on Anthem of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas.
MSC Cruises offers its robot bartender on MSC Virtuosa, in a relatively new venue called Starship Club. There, the robot bartender, Rob, looks a little more humanoid versus being just a robotic arm.
The Starship Club overall looks like something out of a child’s sci-fi movie, with 3D holograms, digital art and interactive furnishings. Rob can mix up your drink, make small talk and act as much like a human as possible — for a robot.
F1 Simulators
Some of the larger MSC cruise ships featured an F1 Simulator where guests can feel what it’s like to drive a complicated car, which even has large screens on a simulated F1 track. This feature connects the cruise line well as an official sponsor of the popular motor sport.
MSC Cruises has F1 racing simulators on MSC Divina, MSC Virtuosa, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Bellissima, MSC Seaside, MSC Seaview, MSC Seascape and MSC Seashore. Norwegian Cruise Line likewise has them on Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Joy.
Planetariums
Explore the cosmos in comfort, when you kick back and stare the ceiling, in a cruise ship planetarium. While you won’t find this unique feature on some of the more family-friendly cruise ships out there, you will find it on some cruise lines that typically cater to older travelers who may want a more educational slant to their trips.
Viking Cruises has several ships with planetariums, including Viking Orion, Viking Jupiter, Viking Mars and Viking Neptune. Viking Orion’s planetarium was noted as the highest-definition 7K planetarium in the world when it debuted in 2018.
Before Viking added planetariums to its ships, though, Cunard had a planetarium on the Queen Mary 2, where it maintained status as the only planetarium at sea for years.
Cunard still claims that, while the Queen Mary 2’s planetarium might not be the only planetarium at sea these days, it is still the largest planetarium at sea.
Surfing Simulators
Surfing simulators have grown in popularity as a fun amenity at resorts, water parks and, yes, on cruise ships. Royal Caribbean ships have long featured the FlowRider surfing simulator, which offers about 40 feet of manmade waves, which cruisers then attempt to take on while riding small boards.
How exactly does it work?
Essentially, the FlowRider produces what’s known as a sheet wave — a sheet of water pumped continuously into a wave. The water is only a few inches deep and the wave is constant.
As such, you can feasibly surf as long as you like, without a break — so long as you can find your footing. Surfing on the simulator is harder than it looks, which is why many choose to experience the simulator on their bellies, lying down on the board before jumping against the wave.
You’ll find at least one (some ships have two!) FlowRider surfing simulators on the following Royal Caribbean ships:
Adventure of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas and Icon of the Seas.
SkyRide
SkyRide is an interesting feature on select Carnival Cruise Lines ships. It’s a good fit for those who think they’d like the view of the ocean and top-deck ride of a cruise ship roller coaster, but who want something a little more low-key and slow.
Described as “the cruise industry’s first pedal-powered open-air aerial attraction,” SkyRide is a human-powered ride (so you can control how fast you want to go) that allows you to basically pedal your way around a course.
The two-lane suspended course hangs over the deck and ocean, for exclusive access to amazing, panoramic views you really won’t be able to get anywhere else. The course is about 800 feet long, and sits about 150 feet above the water line. There are four single-rider “bikes” on each SkyRide.
Currently, SkyRide is available on Carnival Vista, Carnival Panorama and Carnival Horizon.
Snow and Ice Venues
If you’re trying to cool down during a cruise to a series of sunny and tropical ports of call, there’s no need to stay in your cabin, soaking up the AC. These cruise ships are here to delight with their snow and ice venues.
There are, of course, cruise ships that offer ice skating rinks, where you can both skate on your own or come by to watch a professional ice skating show.
These are quite popular on Royal Caribbean ships, including Adventure of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Icon of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas.
For the adults in your party, though, some cruise ships offer a different kind of frozen attraction: ice bars. This is the case on select Norwegian Cruise Line ships.
Norwegian Breakaway, for example, has its Svedka ICE Bar, where a below-freezing room filled with ice sculptures serves up frozen drinks. Similarly, Norwegian Getaway is home to the Skyy Vodka Ice Bar, where everything, from the bar to the seats, is made from layers of ice.
Bowling
Myriad cruise ships from myriad cruise lines are home to bowling lanes or full-blown bowling alleys, both big and small.
With Norwegian Cruise Line, you can find bowling on Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Pearl, as well as mini bowling on Norwegian Bliss. The two-lane bowling on Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Pearl offers an experience similar to neon bowling events you may’ve attended at traditional bowling alleys, with neon balls and funky lighting.
Carnival Vista has a 10-lane bowling alley within the broader SportsSquare complex.
MSC Cruises has bowling lanes on both its Meraviglia and Seaside-class ships, which include MSC Meraviglia, MSC Bellissima, MSC Virtuosa, MSC Seaside, MSC Seaview, MSC Seascape and MSC Seashore. Each ship offers two lanes (shorter than your average bowling lanes), with 10 full-sized pins each. Bowling starts at $25 for a half-hour lane rental, plus shoe rentals for $2 per person.
Free Fall Slides
A lot of cruise ships have water slides, but what about free fall slides? Not for the faint of heart, these water slides feature straight drops down, so you actually spend time in a free fall, before you hit the water.
You can find these thrilling sides on Norwegian’s Prima-class ships, including Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva (and likely on upcoming Prima-class ships that are due to debut in the coming years).
You can also find free fall slides on Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. On these ships, the free fall slide is literally called “The Free Fall,” and it’s one of the fastest drop slides at sea.
The North Star
Much like The Magic Carpet, The North Star is a Royal Caribbean feature that offers stellar 360-degree views.
Available on Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas, the North Star is a glass-enclosed pod on a mechanical arm that can lift you up and over the deck before taking you out over the side of the ship, over 300 feet above sea level.
Technically considered a ride and honored in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Highest Viewing Deck on a Cruise Ship, the North Star isn’t as adrenaline-pumping as some of the other unique cruise ship amenities on this list, but it is still pretty cool.
As an added convenience (and shorter lines), it also operates both while you’re at sea and while you’re in port.
Multi-Story Dry Slides
It’s not just free-fall water slides that steal the show on cruise ships. Dry slides are also becoming more popular, allowing cruisers to enjoy a speedy ride across multiple decks or stories, but without the need to don your swimsuit or get your hair wet.
You can find dry slides, called the Ultimate Abyss Slide, on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, including Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. The Utopia of the Seas dry slide is the longest at sea, at more than 250 feet long. On most ships, the Ultimate Abyss Slide is 10-stories tall and cruisers who give it a go can reach speeds of up to nine miles per hour.
Dry slides are also featured on MSC Cruises’ World-class ships, including MSC World Europa and MSC World America. On both, the dry slide is dubbed Venom Drop and it’s 11-stories tall.
Final Thoughts
It’s no secret. Cruise lines are constantly trying to outdo one another, unveiling new and exciting “first at sea” or “biggest at sea” features. While the above amenities and attractions are certainly cool, there’s no doubt that we’ll see even bigger and better attractions in the years ahead.
Read Also: It Isn’t a Cruise Until You Do These 9 Things
For now, though, be sure to get your fill of at-sea thrills with these slides, rides and more. Even if you just try them out once, and just to say that you did, it’s sure to lead to fun vacation memories you won’t soon forget.
