Key Aspects:
- A video that has been making the rounds shows the moment that the Frightening Bolt waterslide shattered under a guest onboard Icon of the Seas.
- The clear panel breaks suddenly just after the man is dropped into the ride, sending shards of glass flying.
- The slide remains closed on the Icon-class ships as an investigation is still ongoing.
It’s one thing to hear about something, but it’s entirely different to see it with your own eyes.
Cruisers have been dying to know what exactly happened when a waterslide broke while a passenger was riding it onboard Icon of the Seas.
But thanks to a video that is quickly going viral, cruise fans with a taste for danger can now see the actual moment that the Frightening Bolt waterslide shattered under a passenger on August 7, 2025.
Perhaps adding insult to injury, the guest didn’t even really get to enjoy the 46-foot-long slide before the scary incident unfolded.
For those brave enough to take on what’s considered the largest waterslide at sea, their experience begins with a trapdoor launch that sends cruisers flying into a free fall.
While most guests slip and slide their way to the bottom as intended after the free fall, the man had been sliding for mere seconds before an acrylic glass panel shattered underneath him.
Shards of glass went careening to the deck below as water began flooding out of the newly formed hole.
Contrary to some of the rumors being spread, the man also appears to be riding the slide as instructed, with his feet first and his arms crossed.
The passenger was injured in the unusual accident, from which he is said to have received significant skin lacerations. Royal Caribbean stated that medical care was promptly provided.
The man’s identity and the true extent of the harm has not been released at this point, presumably to protect his privacy and to preserve his legal rights.
The guest has now obtained legal counsel from leading maritime attorneys, Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., as he prepares to sue the cruise line for compensation.
Iconic Waterslide Remains Closed
Until Royal Caribbean can verify the root cause behind the shattered glass and make appropriate repairs, Frightening Bolt will remain shuttered.
The attraction is not just closed onboard Icon of the Seas, but also onboard the brand new Star of the Seas, which is being previewed ahead of her maiden voyage on August 31.
“The slide remained closed for the rest of the voyage while engineers assessed the damage,” Royal Caribbean said in a recent statement.
“The company has not provided a timeline for reopening and is investigating whether the failure was due to a manufacturing defect, installation issue, or an unexpected impact,” the cruise line continued.
Depending on the complexity of the issue and the subsequent repairs, an investigation of this sort can last anywhere from a few days to several months.
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Despite what the chatter online would suggest, there is no known cause behind the surprise hole at this time.
It could be anything from a manufacturing defect with the panel, an installation error, or something else entirely.
Some witnesses have come forward to suggest that there were cracks in the ill-fated panel prior to this unlucky passenger’s ride, which could be indicative of wear and tear or an unexpected impact, but this has not been confirmed by the cruise line.
“As I understand it, it was cracked. Like the gentleman that went before him just (got) cut slightly, and then when the other gentleman went down, it sliced him, but he passed it, and then the glass fell and the water gushed,” a passenger named Lillian Destefano told Local 10 News.
But from the perspective of the video that has been circulating, there are no obvious indications that anything was wrong with the structural integrity until the panel broke.
While being patient is hard for the best of us (or at least it is for me), we’ll just have to wait and see the facts that Royal Caribbean’s investigation uncovers.
