Bowling alley is latest cruise offering…roller coasters next?
Monday, 28 Dec, 2006
0
Fast-growing Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled what it called the first bowling lanes at sea on the 2,394-passenger Pearl, which sails out of Miami.
The move led USA Today to ponder other more unusual offerings cruise ships are coming up these days, including:
- Royal Caribbean premiered the first boxing ring at sea in May when it launched the much-ballyhooed Freedom of the Seas, the world’s largest ship.
- The vessel also boasts the first “surfing pool” at sea — a pool with a constant, machine-made wave.
- Carnival recently just unveiled Water Wars, a water-balloon battle game complete with “battle stations” that’s popular at theme parks. It launched on two ships, the Imagination and Fascination, and will be fleet-wide by next summer.
- The line also has been adding its first miniature golf courses on ships (a concept pioneered by Royal Caribbean) and plans to roll that out fleet-wide, too.
What’s next? Industry watcher Mike Driscoll, editor of newsletter Cruiseweek, expects something big from Royal Caribbean when it launches a new, bigger class of ship in 2009. The $1.2 billion vessel will carry a record-setting 5,400 passengers.
“Don’t rule out a roller coaster,” Driscoll says, noting one possibility at the center of industry speculation. “Shipyard engineers have said this can be done on a cruise ship.”
Report by David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025