I have always enjoyed water slides! The rush, speed, thrills and adrenaline felt are always fun! But it can only get better when you are aboard an amazing cruise ship and the joy is at sea. It is really fun to see how the cruise industry evolves and they all compete again each other to have the very best aboard.
I have been on a few cruises already and experienced all the water slides that they had aboard. I have compiled a list of the water slides and rated them for your enjoyment.
Starting at # 7
7. MSC Divina water slide. I won’t be the first to say this water slide was the weakest one that I have tested on a ship. The main problem that it suffers from is the lack of vertical. Most adults fail to get enough speed to make it smoothly to the end. I actually found myself pushing with my hands to make it all the way down the slide with acceptable speed.The slide is in an 8 form and offers plenty of twists during the entire ride. A few kids had the right idea and launched themselves to get enough momentum to gain adequate speed. However, a water slide is much better than no water slide.
6. Carnival Breeze “DrainPipe”. While this is a great concept, to me it seems poorly a executed plan. I have been on some of these, where you end up in an actual pool, after draining out it. I understand that would be near to impossible to install on a cruise, but they should have done something better. The ride itself is rather short before you enter the bowl, you don’t have enough time to gain speed to make it more than once around the bowl. I also got a couple of scratches on my back after I rode this water slide. I am not entirely sure why. In the end, I really did not notice much of the thrill with this water slide. You will also notice that the wait queue for this slide is much shorter than the twister.
5. NCL Breakaway “Family Slide”. Breakaway has some amazing water slides, however, I found this one to be their weakest one. Mainly because of the lack of vertical, although you do gain impressive speeds. I did enjoy the open factor of the slide since most of the water slides aboard the newer vessels tend to be closed up. This one is also their longest water slide, which in a way makes the wait more rewarding. This slide is the one with the lowest height requirements, so it tends to be the one most frequented by kids.
4. Carnival Breeze “Twister”. This is a great water slide! You manage to gain significant speed, and it has enough twists and turns to keep you coming back for more. Lines do tend to be longer on this water slide, so expect to wait in line for some time during peak hours. I wish that Carnival had deployed another water slide like this one instead of the DrainPipe.
3. NCL Breakaway “The Whip”. This is an incredibly fast water slide! Right after your first loop you build quite some momentum all the way to the end of the slide. The slides are not identical and the feel inside them is slightly different. As you are moving closer to the end of the water slide, the loops get tighter. This gives you the impression that you’re going much faster than you actually are. Since the purple slide is tighter towards the end, you tend to feel like you are going faster. While the yellow one offers a slightly lighter ride. I highly recommend these water slides, they are a lot of fun. Although they are not for people with a weak stomach, I almost paid the price, LoL.
2. Disney “AquaDuck”. I had really hard time deciding whether the Aquaduck should take the first place or not. The Aquaduck is not really a water slide. It is a water coaster! It is truly astonishing how Disney managed to get this monster on board. The Aquaduck is my mother’s favorite water slide, she must of rode it about 10 times. Wait times tend to be longer for this slide, it is widely popular and folks from all ages ride all day long. I noticed at one point in time the wait was over 35 minutes. The slide if perfect for those who dislike normal slides, in this one you board an inflatable raft for two. The ride even offers a photo opportunity if you enjoy purchasing photos from the ship, my mother bought one of herself. While I found this ride to be a lot of fun and very unique, I am afraid that the lower speed experience took away the chance of getting the number 1 position.
1. NCL Breakaway “Free-fall”. These are dual nearly identical drop loop water slides, with a trap door that drops you into the slide. While in the capsule there is a speaker with a counter, this really adds up to the rush of adrenaline already going through your body. Keep in mind that the slide requires you to wear a back pad for protection, I found this very useful as I sometimes burn my back on some water slides. The water slides reaches incredible speeds. While it is a very short ride, it does however offer one of the most intense rush that you will experience on a cruise ship water slide. All-in-all this is one amazing water slide that you should not miss!
In the end, this all a matter of likes and dislikes. I had a great time on all the water slides that I have been on while cruising. It is actually really incredible that we are in an era that we can enjoy such activities on a ship! Makes you wonder what will be the next major entertainment step in the cruising industry. I would love to try out the lazy river that they are building in the new Aida ship!
