Making a Splash: Royal Caribbean's Category 6 Waterpark

Table Of Content

• Eating and drinking around Thrill Island
• Disney Pours Entertainment into Cruise Ship Water Parks
• Thrill Waterpark on CocoCay: 20+ Tips, Secrets, and Things to Know
• The best cruise ship water parks and slides
• Which ships have the Category 6 Waterpark?
• Storm Chasers- first duo-mat racing slides at sea
• All Ages Are Welcome, But Someone Over 14 Years Old Must Accompany Kids

It is not just about the thrills themselves; it is about how the neighborhood can create memories for everyone onboard. You will step out onto a ledge that hangs 154 feet above the ocean right by the infamous Royal Caribbean crown and anchor. The walkway will stop, and you will be left admiring the ocean views until the trap door releases, sending you on a short glide right back where you began. Thrill Island is an immersive experience that's themed after a lost island. Details include distressed wood, a sunken boat, and even small artifacts left from prior explorers. Emily Rodriguez, Senior Product Owner and Product Development, said that they really took into consideration the excitement that they were seeing guests display for their thrilling experiences.

Eating and drinking around Thrill Island

Over the years, he's worked with products like TVs, copiers, light bulbs, and EV chargers, but cruising has always been his passion. There's nothing Randy likes more than the first couple of hours on a ship, exploring every nook and cranny and seeing how it's different from everything else out there. He's known for providing detailed and analytical coverage of cruising to help cruisers get a comprehensive picture of a ship's offerings. Guests are not allowed to wear jewelry, watches, GoPros, cameras, swim vests, or shoes on the slides.

Disney Pours Entertainment into Cruise Ship Water Parks

Each of the Norwegian Cruise Line ships mentioned also boasts a children’s water park featuring such delights as tipping buckets, water cannons and life-sized pirate sculptures. If you have kids, they likely want to know if they can ride all the waterslides. Chances are that they can because there aren’t age requirements to ride. Lounge chairs and umbrellas surround all the different areas of the waterpark (as do cabanas), so you can always find an open spot to work on your tan, sip a cold drink, or just sit in the shade. There is one exception — on days we’ve visited with two ships in port, the crew implemented a reservation system for Daredevil’s Peak (the tallest slide). There, you had to visit to put your name on the list and then come back when it was your time.

Thrill Waterpark on CocoCay: 20+ Tips, Secrets, and Things to Know

When you’re ready to get your stuff, just enter your code and hit unlock. It’s super simple, and there’s no key to keep track of while you’re in the park. It’s always a big question of what to do with your stuff when you hit the pool or beach. In other words, if you have a kid under 14, you’ll need to accompany them to the park and you’ll need to pay admission as well.

The Perfect Storm is a group of three water slides which are found on-board Liberty of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas, although it’s not the same three slides on each ship. Riders sit on ‘slideboards’, which have buttons on them to press in time to the flashing lights to score points. As if that wasn’t enough, there are a further two fast racing slides with clear sections over the side of the ship and an open spiral slide. One of the rules on the waterslides in the park is that no shoes are allowed. While we worried that the sand would feel hot, even in the middle of the afternoon it wasn’t too warm on our feet walking from place to place.

Which ships have the Category 6 Waterpark?

On Norwegian Breakaway, the lineup includes twin free-fall slides that drop passengers nearly straight down several stories; two side-by-side twisting racer slides; and a family-friendly slide with a more modest drop. One of the Carnival water parks, on the line's 5-year-old Carnival Horizon, even has Disney-style theming revolving around Dr. Seuss characters. But as early as 1978, at least one line was spicing up its Lido decks with a little waterslide fun — little being the operative word. That's the year Carnival added a single slide into the pool on its 728-passenger Festivale — a slide so small it's now hilarious to think it was touted as an attraction. Royal Caribbean also plans a record six waterslides on its next new ship, Icon of the Seas, which is scheduled to debut in January 2024. The newest of the primo slides Disney offers is onboard Disney Wish, where Aqua Mouse starts with a story on screens inside the beginning of the 760-foot two-seater tube ride.

What Are the Height Requirements for Carnival WaterWorks?

The name “Category 6” is a playful nod to the intensity of hurricanes, and the waterpark lives up to this with six record-breaking slides that promise to deliver a rush of adrenaline. Split between two different slide towers, this area offers a variety of fun family slides. Located four stories above the pool decks at the top of the ship, The Epic Plunge takes waterslide lovers on a 200-foot journey with or without an inner tube, before swirling you around. For example, the Flowrider on other ships has a 52″ minimum to ride. And waterslides on other Royal Caribbean ships see minimums of 48″ tall. Crown’s EdgeA completely new feature aboard Icon, you can think of Crown’s Edge as a ropes course that’s taken to a whole other level.

All but the line’s smallest classes of ships now include one or two Flow Riders. Add in the lines’ signature waterslides, and there’s plenty of fun for everyone. Cruise ship water parks are the sort of attractions that often end up being feature around which you base your entire cruise game plan -- particularly for families.

Icon of the Seas — and Thrill Island in particular — definitely look to provide a lot to do. But if you’re the sort of person that just wants to relax on the pool deck, then that’s definitely available. There are multiple pools, including one that spans the back of the ship and another with a swim-up bar. Places to lounge are just about everywhere on the top deck, as well as spots like Central Park that are open to the air thanks to the split design of the ship.

However, the discounts we’ve seen aren’t that much (just a few dollars), so it seems worth it to book the entire day if you plan to visit. Before going any further, let’s first give you the lay of the land. As you arrive at CocoCay, you’ll see the entire island spread out before you. But there will be one feature that literally stands out above anything else. While we have everything to know about CocoCay here, we wanted to spend some time focusing on one of the biggest draws of island — Thrill Waterpark.

MSC Preziosa boasts the Vertigo slide, a 120-metre-long tube slide which includes a transparent section which goes over the side of the ship. This is a fast one, with guests travelling at over 6 metres per second. You’ll also find a great kids waterpark on the deck below, with tipping buckets, climbing areas and small slides for little ones. Located inside the ship’s funnel surround it has a good amount of shade from the sun and features a shallow pool, fountains, spray nozzles, mini slides and a giant water bucket.

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Truth be told, young kids (those under about six years old) won’t get a ton from the waterpark. The minimum height for slides is 40″… and that’s just for one slide. Thrill Waterpark is a separate section of CocoCay that’s a full-fledged waterpark complete with towering slides, a wave pool, obstacle course pool and more.

We noticed that the later the afternoon went on, the fewer people seemed to be in the park. During the mid-to-late afternoon you were able to hop from slide to slide without almost no waits at all. Just like the rest of CocoCay, you don’t have to go far if you need a restroom or want a fresh water shower. Thrill Waterpark has both men’s and women’s showers, and restrooms right by the lockers. So if you want to rinse off and change before you head back to the ship, then you can.

Nearby are the Flowrider, Adrenaline Peak climbing wall, and Crown’s Edge attraction. Crown's Edge is a fear-inducing adventure course that's about 49 feet tall and 44 feet wide. It combines a ropes course, skywalk, and thrill ride into one jaw-dropping experience. This daring waterslide starts like any other waterslide but then propels you into a bowl where you’ll loop and spin before racing down into the pool below. Disney Cruises are always a good time for the young and young at heart and they have pools, slides and play areas designed for all ages. Choose a ship with Splashaway Bay if you've got older kids (say 8 to 15), as the slides and tipping bucket will be more interesting to them than running under a bright red and blue, mushroom-shaped water fountain.

No word on the exact menu as of the time of this article, but Royal Caribbean has said it is “meant to be both complementary and for-pay” food and beverage spot. The standing wave simulator gives passengers the chance to boogie board or surf while on the ship. And while some of the cruise line’s largest ships have two of the rides, Icon of the Seas will only have one located at the back of the ship. Note that Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas also has a waterslide area called Perfect Storm — but it's completely different. Additionally, family-focused Disney Cruise Line now has major water attractions on all its vessels. But as recently as early 2016, Royal Caribbean didn't have a single waterslide on any of its vessels.

Carnival Cruises are synonymous with fun, and almost every ship in the Carnival fleet features the WaterWorks water park. Although the exact configuration varies by ship, you generally expect at least one big slide and a splash area. Although it’s not a water slide, the Ultimate Abyss on-board Harmony of the Seas deserves a mention. This is a huge slide which zooms riders down ten decks from the back of the ship. Many Royal Caribbean ships also feature the FlowRider surfing simulator which is very popular with teenagers.