BEYOND taking the high adrenalin plunge down its tubes, cruise passengers probably spare little thought as to how much planning goes into the design of waterslides on board cruise ships. Cruise Weekly recently touched base with Carnival’s master waterslide guru (what a job!) Hampton Dixon on what preparation is needed...
BEYOND taking the high adrenalin plunge down its tubes, cruise passengers probably spare little thought as to how much planning goes into the design of waterslides on board cruise ships.
Cruise Weekly recently touched base with Carnival’s master waterslide guru (what a job!) Hampton Dixon on what preparation is needed to design an onboard attraction like the Splash Zone or Green Lightning.
“We start by reviewing the design parameters; how tall can we make the start of the slides, how much area do we have for the landings…for our Australian guests it was clear we needed bigger and bolder slides than on Carnival Spirit and Carnival Legend, fortunately, Carnival Splendor provided a great platform to install two of the tallest slides in the fleet,” he said.
Dixon added that he tries to create fully-fledged waterparks, as opposed to separate slides and splash areas, with Carnival’s attractions providing plenty of seating around the waterparks so that parents can watch their kids.
But it’s not all hard work, with Dixon conceding his job is possibly the envy of the world.
“I’m pretty sure next to the Captain, I have the coolest and most fun job at Carnival, going down the Green Lightning for the first time was exhilarating and the two dozen rides after that were just as incredible,” he jibed.
When asked what innovations the cruise line is likely to roll out in the future, Dixon hinted that the high-octane aquatic features on board the upcoming Carnival Mardi Gras will aim at taking things to a new level.
“I can’t give away all of the secrets, but I will say that Mardi Gras will debut a massive Carnival WaterWorks when she enters service in Europe,” Dixon said.
“Drop slides and different types of ride vehicles like mats and tubes are always interesting to us, we’re looking for new thrills”.
