Goodbye Go-karts: Norwegian’s New Ship Has A Water Ride Like Nothing You’ve Seen At Sea

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• Norwegian Cruise Line's Aqua Slidecoaster is a new attraction that combines a roller coaster and a water slide.
• The ride is included in the cruise fare and is open to guests who meet the height and weight requirements.
• Other new activities on board Norwegian Aqua include a Prince tribute show, an interactive sports court, and a revamped arcade and virtual reality area.

LISBON, Portugal —Sitting in a raft at the top of a cruise ship, I heard a mechanical trilling getting louder behind me. A mechanism that looked like robot arms got closer until they reached the back of my seat, pushing me upwards through rushing water until I reached a closed portion of the slide. Then, momentum took over.

I twisted, turned and splashed for the next 40 seconds or so, gripping tight to the handles of the blue inflatable. I came out the other side wet, colder in the gusty spring weather and ready for another turn.

I had stepped onto Norwegian Cruise Line’s Aqua Slidecoaster – a combination roller coaster and water slide – and a conveyor belt delivered me to the bottom of a ramp with the Lisbon skyline to my left.

The attraction aboard the line’s newest ship, Norwegian Aqua, replaced the go-kart track found on others in the fleet, including Prima Class vessels Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva. “But we have them on five ships, and it was time to try something else,” Mark Kansley, Norwegian’s Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, told USA TODAY. The line was also looking for a “first,” he said.

“We wanted something that had never been done before on ships.”

The ride is one of several new activities on board – the first in the line’s Prima Plus Class – which sailed its maiden voyage earlier this month ahead of its first revenue sailing on March 28.

Any guest who meets the height and weight requirements can ride (they must be at least 4 feet tall, for example). However, the attraction is not recommended for guests with pacemakers, defibrillators or certain other conditions.

There are no age requirements. Passengers can ride solo or double-up in the same raft.

The ride is included in the cruise fare.

• Revolution: A Celebration of Prince: Set to Prince's music, the hour-long show is a spectacle of powerful vocals, choreography and moving stage pieces that puts guests on the dance floor. “This isn't an impersonation show,” said Bryan Anthony White, Vice President of Entertainment Production at the line’s parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “We are really doing a full theatrical tribute, which is something that NCL has wanted to do for a very long time.” The show was developed in partnership with Broadway choreographer and director Patricia Wilcox.
• Glow Court: The multipurpose sports court features an interactive LED floor that allows guests to immerse themselves in games like Wall Ball, where players use soccer balls to destroy a digital wall, and Stomp, where they have to stomp on and eliminate colored markers in the given time. At night, the space transforms into a nightclub.
• Aqua Game Zone: An evolution of the line’s Galaxy Pavilion and arcade offerings, the new area near the top of the ship combines virtual reality offerings with old-school games. Take a simulated Space Walk and then play Mario Bros or the Bean Bag Toss. Some games are complimentary, while others cost extra. Guests can buy one-day or full-voyage passes for $25 per person each day (those are capped at $175 for itineraries of seven or more days).
• Elements: The World Expanded: A revamped version of one of the line’s most popular shows is debuting on Aqua, as well. The production centers around earth, water, wind and fire, and was also crafted with Wilcox, a longtime Norwegian collaborator. “I think certainly what I strive for in ‘Elements’ is to feel something, and the same thing in ‘Revolution,’ is that we give (the audience) a big spectacle, but we should also take away a kind of human connection,” she said.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter with USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.