Cruise Ships with Water Slides: Line-by-Line Guide

Water slides live on the big-ship lines: Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line. P&O Cruises has a water-jets zone on Arvia, and Marella Cruises has only small splash slides. The ship matters more than the line, because sister ships and older fleet members often have none.

What counts as a water slide and what is only a splash pad

A water slide is a flume you ride down. A splash pad has jets and fountains but nothing to slide on.

• Ride slides are the proper ones: body slides, raft slides, mat racers, bowl slides and drop slides.
• A water coaster uses water jets or a conveyor belt to push you uphill, so it behaves like a roller coaster that got wet.
• A splash pad or splash zone has jets, fountains and tipping buckets, but no flume to ride.
• A dry slide has no water at all, so it isn’t a water slide even when it’s the headline attraction.

The difference matters because a line can advertise six slides and still leave a small child with only a splash pad. It also matters because the headliner may be dry: Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate Abyss, MSC’s Spiral slides and Norwegian’s The Drop and The Rush are dry slides, not water slides.

Royal Caribbean calls the Ultimate Abyss the tallest slide at sea. It’s on Utopia of the Seas, and on Harmony of the Seas it drops 10 decks, 150 ft above the waterline at about 9 mph, with no water involved.

On the water side, Disney’s AquaDuck and AquaMouse are water coasters, with water jets or a conveyor belt for the uphill bits. Norwegian’s Aqua Slidecoaster is billed as a hybrid roller coaster and waterslide, using magnetic propulsion.

Which cruise lines and ships have water slides right now

The ships with proper ride slides sit in a few fleets, and the exact ship matters more than the brand. A line famous for slides can still have older ships with none.

Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean’s biggest water park is Category 6 on Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, with six slides in a 17,010 sq ft Thrill Island area. The Perfect Storm racing slides, Cyclone and Typhoon, are four decks high and show up on Utopia of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Independence of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas; some add Supercell, a champagne-bowl slide ending in a plunge pool, which is an Oasis-class feature.

Liberty of the Seas also has Tidal Wave, the only boomerang slide at sea, and Splashaway Bay. Navigator of the Seas has The Blaster water coaster, 800 ft with water jets, an uphill section and a clear section over the ship’s edge, plus Riptide, a head-first mat racer.

Jewel of the Seas has one slide in its family splash area. Enchantment of the Seas has none, and the Quantum class, including Anthem of the Seas, has no waterslides.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival’s WaterWorks slide ship list covers 25 ships: Carnival Breeze, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Dream, Carnival Elation, Carnival Firenze, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Glory, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Legend, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Magic, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Pride, Carnival Radiance, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Valor, Carnival Venezia, Carnival Vista, Carnival Splendor and Mardi Gras. Carnival Luminosa is not on that list, and has pools only.

The fit varies by ship. Some have a single Twister tube slide, while others have two or three slides plus a Power Drencher tipping bucket, splash area and mini racer slides for children.

Carnival Horizon has The Cat in the Hat and The Fun Things; Carnival Panorama has Kaleid-o-Slide; Carnival Sunrise has Twister and Speedway Splash; Carnival Sunshine has Twister and Green Lightning; Carnival Freedom has Twister and AquaTunnel. Carnival Liberty gained its WaterWorks in a dry dock rather than at build, which shows a ship can gain a park later.

Carnival Festivale will have WaterWorks Ultra, with two family raft rides called SunSoaker at 433.7 ft and Turning Tides at 427.5 ft, twin 286 ft body slides called Racing Currents, Mini Racers and Mini Twister for children, and the line’s first night-time water park sessions with lighting and a DJ.

MSC Cruises

MSC’s water park ship list names MSC Grandiosa, MSC Bellissima, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Seaview, MSC Seaside, MSC Virtuosa and MSC World Europa. The aqua parks have different names by ship: Polar Aquapark on MSC Meraviglia, Arizona Aquapark on MSC Bellissima, Wild Forest Aquapark on MSC Grandiosa, Savannah Aquapark on MSC Virtuosa and Coral Reef Aquapark on MSC Euribia.

MSC World Europa has Aurora Borealis Aquapark with four waterslides, some with VR headsets, plus Venom Drop @ The Spiral, an 11-deck dry slide.

MSC World America has The Harbour aquapark with a 90-degree vertical drop slide and a VR raft slide, plus Cliffhanger over-water swing and Jaw Drop @ The Spiral dry slide. MSC Seascape and MSC Seashore have Pirates Cove Aquapark.

MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview have Slideboarding, a slide that scores riders on hitting light cues, plus Forest Aquaventure kids water area. MSC World Asia will carry The Harbour Aquapark with a 90-degree vertical drop slide and parallel racing lanes, plus The Tree of Life @ The Spiral, an 11-deck spiral dry slide.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Escape have five multi-storey waterslides including Free Fall, the drop slide with the floor that falls away, and The Whip, two side-by-side racing twister slides. On Norwegian Epic, The Epic Plunge is 200 ft and four storeys above the pool deck, ridden with or without a tube and ending in a large bowl.

Norwegian Joy has a double-loop slide, and Norwegian Bliss has Ocean Loops, which takes riders out over the side of the ship.

Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna have the Aqua Slidecoaster, a two-person hybrid coaster-slide between Decks 18 and 20, reaching up to 31 mph with clear tubing. Both also have The Drop, a 10-storey free-fall dry slide, and Norwegian Luna has The Rush duelling dry slides.

Norwegian Viva has The Wave tidal wave waterslide plus The Rush and The Drop. Norwegian Prima has no water slide named, only the dry slides The Rush and The Drop.

Norwegian Aura will have more slides than any other Norwegian ship, including a 250-ft Aura Free Fall.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line’s ships use three different slide names. The AquaDuck raft water coaster is on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy: 765 ft, on 46-ft stilts, a two-person raft with water jets for uphill sections and a clear tube through the funnel.

AquaMouse is on Disney Wish, Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny: 760 ft, a two-person raft with a conveyor belt uphill and themed show scenes, billed as the first Disney attraction at sea. AquaDunk is on Disney Magic only: the floor drops away, with 212 ft of clear tubing including a section 20 ft out over the side of the ship. Disney Adventure is not listed against any of the three.

P&O Cruises

P&O’s only aqua zone is Altitude Splash Valley on Arvia. It has water jets, shaded areas and ocean views, but no ride slide.

Iona is not listed as having Splash Valley. Arvia also has a high ropes course and mini-golf in the Altitude top-deck area.

Marella Cruises

Marella’s family-friendly ships are Marella Discovery, Marella Explorer and Marella Voyager. They don’t carry the large waterslides of the big lines. Marella Explorer has a splash zone at the rear of the ship with small water slides for infants and younger children, while Marella Voyager has one main pool, a kids’ pool and whirlpools.

Lines with no water slides at all

Several lines UK readers compare have no water slides at all. Celebrity Cruises has no waterslides or water parks on any ship; its top decks are pools, hot tubs and the adults-only Solarium. Virgin Voyages is 18+ on all ships and has no waterslides, no FlowRider and no go-karts.

Princess Cruises has no water slides: Regal Princess has the Fountain pool with the Watercolor Fantasy water-and-light show, Movies Under the Stars, the adults-only Retreat Pool and the glass-bottomed SeaWalk, while Sun Princess’s Park19 has a Splash Zone with pop jets and a water sculpture plus the Sea Breeze Rollglider, Coastal Climb, The Net and Infinite Horizon, but no ride slide.

Holland America Line has no fleet-wide slide answer, so check the individual ship rather than assuming.

Cruise ship water parks compared: Category 6, WaterWorks and the aqua parks

The complexes differ less by line than by the kind of ride: a near-vertical drop, a two-person raft coaster, a mat racer, a bowl slide or a splash zone.

Category 6 is the biggest single water park of the lot, with six slides in a 17,010 sq ft area on Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas. Frightening Bolt is the tallest drop water slide at sea at 46 ft; Pressure Drop is the first open freefall waterslide at sea; Storm Chasers is a duo mat racer; Hurricane Hunters is the first family raft slide at sea; and Storm Surge is the first suspended family raft slide at sea.

The Perfect Storm is a pair of four-deck racers, Cyclone and Typhoon, with Supercell added on some Oasis-class ships. Supercell is a champagne-bowl slide that ends in a plunge pool. The Blaster on Navigator of the Seas is the longest water slide at sea at 800 ft, with water jets, an uphill section and a clear section over the edge; Riptide on the same ship is a head-first mat racer.

Carnival WaterWorks is the most varied. Some ships get one Twister tube slide, while others get two or three slides plus a Power Drencher tipping bucket, splash area and mini racers. MSC’s aqua parks add VR headsets on some World Europa slides, a 90-degree drop on World America and World Asia, and Slideboarding on Seaside and Seaview, where the slide scores riders on hitting light cues.

Disney’s AquaDuck and AquaMouse are the gentle end of the scale: two-person raft coasters with a launch that suits nervous riders. AquaDunk on Disney Magic is the opposite, a drop slide with the floor falling away and clear tubing out over the side.

Norwegian’s Free Fall drops the floor away and reaches around 4 G; The Epic Plunge is a 200 ft bowl ride that can take a tube; Ocean Loops on Norwegian Bliss takes riders out over the side; and the Aqua Slidecoaster is a two-person hybrid that reaches up to 31 mph.

P&O’s Altitude Splash Valley on Arvia isn’t a ride slide at all. It’s a water-jets zone with shaded areas and ocean views, so treat it as splash play rather than a headline slide.

Best water slides for toddlers, teens and nervous riders

Toddlers need a splash zone, children around 7 to 12 get the most from mat racers and family rafts, teenagers want drop slides and racing lanes, and nervous riders are happiest on two-person raft coasters.

For a bigger group with mixed ages, the large family cruise guide covers cabins and dining that suit a spread of ages.

Height, weight and age limits that turn riders away

Most big slides set a minimum height around 42 to 48 inches, and several add a weight limit or a tandem rule, so check the specific slide before promising a child a ride.

• Disney sets full limits. AquaMouse has a minimum of 42 inches, 48 inches to ride solo, and under-7s must ride with someone 14 or over; water shoes are allowed, but no snorkel masks or loose items. AquaDuck has a 42-inch minimum and 54 inches to ride solo. AquaDunk has a 48-inch minimum, a 300 lb maximum and no water shoes.
• Norwegian Free Fall has a 48-inch minimum height and a 99 lb minimum weight.
• Royal Caribbean says minimum height and weight restrictions apply to all its slides. The Blaster has a 47-inch minimum, a 110 lb minimum for one rider and a 400 lb maximum for two. Riptide has a 42-inch minimum and a 300 lb maximum.
• Carnival has no published height, weight or age limits for WaterWorks slides, so expect the check at the slide rather than in the brochure.

A child who clears the height can still be stopped by a weight or tandem rule. The limits apply at the slide, so a family with a mix of ages should pick a ship with more than one slide type.

What is included and what costs extra

The ship’s water slides are normally included in the cruise fare; the private-island water park is the big paid exception.

Royal Caribbean’s Category 6 slides are included and can be ridden unlimited times. The Aqua Slidecoaster is also free and unlimited.

Onboard water parks generally carry no admission charge. The paid water park most people mean is the island one: Thrill Waterpark at Perfect Day at CocoCay requires paid admission and has 14 slides, including Daredevil’s Peak at 135 ft, the tallest waterslide in the Caribbean.

Other thrills can carry a charge. Norwegian’s go-kart tracks are an extra-cost activity, so a family that wants slides and go-karts should budget for both. The ship’s slides are the part that comes with the fare.

Water-slide ships from Southampton and other UK ports

The water-slide ships sailing from Southampton are Independence of the Seas, MSC Virtuosa and P&O’s Arvia, with Arvia’s Splash Valley a water-jets zone rather than a ride slide.

Independence of the Seas carries the Perfect Storm pair Cyclone and Typhoon. MSC Virtuosa has the Savannah Aquapark. Arvia sails Western Mediterranean cruise itineraries from Southampton, so it’s the one to pick if you want no-fly cruise options from the UK with water play rather than a full slide park.

If you have your heart set on Norwegian Aqua, check the sailing leaves from a UK port before you book. If you won’t fly, check the departure port on every sailing, because the same ship can move between Southampton and a fly-cruise route.

Queues, closures and the best time to ride

The quietest time on a slide is early morning on a sea day, or a port day when most passengers are ashore; the worst is a sea-day afternoon.

Slides can close for operational reasons, including weather, and the lines don’t publish the thresholds. Maintenance is the bigger risk.

After an acrylic panel broke on Frightening Bolt on Icon of the Seas while a guest was riding and injured him, Royal Caribbean replaced acrylic panels with reinforced fibreglass across the fleet. That shut The Blaster and Riptide on Navigator of the Seas, Perfect Storm Cyclone and Typhoon on Independence of the Seas, and Supercell on Harmony of the Seas, and the line didn’t disclose the closures in advance.

Several Category 6 slides on Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas can be shut at once, sometimes for extended periods. Royal Caribbean confirmed that a few slides were closed for maintenance without saying how long.

The workaround is to choose a ship with more than one slide you’d be happy to ride, ride early in the cruise, and check the app or guest services on boarding day rather than assuming every slide is open. There’s no published compensation policy for a headline slide that’s shut.

Water shoes help on the deck. Carnival’s new Festivale will run night-time water park sessions with lighting and a DJ, which extends the day on special evenings.

Water play for non-riders: splash zones, pools and lazy rivers

Non-riders get splash zones, pools and hot tubs, but not usually a lazy river.

Splash pads and splash zones are free, have no height limit and are separate from the ride slides. P&O’s Splash Valley on Arvia has water jets, shaded areas and ocean views.

Princess’s Park19 Splash Zone on Sun Princess has pop jets and a water sculpture. Carnival WaterWorks splash areas have tipping buckets and mini racer slides for children.

Lazy rivers aren’t a standard feature of these ship water parks; none of these lines lists one. If a lazy river is the whole point, treat it as a rare extra and check the specific ship rather than the line.

Grandparents and toddlers share the same cruise, so the pool-deck layout matters as much as the slides. A splash zone next to a pool and hot tubs is often the better day than a queue for a drop slide. The private-island water park is often the better day out for a mixed-age group, but it’s the paid add-on at CocoCay.

The other thrill rides on the same ship

Families booking for thrills should weigh the whole activity package, because many slide ships also have coasters, go-karts, ziplines and surf simulators.

MSC World America and MSC World Europa have Cliffhanger, an over-water swing, and the 11-deck Spiral dry slide. Norwegian Prima has a three-level go-kart track called Prima Speedway, plus The Drop and The Rush dry slides.

Norwegian Bliss has a two-level electric go-kart track and open-air laser tag. Royal Caribbean’s larger classes add FlowRider surf simulators, a zip line and an ice rink; Anthem of the Seas has a FlowRider but no slides.

Princess’s Sun Princess has Sea Breeze, the first Rollglider on a cruise ship, with a 60 to 90 second ride at up to 11 mph.

Hybrid rides blur the line. Norwegian’s Aqua Slidecoaster is a coaster and a waterslide, and it’s the clearest example of a ship choosing one headline ride to do both jobs.

What a slide-ship cruise costs and when a cheaper ship wins

The biggest water parks sit on the biggest, priciest ships doing the busiest routes, so a cheaper ship with a better itinerary can be the better buy.

If the water park is the whole point, pay for the ship that has it. If the itinerary, cabin or budget matters more, a ship with a splash pad can suit a toddler just as well as a ship with six slides.

Use a cruise holiday budget calculator before comparing fares, and remember that the island water park at CocoCay is a paid add-on on top of the cruise fare.

A ship with a water park also tends to be a bigger ship, which means more queuing for the slides and more competition for sun loungers. A smaller ship with a pool and a splash zone can be the quieter family holiday, especially if the children are too small for the headline slides.

Cruise ships with water slides FAQs

Which cruise ship has a roller coaster?

A full roller coaster isn’t a feature of these slide ships. Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna have the Aqua Slidecoaster, a two-person hybrid coaster-slide, while Norwegian Prima-class ships have go-kart tracks instead.

Which cruise ship has a water slide over the ocean?

Norwegian Bliss has Ocean Loops, which takes riders out over the side. Disney Magic’s AquaDunk has clear tubing 20 ft out over the side, and Navigator of the Seas has The Blaster with a clear section over the edge.

Are cruise ship water slides open at night?

Usually no. Carnival’s new Festivale is the exception, with night-time water park sessions, lighting and a DJ. On other ships, treat slides as daytime attractions unless the daily programme says otherwise.

Which water-slide ships sail in the Mediterranean?

Arvia sails Western Mediterranean itineraries from Southampton. MSC’s aqua-park ships and Royal Caribbean’s Category 6 ships are the other names to check, but confirm the itinerary names the ship before booking.