MIAMI, May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean
International's Harmony of the Seas, the world's largest
cruise ship, claims another record as home to the tallest slide and
most exhilarating adventure at sea: Ultimate Abyss. The
hair-raising, 10-story slide is "possibly the most thrilling
manmade adventure at sea," according to thrill engineer Professor
Brendan Walker, Thrill Laboratory,
U.K., director. Enlisted to identify the level of "thrill," a
sudden feeling of excitement and pleasure, triggered by the
Ultimate Abyss, Walker measured physical reactions of testers
brave enough to accept the challenge. Walker also compared the
latest innovation by the global cruise line known for many
firsts-at-sea to other Royal Caribbean signatures, the FlowRider
surf simulator and RockWall, to compare the varying levels of
thrill available onboard Harmony of the Seas. Ultimate Abyss
scored a Walker Thrill Factor of 45.35 percent as
compared to the FlowRider (36.15 percent) and RockWall (34.59
percent). Considering it is highly unlikely that a single
experience could be designed to score a Walker Thrill Factor of 100 percent, these
scores are understood to be at the highend of thrill attractions;
therefore, making Harmony the ultimate cruise ship for
adrenaline junkies.
"Royal Caribbean's legacy of imagination and innovation is
reflected in all of the ships we build and Harmony of the
Seas is no exception. It's not about building the largest
cruise ships in the world, it's about creating the most amazing
collection of unexpected experiences and activities at sea," said
Michael Bayley, President and CEO,
Royal Caribbean International. "Having experienced it myself, I
have no doubt that the Ultimate Abyss will be absoluately thrilling
for our guests but it is really gratifying to get confirmation from
such a thrill expert as Professor Brendan
Walker. The exciting multisensory experience that this
tallest slide at sea offers, combined with other Royal Caribbean
firsts such as the Flowrider and the RockWall, confirms that
Harmony isn't just the largest cruise ship in the world but
also the ultimate adventure at sea."
The two-day test conducted during the final days of construction
at the shipyard observed 10 individuals who had never experienced
Ultimate Abyss and only limited exposure to the two other
activities. Demonstrating the effect that Ultimate Abyss has
on the body, Walker's data revealed that the slide experience
caused heartbeats to increase by an average of 44 beats per minute
compared to the resting rate for a 30-year-old adult of average
fitness. Overall, Ultimate Abyss caused facial expressions of
extreme pleasure to be activated more than 40 percent of the time,
with the sympathetic nervous system – the body's primary process in
stimulating the fight-or-flight response – becoming 15.74 percent
more active than when at rest. Riders on the Ultimate Abyss
experienced a complex and unique set of sensations at each of the
five stages of thrill, all culminating in a euphoric crescendo to
guarantee the ultimate rider satisfaction.
Having tested the riders' capabilities on the gutsiest of rides,
Walker offered his stamp of approval that Ultimate Abyss not only
unleashed the five stages of thrill but was also determined to be
the most thrilling attraction onboard Harmony of the
Seas. Walker believes that even though not all rides are
the same, they need to deliver thrill across the following five
separate stages in order to be classified as thrilling:
- Imagining: When the rider consciously entertains the
idea of riding. The stronger the rider can imagine riding the ride,
the stronger the moments of thrill
- Approaching: As the thought of riding becomes a reality,
the moments of thrill created through imagination become
intensified in a "countdown to thrill"
- Committing: The rider passes through a stage of no
return such as being strapped into a ride or being urged on by
friends. At this stage, the only way to proceed is forward
- Doing: The ride begins. If it's thrilling, the ride will
provide intense novel sensations that will immerse the rider and
transport them into a state of flow
- Celebrating: The ride ends. The rider experiences an
afterglow as adrenaline and dopamine - the results of arousal and
pleasure – continue to course through their brains
Walker commented: "Across the three rides we tested, the
combination of thrill levels achieved at each stage caused riders
to experience an overwhelming sense of elation - and Harmony of
the Seas' Ultimate Abyss recorded the highest combined thrill
score across all stages. The initial arrival experience –
riders climb the stairs leading up to the slide platform, walk over
the clear platform suspended above a more than 90-foot drop – sets
the tone for the experience, and when combined with the
multisensory experience during the slide, Ultimate Abyss has a
hugely thrilling effect. This combination of a natural phenomenon –
the feeling of being small in comparison to the endless ocean view
– coupled with a manmade experience (i.e. a stainless steel slide)
is defining a new genre of thrill that is setting the standard for
future attractions as people demand more extreme and expertly
crafted thrill-seeking adventures."
Harmony of the Seas is the world's largest cruise
ship with a bold and unexpected lineup of experiences found nowhere
else on land or sea. An architectural marvel, Harmony of
the Seas combines the distinct seven-neighborhood concept
that Royal Caribbean's Oasis class of ships are known for with some
of the most modern and groundbreaking amenities. Innovative
features include The Ultimate Abyss, a thrilling slide 10 stories
high – the tallest at sea, robot bartenders, virtual balconies with
real-time views of the destination for interior rooms, and VOOM –
the fastest internet at sea – so that guests can stay connected,
stream their favorite entertainment and share their adventures.
Unparalleled entertainment in the air, in water and on ice will
keep guests dazzled with exciting high-diving, acrobatic and
aquatic performances in the deepest pool at sea at the iconic
AquaTheater; an ice show extravaganza and Broadway's hit
musical Grease.
Imaginative dining in the ship's 20 venues include the widest
variety of cuisine from Wonderland, a whimsical culinary adventure
for the senses, to the popular Jamie's Italian by celebrity chef
Jamie Oliver.
Harmony of the Seas will span 16 guest decks,
encompass 226,963 gross registered tons, carry 5,479 guests at
double occupancy, and feature 2,747 staterooms.
Harmony of the Seas will homeport in Barcelona, Spain and embark on the first of 34
seven-night sailings in the western Mediterranean on June 7, exploring some of Europe's most beautiful locations. In November
2016, Harmony will arrive at her homeport
of Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale,
FL., from where she will offer seven-night eastern and
western Caribbean sailings. The
newest member of the fleet will join sister-ships Oasis of
the Seas and Allure of the Seas, sailing from
Port Canaveral and Port Everglades respectively, on the east coast
of Florida.
For more information about Harmony of the Seas,
please visit RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com/harmony.
Media can stay up to date by
following @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter, and visiting
RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to
make reservations, vacationers should call their travel agent;
visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.
About Professor Brandan
Walker
Professor Brendan Walker and his
Thrill Laboratory (a collective of scientists, artists, designers,
engineer and technologists dedicated to the practical pursuit of
creating, producing and examining new forms of thrilling under
Walker's direction) have been perfecting the art of engineering and
quantifying thrill over the past ten years. Walker continues to
refine his theories through the design, manufacture and study of
his own experimental thrill rides. These most recently include
Neurosis: World's First Brain Controlled Thrill Ride, which
was revealed in 2015 to international acclaim. These experimental
rides inform Walker's consultancy on the development of commercial
attractions at parks owned by Disney and Merlin Entertainment (the
world's number one and two themed entertainment providers) amongst
others, as well as working with other international experiential
brands such as Nissan and Durex. Walker also applies his expertise
to survey and study existing rides and experiences.
Walker's trademark experiments and Thrill Engineer character
regularly appear in the press and media both in the UK (including
BBC, Channel 4, The Guardian and The Times) and internationally
(including Discovery International). His science and art-inspired
work has been featured in festivals and shows as diverse as MoMA
New York, Tate Modern, and London's Science Museum. Brendan was the
senior tutor in Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art,
and currently holds posts as Principal Research Fellow in Computer
Science at the University of Nottingham, and Professor of Creative
Industries at Middlesex University, and
regularly publishes in academic journals.
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SOURCE Royal Caribbean International