Water Slide Incident on Icon of the Seas: Focus on Cruise Ship Safety

Von Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, Link
Royal Caribbean's cruise ship Icon of the Seas, the largest of its kind worldwide, is very popular, especially with families. A main reason for this is the diverse range of leisure activities, including a spectacular water park. However, a serious incident recently occurred on one of the water slides on board.

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The attraction in question is the highest freefall slide at sea, with a drop height of around 14 meters. During operation, a large piece of the acrylic casing detached from the steepest part of the tube. This resulted in a significant hole in the slide's wall.

A passenger was slightly injured in the incident after coming into contact with the sharp-edged fragments. The ship's crew immediately took care of the man's medical needs. As a consequence, the area around the damaged slide was immediately cordoned off and the entire attraction was taken out of service for the remainder of the voyage.

The cruise line has immediately launched a detailed investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the material damage. Identical slides on other ships are also to be inspected for safety reasons to prevent similar events from happening in the future.

This incident occurred shortly before the scheduled maiden voyage of the sister ship Star of the Seas. This ship is scheduled to depart on its first cruise to the Bahamas on August 16, 2025.