As you speed along the ship’s top-deck raft ride, waves break at the ocean’s surface 150 feet below. It’s an acrophobe’s nightmare—and could be the most thrilling moment of your next cruise vacation.
We’ve come a long way in the century since the Titanic, when that ship’s heated swimming pool was a mind-boggling luxury. Now it’s AquaDuck, the cruise industry’s first water coaster, that’s making a splash on board the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. From within the raft ride’s clear acrylic aerial flume (which extends 12 feet over the side of the ship), you’ll experience that heady ocean view.
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It takes pluck to stare down the AquaDuck and the rest of the world’s craziest, record-breaking waterslides. Some, like Brazil’s 135-foot-high Insano, are traditional body slides, while others resemble intricate roller coasters and showcase innovation in waterslide technology and design. Case in point: Italy’s new Divertical, which features a unique elevator lift system and speeds more than 65 miles per hour.
Like the Divertical, which is also now the world’s tallest waterslide at 197 feet, many of the craziest rides have set new records. Title of longest slide now goes to Mammoth at Indiana’s Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari, where six-person rafts are propelled up and down hills across three acres—and partially in the dark.
Then there are the aquatic attractions making waves for their aesthetic appeal. Consider the slide that cascades down a replica of a Mayan temple at the Atlantis resort or Beijing’s colorful RideHouse, with its corkscrews, climb nets, and other quirky design elements. It was customized for the Happy Magic Water Cube Waterpark, a new use for the Water Cube, one of the most iconic venues at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
“This level of theming is relatively new to the water park industry, and what we did with RideHouse was groundbreaking when we put it in the Water Cube,” says Brad Goodbody of ProSlide.
The lavish theatrics of China’s water parks have earned them praise—and patrons. Guangzhou’s Chimelong Water Park entertained nearly 2 million visitors in 2011, making it the second most popular water park in the world (Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon takes the top spot).
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RideHouse, Beijing
Where: Happy Magic Water Cube Waterpark, Beijing
When news broke that the cutting-edge Beijing National Aquatics Center (a.k.a the Water Cube) would be converted into a theme park, expectations were high. And sure enough, China’s first themed indoor water attraction debuted in 2011 tricked out with valves, cranks, jellyfish, buckets, water cannons, giant bubbles, climb nets, and spray tubes—and that’s the short list of design elements.
Crazy Fact: RideHouse is made up of 12 separate slides (the most of any water-play structure in the world) and boasts its own giant water-filled cube that periodically soaks those waiting for their turn.
Toboggan, Italy
Where: Città del Mare Hotel Village, Palermo, Italy
Eleven slides form Sicily’s most scenic water attraction, which runs down a cliff on the northwest coast of the island. On a sun-drenched summer day, the turquoise slide, which is open to guests of the resort, complements the clear-blue waters of the Gulf of Castellammare—the end point of Toboggan. Keep your eyes open: the slide passes three decks, and each level delivers spectacular views of the 67-acre property.
Crazy Fact: A full top-to-bottom journey down this seaside slide will send you into four separate bodies of water: three pools and the Mediterranean Sea.
King Cobra, New Jersey
Where: Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Jackson, NJ
The king cobra is the world’s longest venomous snake, so it makes sense that this eponymous ride, which opens in mid-July 2012, promises to be one of the craziest theme-park attractions. Resembling a massive cobra, the ride makes an intimidating first impression with its oversize black, yellow, and bold orange scales and allows two tubes to zip up to 32 mph.
Crazy Fact: The ride’s finale features a sudden 25-foot drop at a 50-degree angle that creates the illusion of riders being swallowed by the King’s massive mouth.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider