Dream Designs Web Exclusive: Splashaway Bay on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas
The first cruise-ship facility designated as a Dream Design, this spraypark brings interactive water to the high seas.
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Courtesy Royal Caribbean International
Deck chairs and two hot tubs around the splah park perimeter provide a place for parents and guardians to watch their young charges.
Splashaway Bay –
Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas
Architect: Royal Caribbean International
Aquatic Designer: Aquatic Design & Engineering
As part of the ship’s overall renovation, an outdated children’s wading pool and family pool were transformed into an expansive spraypark meant to engage younger children. The cruise line chose to dedicate more deck space than on any ship for the family area.
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Courtesy Royal Caribbean International
The $3.5 million spraypark includes two climbable play structure…
The $3.5 million spraypark includes two climbable play structures with their own slides. The first, geared toward toddlers, includes small squirting elements.
Courtesy Royal Caribbean International
On the other structure, older kids can climb to the top and zoom…
On the other structure, older kids can climb to the top and zoom down one of two curving, closed waterslides.
Courtesy Royal Caribbean International
Traditional cruise-ship pool can be intimidating, even older chi…
Traditional cruise-ship pool can be intimidating, even older children, so the design team sought to make the new spraypark especially friendly to small children. This made the zero-depth access one of the park’s most important features.
Courtesy Royal Caribbean International
The giant dump bucket at the top of the wet play structure provi…
The giant dump bucket at the top of the wet play structure provides a downpour that can be enjoyed by all ages.
Courtesy Royal Caribbean International
Deck chairs and two hot tubs around the splah park perimeter pro…
Deck chairs and two hot tubs around the splah park perimeter provide a place for parents and guardians to watch their young charges.
Courtesy Royal Caribbean International
Pre-planning took on extra importance to make sure everything mo…
Pre-planning took on extra importance to make sure everything moved smoothly and briskly in the tight timeline. Once the ship docked, everything had to be ready to go. Larger features such as slides and play structures were assembled on the deck, then placed onboard when the time came. Everything else was placed on site before the ship arrived.
Courtesy Royal Caribbean International
To save on costs, the team retained some of the piping. They had…
To save on costs, the team retained some of the piping. They had to engineer the play structure to match the plumbing’s maximum possible flow rates.
Little ones still have their small, 2-foot-deep wading pool. But they also can revel in waterslides, spraying and splashing features, a dumping water bucket, and climbable play structures – all in ankle-deep water.
With this facility and one other, Royal Caribbean is rolling out the Splashaway Bay brand. This particular one was the first to set sail.
The vibrant, colorful, kid-friendly color palette includes Royal Caribbean’s signature color scheme of yellow and blue.
The entire renovation – including rooms and other deck areas — had to take place during dry dock – only a six-week window. At some points, more than 2,000 people would work onboard at one time.
Rebecca Robledo is deputy editor of Pool & Spa News and Aquatics International. She is an award-winning trade journalist with more than 25 years experience reporting on and editing content for the pool, spa and aquatics industries. She specializes in technical, complex or detail-oriented subject matter with an emphasis in design and construction, as well as legal and regulatory issues. For this coverage and editing, she has received numerous awards, including four Jesse H. Neal Awards, considered by many to be the “Pulitzer Prize of Trade Journalism.”
