At the beginning of 2016 Royal Caribbean International sent one of its ships, Liberty of the Seas, to dry dock in Freeport, in the Bahamas, for an overhaul. Following a climbing wall, surf simulator, zip line and other features, the shipping line has also added a number of attractions from Wiegand:
These include the Tidal Wave, the first ocean-going Boomerang slide. The steep slide leads upwards again at the opposite end - almost vertically, producing a moment of weightlessness.
In addition to the Tidal Wave, the Perfect Storm at the stern of the ship also features the Cyclone and Typhoon speed water slides.
The slides were initially mounted in the dockyard, with later work carried out at sea. In some cases, pre-assembled segments were lifted onto the ship from the dockside and installed on board. The slide was completed at sea in February.
Slide facts:
Boomerango (stainless steel)
- 70,7 m + 5 m landing pool
- 24,7 % slope
- with LED illumination on side
RR1200 (fibreglass, orange in picture)
- 106 m + 7,5 m landing pool
- 12,1 % slope, with LEDs
RR1200 (fibreglass, green in picture)
- 116 m + 7,5 m landing pool
- 10,5 % slope, with daylight effects