Wow are g-forces up to 1.2 compatible with the journey on board a cruise ship? Where many passengers already have problems with moderate pitching and rolling of the fuselage? That is why the designers put so much effort into making the journey as smooth as possible, for example using stabilizers below the waterline. But it looks different when the acceleration is for pleasure. As with “Bolt”. It is the first roller coaster on board a cruise ship: 220 meters, up to 60 km / h, accelerates like a formula racing car at the start and circles almost 60 meters above the surface of the sea with spectacular dynamism.
The railway premiered this summer on the maiden voyage of Carnival Cruise Line’s “Mardi Gras” in the Caribbean. The ship, which runs exclusively on liquefied gas, can accommodate up to 5200 passengers. The ride was designed and built by Maurer Rides from Munich. The subsidiary of the steel construction company Maurer, founded in 1876, specializes in roller coasters and transport systems. “On average, we build three to four roller coasters a year – each of which is a complex one-off,” says Marco Hartwig. The engineer for mechanical engineering and systems engineering has been working at Maurer Rides for three years and was the project manager of the roller coaster for the cruise giant.
The Maurer Spike Coaster roller coaster on the new Mardi Gras will not remain a unique piece in the cruise industry. Carnival has already ordered an identical track for a second ship from Maurer, which is currently being built. The Munich-based company has already completed an even longer runway for Dream Cruises. It is 303 meters long and therefore a contender for the title of the longest roller coaster on board a ship. For the technical acceptance, Maurer set up the railway on land in Güstrow, and it is to be assembled in the MV shipyard in Wismar.
Bolt roller coaster was installed at the Finnish Meyer Turku shipyard, where Carnival’s largest ship to date has been built with 17 passenger decks. The shipyard’s crane systems brought around 130 tonnes of steel for the structure and track to the top deck of the cruise ship. In Finland, roller coaster fan Hartwig also completed his first run with the finished system. “That was absolutely great,” says the engineer and laughs – although a Scandinavian industrial area served as the backdrop instead of dream Caribbean beaches.
The idea of realizing a roller coaster on a cruise giant fits in with the development of the industry. The aim is to offer passengers as much variety as possible on board. A trend can also be seen in the “installation of new tourist highlights” at Meyer Werft, headquartered in Papenburg. Technical innovations are quickly picked up by the cruise industry. In recent years, the shipyard has not only built a roller coaster on the Mardi Gras, but has also brought the “Theaterium” event hall for Aida Cruises and the first climbing garden out to sea.
Game of g-forces
In addition, there are now large outdoor pools, elaborate water slides, laser tag systems, running tracks, parachute simulators and more on board the ships. Even kart tracks have made the leap out to sea. The first has been sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Norwegian Joy” since 2017. Shortly beforehand, Carnival presented the “Skyride” suspension system, in which passengers use bicycle pedals to move forward.
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