Cruise lines seem to be in a continual game of one-upmanship. Royal Caribbean built an ice-skating rink aboard their vessels, Norwegian Cruise Line countered with a bar made entirely of ice. Carnival added a ropes course, and then Princess built a ship that has a glass-floored walkway that juts out over the ocean. With the latest announcements regarding the Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is upping the bar yet again.

The ship is 18 months away from seeing passengers, but its already making waves with the first of its kind amenities that Royal Caribbean is looking to install on board ship. Some of it seems a bit silly – like the SeaPlex. Multi-use spaces are great – even on large ships, but a basketball court/bumper car rink/teen night club seems a bit much. What excites us instead is how this ship seems to reach for the sky from sea.

The first enhancement really worth talking about is the “North Star.” Picture the London Eye atop a cruise ship. Small groups enter the pod which extends up above the ship and out over the ocean, nearly 300 feet above water level. We see a lot of weddings happening high above the sea and this will definitely become one of the focal points to the new class of Royal Caribbean ships.

Another thing that we are truly falling in love with is the RipCord by iFly, which will make its at sea debut aboard the Quantum of the Seas. As sports get more extreme, this seems to make sense. First there was rock climbing at sea, then surfing aboard Royal Caribbean’s Flowrider, and then the zip lines aboard the Oasis and Allure. Next year, guests will get the opportunity to sky dive, or at least a reasonable simulation of it aboard ship in an air machine designed to simulate the effects of free fall.

There’s lots of other new and unique stuff coming aboard the Quantum of the Seas next year, enjoy this video of the highlights.

Get ready to start booking Quantum of the Seas sailings, as they’ll go on sale soon. In the meantime, book your next Royal Caribbean cruise today by clicking here!

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