Vista: Waterpark at sea

How would you like to hurl down a thrilling Kaleid-O-Slide water chute, twisting and turning for 455 ft whilst cruising on the clear blue sea? How about getting soaked from above by PowerDrencher whilst there isn’t a raincloud in sight as you sail toward the next port on a luxury cruise ship, taking in a view of nothing but bright sunny skies and the blue waves for 360 degrees in all directions?

In August I’ll be able to do exactly this when I embark Carnival’s newest ship Vista for 8 nights of sun, sea and splashing fun with the family and four other bloggers and their families.

Carnival Cruise Lines offers the world’s largest fleet of waterparks at sea with 21 of its ships featuring at least one water slide. Vista, the line’s 25th ship launches in May 2016 and will have the biggest waterpark yet- WaterWorks promises to be the best ever and the video below shows you the splash fun to be had… Beware of the PowerDrencher!

In August I will be able to sample these thrills and spills when I board Vista for 8 nights of sun, sea and splashing fun with the family on a Mediterranean cruise during the Vista’s maiden season. However until the ship sets sail on 1st May 2016, the only way I can get that sun seeking water slide experience at sea is to have it by-the-sea! We had a family day out at coastal resort Blackpool’s Sandcastle Water Park to introduce the kids to the kind of fun we can have when we arrive on the Vista!

The day started when we felt the heat of the UK’s largest indoor waterpark, we turned up in jumpers and coats and were glad to get on our swimsuits and sink into the warm water of the wave pool. The thing I always enjoy about holidays is the heat and sun, and this August in the Mediterranean we are looking at around 30 degrees heat and 10 hours of sunshine per day (sheer bliss!)

After getting wet and taking in all that there was to see and do there, my teenage daughter was keen to get on some rides! The one that attracted her the most was the white knuckle Sidewinder. A particularly thrilling looking slide that reminded me of the sort of surf machines you get on some cruise ships! The Sidewinder is the world’s first indoor white-knuckle Sidewinder, and you can ride it solo or as a pair. She took her Dad on with her and they sat in a double loop inflatable, him at the back, her at the front then tipped over the edge until gravity did its thing and whooshed them both high up one side of the ‘wall’ and then the other! If you picture a skateboard ‘half pipe’ ramp, this is what happened to them on this ride. They slide from one side to the other back and forth until they lose their momentum and the inflatable ring stops at the bottom. Later in the day she convinced me to ride this with her and I screamed the place down! The side to side part was ok – great fun actually but the tipping over the edge bit you do at the top is what got me. However I’m sure I’d do it again!!

My son is 8 and likes a calmer pace during the day, so whilst my daughter and husband were off trying out all the water slides, my son and I took it easy on the lazy river, or the ‘Ushi-Gushi River Creek’ as they call it! We enjoyed being carried along with the flow and when we’d had enough we would wade over to the Coconut Bay area to paddle in the water and play with the cascading water from the rocks.

There was something to see or do at every turn – this park has over 18 slides and attractions under one roof so there is no chance of getting bored, and all around us were families having fun and enjoying the tropical atmosphere and the general ambience. Here are my kids after riding one of the water chutes in the complex, the Thunder Falls Water Slides.

All this action made us thirsty so we decided to take a break to have lunch. We had burgers and Cokes from the Bongo Bongo Burger Shack and talked about being onboard Vista where we could go swimming on the Lido Deck or ride the slides at WaterWorks then have a bite at Guy’s Burger Joint on deck 10. I have even looked at the deck plans for the Vista to see where everything is located and it is in easy reach to have this sort of fun day without walking too far away from the action!

After lunch the kids enjoyed playing on the HMS Thundersplash area which is a marooned galleon with water jets and cannons whilst my husband and I had some quiet time in the adults only Sea Breeze Spa area which has foot-spas, heated loungers, sauna, steam room and ice & steam chambers. We didn’t get long in there before the kids came to get us to be taken on more slides, but the break was nice while it lasted!

We spent a full day out at Blackpool’s Sandcastle, all of us leaving exhausted at the end of the day! But on the drive home when I asked the kids if they’d enjoyed themselves, the unanimous vote was “Yes!”. Thank you to the team at Carnival Cruise Lines for arranging this day out for us, to show us what Vista has in store. Family tickets for the Sandcastle in Blackpool cost £48.50 for a family of 4 and don’t forget to buy a Hyperfine wristband at £6.25 per person to get on the slides! (Prices correct in 2016).

I’m looking forward to sharing with you what the Carnival Vista has to offer families as we will be on holiday during the maiden season, so let me know what you’d like to see onboard the ship, and I will include it in a later blog post.

This video allows you to take a tour of the Vista and see what it is like to whizz down the waterslides!

2015-2016 Blog Ambassador: JuggleMum is proud to be an official ambassador for Carnival Cruise Lines and to bring you exclusive news and information about their newest ship – Carnival Vista. Carnival is ‘The World’s Most Popular Cruise Line®’ operating 24 ships. Learn more at their website
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