Cruise News from Royal Caribbean and the Oasis of the Seas test Blimp Ride

You are gonna love this from the cruise innovators at Royal Caribbean International... Blimp Rides..!!!

Maybe we can say goodbye to the old school of Rock Climbing walls and even Boardwalks before they have even been finished, because this is one heck of a thrill ride - if it comes off!! (not in the true sense of the word..oops)

It is during Oasis of the Seas sea trials this week that Royal Caribbean has been trying out what's known as an aerostat, or "tethered blimp," as a Royal Caribbean spokesman refers to it.

One leading cruise website quotes Turku-based Turun Sanomat as saying that the balloon is connected by a cable to the aft of the ship. It flies over 50 meters above the vessel. Via the cable, it can be lowered to its docking station on the upper deck of the ship. A gondola or basket will have space for a few passengers.

view all the images below...

Royal Caribbean's newly blogging CEO, Richard Fain, writes in his latest blog that while the idea is interesting, "it has such a cornucopia of practical issues that I give it less than a 50% chance of being used on Oasis."

Fain says he's taking a wait-and-see approach. "If we don’t use it on the ship, I will consider it just another of the many ideas our people develop that didn’t work," he writes. "On the other hand, if it is successful and we do decide to use it on the ship, I will consider it another of my better ideas."

Fain has promised to report back on how the aerostat performs, but he calls for patience. "It may well take us several weeks to review all the test results and reach a decision," he notes.

Phil's comment: I am sure there will be a number of comments to this idea...I would love to hear them..!!

This is a cruise blog entry by Phil