Disney Cruise Line Introduces AquaDuck Ride
The Dream Ship Features Industry’s First Water Coaster
Nov 2, 2009
Disney Dream, the newest addition to the Disney Cruise Line fleet, features the cruise industry’s first shipboard water coaster. Called the AquaDuck, the high-speed flume ride will transport its passengers through a translucent, acrylic tube above the ship’s upper decks and over its edge to offer a view of the ocean. “This isn’t a passive experience — from top to bottom,” said Greg Dauberger, Diirector of Design and Production for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Details concerning the AquaDuck were revealed at a media presentation about the Disney Dream cruise ship on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 in New York City. Scheduled to set sail in Jan. 2011, the Disney Dream itinerary includes three-, four-, and five-night cruises from Port Canaveral to Nassau, Bahamas, and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island.
AquaDuck’s Design
The AquaDuck combines elements of both a roller coaster and a water slide. Using powerful blasts of water, the water coaster will move riders through its 765 foot-long tube, which is 2 1/2 times the size of a football field, and cover 46 feet, or four decks, in height. The ride lasts approximately 90 seconds, during which time it transports 10,000 gallons of water and any riders through the tube at approximately 20 feet per second.
The AquaDuck builds upon Disney’s previous experience designing a water coaster for Walt Disney World Resort’s Typhoon Lagoon. In the New York media event, Disney Imagineer Peter Ricci, who is involved in the design of both the Disney Dream ship and the AquaDuck, claimed the AquaDuck was “the best water slide in the cruise ship industry.” Hyperbole or not, when the Disney Dream sets sail in 2011, the AquaDuck will be the first ride of its kind on a cruise ship.
Riding the AquaDuck Provides Riders with a Spectacular View of the Disney Dream
Passengers who are 48” or taller will begin the experience on Deck 12 Aft, an entrance that allows access to the AquaDuck’s start on Deck 16, at the highest point of the ship. Deck 12 is also where the ride ends in a lazy river. Once there, passengers will board two-person inflatable rafts to begin the ride.
Like a roller coaster, the AquaDuck takes its riders through climbs and drops, twists and turns. The ride starts with an initial drop and then swings 13 feet out over the side of the ship. For passengers who can keep their eyes open, the acrylic tube will provide a clear view of the ocean 150 feet below.
From there, passengers will move through an enclosed tunnel as they travel through the Forward funnel. They then will travel through 335 feet of river rapids that will provide a bird’s eye view of the ship’s upper decks and pools as well as of the ocean. After another drop, the water coaster feeds into the azy river.
The AquaDuck water coaster is just one the highlights of the new Disney Dream, a ship the Disney Cruise Line promotes as continuing its commitment to offering unique family vacation experiences through creativity and cutting-edge technology. From the information released during the media presentation, as well as a computer simulation of the ride that Disney has made available, Disney may have created a ride which will create quite a splash in the cruise ship industry.
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