We’ve already announced that Mardi Gras won Best New Cruise Ship of 2021, and now the Carnival cruise ship has come out to receive the most votes in Best Cruise Ship Feature of 2021 with the BOLT roller coaster in the Annual Cruise Ship Awards.
First Roller Coaster at Sea Wins Best Cruise Ship Feature!
Carnival Cruise Line’s BOLT roller coaster that can be found aboard the Mardi Gras has been voted Best Cruise Ship Feature of 2021. Undoubtedly, the innovative new feature has been much talked about throughout the year, especially as BOLT is the first roller coaster at sea on Carnival’s new Excel-class cruise ship.
BOLT received more votes than any other cruise ship in the category since the Cruise Cruise Ship Awards opened in mid-September 2021. Cruise Hive readers have been allowed to vote once in each category, and any suspicious or repeat votes were not counted.
The roller coaster on Mardi Gras has been one of the most anticipated new cruise ship features in years and thanks to Maurer Rides in Germany, that concept became a reality. The 220-meter track is located towards the ship’s aft 150 meters above sea level. BOLT can reach speeds up to 60 KPH and offers thrilling twists and turns, including around the iconic Carnival funnel.
Also Read: What’s It Like to Ride the First Roller Coaster at Sea?
Since Mardi Gras debuted with guests from Port Canaveral on July 31, the first roller coaster at sea has been a popular feature onboard. The LNG-powered vessel is 180,800 gross tons, and a sister ship named Carnival Celebration will join the fleet in 2022, also featuring a roller coaster. A third ship in the same class named Carnival jubilee will arrive in 2023.
Which Feature Came Second and Third?
The BOLT roller coaster was up against dozens of other cruise ship features, with readers being allowed to add their favorite cruise ship feature as a vote.
In second place came the SkyRide feature found on the Vista-class cruise ships, also from Carnival Cruise Line. SkyRide is an elevated 800-foot-long track on the open deck that guests can pedal of speed up to 18 miles per hour at 150 feet above sea level. SkyRide has already won the Best Cruise Ship Feature four times, in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
In third place came Norwegian Cruise Line’s Go-Kart track found on all the Breakaway-Plus class cruise ships except for the Norwegian Escape. The first go-kart track at sea was introduced on the Norwegian Joy in 2017 and has since been featured on Norwegian Bliss and the largest in the fleet so far on Norwegian Encore. The new Norwegian Prima, which joins the fleet in 2022, will go a step further by introducing the first three-level racetrack.
In this year’s Cruise Ship Awards, there were a total of seven categories, and the results have already been announced for Best Cruise Homeport in the US and Best News Cruise Ship. More results will continue to be announced in the coming days.
