Beyond the Ordinary: Ocean Sailing’s Bold New Era

Written By Matt Walker

I’ve experienced 3 new ships in the last few months and each brought something new and exciting to ocean sailing. Check them out…

The Magic Carpet

Originally designed to quickly load tenders at ports without a pier, the Magic Carpet has quickly become one of the most appealing spaces onboard Celebrity’s “Edge Class” of ships.

With it’s ability to be raised and lowered, its vibe changes with the deck…

  • Lower decks place it just outside the dining rooms for the perfect happy hour spot

  • Just a few decks higher, it joins the ship’s other lounges as a hub for live music with a sea breeze in the evening

  • Finally, a poolside, top level perch in the early morning means sun, espresso, biscotti, and your latest read

Pajama Night

If formal nights are a highlight of your sailing, this is going to blow your mind.

Virgin Voyages has Pajama Night at least once during each sailing, where PJ wear is encouraged after 9pm. And if you’ve got the stamina, the midnight Pajama Party is The Manor is NOT to be missed.

What does it look like in reality… couples and friends typically have ordered matching pajamas off Amazon and found this to be one of the best nights of the sailing.

Roller Coasters

That’s right, 16+ decks above the ocean’s surface stands Bolt, the first Roller Coaster at sea. I saw it first hand onboard one of Carnival’s newest “Excel Class” ships recently.

This “motorcycle-style speed machine”, as Carnival calls it, shows the lengths they’ll go to pack fun for every adventure level into your vacation.

For the timid… it is electronically controlled by the driver so the speed is at your discretion.

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Matt Walker