Introducing the slide coaster, a launched water slide roller coaster
The slide coaster ride system from Wiegand.waterrides will make its world debut upon the Norwegian Aqua cruise ship in 2025 and the Norwegian Luna in 2026.
World’s first slide coaster
Manufacturer Wiegand.waterrides will introduce a new type of attraction called the slide coaster, described as a combination between a water slide and a roller coaster.
You’d be forgiven for assuming it’s just another gimmick, as many modern attraction-builders bend over backwards to claim their latest rides as the “world’s first” something-or-other. (Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, the “world’s first story coaster,” we’re looking at you.) In the case of the slide coaster, though, the technology is truly the first of its kind and, seemingly, an innovation to the industry.
Wiegand describes the ride system on its website: “You don’t have to climb stairs or carry a raft; just enter the closed course at ground level and be launched up to the highest point of your ride.”
A mechanism called a catch car attaches to riders’ rafts in the load station, then guides the rafts along a lift hill and launches them at 30 mph into the remainder of the water slide path.
What’s the difference between a slide coaster and a water coaster?
You may have heard some attractions referred to as “water coasters.” This new slide coaster technology is a separate concept from those rides.
Image courtesy of Wiegand.waterrides
A water coaster is generally defined as a water slide that utilizes jets or magnets along its ride path. Examples of water coasters include Krakatau at Universal Volcano Bay in Orlando, Fla., as well as the upcoming RiverRacers, opening at Kings Island’s Soak City in Mason, Ohio in 2025.
Photo courtesy of Splashin’ Safari
Opening on the Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna
The first slide coaster will be the Aqua Slidecoaster, debuting onboard the Norwegian Aqua when the new Norwegian Cruise Line ship sets sail in March 2025. The Aqua’s various itineraries begin in Southampton, England; New York, N.Y.; Miami, Fla.; and Port Canaveral, Fla.
After that, a slide coaster will be part of the new Norwegian Luna ship, sailing from from Miami, Fla. beginning April 2026. Thanks to reader Michael McKay from Cruise Conversations Podcast for sharing the news with us.
Images courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line
Looking ahead, Wiegand intends the slide coaster to be a new product to be purchased and customized by other cruise ships and water parks in the future.
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Correction, Sept. 23, 2024: This story previously said the first slide coaster will debut on the Norwegian Luna in 2026. While that ship will boast a slide coaster, the first will actually open onboard the Norwegian Aqua in 2025.
Just a correction, not all water coasters use jets to propel the raft. Krakatau for example actually uses magnets.
Your article has some incorrect information.
The slide will debut on the NCL Aqua in 2025, not on the NCL Luna in 2026.