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This epic new cruise ship slide will be one for the record books

Gene Sloan
Gene Sloan
Cruise team lead
As TPG's cruise team lead, Gene Sloan oversees the site's cruise content and also writes many of TPG's main cruise guides. He has spent nearly 30 years writing about cruise ships and cruising, and he is one of the world's best-known authorities on the topic.
May 27, 2021
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3 min read
MSC World Europa slide
This epic new cruise ship slide will be one for the record books
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There soon will be a new longest slide at sea. At least, that's the word from MSC Cruises.

The fast-growing line this week boasted in a tweet that a giant new vessel it has on order for delivery in 2022 would have a dry slide for the record books.

"Say hello to the longest, [state-of-the-art] dry slide at sea," the line said in a tweet that also included a digitally rendered video of a massive, swirling slide.

The MSC Cruises tweet didn't reveal many details about the slide, which will be on the line's MSC World Europa -- including its length. But TPG has learned it will be 11 decks high.

The tweeted video image showed it dropping precipitously from a top deck of the ship to a low-level deck at the back of the vessel.

In placement and form, the slide closely resembled the giant Ultimate Abyss slides that Royal Caribbean has put on several of its Oasis Class ships in recent years.

Found on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, the Ultimate Abyss slides are the current record holders among dry slides at sea when it comes to length with a nine-deck drop.

For the record, Royal Caribbean says its Ultimate Abyss slides drop 10 decks -- from Deck 16 to Deck 6 of the vessels they are on. But don't be fooled; the line is counting a nonexistent Deck 13.

The MSC Cruises tweet about the new slide came with just six days to go before MSC World Europa opens for bookings.

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MSC Cruises has released few details about MSC World Europa so far. But at 205,700 tons, it'll be one of the biggest cruise ships ever built.

As of now, only Royal Caribbean's four Oasis Class ships are bigger. They range in size from 225,282 tons to 228,081 tons. A fifth Oasis Class ship that will be even bigger than its siblings is currently under construction and scheduled to debut in March 2022.

MSC World Europa will be the first of a new series of four giant vessels that MSC Cruises will roll out between 2022 and 2027. Dubbed the World Class, the series is part of a massive expansion at the line planned for the next few years.

Each of the World Class ships will carry up to 6,761 passengers.

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Featured image by An 11-deck-high dry slide will be a feature on the new MSC Cruises ship MSC World Europa. (Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises)
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.