Princess Cruises has been touting a groundbreaking new attraction. It won't be opening
Quick summary
One of the most notable new attractions on a cruise ship won't be opening.
Princess Cruises on Friday announced that the Rollglider ride atop the recently unveiled Sun Princess will remain closed indefinitely. The line suggested the ride, which has never operated, would eventually be replaced by something else.
Ditto for two other attractions that were built atop the ship but never opened: a ropes course called The Net and a climbing attraction called Coastal Climb.
The three attractions are at the core of a massive, first-for-Princess family fun zone atop Sun Princess called Park19.
In a short statement, Princess said the line was "unable to accept delivery" of the attractions from the company that constructed them, suggesting that the attractions didn't meet the line's expectations as laid out in shipbuilding contracts.
"We regret to announce that Princess is unable to accept delivery of the Rollglider, Coastal Climb, and ropes course features within Park19 aboard Sun Princess, and those experiences will not be opening," Princess said in the statement.
"We are actively evaluating these areas for future recreational opportunities to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all our guests," the line added.
Princess noted that several other family-friendly attractions, including a splash area with pop jets and a sports court, had opened and would remain open as part of the Park19 fun zone.
The announcement comes five months after Sun Princess' maiden voyage in the Mediterranean. The ship's debut had been delayed by several weeks due to construction issues. At the time of its debut, several of its main attractions, including Park19, were not quite finished or still in the testing phase.
The construction of Park19 atop Sun Princess was an unusual departure for Princess, which has never been known for family-friendly attractions on the top decks of its ships.
The Rollglider attraction, called Sea Breeze, was to be a hang-gliding-like ride experience and was billed as a first on a cruise ship. It featured an overhead track from which passengers would have dangled while seated and harnessed for an electric-powered ride around the top of the ship at speeds of up to 11 mph.
The ropes course area featured swinging bridges and balance beams that passengers would navigate while 19 decks above the ocean.
The attractions appeared mostly done when TPG was aboard an early sailing of the ship in March, and the ropes course was undergoing testing at the time.
Sun Princess is the first of two new, bigger ships Princess is unveiling that mark a turn for the line as it tries to appeal to a younger audience and more "new to cruise" customers who might not have considered the brand before.
As TPG wrote in its first look at Sun Princess in March, the vessel is more lively, more kid-friendly and more chock-full of dining, drinking and entertainment options than any Princess ship that has come before.
The Park19 fun zone on the ship was to be one of its most notably kid-friendly features.
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