TORONTO – The Force will be even stronger at sea, thanks to modern technology. In keeping with the surging trend of gaming, the cruise industry is jumping onboard with several new initiatives that will keep gamers happy and occupied.
Fortune magazine reports that Disney Cruise Line has added Star Wars gamer attractions to its Dream cruise ships, timed perfectly to coincide with the opening of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. Passengers can marvel over a full-sized replica of the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit, complete with four different scenarios that kids can pilot through as part of their Oceaneer’s Kids Club onboard program. There’s also a separate engine room filled with Star Wars video games, a common room with a Holochess table, and a staged show featuring Darth Vader and stormtroopers. According to Danny Handke, creative design lead at Walt Disney Imagineering, it is the most complex attraction ever built on a Disney cruise ship.
In addition, gamers can take advantage of the Disney Infinity playroom, where a life-sized game allows them to race through tracks with Mickey, Minnie and friends. There’s also a room full of Xbox One consoles for multi-player fun on Disney Infinity 3.0, which includes Star Wars levels and characters.
Royal Caribbean is getting in on the gaming action as well with the launch of Voom satellite Internet service, which is billed as being so fast that passengers can play online games at sea. According to Fortune, the Anthem of the Seas cruise line (Anthem debuted on April 22, 2015 a year after its sister ship, Quantum of the Seas, with Ovation of the Seas slated for completion in 2016) is being marketed explicitly to the gaming generation.
Royal Caribbean has built a multi-use SeaPlex space, which is utilized for bumper cars, rollerskating, basketball and trapezing. Its Xbox lounge is located just above this main area. If that weren’t enough to excite gamers and tech buffs, the cruise line’s Bionic Bar will blow them away – a pair of MIT-designed robots make hundreds of custom drinks that are ordered from iPads.
