Putting the WOW! in Splendour

//Putting the WOW! in Splendour

Touring the work-in-progress that is the Splendour of the Seas refit this week, most of the project was easy to see and understand. The balconies on Deck 6, for example, and the ducktail welded onto the stern are pretty obvious. We couldn’t look round the new crew mess, but the restaurants and kitchen in the Viking Crown lounge and the miles of re-laid carpets were pretty apparent – even under protective plastic sheeting
In the central atrium, however, it was difficult to work out what was being done. The entire space, five decks high, was filled with scaffolding.
High up in the ceiling, contractors were fitting steel girders, winches and lighting equipment. Down below, out has gone the Champagne bar, and the sweeping central staircase has been re-modelled. Alongside the glass-sided lifts, flashing LED-screens have been installed.
What’s going on?
The answer is be found in a rehearsal studio in Las Vegas, where a rig has been built to re-create the Centrum space, and on which four aerial acrobats are perfecting a show which Royal Caribbean will bring the WOW! To Splendour.
By the time the ship welcomes passengers back on board on November 26, the performers will be just about ready to premiere the spectacle with a one-off treat which might well see them wearing hard hats … just in case.
Once they have checked it’s safe, they’ll be putting on a seven-minute show four times a week, with as many as 1,400 passengers watching from the atrium railings. Given that Splendour was built before Royal conceived the Royal Promenade which provides the space to put on extravagant parades and shows, Centrum WOW is an opportunity for a vertical parade in mid-air.
For the rest of the time, the revamped atrium will be the venue for a variety of interactive daytime activities including chef demonstrations, dance classes, game shows, Nintendo Wii competitions and the popular Captain’s Corner where guests can spend time with the man at the helm. Passengers will also be able to sit back, relax and enjoy performances from musicians and singers or take a spin on the dance floor at themed parties such as the popular Disco Inferno.
And the Champagne bar has been replaced by the R (for Renaissance) Bar offering classic cocktails and with a resident mixologist to create drink specials to complement each evening’s theme and aerial spectacular.
Wow!

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:58+00:00 18 November 2011|Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment

About the Author:

John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.

One Comment

  1. James 19 November 2011 at 11:28 am - Reply

    Do you have any pictures of what the finished work will look like when they have finished all the enhancements and changes

Leave A Comment