Last week, a passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas was injured when the Frightening Bolt waterslide broke. Frightening Bolt is the largest drop slide at sea and begins with an almost-vertical fall through a trap door.
The Incident
On August 7, an acrylic piece of the Frightening Bolt slide broke off, causing water to gush through a gaping hole. A male passenger received skin lacerations on multiple parts of his body. Thankfully, he did not fall through the hole.
Several passengers on board Icon of the Seas posted videos of the broken water slide on social media:
Now, according to several news sources, the injured passenger is planning to sue Royal Caribbean. The passenger has retained Alex Perez, who works for a firm that represents cruise ship passengers and crew members.
The Frightening Bolt water slide on Icon of the Seas is still closed pending an investigation. The same slide is also closed on the new Star of the Seas cruise ship, which starts preview cruises later this week.
My family cruised on Icon of the Seas earlier this year, and we had a great time. I didn’t go on the Frightening Bolt water slide, however. Those drop slides scare me, whether on land or at sea!
This incident is quite surprising to me considering the Icon of the Seas ship is relatively new (first cruise was in January 2024). The slide broke with less than two years of service!
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
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