The ‘Norwegian Bliss’ Cruise Ship Features A Two-Level Go Kart Track

As luxury cruise ships rise in popularity, boat manufacturers and cruise lines are looking for new and innovative ways to make their ships stand out. Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) has done just that with its new ‘Norwegian Bliss’ mega-ship.

Throughout the summer, the ship offered sailings to Alaska, and this winter will offer seven-day strips to the eastern Caribbean. Norwegian Bliss offers guests a plethora of entertainment activities to keep them occupied. One of these options is a two-story go kart track.

This isn’t the first ship of its kind with a go kart track as last year, the Norwegian Joy also premiered with a track. However, the track found on Bliss is 40 per cent larger and is a first for a ship in North America. It promises to offer an exciting alternative to simply lounging around in the pool or catching a tan.

The go kart track sits at the top of deck 19 and features punchy all-electric racers. The Miami Herald reports that passengers can travel at speeds of up to 30 mph (48 km/h) and they’ll have to pay $9.95 for an eight-lap session. And before you ask, there are barriers in place that will prevent joy-riders from spearing off the edge of the ship.

“It’s not just different for the sake of being different, it’s an activity that people are going to love, they are going to have fun and that is also going to be unexpected on a ship,” said president and chief executive of Miami’s NCL, Andy Stuart.

“You do an image of a race track on top of the ship and everybody stops and they raise an eyebrow.”

Norwegian Bliss also features a number of other facilities to keep guests entertained. These include a number of water slides and an open-air laser tag course designed to mimic an abandoned space station filled with aliens.