The Royal Caribbean Blog announced yesterday that the renovation of the Liberty of the Seas this January will include the reconfiguration of the sports deck and the installation of water slides including a water slide called a "Boomerango."

The blog says that the "Boomerango will let guests ride in rafts, where they will "plummet down a steep drop, then shoot up a nearly vertical wall, high into the air, for a moment of weightlessness.’"

Sounds like fun you may say?  Perhaps, but expect serious personal injuries to occur. 

The Royal Caribbean blog indicates that the "Boomerango" appears to be a water slide built by the WhiteWater company.  Familiar with that name? It’s the same company which acquired the FlowRider from WaveLoch which is in use on nine Royal Caribbean cruise ships. The FlowRider simulated surfing device is the most dangerous activity at sea, in my assessment, with hundreds of accidents occurring occrring thoughout the fleet each year. 

Royal Caribbean has a reputation for being the first cruise line to offer many new yet dangerous recreational attractions at sea over the years, including the notorious FlowRider and the iFly simulated sky diving device. 

If the cruise line handles the "Boomerango" like the other attractions on its ships, there will not be proper warnings or signage accurately disclosing the risk of serious personal injury to the guests and the operational instructions to the passengers will be poor. The company will likely force the guests to sign sports activity waivers, which the courts have already held to be illegal. 

Expect the "Boomerango" lawsuits to start early next year.

Have a comment?  Please leave one below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Photo Credits:  Royal Caribbean via the Royal Caribbean blog.