New Royal Caribbean Ships promise an onboard Windtunnel

[skycat 0]

Quantum of the Sea is the 1st ship with the tunnel, Anthem of the Sea will go into service next year. The wind speeds should be capable for head down, but I think the instructor level will be the issue with what you can or can't do. The other unknown will be the movement of the ship and what conditions the tunnel can and can not operate.

http://www.meyerwerft.de/en/meyerwerft_de/werft/das_unternehmen/webcam/webcam.jsp

There is also going to be circus school and flying trapezes ...WEEEE!!!

Fly it like you stole it!

[wan2doit 6]

Unless I'm mistaken I believe I read somewhere that this is a skyventure facility so possibly they will 1st seek volunteers, 2nd directly order some instructors to work on the ship - not really sure if skyventure can dictate work locations of instructors.

[wan2doit 6]

Got this Huffington Post article from iFLY Orlando's facebook page

http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/video/337/i-can-fly-soaring-to-new-heights-with-skydiving-at-sea/

I believe the ship shown is North Star.

Will be interested to hear of peoples 1st experiences on this tunnel.

[Doug_Davis 0]

wan2doit

Out of curiosity I just called Royal Caribbean and they said the only restriction was that one would have to sign a waiver. They also mentioned there would be an instructor to assist people and specified standard gear that would be worn in the tunnel. Also asked specifically about flying style (back, vertical etc.) restrictions and the assistant couldn't find any.
Not to be worrisome but one might want to check on what medical facilities/staff are on the ship and what language the staff speaks in case of possible injuries.
So, it looks like it is full speed ahead.

Did they say anything about allotted time per passenger or any additional costs per person?
I have yet to see any definitive answer on how much time you can get in the tunnel or if its limited in any way.

[wan2doit 6]

Doesn't seem to be too many details available online anywhere. May have to hunt a phone number like I did. I'd share it but lost track of it and don't have time to re-hunt it down. Good Luck

[skycat 0]

Derek is over in German commissioning it right now, I'll ask him if he has any details I can share the next time he is online, although it's still 2 months to the maiden voyage so things could change by then. It sounds like there will be a limit on the free flight time.

Fly it like you stole it!

[wan2doit 6]

Isn't there already a ship - the "North Star" that has an operating wind tunnel?

[skycat 0]

wan2doit

Isn't there already a ship - the "North Star" that has an operating wind tunnel?

Nope, Quantum of the Sea and Anthem of the Sea are the 1st ships with tunnels. Although on this ship there is a capsule that swings out over the sea called the North Star. So maybe it's the same ship.

Fly it like you stole it!

[wan2doit 6]

10-4 on that. I got truly confused with all the names I ran into while doing a bit of surfing to find out more on ship's tunnel.

Thankfully you know what is happening.

[BigBUG 0]

Quote

they will 1st seek volunteers, 2nd directly order some instructors to work on the ship - not really sure if skyventure can dictate work locations of instructors.

I would gladly go to work there but a)I am not US citisen and b)not a Skyventure certified, ISG only :(

Seriously, this seems to be a nice place to work. Now they have a bigger boat, they only need a bigger tunnel :)

[TsunamiGilligan 0]

Looks like the first minute is free (included in the price of the cruise to be precise), and then additional charges apply after that according to the video in this story.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2014/11/03/quantum-cruise-skydiving-simulator/18401451/

[piisfish 140]

BillyVance

Quote

10 is better than 8

Still not quite large enough for 2 skydivers to do RW, but of course, that's not their target for customers.

enough for 6way head up

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Doug_Davis 0]

TsunamiGilligan

Looks like the first minute is free (included in the price of the cruise to be precise), and then additional charges apply after that according to the video in this story.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2014/11/03/quantum-cruise-skydiving-simulator/18401451/

I wonder what the additional charges are compared to land based tunnels.

[yeyo 1]

Picture of the thing:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2d91ae8236323a5b2d566f5289be3ed741d8f40e/c=326-0-5433-3840&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/None/2014/11/03/635506013304700120-1414745954-QN-RipCord1-299.JPG

HISPA #93
DS #419.5

[stayhigh 2]

Bullshit, here is 6 of us flipping pieces.

Plenty of room for 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR9LM0kVamo

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[wan2doit 6]

Quantum's tunnel seems to have a good bit of power from this photo from iFLY Orlando's facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/iFLY-Orlando/113188922025352

I'm sure it would blow my lightweight derriere around more than I could handle only having about an hour of experience in a tunnel.

[skycat 0]

So just got home from the trip, and the tunnel is FAST. I actually had to ask them to turn it down from topped out flying on my head and I can fly topped out in Dallas, Chicago, and Denver just fine.

1 minute of flight time is included with the cruise, but I heard they were doing a few skydiver blocks early in the morning. I'm not sure on that as my husband is with iFly and I flew in the evening after hours with the boys.

The tunnel diffuses starting from the net so it does take some getting used to the fact that if you are head down your legs don't have as much power as normal or in a sit the lift on your back feels weak.

So I wouldn't say do the cruise for the tunnel, but it is a nice bonus on a ship that has a ton of ammenities and fun things to do. (Flying trapeze anyone)

Kelli

Fly it like you stole it!

[Usetawuz 1]

Thanks for the info Keli. Sarah and I are on the Dec 1st cruise. It will be our 19th cruise with RCCL and promises to be different but obviously the tunnel is just an added attraction and not the main reason for going, Frank & Sarah H.

_________________________________________
The older I get, the better I was!

[wan2doit 6]

Here's a vid of new flyers having fun in the Quantum's tunnel.

At around 7 minutes in, it looks like the instructor has all the air anyone needs to go advanced in there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZdGYXDkhQ8

No doubt it has more power than I could deal with at my current stage of experience.

[degeneration 5]

So, anyone know what the rate is for the tunnel on these beyond the first minute is free?

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[neflier 0]

I was on the Anthem over New Years. There was no option to purchase additional time. They did not have the capacity to give everyone who wanted it their free 1 minute.

After being unable to book online, I was one of the first to board the ship. The first thing I did was go the the area to sign up. They told me I was lucky as it had been sold out for a while, but a few additional sessions were just added.

So book early and don't expect more than the 1 minute.

It was kinda cool to be in a tunnel looking out over the stern of the ship.

Life is too short to drink cheap beer.

[Doug_Davis 0]

neflier

I was on the Anthem over New Years. There was no option to purchase additional time. They did not have the capacity to give everyone who wanted it their free 1 minute.

After being unable to book online, I was one of the first to board the ship. The first thing I did was go the the area to sign up. They told me I was lucky as it had been sold out for a while, but a few additional sessions were just added.

So book early and don't expect more than the 1 minute.

It was kinda cool to be in a tunnel looking out over the stern of the ship.

Thanks for the accurate review. That kills any desire I had for wanting to do it.

[JohnMitchell 16]

padraigbrowne

Quote

This is probably a stupid question but what happens inside a tunnel if it is pitching around? Is the flyer unaffected in that they are relative to the flow rather than what's going on outside?

My instinct says the flyer should remain "still" as he is not physically connected to the ship , and the walls should bash into him
But on the other hand , have you ever put a pinpong ball on the jet of a hair dryer and move it around , ball remains in center of air flow

A friend of mine works as an instructor on one of these ships. He says you can notice when the ship/tunnel moves.