This Cruise Ship Is Perfect for Families-With a 10-story Waterslide and More Than 35 Restaurants and Bars

"Even the sight of the duo of slides, which corkscrew down 10 stories at the aft of the ship, was making me break out in a sweat. (I'm scared of heights.) As I packed our suitcases before dinner on our last night, however, the words of a Royal Caribbean executive speaking on the in-room TV feel targeted: "We want everyone to step outside of their comfort zone at least once on our ships," they say."

"I clung to the entrance of the slide and closed my eyes. A crew member shouted, "go!" and I propelled myself into the abyss. It was dark and narrow when I opened my eyes, and the flashing lights and eerie noises playing inside the slide reminded me of a haunted house at the fairground. The twists and turns were over in a few seconds. Suddenly, I emerged into daylight as my daughter appeared, laughing, on the slide next to me. I was speechless."

A guest aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas overcame a fear of heights to ride the Ultimate Abyss with her seven-year-old daughter, describing the slide as dark, narrow, and haunted-house-like with flashing lights and eerie noises. The ship is the second in the Oasis class, launched in 2010 and amplified at the start of 2025 with a $100 million makeover. The amplification added the Ultimate Abyss, a reimagined resort-style pool deck with three waterslides, new restaurants and bars, an escape room, an updated kids' club, and 111 additional staterooms, increasing double-occupancy capacity to 5,718 guests.

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