Royal Caribbean Is Closing Waterslides Fleet-Wide—Here’s What You Need to Know

If you have a Royal Caribbean cruise coming up and your kids were looking forward to hitting the waterslides, you need to know this: the cruise line has started closing slides across multiple ships to replace cracking acrylic panels with safer fiberglass sections.

According to Royal Caribbean Blog, the closures began on November 20 and affect several ships, including Navigator of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, and Harmony of the Seas.

Why the Sudden Closures?

The short answer: safety. Captain James of Navigator of the Seas didn’t mince words when addressing passengers, stating, “It’s those acrylic tube parts that are cracking on us, so we just said, ‘You know what? Enough’s enough.’”

The longer answer goes back to August 2025, when an acrylic panel shattered on Icon of the Seas’ Frightening Bolt slide—a 46-foot drop—injuring a passenger who later pursued legal action against the cruise line. That incident prompted Royal Caribbean’s engineering team to take a hard look at waterslides across the fleet, and what they found wasn’t good.

The acrylic sections weren’t just cracking on one ship. They were cracking on multiple ships. And because these are custom-made components, Royal Caribbean couldn’t simply swap them out from existing inventory. The only solution was a complete rebuild with reinforced fiberglass replacements.

Which Ships and Slides Are Affected?

As of November 20, here’s what’s closed:

Navigator of the Seas: The Blaster and Riptide waterslides Independence of the Seas: Perfect Storm Cyclone and Typhoon slides Harmony of the Seas: Supercell slide The repair timeline varies by ship. Navigator is expected to have work completed by December 22 (just in time for holiday cruises), while Independence of the Seas won’t see its slides reopen until February 2026.

The Communication Problem

Here’s what has passengers frustrated: Royal Caribbean hasn’t issued a fleet-wide announcement about these closures. Many guests are discovering the news only after they board, which means disappointed kids and parents scrambling to adjust expectations.

One future guest commented on social media, “We just booked for the end of March. Why are they not sharing that??” It’s a valid question, especially for families who specifically chose Royal Caribbean for those waterslide experiences.

What This Means for Your Cruise

If you have a Royal Caribbean cruise booked in the coming months, check your ship’s status before you sail. The waterslides are a major draw for families, and knowing ahead of time whether they’ll be operational can help you manage expectations—or potentially adjust your booking if the slides are a must-have for your vacation.

Royal Caribbean is doing the right thing by prioritizing passenger safety, but the lack of proactive communication leaves cruisers feeling blindsided. Hopefully, the cruise line will improve transparency as these fleet-wide upgrades continue.

The good news? Once the work is done, those waterslides should be safer and more durable than ever.