With 22 stationary wave machines on Royal Caribbean ships, a FlowRider® is a cruise ship staple. Whether parents use the FlowRider as a fun place to keep the kids occupied or the adults get hooked on the sport themselves, there is a reason so many of our wave machines call cruise ships home. One factor is our dedication to making sure our waves work and look their best.
The pandemic hit the cruising industry hard, with many postponed trips and halted cruises. Royal Caribbean made fantastic use of the downtime by calling us in to refurbish nine of their waves. Josh Ornelaz, one of our After Sales Managers, recalls the lengths his team went to make sure the refurbishments went smoothly when it felt like the world was working against them:
Ovation of the Seas was docked in Singapore when we went out there. We had to get special clearance to fly internationally, did a bunch of COVID tests, and because of pandemic rules, we ended up having an hour bus ride to and from the ship each day. It was nuts, but just check out that beautiful FlowRider blue.
Later in the year we hit Allure of the Seas while it was docked in the Caribbean and refurbished both of those waves. This was another wild one. We had to quarantine alone in our rooms for two weeks, and we read a lot of books! It’s all worth it when you see the before and after photos. Due to pandemic rules, one of our team members ended up having to quarantine a bit longer in Mexico, and he ended up meeting the woman he just married. A FlowRider and Royal Caribbean love story!
We care deeply about our products, and our team will go to great lengths to make sure our customers are happy with their results. FlowRider is synonymous with service, and as Josh said, it’s all worth it when you see those before and after photos, not to mention the smiling faces of guests riding a wave that feels brand new!
If you have an older surf simulator that you’d like to make good as new, or if you’re thinking about installing a new FlowRider, we’d be happy to talk you through the process. Simply click here to reach out to us via our contact page.
