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Santa test drives Mardi Gras' BOLT roller-coaster

Santa Claus took a test run on BOLT, the first roller-coaster at sea, aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

December 15, 2020

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

The ship is nearing completion at Meyer Turku for delivery later this week.

Speeds up to 40 mph

With hearty 'ho-ho-ho’s' echoing throughout the shipyard, Santa zipped along the 800-foot track featuring a hairpin curve around Mardi Gras' funnel, while achieving speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. The all-electric coaster can accommodate two riders — or one Santa Claus and his bag of toys, perhaps — in motorcycle-like vehicles that race 187 feet above the water line.

'Never in my wildest dreams would I think a roller-coaster could be on a cruise ship. It’s something we’ll be talking about at the North Pole for a long time,' St. Nick reportedly said.

BOLT was built in partnership with Munich-based Mauer Rides.

Mardi Gras is scheduled to debut April 24 at Florida's Port Canaveral.

 

Read more about:

Meyer Turku

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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