Martin Aquatic Wins WWA Leading Edge Award for Design of Icon of the Seas’ Onboard Waterpark

Since it debuted, Icon of the Seas from Royal Caribbean has been garnering widespread acclaim and awards as the ultimate family vacation, especially thanks to its onboard waterslide amenities, Category 6 waterpark. During its recent annual conference, the industry group World Waterpark Association awarded the waterpark with a Leading Edge Award, recognizing Martin Aquatic for its conceptual design work that contributed to the development of Category 6.

The innovative waterpark is the largest at sea, housing six one-of-a-kind water slides, each with its own set of bragging rights—from the tallest to the first family raft ride. The slides include:
• Frightening Bolt, the tallest waterslide on a cruise ship at 46 feet tall with a trapdoor launch;
• Pressure Drop, the first open freefall waterslide at sea with a near-vertical incline;
• Storm Chasers, the first duo headfirst mat racers at sea;
• Hurricane Hunter, the first raft slide at sea to accommodate up to 4 people; and,
• Storm Surge, the first suspended raft slide at sea with an over-the-edge clear acrylic panel.

This will be the fourth time the design firm has won the prestigious Leading Edge award, which includes two other wins together with Royal Caribbean. In 2019, Martin Aquatic was on the project team recognized for the brand’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and in 2020, Martin Aquatic was again recognized for the first innovative slide packages that were added as part of a renovation to the existing ship, Navigator of the Seas. Last year, Martin Aquatic won the Leading Edge award for its design of Island Waterpark at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.

Royal Caribbean began envisioning this new class of ship before 2018, when Martin Aquatic joined the development team and helped design some of the attractions that would play a part in bringing this ambitious and innovative project to life. The day Icon of the Seas was announced was the cruise line’s single largest booking date in its history. Clearly, the envelope-pushing project is a hit with cruise enthusiasts and eager guests who are excited to enjoy the new thrilling and family-friendly attractions and amenities.