By
Alice Chambers |
Ten years ago, onboard entertainment largely revolved around theatre shows, pool decks and speciality dining. Today, cruise ships are being planned as experiential ecosystems, layered with high-impact attractions and immersive environments that increasingly rival established land-based theme parks and entertainment venues.
Royal Caribbean International’s Icon-class ships are perhaps the most visible marker of this shift. When Icon of the Seas launched in 2023 with its waterpark, open free-fall waterslide and vast glass-roofed spaces, it signalled a new era of scale. A year later, Star of the Seas doubled down with eight themed neighbourhoods, including the visually striking AquaDome at the bow – home to the AquaTheatre and its 55-foot-tall water curtain set beneath 220-degree ocean views.
Elsewhere, the entertainment evolution has taken different forms. Marella Cruises’ Marella Voyager offers a password-protected speakeasy venue, where the experience begins with an invitation delivered to guests’ cabins and continues with them passing through red telephone box doors into a hidden bar. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) expanded interactive gaming onboard Norwegian Prima with the Galaxy Pavilion, which features immersive simulators, an escape room and various video-reality gaming experiences. MSC Cruises has integrated bumper cars and themed social spaces like its British pub, Masters of the Sea, on MSC World America. And Disney Cruise Line continues to blur the lines between cruise and theme park – for example Disney Adventure features Marvel-themed rides including the 820-foot-long Ironcycle Test Run rollercoaster suspended above the upper decks.
Taken together, these developments point to a clear shift in priorities: onboard attractions are no longer secondary add-ons. They are now embedded within core ship design, shaping guest experience strategy and serving as a key lever for competitive differentiation in an increasingly crowded market.
It is within this context that immersive experience design studio and turnkey provider CONDUCTR has emerged as a key creative force. Most recently, the company has played a leading role in creating Ocean Heights, a new three-deck outdoor entertainment destination onboard NCL’s forthcoming Norwegian Aura, due to debut in 2027. Described as a connected destination rather than a standalone attraction, Ocean Heights combines large-scale physical experiences with immersive media and technology. The space includes the 82-foot Aura Ropes Course, a 25-foot climbing wall, an outdoor midway-style gaming zone and the most extensive waterslide offering of any NCL ship.
Ocean Heights onboard NCL’s Norwegian Aura will include the Aura Ropes Course, a gaming zone and a waterslide
Appointed as lead creative consultant, CONDUCTR worked closely with NCL’s Innovation Team to design, invent and produce Ocean Heights. In addition to shaping the mix of attractions and spatial strategy, the studio is delivering multiple turnkey elements, including an interactive light and media experience that will be the first of its kind at sea.
“Ocean Heights represents a shift in how outdoor cruise environments can be designed and experienced,” says Ben Dowson, creative director at CONDUCTR. “It’s about creating spaces that adapt, evolve and deliver meaningful moments for guests throughout the day, rather than serving a single purpose.”
The collaboration reflects NCL’s ambition to push the boundaries of what guests can expect onboard.
“This brings back the excitement and years of creative collaboration behind Ocean Heights onboard Norwegian Aura,” says Alex Tavernini, senior director of guest experience and innovation at NCL. “It’s been a true pleasure working with such a talented and visionary team at CONDUCTR as we took some of our boldest ‘what if…?’ ideas and elevated them into something genuinely special: a multi-generational space at sea designed to create unforgettable memories for families, kids and adults alike.”
CONDUCTR’s relationship with NCL extends beyond Aura. On earlier ships, it developed Glow Court, the world’s first weatherproof interactive LED sports court at sea. Featuring an LED floor and wall powered by motion-tracking technology without wearables, Glow Court transforms an underused top-deck space into a bookable, multi-use arena that shifts seamlessly between sport, gaming and immersive media. The studio has also led creative direction and master planning for NCL’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay in The Bahamas, including guest experience strategy, branding, wayfinding and a new waterpark set to open in summer 2026.
CONDUCTR led creative direction and master planning at NCL's private island, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas (credit: NCL)
Beyond NCL, CONDUCTR has brought experiential thinking into more unexpected territory, working with its sister cruise line, Oceania Cruises, which is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Onboard Oceania Allura, it created The Art Experience, a self-guided digital scavenger hunt spanning nearly 30 artworks from 14 artists across seven countries. By scanning QR codes, guests unlock behind-the-scenes stories, artist insights and multimedia content, transforming a traditional gallery walk into an immersive cultural journey at sea.
The growing sophistication of these projects is mirrored at industry level. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions has partnered with Seatrade Cruise Global to deliver dedicated showcases, cross-event participation and expanded educational programming. The collaboration will begin at Seatrade Cruise Global 2026 in Florida, USA, in April 2026 and formalises what has already been happening in practice: the cruise and attractions sectors are converging.
As cruise lines continue to invest in ever more ambitious onboard environments, experiential entertainment is no longer an optional flourish but, rather, a defining pillar of modern ship design. If the latest projects from companies like CONDUCTR are any indication, the next generation of cruise ships will not simply sail between destinations. They will be destinations in their own right.
Discover more insights like this in the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review.Don’t miss out –subscribe for FREE and get the next issue delivered straight to your inbox.