Hey cruisers,
Let’s burn rubber! We’re gearing up for a Norwegian Bliss Go Kart POV ride from my GoPro chest mount on the awesome new Norwegian Bliss racetrack. I hope this video gives you a little taste of of what you can expect. It’s a little long, but we wanted to give you a good look at the go kart experience. If you’re booked on Norwegian Bliss, the two story, electric race track is a must-do.
Seriously, you have to try it. These things FLY, and once you get comfortable, you’ll be ripping around the corners and passing others. Norwegian Bliss’ racetrack is the largest at sea, about 40% larger than the China-based Norwegian Joy, and for $7 per ride, you can race your friends (or foes) day or night at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Be sure to pack close-toed shoes on your cruise, as they are a must.
After a safety briefing about the go karts and the race track, you’ll be given a helmet liner and a giant helmet to race about 10 other cruisers. Smaller kids can ride along side in a two person car if they are too little to reach the peddles. And, because I know someone ELSE is going to tease me, YES, I was able to reach. I’m exactly five foot zero, and if I were a few inches shorter, it would have been a no-go. A common question about these go karts is, “can they fly off the side of the ship”? According to Simon Murray Senior Director, Guest Experience and Innovation at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. who oriented us before our ride, this is not a concern.
The Norwegian Bliss race track was tested at high speeds, and you’ll see from the video that the design prevents any possibility of that. The Norwegian Bliss ride operators can, and will stop all cars on the track by remote control in the event that a rider is acting up, or if there’s an incident on the track. You’ll see in the POV we all got stopped a few times when a slower driver got stuck up against the side of the go kart race track and forgot they had a reverse button on their steering wheel. Slower drivers are urged to stay right, so faster kart drivers can speed around them.