The Norwegian Joy cruise ship features a go-kart race track
CNET hops on board this cruise ship bound for China that features a two-level go-kart racetrack.
Meet the Norwegian Joy. It's the first cruise ship from Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) designed for the Chinese market. The Joy is for serious thrill-seekers and has an electric go-kart racetrack on the top deck. If that sounds like a lot of fun, you'll need to grab a ticket to China because this vessel will only sail from Chinese waters.
The Joy is currently on its maiden voyage to China and stopped in Singapore on May 20. CNET hopped on board to go racing on the seas.
The onboard track feels big, but an electric go-kart can complete a lap in about 30 seconds if you're really good. Unfortunately, there's really not too much space to pass at the corners, or long straight stretches to zoom through.
It's pretty hard to get a shot of the entire track, which is at the highest point of the ship, but NCL has provided a rendered image. Instead of racing the entire length of the ship (which would have been freaking cool), you go back and forth around super tight corners.
But it feels like a legitimate racing experience. You get a pit stop and a balaclava so you won't make the helmets sweaty for the person after you. There's even a boost button on the steering wheel that lets you go even faster for three seconds. But be warned: You can use it but the track's too short for you to fully enjoy it.
The corners are ridiculously tight, and you'll have to twist the steering wheel to the max to be able to make the turns. And because you don't need a driving license to get onto the track, you'll be stuck with newbies who don't pay attention to instructions and block the entire track when they fail to make a corner.
Which leads me to this picture, everyone stuck on the track waiting for the stuck person to figure out how to reverse the go-kart (the "lifeguard" had to walk over to help).
Before we get to the racetrack though, you'll have to go through the ship's crazy big shopping area. It's topped with a massive chandelier and stretches two decks.
One floor is solely for casinos, while the other levels are filled with luxury brands for Chinese tourists.
Besides shopping, there are plenty of other things to do, including an open-air laser tag battleground where you can go pew pew pew.
There's also a multi-storey waterslide. It overlooks the ocean, so you'll catch a glimpse of blue as you wind your way through this terrifying slide.
Here's how far it sticks out -- if the transparent bit cracks, you'll end up swimming with the sharks, I'm guessing.
There's also an entertainment area called the Galaxy Pavilion, where you can amuse yourself with arcade games and hovercraft bumper cars.
There are also VR roller-coaster rides and simulated sky-diving experiences.
If you want more greenery, there's a park filled with artificial grass. It's pretty big, and takes up the spot where a pool normally is. That said, it's probably not a good idea to do tai chi in Singapore's boiling afternoon sun.
There are plenty of restaurants on board, and they all feature luxurious stylings.
There's a small indoor pool if you don't want to bake out in the open.
The suites (like this one) are pretty big. The normal rooms don't look too shabby either but are much smaller in size.