Getting Burnt on the Ultimate Abyss

[Hopetotravel]

My grandson is 6' 4" and said that it's hard to fit in the sacks and hold on properly without having your arms stick out.

[coffeebean]

On 3/24/2019 at 2:55 AM, twangster said:

Never had to think about the head.  It seems rather natural. 

 

As far as elbows, grab the strap on the sack underhand as they show you (palms up).  This naturally draws your elbows in.  If you try to grab the strap overhand (palms down) your elbows are more likely to venture outwards.

On Harmony, we were instructed to cross our hands. Right hand holds the left strap and left hand holds the right strap. Lean back as far as you can go and that automatically keeps your elbows in. Keep legs straight. We were told to follow those instructions exactly! I was almost ready to get out of the line but decided to go through with it. It was over very fast.

[coffeebean]

On 3/24/2019 at 8:07 AM, John&LaLa said:

Personally, I found the slide to be slow and boring. Rode it on Harmony last October, 2 rides in succession.  It was so slow, neither Laura and I even cleared the tube at end. Just our legs stuck out.

 

I am 6-1 and 190 pounds. I did have fun, just a little dull. The ride, not me. 😉

I was told by one of the crew that the ride is slower later in the day. Early in the morning, the humidity makes it very fast. I was on the slide about 11am and I made it down in probably 7 seconds flat. That was pretty fast for me.

Edited May 9, 2019 by coffeebean

[Tntt]

On 3/24/2019 at 9:59 AM, er345 said:

For future riders, yes they tell you how to hold in your elbows and knees. But if you don’t have long sleeves it is still possible to get burned even with your arms straight. When my mat slid up one side I ended up sliding on my left side and got a terrible burn on the back of my left arm.  It was very painful for about two weeks and needed medical attention. Now I have a large scar. I was wearing short sleeves so if you have anything long sleeved think about wearing it on the slide.

I just got off the symphony and I rode the abyss, I followed directions like they told me to, but while sliding my mat shifted and i slid the remainder of the slide on my right arm, burning it so bad taking off the skin to the white meat on my arm. I was in alot of pain had to get medical attention on the ship. I think the abyss has a flaw and royal needs to fix it. When you got burnt on the abyss did you file an accident  report or did you contact royal Caribbean corporate office? 

[er345]

49 minutes ago, Tntt said:

I just got off the symphony and I rode the abyss, I followed directions like they told me to, but while sliding my mat shifted and i slid the remainder of the slide on my right arm, burning it so bad taking off the skin to the white meat on my arm. I was in alot of pain had to get medical attention on the ship. I think the abyss has a flaw and royal needs to fix it. When you got burnt on the abyss did you file an accident  report or did you contact royal Caribbean corporate office? 

I filed an accident report while in the medical facility.  This was about 3 days after the incident once it began oozing on the sheets and my clothes.  I mostly filed the report as a formality so I could be treated without having to pay. Had I known this was an option I would have had it taken care of 2 days earlier.  The person who handles these came to see me to follow up. Sorry, but I can’t remember his title.  I also got a follow up call in my room later to see if there was anything else I needed. But I said I was fine.

 

FYI it’s been 3 months and I still have the pink scar about 3 inches long. I was in pretty severe pain for about 2 weeks after it happened.

Your injury sounds worse.  I am sorry other people have to experience this.

[coffeebean]

1 hour ago, Tntt said:

I just got off the symphony and I rode the abyss, I followed directions like they told me to, but while sliding my mat shifted and i slid the remainder of the slide on my right arm, burning it so bad taking off the skin to the white meat on my arm. I was in alot of pain had to get medical attention on the ship. I think the abyss has a flaw and royal needs to fix it. When you got burnt on the abyss did you file an accident  report or did you contact royal Caribbean corporate office? 

Yikes! If I would have read about your experience before I rode the Abyss, I would not have done it. I'm so sorry you were injured.

[runnerandme]

We rode down the slide this past week on Wonder. After having to wiggle to get moving the mat slipped I hit my head on the side or I should say my head bounced off the side twice.  Painful bruised head.  I had to have help getting off at the bottom.  I followed the instructions…also my DH tore the skin on his elbow ! This slide not for the faint of heart..

[DaniDanielle]

I survived but I also had a cute little eight year old give me excellent instructions!

[broadwaybaby123]

Not on Oasis.  I went down it 7 times, my niece went down 17 times, and each of my parents went down it once.  We all came back unscathed.  I kept my elbows tucked in, and since I'm not exactly short (6ft tall here), I asked for the attendant at the top to give me a shove since I couldn't push myself off.

Edited September 10, 2023 by broadwaybaby123

[soremekun]

I was recently on Oasis.  The mats now seem to provide better coverage for the arms to prevent the burning.

[trajan]

On 6/1/2019 at 2:13 PM, Tntt said:

I just got off the symphony and I rode the abyss, I followed directions like they told me to, but while sliding my mat shifted and i slid the remainder of the slide on my right arm, burning it so bad taking off the skin to the white meat on my arm. I was in alot of pain had to get medical attention on the ship. I think the abyss has a flaw and royal needs to fix it. When you got burnt on the abyss did you file an accident  report or did you contact royal Caribbean corporate office? 

The Abyss, as it’s currently operated, is one of those things that could only exist on a cruise ship because it’s so inherently unsafe. The big London slide does it right. RC does it cheap so a lot of people get hurt.

 

[KSprite01]

My 6 ft husband burned his knees on Oasis last week because he couldn’t keep his knees bent and grab the hand loop at the same time, he was too tall. They need to make longer loops or two sets of mats, one for taller people. 

[Katems75]

We were told to lean back so our heads wouldn't hit.  I was worried the whole time my head was going to hit.  Do most people ride down sitting up 90 degrees??  I hated sliding in a halfway laying down position.  Only did it once, was not impressed, too much to worry about with the head, arms, and legs!