Royal Caribbean closes SkyPad trampoline after lawsuit filed

News / Cruises

04-10-2019 10:15 am

Christine Hogg

Christine Hogg

Christine Hogg is the Associate Digital Editor at PAX Global Media. Prior to joining PAX, she obtained her Honours BA in Journalism from the University of Toronto. Upon graduating, she went on to write for several travel publications while travelling the world. Her longest trip was a three-week stint in Europe, and the shortest was a 16-hour adventure in Iceland. Get in touch: christine@paxglobalmedia.com.

Royal Caribbean has temporarily suspended the use of its bungee trampoline at sea, the Sky Pad, after a Florida man claims he sustained injuries from a 20-foot fall, after his harness failed.

The Sky Pad originally debuted on Mariner of the Seas, and can be found on three other Royal Caribbeans ships: the Navigator, Independence and Spectrum of the Seas.

According to CNN, the incident did in fact take place on the Mariner of the Seas. In a video obtained by CNN, the man, Casey Holladay, can be seen plummeting onto the ship's deck after the harnesses he was attached to broke. The Miami Herald reports Holladay is suing Royal Caribbean for $10 million.

According to his attorney, he suffered a fractured pelvis, and is currently using a wheelchair.

The Sky Pad uses a headset to incorporate a virtual reality free-fall experience. It's intended to allow guests to soar inside a 30-foot sphere on board the ship.

On its website, Royal Caribbean notes that guests must weigh a maximum of 240 pounds to use the Sky Pad. It also mentions that guests must be a minimum age of five years old to jump, and seven years old to use the VR headset.

At the time of writing, Royal Caribbean did not respond to PAX's request for comment.

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