Royal Caribbean turns cruise decking into glow-in-the-dark art on Harmony and Symphony of the Seas

Bolidt has launched a unique glow-in-the-dark decking solution for the cruise industry and its immediately been snapped up by Royal Caribbean, a leader in innovative solutions in the cruise industry.

The luminosity of the decking by night harvests solar energy stored during the day and is the culmination of a two-year research and development project at Bolidt’s Henrik Ido Ambacht innovation centre.

According to a release, Bolideck Glow can be easily integrated into Bolideck Select and Bolideck Future Teak decking systems that are already used extensively on cruise ships worldwide, so we may see more Royal Caribbean cruise ships being retrofitted with the decking during upcoming refits.

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The contract placed by Royal Caribbean thus far is for its newest cruise ships. Bolideck Glow will be installed aboard Harmony of the Seas before the end of 2017, plus on the fourth ship in the Oasis class – likely to be named Symphony of the Seas and due for delivery in Spring 2018 from STX France.

In both cases, the product will be installed in a 350m2 area to add the ‘wow’ factor for cruisers at the top of the 10-deck ‘Ultimate Abyss’ slide, which will also be used in the dark.

“We are the first company in the world to develop a luminous decking material for the cruise industry,” says Jacco Van Overbeek, Director, Maritime Division, Bolidt. “RCI’s request for a glow in the dark material demonstrates how our long-term customers look to us for new decking solutions, while our continuous development program means we are ready to respond.”