Clever Association were appointed to deliver the ‘tech’ elements in the Kids’ Zone on Aroya, Saudi Arabia’s first cruise ship.
Aroya is a remarkable floating resort, with eighteen decks of luxurious living accommodation, exceptional restaurants, high-end retail and an array of entertainment spaces for all ages. The vessel weighs in at 151,000 tons, is 335 metres in length and will be home to up to five thousand guests and crew.
Aroya underwent the biggest refurbishment of any vessel to date, with Clever Association appointed by Tigerplay to deliver the ‘tech’ elements within the Kids’ Zone on board. At a shade under 2000m², this is one of largest play areas in the industry.
The Theme
The Kids’ Zone has an underwater theme, which starts the moment you enter the space. Atmospheric deep sea sound effects play, and ripple effect lights and projectors cast a subtle illusion of being underwater.
Interactivity
A huge direct LED Interactive fish tank spans the corner of the main corridor, visible from almost everywhere in the space, installed by our friends at Promultis. As you walk past the fish tank, sensors pick up your movement and encourage the ships mascots to bubble their way up from the bottom of the tank to the surface. Pools containing fish are projected onto the floors too, which swim away under rippling water effects as children walk or crawl over them.
Gaming
Three Multiball interactive gaming walls with an array of action, sports and educational games keep children entertained. Games are played by throwing balls at the on-wall image or by using hands, with games easily selectable to suit any age range or interest.
Two touchscreen gaming tables and three dedicated video games console ‘pods’ are available for the children, with a whole host of games, from retro classics to the most popular present-day titles.
Learning
A shipyard workshop is where kids come to create and make; drawing, crafting and building with their friends. Small desktop touchscreens with multi-language instructions show how to build a model boat, which can be kept as a memento of their time on board. A much larger version of the touchscreen is wall mounted so that teachers can walk the group through each step together. Loudspeakers and subwoofers play subtle sounds of a shipyard workshop, with a scent diffuser emitting aromas into the space, immersing you in the shipyard theme.
Entertainment
Two cinema systems allow children of different ages to gather and watch films together, with the smaller children settling down comfortably on bean bags while the bigger kids have tiered bench-style seating. K-array sound systems and huge display screens take care of the delivery of content. There is a separate lounge area too, where kids can watch TV, listen to music or play board games.
Sensory
The largest play space is also home to a sensory cave, with ambient sounds, soothing light effects and scents to help create a little safe haven, like a private beach amongst all the action.
Automation
The entire venue is under Crestron control, with technologies fully automated to turn on and off at key times of the day. This allows the dedicated staff to focus on the kids, not the need to turn on all the ‘tech’ at the start of the day. A touchscreen on the reception desk allows for individual control over each room and system, allowing specific features to be overridden as and when required.
A special thank you to the amazing teams we worked with on this incredible project, one that we’re all very proud to have been a part of.
