“We want to make sure our guests are having the very best experience possible,” said Simon Murray, vice president guest experiences and innovation at Norwegian Cruise Line.

Murray is behind many of the new concepts on the Norwegian Prima, including a new darts game concept, a high-tech mini-golf course, two escape rooms and a very high-tech Galaxy Pavilion featuring racing simulators, and other intense simulation-style experiences, plus an expanded go-kart track.

“If we take the go-kart track … it is truly unbelievable. It’s three stories, 420 meters long and it rivals anything on land. We took all the feedback from our previous tracks and put it on here,” said Murray.

The feedback from the other ships was that guests wanted to pass one another, Murray said, and his task was to create more overtaking opportunities.

“What we did was make the track bigger and wider. We made more opportunities to create more speed,” he said.

And with a wide-ranging demographic of passengers, Murray said part of the philosophy was to bring families together. For those that don’t want to race go karts, they can visit the viewing platform to watch.

“There are laser tag guns there (on the viewing platform) and if you can shoot the top of the go kart three times, (that driver) gets an extra turbo boost … it’s really about trying to be inclusive for everyone to offer those things.”

With the ship in revenue operation, the go kart track will also feature a fastest driver award.

“It is three laps by yourself on the track with unlimited speed,” Murray said. “It’s awesome.’

Drivers are equalized for weight, with crew adding or removing ballast from go karts as necessary. 

“At the end of the cruise there is a trophy and cash prize for the fastest time.”