The Ultimate Guide to the FlowRider Surf Simulator on Freedom of the Seas

Want to ride the FlowRider on Freedom of the Seas? This guide goes over my first time on the FlowRider experience and provides tips to prepare you for your ride!

Intro

If you’re going on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas cruise then you probably saw that your ship has a FlowRider Surf Simulator. This surf simulator is one of the ship’s most exciting and thrilling attractions where you’re going to want to ride it. This guide goes over what it’s like to ride the FlowRider based on my experience cruising on the Freedom of the Seas, and what you should know before giving it a try!

What Is The FlowRider?

The FlowRider is a high-pressure water surf simulator where you can either boogie board or … surf! This surf simulator shoots out thousands of gallons of water per minute up a platform, simulating rushing water with a continuous applied pressure that you can try riding.

Where Is The FlowRider?

Is it located on the Sports Deck of the Freedom of the Seas ship and it’s free to ride! But if you do want to ride the FlowRider, you will first have to go to a nearby desk, watch a training video, sign a waiver, then receive a bracelet.

How to Ride the FlowRider?

The FlowRider activity is only open during certain timeframes, so if you’re trying to ride it, be sure to check out the FlowRider’s operating times. You can get the Hours of Operations near the FlowRider on a laminated sign.

There are Open Sessions for Boogie Boarding, Self-Assist Stand Up Surfing, and for Advanced riders. What’s not mentioned on the Hours of Operation sign is that there’s also Private Lessons at an additional cost. These can be found on the Royal Caribbean app itinerary.

Each open session is first-come first-serve so if you’re not an Advanced rider, expect to be waiting in a long queue. Others in my group decided to go during the Open Season, and they waited 2 hours to get on FlowRider.

FlowRider Private Lesson

I really wanted to ride the FlowRider but I didn’t want to use up time waiting in a long queue. SO I decided to pay the extra cost and booked a private lesson!

Even though FlowRider private lessons are offered at an additional cost, I definitely recommend this if you want a guaranteed opportunity to experience the FlowRider. The lesson spans an hour and can be with other people who book the lesson.

The lesson starts you on the boogie board to try basic riding, balancing, and board control. When you “pass” the boogie board lesson then you can move on to the stand-up surfing lesson, but regardless, you will still be able to do the stand-up surfing.

I was with 3 other people, and we each were able to go on the FlowRider about 4 times.

My FlowRider Experience

Okay I’ll be completely honest.. but I was a bit nervous. I’ve never surfed before but I love a good new thrilling adventure! The small group of the private lesson definitely helped with the nerves though, where I knew that each of us had the same amount of experience: none. So I went into the experience knowing that it’s okay to fall!

Lesson 1: Boogie Boarding & Board Control

I started with boogie boarding, which is the first step before getting to stand up on a board. I’ve actually never done boogie boarding like this, so this was definitely a first for me too!

Before getting on the water, the FlowRider guide showed me how to position my arms and lean on the board. Then I went for it! Balancing on the boogie board was relatively easy and super fun.

Lesson 2: Boogie Boarding, Maneuvering & Sitting Up

Then my next time on the water, the guide taught me how to lean on it, which ultimately maneuvers you and the board in certain directions. This was also so much fun as I hit the maneuvers pretty hard and fast.

I guess I had passed with flying colors because I didn’t fall just yet. So the guide directed me to sit up on my knees and balance with arms straight out. Oh boy. lol. This was really scary and took me a couple tries to do. But I eventually got it, and passed the Boogie Boarding part of the private lesson!

Lesson 3: Stand Up Surfing & Board Control

Then I “graduated” into trying the Stand Up Surfing. This was a whole different story. The balancing and leaning of the body that I learned from the Boogie Boarding part did translate, but a bit differently. Instead of using the “right” and “left” side of your body, you have to use the “front” and “back” side of your body to balance and control the board. Same, same but different.

I have experience skateboarding and snowboarding, so I knew which way I usually face. I’m goofy, meaning my right leg is positioned forward on the board. Having this experience still took me several tries to stand up and hold my stance though. For me, the hardest part was letting go of the guide and balancing standing up on my own.

But once I got that, it then took another several tries to finally maneuver the board very very slightly in the direction I wanted to go. Of course, between all these tries, I am falling into the water and being swept away towards the back of the simulator.

Lesson 4: Stand Up Surfing & Maneuvering

In my last lesson on the FlowRider, I was able to keep upright on the board for a few minutes(!!), while also maneuvering it in the direction the guide was pointing. I was so impressed with myself and super grateful to the guides for getting me to that point! This experience was so much fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat!!

The fact that the lesson is an hour with a few other people does mean being on the ride for quite a bit of time. So, I was definitely gassed out and exhausted. But so so happy I got to experience it and ride it somewhat successfully!

Is The FlowRider Private Lesson Worth It?

The FlowRider Private Lesson was absolutely worth it since I didn’t have to wait in long lines for my turn AND it’s guaranteed that I’ll get to both boogie board and stand-up surf within the one hour lesson. Not only that, but having an FlowRider staff member help guide and direct me through balancing, standing, and maneuvering is an unmatched perk. I can only imagine falling thousands of times if I were to try to ride and figure it out on my own.

I also highly recommend this if you have never rode a FlowRider and don’t want to wait in long lines just to not be able to get on it. As mentioned, a few other people in my group decided to wait in the open session lines, and they had to wait 2 hours before they got to ride the FlowRider!

Tips to Make the Most of Your Adventure

1. Limited Hours of Operations

Only open for limited hours during the day, so be sure to check their operating hours and what sessions they will hold, such as the Open Boogie Boarding session or Advanced Surfing session.

2. Don’t Forget to Sign the Waiver

You do need to watch a short video and sign a waiver before riding the FlowRider. Try to do this before you get in line or get to your private lesson.

3. Expect Long Line/Queue for the Open Session

Their open Boogie Board sessions attract the most people, where the lines may be long. If this is the case, they might split the FlowRider in half using a separator so that two riders can be on at the same time.

4. Explore taking the Private Lesson

To guarantee having sufficient time to both boogie board and surf, explore taking the one-hour FlowRider surf lesson! You can book and purchase on the Royal Caribbean app.

5. Wear a Swimsuit that Won’t Budge too Much

The water pressure is high, so if you fall off the board, it’s possible that swimsuits may …”adjust”, if you know what I mean. Men trunks and women two-pieces might experience this wardrobe malfunction, so if you want to avoid this from happening, women can wear a one-piece or cover-up shirt over a two-piece. While men can tighten their trunks.

6. Try to Ride early in the Cruise

If possible, try to ride earlier on the cruise so that you can have multiple opportunities to ride, and if you don’t make it on due to a long queue, then you have other opportunities.

7. Balancing & Board Control

Balancing and controlling the board is similar but different between a boogie board and a surf board. The best way for me to explain how to balance and control the boogie board, is to try to evenly distribute your weight on your elbows on the board. Then to control the board, lean on either elbow to move it towards that direction.

For the surf board, I noticed that more weight needed to be applied on my back foot, but there still needs to be weight applied on the front foot too… just not as much as the back foot. Then to control the surf board and maneuver a bit, lean with your toes just a tad to go one direction and then lean on your heels (just a tad!) to go the other direction.

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Final Words

The FlowRider on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas is SO much fun! You’ll get active, wet, and get the chance to do a bucket-list activity. The FlowRider is one of the most memorable and exciting things I did on my cruise, and I hope this guide helps you prepare for your own experience! Bon Voyage!