Video: No Competition — This Is Cruising’s Best Pool

Even the scratch half way through the clip — viewed by 1.1+ million people and counting — can’t break the spell of watching a self-leveling pool table in action. These gyroscopic devices are found on Royal Caribbean’s four Radiance-class ships, Radiance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas, as well as a handful of other brands’ vessels. According to a spokesperson from Royal’s new-build team, “There really isn’t a point when there’s too much motion for the tables to function.” If you can stay level, you can play billiards. Sure enough, the footage was taken while transiting the notoriously mercurial Tasman Sea from New Zealand’s Bay of Islands to Sydney, Australia.

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7 Responses to “Video: No Competition — This Is Cruising’s Best Pool”

1. Brian
   February 17th, 2012 @ 4:40 pm

   I would like to see if a pendulum-sytle clock would work if mounted on such a gyroscopic base.

2. Scott
   February 17th, 2012 @ 5:31 pm

   Its nice that the table stays level, but it looks like it makes it more difficult for the players. I would think that instead of the table, they would have built a platform around the table that levels the table and the players. Can I patent that idea?

3. Alika
   February 17th, 2012 @ 9:12 pm

   Think they’d let me sit on it when seas get rough?

4. Bryan
   February 19th, 2012 @ 10:59 am

   ***Interesting Fact**** – When one of these ships was being delivered they encountered some rough seas. The clever crew decided to take turns sleeping on the 2 side by side pool tables to get a decent nights sleep. Of all the ships I have been on the Radiance class ships are always my favorites – the pool tables open up to a portion of the ship I call the man’s cave. Dark furniture and paneling with an awesome view of the turbulance of the ocean behind the ship.

5. Vanessa Christopher@international travel insurance
   February 21st, 2012 @ 6:52 am

   I have never been to a cruise before, but after watching this video, i wanted to ask you when the weather is bad, how does the balls on the pool table stay stable?

6. Susan
   February 21st, 2012 @ 7:37 pm

   It’s actually pool not billiards. Billiards is played with only 3 balls and on a much bigger table (11′ 8\ x 5′ 10\).
   We played pool on these tables on Radiance and it was fantastic. Love the Radiance class ships!

7. Coralc
   February 25th, 2012 @ 9:13 pm

   “I have never been to a cruise before, but after watching this video, i wanted to ask you when the weather is bad, how does the balls on the pool table stay stable?”

   That’s the whole point of having gyroscopic tables. The balls always stay in a flat plane, while the base underneath them adjusts to the pitch & roll of the ship. And in this video..there is quite a bit of pitch & roll.

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