Harmony of the Seas Underwater Stage Lifts, Revealed

Ever wonder what the mechanics of an underwater stage lift looks like? Watch what was built for The Fine Line; the AquaTheater - aqua show - on Harmony of the Seas. This is the third installation of an aqua theatre for Handling Specialty with Royal Caribbean's Oasis class cruise ships. Another underwater stage system is being completed in Grimsby, Ontario for the fourth addition to the Oasis class ships.

Bringing Water to the Desert - More underwater Hydraulic Lifts for Entertainment Industry

If I had to vote on the single most influential project in the history of the company it would be the time we went to Las Vegas and put a stage lift system underwater.  It truly moved us from “Lift Guys” to “Project People” as we were forced to grow up overnight. 

It all began with a curious inquiry from the world famous Cirque du Soleil group.  They were experiencing some impressive growth in the Las Vegas market and were engaged in the development of what is now known around the world as the “O” show - where “eau” is French for water….even if you are in the desert!  Anyhow, the small chat grew into a site visit at the world famous Bellagio Hotel and Casino.  I remember driving in the client’s truck across the construction site; 104 degrees out, dust flying everywhere and then the big hole!  My inside voice cried out, “where do the lifts go??”.  The project was well engaged and the hole had been dug for a 1.5 million gallon swimming pool that was to house seven underwater stage lifts.  The lifts would push through the water and instantly convert the water stage to a dry stage……high diving acts to fire tossing acrobats.  It was a first and we simply had to do this project.  

The design/build/install and test storyline takes place over 2.5 years.  It was our first installation (turnkey) project in the history of the company.  Looking back I am not sure it was a great idea to choose Las Vegas for this never-been-done-before, life-changing project but the experience gained continues to pay dividends as we now perform turnkey work around the globe.  I personally spent months down in Vegas and was able to build relationships that I still have today. 

We still proudly display our "Themed Entertainment Award" for this record setting equipment….and I do mean record setting.  After the opening of this world famous show, we were awarded a Guinness World Record for the largest underwater stage lift system in the world.  Equally impressive is that the show, and our lifts, continue to perform to this very day with viewing capacities just short of 100%.

The Amazing Race Features Handling Specialty Underwater Hydraulic Lifts in China

On December 4^th, many millions watched The Amazing Race contestants enter the largest water extravaganza stage show in the world today. Though there were many groups involved in the building of the City of Dreams Theatre in China, Handling Specialty played a huge roll in the realization of its spectacular show; The House of Dancing Water.

 

Macau is located on the western bank of the Pearl River Delta in southern Guangdong, China and lies some 60 kilometers to the west of Hong Kong. The Amazing Race took their contestants to the underwater stage show to test the teams and discover who would be moving on to the next exotic location.

 

The purpose-built theater was designed with many breakthroughs including Handling Specialty’s 11 hydraulic stage lifts, which are used to transform the pool into a spectacular stage in less than a minute. The contestants were made-up to look like the performers in the show and asked to jump from the heights Handling Specialty’s underwater scissor lifts took them and into the circular pool below.

 

The stage project in Macau, China was a massive undertaking for the minds of Handling Specialty’s sales, engineering and manufacturing talents. The project is maintained by Handling Specialty and has enjoyed a very lucrative first five years in operation.

 

Learn more about the project here: http://www.handling.com/assets/solutions/city-of-dreams-underwater-stage-lifts/SS158-City-of-Dreams.pdf