Where's my Waterslide?

The upper deck of the Oosterdam, sans waterslide.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

An interesting question was posted on CruiseCritic yesterday: does Holland America Line's Oosterdam have a waterslide?  The quick and easy answer for anyone familiar with the line's ships is a resounding 'no', but what is interesting here is why the question came up in the first place - and why it's so potentially misleading.

The original poster had read Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, 2009 Edition. The book, now in its tenth edition by noted author Douglas Ward, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of cruise travel books.  Its cover claims the book boasts in-depth reviews of over 270 ships, and that it is "the most insightful, thorough resource for cruise information."

The problem?  The review for the Oosterdam lists it as having "a winding waterslide that spans two decks in height" as part of the dedicated children's pool.

There's two things wrong with that statement: one, Oosterdam and her Vista-class sister ships, Zuiderdam, Westerdam, and Noordam don't have a dedicated children's pool.  There's a family pool amidships, covered by a retractable glass dome, and there's a separate adults-only pool with hot tubs at the stern of the ship.  Secondly - and perhaps most notably - there is no waterslide anywhere on the ship. 

Carnival Spirit, Pride, Legend, and Miracle - ships from which the Vista Class are very loosely based on - boast a two-story high waterslide as part of their children's facilities.  Was their review used as a template for the Holland America reviews?

Regrettably, other reviews are also filled with the same inaccuracies: the section on Celebrity Century still lists that ship as having a large hydrotherapy pool as part of her spa.  Century did have a hydro pool - until her massive 2006 refit, when the pool was ripped out to make way for substantial changes to the spa, and allow the addition of the Spa Cafe.  

The Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships 2010 Edition still lists the inaccuracy.

So why is this a big deal?  Because errors like this are sloppy and shouldn't have made it through in the first place.  That's why books have multiple pressings, or in this case, yearly editions.  There will be errors - with so much information, it's virtually impossible to ensure the odd gaffe doesn't get through.  But to have these errors appear consistently throughout various yearly additions is troubling: if they haven't caught that - after multiple pressings - what else is misrepresented?

I am, by my own admission, a cruise fanatic.  I'm interested not just in the ships, but in the business of cruising.  I try to be like a sponge and soak up all the information I can on every line and its vessels.  Not everyone is like me, though - many people turn to these guidebooks to cut through the glossy pictures and rosy outcomes painted by the brochures put out by the cruise lines to get the real lowdown on a particular ship or line.  

Which is why I find this particularly distressing: there will be those who have never laid eyes on a cruise ship and see that Oosterdam review and say "the kids'll love it!"  

Imagine their surprise when they get to the pier and find out there's no waterslide at all.  

I deal with this every day writing this blog: everything must be fact-checked against the cruise line, particularly if there's no press release to go off of.  In many cases, though, the line's themselves give you all the data on their ships and itineraries you could want - and then some.  I've met some kind press people from a variety of lines who are thoughtful enough to correct me on certain facts, or clarify something, and I've been fortunate to have had an eagle-eyed reader catch a mistake regarding Europe 2011 pricing.  We are none of us perfect; but if an error is made, every attempt should be made to rectify it.  The last thing you want to do is provide a prospective cruiser with the wrong information.

We've contacted the publishers in an attempt to find out what, if any, plans there are to correct these errors in the 2011 Edition.  Being a Sunday, we've had no response.  

Hopefully later in the week we can bring you an update.  Stay tuned!