OPINION: Travel Editor Stephanie Holmes got more than she bargained for when she tried a waterslide on a cruise ship... and now a viral TikTok clip is giving her flashbacks.
A viral video making the rounds on TikTok should, for me at least, come with a trigger warning.
The video, uploaded by TikTok user YMG_Travels, shows a passenger on a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship getting stuck in a clear slide as fellow passengers watched on. News reports have been touting it as "our worst nightmare". At the time of writing, it had been viewed more than 14 million times.
Well, for me, the nightmare came true. And I can report, it was as embarrassing as it looks in this viral footage.
The ship in the clip is reported to be the Norwegian Encore, an NCL ship that launched in November 2019. However, the slide design seems to replicate that of one on Norwegian Bliss, a ship I was on for its inaugural sailing in May 2018.
Norwegian Bliss took its inaugural voyage in May 2018, sailing in the Caribbean and Alaska. Photo / Supplied
Large enough for more than 4000 passengers, the ship boasts 20 decks, 14 bars and lounges, Broadway shows like Jersey Boys, an open air go-kart speedway race track, laser tag, mini-golf, and two water-slides.
And while they may look like fun, the water-slides should also come with an "attempt at your own risk" warning. As, when I lined up to try it out, about 1 in three people ahead of me in the queue were getting stuck.
The waterslide's design means you first stand on a hatch that is dramatically pulled out from under you, sending you rushing straight down with your heart in your mouth. The idea is that you then have enough momentum to be propelled up and over a vertical climb, before descending back down and shooting out into the pool.
For me, and for many others, this wasn't the case. For many excited riders, there wasn't enough force to get them over the vertical loop - instead they got stuck in a clear-sided piece of the slide, with other passengers able to look on in horror (or mirth).
Lining up, I was trying to work out what was the defining factor that made some people able to complete the slide with ease, while others would fail. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason - it happened to small people, tall people, men and women...
As I reached the front of the queue, I wavered. Would I get stuck too? The man behind me in the queue gave me words of encouragement. You'll be fine, he said. Just give it a go, he said. I wish I hadn't listened...
Travel Editor Stephanie Holmes aboard the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship on its launch sailing from LA in May 2018. Photo / Supplied
The floor fell away from under me, I flew down, I wooshed up and then... nothing. For a heart-stopping moment, I was stuck - not going up, not going down. I wondered if I was going to stay here forever? Would they have to dismantle the whole slide to get me out?
Then, I was sliding backwards, before coming to a stop in a flat, mercifully dark, section of the slide. But as if that wasn't humiliating enough, then an alarm sounded - loud enough for spectators to hear too - and an escape hatch opened. A lifeguard appeared in the gap to help me out.
Mortifying.
The woman in the TikTok clip has not been identified - I did wonder for a while if someone had leaked footage of my attempt... - but if she's reading this, she should contact me. Maybe we can start a support group...
