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Muster Drill for Disabled Passenger


MaryLS
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Same on RCL, Celebrity, and Carnival. My son uses a wheelchair, and on all of these lines, he used the elevator to get to the muster station, and they allowed him to leave before the others.

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What I've found that works for me is to go down to the muster area that I'm assigned to a little early. That way I can take the elevator and not worry about having to do those stairs with my cane. But, every cruise line I've been on has allowed disabled persons to use the elevator. All they will tell you is that in case of a real emergency, if the elevators are not working, you need to alert the purser that you will need assistance.

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Hi!

 

NCL assigns those deemed or self reported as "Special needs" a

crewman who reports to your cabin before the lifeboat muster.

 

This may not be all NCL ships.

 

I if with a group or on the same deck as my lifeboat excuse the crewman.

 

I find this gesture very heartwarming. Thank you, Norwegian!

 

RCI has been aware and "watching" but not as certain for my needs.

 

Frankly all ships have to plan in design to keep passengers who have to use elevators on a lifeboat deck.

 

CL

 

PS

 

Someday I'll take care of educating crew how to push a wheelchair

and even better: show them how to get a person up stairs, etc..

 

Someday: all they need is a good Physical Therapy consult :)

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We always go to the muster area early. I go to our cabin and bring back our life vests for all of us (I can take the stairs). We also plan to stay in the muster area for a while after it is over (take a book) as the elevators are generally jammed then too.

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  • 2 weeks later...

After the chaos that we saw at the muster drill on our first cruise, my DW has not gone on the muster drill since. I go so that I know where to go, etc, but truly what is the sense of her going.

 

If you really think about it, it sort of remainds me of the old "under your desk"

drills that we all did during the cold war. If an emergency actually occurred, the 'orderly chaos" of the muster drill certainly wouldn't be what actually occurs.

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After the chaos that we saw at the muster drill on our first cruise, my DW has not gone on the muster drill since. I go so that I know where to go, etc, but truly what is the sense of her going.

 

If you really think about it, it sort of remainds me of the old "under your desk"

drills that we all did during the cold war. If an emergency actually occurred, the 'orderly chaos" of the muster drill certainly wouldn't be what actually occurs.

You know, I say that same thing every time we have the muster drill!

 

My DH has been stayingin the room through the drills also -- too chaotic for him [after the first one] and it's difficult to manuever. People were tripping over him.

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  • 3 weeks later...

How do you stay in your room and not get caught? Do they turn the other way knowing it is too difficult for wheelchairs??

 

Last cruise my very tired three year old had just fallen asleep on the bed. I covered her and I hid on the floor next to the bed with a thrown blanket over me. i was so nervous we would be caught. They came through checking the rooms and left.

 

Just curious how others do it.

 

PS I did have my hubby, who attended the drill, show me where to go and what to do.

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Oh my gosh Julie -- you actually hid during the muster drill!! That's just too funny. I was drinking my coffee when I read your post and I laughed so hard it came through my nose!

 

Some cruise lines allow wc-users to forego the on-deck muster drill and instead meet in a designated place to receive instruction about how things would be handled in a *real* emergency. Ask your room attendant if this is an option (when he first comes to introduce himself to you).

 

 

 

Candy

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When we were on the Carnival Paradise, I took my 84 year old Mother up to the muster station early so we could take the elevator. We were assigned to the top deck.

 

As the drill progressed, all the other muster station groups on the lower decks were called one group at a time to come up to the top deck to a specific lifeboat area. We could see them filing up the stairs and going to their assigned places.

 

I'm not sure if this is unique to Carnival or just something that happened because there was a Coast Guard inspection going on at the time. I've been to other muster drills and they didn't have every group go to the top deck.

 

I was thankful we were already on the top deck, so our group didn't have to go anywhere, we just had to sit and wait.

 

But what if we hadn't been assigned there and we had to climb up several flights of stairs as part of the drill? My Mother would not have been able to do it.

 

We are booked on the Radiance of the Sea in May and I'm hoping we won't have this to deal with.

 

Has anyone ever experienced this with a disabled person?

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I think the more important question is, what would you do in a real emergency? In a real emergency you could not take the elevator and most likely you wouldn't be at the muster station in advance (because presumably you would have no advance notice in a real emergency).

 

For example in a real emergency on most RCI ships, wc users meet at a designated point (usually near a stairwell) and 4 crew members are assigned to carry them up or down one flight of stairs. On the next deck the process continues with a new set of four crew members, until you get to the deck your muster station is on. Obviously they do not do this during a drill, but it's very important that passengers know what would happen in case of a real emergency. So to that end you need to ask your cabin steward what the procedure is in a real emergency. If he doesn’t know, ask him to find out. You also need to know where your designated meeting point is. I know the drills are a drag, but the whole point is to know what to do and where to go in a *real* emergency.

 

So ask a lot of questions until you find out.

 

Candy

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  • 4 weeks later...

On our last cruise on the Elation, My BIL uses oxygen and they let him go up in the elevator along with any other handicapped people. They have crew members posted at the elevators to keep others out.

 

Lori

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  • 1 month later...

We learned to simply stay put in a lounge or on deck. They

 

know wheelchairs need the elevator so we have never been bothered.

 

If its your 1st or 2nd trip some one in the group should attend. But after

 

that there is no need. Read the notice in your cabin and learn your drill station.

 

If your nervous speak to the pursers desk and ask what the wheelchair

 

procedures are; however I recomend you do this later in the evening or the

 

next day when things have calmed down. The only person to my knowledge

 

lost on a ship while in a wheelchair was poor Mr Klinghoffer who was murdered

 

by terrorists on the Achilli Lauro almost 25 years ago. The ocean disasters

 

Titanic; Lusitania had no wheelchair deaths because 50 years ago no

 

ship was accessable. The industry has a remarkable safety record.

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On Jewel of the Seas, my husband pushed me and the wheelchair on the elevator. We ducked out of the drill just before it ended, telling the supervisor we did not want to see me trampled, so we were on the elevator back to the cabin by the time the drill ended.

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Have cruised four times with my Dad, who uses a wheelchair. On Carnival, they let him use the elevators without comment. On Royal Caribbean, they directed us to the elevators. On Celebrity our butler told us in advance that he could stay in the room along with one family member as an attendant. On Princess, our room steward suggested he just stay in the cabin during the drill as long as we all knew where our muster station was, etc. (My husband and I attended the drill, as Dad doesn't need an attendant.)

 

hth!

Jan

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Funny moment. My wife and I were at muster on RCL Majesty out of Miami. I had ordered the champagne and strawberries for our accessible room. We had no problem with the elevators, but when we got out on deck (me in my wheelchair holding the champagne and glasses, as my wife had to go back and get our life vests) a crew member said, very British accent, "We are not supposed to drink during the muster drill! Can you guzzle?" :D No doubt I did.

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  • 13 years later...

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