How do you rate Oceania for safety?

[Islandattorney]

In this new post-Concordia world, I wonder how those of you with experience sailing with Oceania rate this line on safety? We have booked a first cruise with them for next year and because I have not found all cruise lines alike, I would greatly appreciate impressions on this from those of you who have cruised Oceania before.

[LHT28]

I have not noticed any ships in the Oceania line sinking :rolleyes:

 

The Costa mishap was caused by human error... I suspect

[A Knitter]

In this new post-Concordia world, I wonder how those of you with experience sailing with Oceania rate this line on safety? We have booked a first cruise with them for next year and because I have not found all cruise lines alike, I would greatly appreciate impressions on this from those of you who have cruised Oceania before.

 

Please forgive me, Island Attorney,:) but I hope your question isn't in any way to search into Oceania for flaws as a result of Costa's terrible tragedy. I have been on 25+ cruises, 5 with Oceania and although human error can occur at any time, their emergency procedures including mandatory life boat drills are held without fail within the first 12 hours of sailing. I have spent 35 days on the Regatta most recently on the Marina and I think it is also important for all passengers to be aware of their own safety during any emergency. You will not find all cruise ships alike with regards to safety as some of the party ships passengers fail to attend the drill and the crew is oblivious to their absence.

 

Due to the age of most of Oceania's passenger, I believe O takes all precautions in passenger awareness, access of mobility, etc to ensure that if an emergency, evacuation will be held in a swift and professional way. I have been blessed to have Captain Dimitrious Flokos on all of my sailings and feel confident to have a safe journey in the future.

[Mura]

We were with Capt. Flokos on our last cruise and yes, I would literally trust him with my life. But I can say that about all the captains we have encountered on Oceania.

 

Also bear in mind that it's a lot easier to get 684 passengers off quickly than it is to get 4,000 passengers off quickly. This is just another argument for us (not that one was needed) to avoid the megaships.

 

Mura

[RetiredFL]

I wonder how many people who have started or added to threads on Cruise Critic about skipping or hiding from the life boat drill are rethinking their position.

It takes so little time to attend and even after multiple cruises on the same ship we still go and refresh our knowledge.

I would be in favor of having the drill before leaving port as this tragedy happened only a few hours out.

For future cruises we are going to make sure we have a good flashlight on the night stand and that seems the best "insurance" to navigate a dark ship. I had always presumed the lighting in the hallways was on some sort of a back up system that would come on independent of the ship's main system but it appears not to have been the case on the Concordia.

We have always been impressed by Oceania's level of seriousness over safety issues, as opposed to some other lines we have been on, and feel safe on their ships.

[findacruise]

I agree with what has been said about Oceania's attention to safety and would add that on a longer cruise they had a safety refresher to remind us about the importance and what we should do in the case of an emergency.

[Mura]

I think that "reminder" on longer cruises is another requirement along with the time frame for holding the first drill. But it certainly is important because in an emergency we tend to forget things, especially if we aren't familiar with them.

 

I've missed the boat drill once or twice (I know at least once, I'm not sure about twice but also not because I was avoiding going) on the "R" ships but on the "R" ships I know exactly where to find my life jacket and where to go. You better believe that when we took first cruises on other lines we made sure to go to the drill and pay attention.

 

Ed, you're right about the importance of having a flashlight handy. We should do that in hotels and our own homes as well. You never know ... We in NYC have had several power failures in the 40 years that I have lived here and they all lasted a few days.

 

I have been on a very few cruises where the drill was not scheduled to be held before departure as well. If the emergency happens before the drill takes place, as with the Concordia ... anything can happen and probably will.

[ksps cruise fan]

In this new post-Concordia world, I wonder how those of you with experience sailing with Oceania rate this line on safety? We have booked a first cruise with them for next year and because I have not found all cruise lines alike, I would greatly appreciate impressions on this from those of you who have cruised Oceania before.

 

There are signicant differences among cruise lines in the tone of the safety drill that begins a cruise. We haven't cruised on HAL in decades, but I've never gone through a drill as thorough as the ones we experienced on HAL. The drill would begin with everyone assembling at his/her muster station. Then, we would be given instruction in putting on our life preservers and would be expected to do so. Next, someone in authority would walk small groups to everyone's actual lifeboat station and another person in authority would take roll by cabin number. Crew members climbed into one tender on each side of the ship and the tender was lowered about ten feet. Only then, was the drill complete.

 

Of course, this second step is only possible in ships that have a full wrap-around promenade deck.

 

Oceania approaches the drill with clear sense of respect for its importance, but with less thoroughness than possible. For example, in the Marina lounge, our muster station, the person leading the drill clearly talked his way through each step of putting on a life preserver while someone else demonstrated, but he did not require anyone not already wearing his/her life jacket to put his/hers on. (Of course, most folks were experienced cruisers and simply showed up at the muster station correctly wearing their life preservers or putting them on prior to the start of the demonstration.)

 

I will continue to cruise Oceania with confidence about my safety.

 

I have no doubt that representatives in corporate offices everywhere are having very strongly, very clearly worded conversations with ships captains about adhereing to corporate policies and maritime laws regarding safety. I assume these conversations are being repeated by the Captains down the chain of command aboard ships.

[DOJO466]

A little off topic but as far safety goes I think "O" is top notch. We encountered some rough tendering on our last trip on Marina (Dec) and there were 6 attendants (12 hands) to offer assistance off the tender to the ship.

We have no qualms with sailing on "O" regarding safety issues.

[LHT28]

 

Oceania approaches the drill with clear sense of respect for its importance, but with less thoroughness than possible. For example, in the Marina lounge, our muster station, the person leading the drill clearly talked his way through each step of putting on a life preserver while someone else demonstrated, but he did not require anyone not already wearing his/her life jacket to put his/hers on. (Of course, most folks were experienced cruisers and simply showed up at the muster station correctly wearing their life preservers or putting them on prior to the start of the demonstration.)

 

On our Marina cruise a roll call was taken by cabin numbers, names were checked off the list ....those missing... a crew member was sent to check for them

Life vests could be brought to the drill or not but if you did not know how to put on the vest correctly you could ask the crew member to show you 1 on 1

 

So many times I see the muster drills treated as a joke, people talking & joking, taking photos of how funny they look in their vests.

These are the people that will get you killed in an emergency situation

 

Pay attention people...

FYI those loops on the back of the life vest at the neck area are NOT for the belt to go through

 

Oceania takes the safety of it passengers & crew very seriously at least on all of out O cruises they did

 

Lyn

[no fuss travel]

On our holiday HAL cruise, they did not take our cabin number, they did not do a roll call during the muster. On Oceania last May, we had to report our cabin number so that they knew we were on board. I felt Oceania was being more stringent with safety than HAL.

[azam71209]

On our last cruise on Insignia 2 years ago, there was a very serious life boat drill. Names were checked off and the names of the missing were loudly called out and we didn't get dismissed until the latecomers were located and showed up. Pretty embarrassing for them, I would imagine, and a great incentive to be at the lifeboat drill and be there on time.

 

There seemed to be an atmosphere on the ship of attention to passenger safety-not just in the event of an evacuation. People were helped on and off the ship, on and off tenders, etc. The ship was well-maintained, with no slip and fall hazards that I noticed, infection control and sanitation were emphasized-for both passengers and crew. All of this contributes to a safe experience at sea.

 

A crew that is disciplined and attentive to all aspects of passenger safety throughout a cruise is much more likely to behave responsibly in a crisis.

 

Similarly, passengers also have a responsibility to use common sense on a cruise. Pay attention to the lifeboat drills and follow instructions in an emergency. Hopefully those people who are really excited about the "all you can drink" packages will remember that it helps to be sober if an emergency occurs.

[PG LG 1]

We have been on 6 cruises with O and I think there attention to safety is excellent. We have never encountered an emergency and hopefully never will.

[Mura]

I cannot recall any boat drill on O where they did not check off all cabin numbers. On Marina in October (and I think this is usual as well) they then called out all missing numbers to make SURE.

 

Maybe some people are not aware that their cabin number is printed clearly on their life vest so it isn't necessary to announce to the crew members checking cabin numbers which cabin you are in.

 

Mura

[lovetocruise16]

We, too, concur with the positive statements about Oceania's safety drills. On our last cruise we met at our muster stations after very clear instructions on the ship's loudspeaker system. Once there our cabin number and name were checked off, and we saw evidence that passengers who were missing were quickly accounted for by the crew. People were quiet and attentive during the drill. One thing we always do when first entering our stateroom is to check the information on the back of the stateroom door as to where our muster station is located, and which letter is our designation. We feel that every passenger should make it their duty to read this information in their cabin, and memorize it and the layout of the ship. Emergency information is also on the doors of hotel rooms to find fire escapes. Whether in ship, hotel, airplane, it just takes a few minutes of your time to read the documentation that could save your life.

[Floridiana]

In addition to everything described above, Oceania's Regatta was the only ship where we were told to put on warm clothing in case of a real emergency.

[JimandStan]

One of the issues that nobody has addressed about the Concordia was that she was doing a continuous loop around the Western Med, where passengers could embark/disembark at any one of three ports.

Apparently, passengers were able to shorten or lengthen their cruise by choosing when and where they would be getting on and off of the ship.

 

Although the flexibility of this system intrigues me, it must have been a nightmare to organize 'vis-à-vis immigration and safety drills.

 

By virtue of the fact that all Oceania passengers get onto the ship on the same day, IMHO, we are already ahead of the game, safety-wise. :)

[Islandattorney]

Thanks to all the experienced Oceania folks for the helpful reply. We have had what I thought were standard safety drills on many lines, including putting on life vests, meeting at muster stations for briefing & cabin countoff, & ship search for any non-attendees. But this past October we sailed on the epic with ncl & had a first experience with just gathering in a lounge without vests -- never going to lifeboats. Of course, that was the biggest ship by far we had been on, which may well account for the difference. I do agree with the point made by those who comment it is much easier to evacuate 600 passengers than 4000, so smaller ships offer that comfort. No offense taken to A Knitter...this is not a search for liability. I just want to live to see another day. I was near tears reading the first excited entries on the Roll Call for this Concordia cruise and thinking of the joy they felt as they were planning their voyage.

[doubledobles]

I have never been on an Oceania ship where they didn't have a safety drill BEFORE we sailed out of port on embarcation day and we've done 23 Oceania sailings. We feel very safe with O and won't go elsewhere.

[LHT28]

I have never been on an Oceania ship where they didn't have a safety drill BEFORE we sailed out of port on embarcation .

It does happen on occasion

we have had a morning drill after a late departure the night before a couple of times

We have done several cruises with O but departure time & location can effect the time of the drill

 

Never felt unsafe

We always locate the muster station from the back of the cabin door, check for life jackets when we get into the cabin

[john2003]

I have no specific issues with the way that Ocenaia handles the responsibility. There is no doubt in my mind that we really need to get back to the focus that HAL demonstrated 20 years ago. Unfortunately this is no longer the case with them. I can remember when crew checked to see if you had the lifejacket on correctly...now you don't even bring them on HAL. A boat was always lowered on each side...not done any more.

 

My one criticism is that the "managing" of the passengers in entirely left to the cruise staff. I think we should see, hear and experience that the ships officers are in command. I really get a very watered down sense of this these days. On the large ships I can understand that the officers are swamped by the number of passengers but on any ship I believe they must be in command and seen to be so.

[A Knitter]

Thanks to all the experienced Oceania folks for the helpful reply. We have had what I thought were standard safety drills on many lines, including putting on life vests, meeting at muster stations for briefing & cabin countoff, & ship search for any non-attendees. But this past October we sailed on the epic with ncl & had a first experience with just gathering in a lounge without vests -- never going to lifeboats. Of course, that was the biggest ship by far we had been on, which may well account for the difference. I do agree with the point made by those who comment it is much easier to evacuate 600 passengers than 4000, so smaller ships offer that comfort. No offense taken to A Knitter...this is not a search for liability. I just want to live to see another day. I was near tears reading the first excited entries on the Roll Call for this Concordia cruise and thinking of the joy they felt as they were planning their voyage.

 

:):) No offense taken, Counselor, Cops are suspicious by nature. We all want to see another sunrise, but we should always do a little due diligence on our own to ensure our safety in knowing emergency procedures anywhere, not just at sea. I have chosen to sail Oceania because it is smaller than the rest and I know what mass hysteria in a crowd looks like. :)

[Mura]

But this past October we sailed on the epic with ncl & had a first experience with just gathering in a lounge without vests -- never going to lifeboats.

 

 

Now that I think about, on our NCL transatlantic on the GEM (April 2010) we had the same experience -- one of the crew did demonstrate how to put it on and use it, just like an airline steward(ess), but that's not really the same as doing it yourself in the dark, is it? At least GEM is only 2300 passengers.

 

It would seem that the current accident has shown that especially with larger ships, that drill needs to be done before departure. How can you possibly get 4000 passengers of a ship in half an hour? Especially if such a feat has never been tested to see if it IS possible. At least with the larger aircraft such tests have been done.

 

Mura

[rubysue]

Our muster drill on Marina last September was held at 5:00 pm while we were in Venice and the ship didn't sail until midnight. We were in the middle of a culinary class and had to inform Chef Kelly that the class would be interrupted (she wasn't aware the muster drill was scheduled on top of the class). We did not have to bring our life vests; our muster station was in the show lounge (we were in a PH2 level suite).

 

The drill was very thorough, but many passengers were not there because they could still have a few more hours exploring Venice. I believe they did hold another drill the next evening for those absent passengers as we sailed from Koper, Slovenia.

 

The drill is especially important for me. I have had problems with increasing disability and, although we did not have a H/C accessible cabin, I did register in advance with OCL and confirmed with the staff at the drill that my DH and I would need assistance in case of an emergency as I have real difficulty with stairs. I recall a previous discussion about this topic several months ago where some on this OCL board had the opinion that a disability (temporary or permanent) is "none of their business" on the ship. I sincerely hope the Costa Concordia incident has changed that opinion. It IS their business to know about folks requiring assistance. I shudder to think about what that situation would have been like but I am confident in the safety procedures and the apparent isolated nature of the "perfect storm" that happened on the Concordia.

[BillPizzaiolo]

I agree with most all the posters on this topic. Oceania Cruise Line follows the rules when it comes to passenger and crew safety.

There is no need to carry an extra flash light if you own a cell phone better yet a smart mobile phone with an appropriate App. They can in a pinch be used as a light. Try it some dark night and see how it glows and shows your path.