What would you really do in the event of an emergency?

[Mel8730]

Thanks for starting this post. I like the idea of a grab and go bag kept in the safe.

[pcur]

Using the Grandeur as a scenario...someone knocks on your cabin door and tell you there's an emergency. You are half a sleep, and possibly confused...you grab the lifejackets.......what else would you take?

After a discussion with my wife, and after having the time to think about it, we would grab our medications, prescription glasses, and at least our jackets. In addition, all items inside the cabin safe will be in a ziplock bag for fast exit.

 

My "ditch bag" that I take with me ever since the Concordia. Lightweight jackets, protein bars, 3 days of meds, sunscreen. I also keep our credit cards, money, and passports in my neck purse at all times in the safe. One thing to grab. We would most likely grab all the meds, because we keep them next to the bed.

 

If we had to run back to the cabin, it would be the ditch bag and the neck purse.

[bonsai3s]

Thanks!

Now, does anyone wanna bet there are still going to be people who think it is clever to duck out of the muster drill?

To me, this may sound corny, but the one thing I would grab, and not let go, is my wife. Obviously, we would be at the same muster station, but I want to insure we are together...if she is not in the Spa, or the Prominade shopping....then, she can find her own way!:)

 

...yes, I would do the same...grab my wife and not let go. Thank you. :)

[Angel-chick]

Absolutely amazing thread.. Not something I had considered in detail. We sail 13 July on independence so will be sorting this matter out!! Thank you xx

[gfd_2]

Its always a good idea to role play "what if" no matter where you are. Restaurants, clubs, jet, ship or house. Run through a disaster plan / scenario three or more times has been shown to help in a disaster. Always check for secondary exits, in many disasters folks almost always try to get out the same way they came in... Even though there might be another exit much closer.

 

A go bag is relatively cheap and easy to put together.

 

Meds for a week, a hundred in cash, 2 water bottles, sunscreen, 2 wind suits, copy of passports and other docs.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[Tucker in Texas]

I have not read all the posts regarding the GOS but one thing has come to mind I have not seen addressed.

 

I have a friend who was career Coast Guard and still does consulting work on fire and safety (and other issues) for ships (not any passenger ships).

 

We were discussing the Concordia disaster. He said he didn't know anything official about it but, he continued, one of the first things they are taught in the Coast Guard is "NEVER PUT YOUR LIFE JACKET ON UNTIL YOU SEE DAYLIGHT."

 

He was wondering if some of the loss of life due to drownings was because people had their life jackets on and got pinned against ceilings, walls, etc. when water came in.

 

I read in the various reports of the GOS that they were told to put on their life jackets and go to their muster station. Admittedly, I could have missed a reference due to not reading all the posts but, if it ever comes up in my lifetime, I'm carrying mine "until I see daylight."

 

Tucker in Texas

[scubadogbones]

If there was a power failure would the safes still work we have one at home and it is battery operated

 

 

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We were on the Grandeur in the AFT 7154 where there was no power, but the electronic safe still operated and we managed to retrieve our valuables. Upon my panic rush to leave the stateroom to go to the Muster Station, I left without my life vest and was able to obtain it and gain entry back into the stateroom with my Sea Pass card. They have extra life vests at the Muster Station.

[Sharkb8]

Tucker, I would gladly put the life jacket on prior to seeing daylight. I've been scuba-certified, and you've probably not put anything on your body while underwater, especially while carrying a ziplock full of valuables. Flailing, no way, I'll battle anything with a life vest ON, especially in panic mode. I'll fight bouyancy anytime.

 

I have not read all the posts regarding the GOS but one thing has come to mind I have not seen addressed.

 

I have a friend who was career Coast Guard and still does consulting work on fire and safety (and other issues) for ships (not any passenger ships).

 

We were discussing the Concordia disaster. He said he didn't know anything official about it but, he continued, one of the first things they are taught in the Coast Guard is "NEVER PUT YOUR LIFE JACKET ON UNTIL YOU SEE DAYLIGHT."

 

He was wondering if some of the loss of life due to drownings was because people had their life jackets on and got pinned against ceilings, walls, etc. when water came in.

 

I read in the various reports of the GOS that they were told to put on their life jackets and go to their muster station. Admittedly, I could have missed a reference due to not reading all the posts but, if it ever comes up in my lifetime, I'm carrying mine "until I see daylight."

 

Tucker in Texas

[chengkp75]

I have not read all the posts regarding the GOS but one thing has come to mind I have not seen addressed.

 

I have a friend who was career Coast Guard and still does consulting work on fire and safety (and other issues) for ships (not any passenger ships).

 

We were discussing the Concordia disaster. He said he didn't know anything official about it but, he continued, one of the first things they are taught in the Coast Guard is "NEVER PUT YOUR LIFE JACKET ON UNTIL YOU SEE DAYLIGHT."

 

He was wondering if some of the loss of life due to drownings was because people had their life jackets on and got pinned against ceilings, walls, etc. when water came in.

 

I read in the various reports of the GOS that they were told to put on their life jackets and go to their muster station. Admittedly, I could have missed a reference due to not reading all the posts but, if it ever comes up in my lifetime, I'm carrying mine "until I see daylight."

 

Tucker in Texas

 

In my experience, the more probable reason these people drowned was that they were not familiar with their surroundings. When things go dark, and the walls become the floor and ceiling, its hard to remember where the door is.

 

Many years ago, in order to work offshore Canada, we were required to take a survival training course, one aspect of which was to escape from a helicopter "dunker". This is a helicopter mock-up that they lower into a pool, and it then rolls over (180*), and you have to unbuckle from your seat and exit the helicopter. The best advice the trainer gave us was "if the window is to your left when you are upright, it will still be to your left when you are upside down". Sounds simple, but difficult when you're hanging from your seat belt, and water is flooding up your nose.

 

The standard type I lifejacket provides about 30lbs of flotation, which most people can overcome to force themselves under water to get out through a submerged door. Very likely many of the fatalities were poor or non-swimmers as well.

[NJsharon]

Wow, I am super surprised at the responses so far. I would just grab my life jacket & go! If my kids were with me then grabbing their life jackets & them would be my priority.

 

But I would leave my medication, wallet, jewelry, passport, everything!

Your life is worth the most in my eyes.

[foolishmortals]

Its scary to think about being in a situation where you have seconds to think and move quickly. I always have a pair of pants and a hoodie on the back of the chair at the vanity. I'd put on my pants, hoodie, and running shoes(usually leave these out all the time) and if there is time, I would grab my small purse(really a large wallet) and meds(kept in a small pouch on the vanity), and life jacket as I hustle out of that room.

[time4u2go]

Tucker, I would gladly put the life jacket on prior to seeing daylight. I've been scuba-certified, and you've probably not put anything on your body while underwater, especially while carrying a ziplock full of valuables. Flailing, no way, I'll battle anything with a life vest ON, especially in panic mode. I'll fight bouyancy anytime.

 

I don't think the suggestion was to wait until you are in the water to put it on. I'm thinking the suggestion was to put it on only after you are in an outside area of the ship, before you are in the water.

[time4u2go]

Wow, I am super surprised at the responses so far. I would just grab my life jacket & go! If my kids were with me then grabbing their life jackets & them would be my priority.

 

But I would leave my medication, wallet, jewelry, passport, everything!

Your life is worth the most in my eyes.

 

That's pretty much what I was thinking too. I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one!

[DrD]

Its scary to think about being in a situation where you have seconds to think and move quickly. I always have a pair of pants and a hoodie on the back of the chair at the vanity. I'd put on my pants, hoodie, and running shoes(usually leave these out all the time) and if there is time, I would grab my small purse(really a large wallet) and meds(kept in a small pouch on the vanity), and life jacket as I hustle out of that room.

 

Is it really a matter of seconds? I'd think one would have ample time (like 10-15 minutes) to calmly gather what you need.

 

Way back last century when I was a medical resident a great piece of wisdom (I believe first printed in Sam Shem's House of God) was:

 

In a code, first take your own pulse.

 

Another way to say calm down.

 

I'm not sure scrambling out of your cabin like the hounds of heck are at your heels is a great way to start off.

 

I'd definitely grab a bunch of stuff from the minibar let me tell you. Let them try to charge me for that!

[Tucker in Texas]

I don't think the suggestion was to wait until you are in the water to put it on. I'm thinking the suggestion was to put it on only after you are in an outside area of the ship, before you are in the water.

 

That's what he meant. Guess I didn't word it right.

 

Tucker in Texas

[DrD]

Several cruise ship emergencies have occured in the last year or so, and after every one people begin second-guessing what they'd do if this very same emergency occured again. The chances of that same emergency occuring AGAIN are minute, so consider how to prepare yourself for a general emergency:

 

- A grab-and-go bag isn't a bad idea, and IF you were in your cabin when an emergency occured, having it would add to your comfort and reduce your stress level. But chances are pretty good that you wouldn't be in your cabin when an emergency occured. If that happens, you should follow the crew's instructions: If they indicate that you have time to return to your cabin, good. If they say go straight to the lifeboats, you'd be a fool to return to your cabin. They're trained and know best.

 

- Most important thing: Scan /email your personal information to yourself: ID, credit cards, cruise ticket, insurance, medications, flights, anything else that you think might possibly be important. IF you're evacuated for some reason, you can pull this information up on any computer, and it'll be helpful to you. This is much, much more important than a grab-and-go bag.

 

- If you need medication, it's not a bad idea to keep a scant few pills in a small container upon your person; in a real emergency, you're not likely to be able to return to your cabin to retrieve them. Don't worry about more than a few though; if you're evacuated somewhere, you'll have services available and -- if you've scanned /emailed your prescription -- you'll be able to get replacement meds.

 

- Everything else is really not necessary. If you were evacuated to a lifeboat, it is stocked with food and water (no, not good food; no, not cold water), first aid supplies, and communication. You probably would be uncomfortable, but you wouldn't be out there for days on end. Other cruise ships would come in and pick you up, and you'd be taken to whatever place seems appropriate depending upon the location.

 

- IF you had the luxury of grabbing a few things, shoes would be tops on my list. If required to climb ladders or walk any distance, real shoes would be far superior to flip-flops.

 

Actually the chances of it happening again are exactly the same, except insofar as precautions have been taken. Time has no "memory," an event is no more or less likely to occur just because it has occurred before.

 

I too do the scan and e-mail thing, mostly in case of loss/theft.

 

There's a caveat though, make sure you delete it when you get home, my wife's e-mail was recently hacked and our docs with credit cards, med insurance, passports etc were still in her e-mail!

[foolishmortals]

Is it really a matter of seconds? I'd think one would have ample time (like 10-15 minutes) to calmly gather what you need.

 

Well, I was thinking worst case scenario--much more urgent than the Grandeur situation. Granted, I would much prefer having 10-15 minutes to gather what I need, but if I didn't, I would do what I wrote above moving quickly(yet still calmly). Basically, think calmly while moving with a sense of extreme urgency if necessary.

 

I do like your idea of grabbing things out of the minibar, though. Brilliant! lol! I'll have to add that to my plan!

[knowehead]

I think the email idea of sending all your relevant docs to an email address that you can access from any computer is brill.

 

If you are using hotmail etc i would set up an new email account with an extremely difficult password so the chances of that account being hacked are extremely small.

 

 

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[Dharma517]

We had about a minute to get out of our cabin. Our stateroom attendant wasn't walking away til we were out and he sure didn't want to wait at all. He tried very hard to remain calm and early was aware of the seriousness of the fire. Two doors down as he helped a 7 year old boy with his lifejacket his hands were badly trembling. His mother knew then this was no joke.

 

I put on my hoodie and grabbed my seapass ...that was it. You really need ur sea pass...they scan it. People that didn't have it got there stateroom called over and over it seemed.

 

Medic was providing meds that were needed as well as baby formula and bottles.

[MrsPete]

Is it really a matter of seconds? I'd think one would have ample time (like 10-15 minutes) to calmly gather what you need.

Maybe, maybe not. Every emergency is different, which is why it's really quite silly to try to prepare for this emergency or that emergency that just happened. If you're in an emergency, it's not going to be a repeat of any of those events. You might literally have seconds to prepare, or you might be told to return calmly to your cabin and then go straight to your muster station.

 

I have a friend who's cruised more often than I have, and she's actually been sent to the muster stations . . . twice. Here's what she's told me:

 

1. It was afternoon, and they announced over the loudspeaker that people needed to go immediately to their muster stations. They learned later that the kitchen had caught on fire, and the crew was preparing to put the passengers into lifeboats . . . but instead they were able to put out the fire. In this situation, if you were in a cabin anywhere near the kitchens, and if you disobeyed the orders and tried to return to your cabin to grab that oh-so-important grab bag, you would be putting yourself into greater danger, AND you'd possibly get in the way of firefighters.

 

2. The second time was in the middle of the night. They were asked to proceed to their muster stations without any other instructions. They learned later that a passenger was missing, they had reason to fear she was overboard, and they needed to count every body on the ship -- their only way to do this is through the muster stations. They did find the person, and obviously they were never going to abandon ship. Again, if you'd been in this situation and you tried to drag a bunch of stuff (like jackets and more) with you, you'd only be impeding the crew's work.

 

The right answer is, Listen to instructions and do exactly what you're told. The captain and crew are trained. Trust them to do the right thing for you and your fellow passengers. If you feel safer packing a bag, do it . . . but don't let that bag become more important than following the captain's orders.

[BecciBoo]

We keep everything that is irreplaceable and indispensable in the safe, it would take approximately 30 seconds to retrieve these (passport, wallet, jewelry, camera and phone) and throw in my tote along with my meds (in one sectioned jar on the shelf in the bathroom) and grab my seapass in the shoe holder over the door. I could do all this and be dressed (throw on a coverup and shoes) and out of the cabin within 1 or 2 minutes...no kidding, even less with the two of us working it. I just walked through it to test it. I am one of those really organized OCD people. I even have a snail flashlight that is magnetic and placed on the wall by the bed, that might be worth the split second to retrieve!

[sandravb79]

Two weeks ago, in the middle of the night, we got an announcement that person XYZ had to call 911 or 0.

Everyone wondered what the thing was and why they woke us up. Apparantly, a passenger was missing, so they pushed the announcement into all the rooms. Missing person called, so no further steps taken. TG they didn't send us to muster station!

 

Wow, I am super surprised at the responses so far. I would just grab my life jacket & go! If my kids were with me then grabbing their life jackets & them would be my priority.

 

But I would leave my medication, wallet, jewelry, passport, everything!

Your life is worth the most in my eyes.

 

I take LOTS of medication, but none that is actually life-threatening (well, other than I might jump out of the lifeboat because I didn't take my anti-depressant in time).

So I would also grab life jacket and go.

Seapass card is always on vanity in one of those lanyard things, so easy to grab. If I'd have time, I'd grab my passport and Visa-card and stuff that in my bra. No bags to hold, etc, since that would only mean trouble if I'd have to climb ladders and whatnot (I still remember those Concordia images).

 

Granola bars? Really?

[chengkp75]

Maybe, maybe not. Every emergency is different, which is why it's really quite silly to try to prepare for this emergency or that emergency that just happened. If you're in an emergency, it's not going to be a repeat of any of those events. You might literally have seconds to prepare, or you might be told to return calmly to your cabin and then go straight to your muster station.

 

I have a friend who's cruised more often than I have, and she's actually been sent to the muster stations . . . twice. Here's what she's told me:

 

1. It was afternoon, and they announced over the loudspeaker that people needed to go immediately to their muster stations. They learned later that the kitchen had caught on fire, and the crew was preparing to put the passengers into lifeboats . . . but instead they were able to put out the fire. In this situation, if you were in a cabin anywhere near the kitchens, and if you disobeyed the orders and tried to return to your cabin to grab that oh-so-important grab bag, you would be putting yourself into greater danger, AND you'd possibly get in the way of firefighters.

 

2. The second time was in the middle of the night. They were asked to proceed to their muster stations without any other instructions. They learned later that a passenger was missing, they had reason to fear she was overboard, and they needed to count every body on the ship -- their only way to do this is through the muster stations. They did find the person, and obviously they were never going to abandon ship. Again, if you'd been in this situation and you tried to drag a bunch of stuff (like jackets and more) with you, you'd only be impeding the crew's work.

 

The right answer is, Listen to instructions and do exactly what you're told. The captain and crew are trained. Trust them to do the right thing for you and your fellow passengers. If you feel safer packing a bag, do it . . . but don't let that bag become more important than following the captain's orders.

 

Typically, if your cabin was in the fire zone (same fire zone, and one deck above or below the fire), security would have set up a perimeter, and not allowed anyone into the area, who would as you say interfere with the fire teams.

[cruiser87654321]

I always wonder what those who sleep nude do in the event of this type of thing!

 

Even nightwear could be limiting, would no one get dressed?

[mrsdiznee]

The scan/email advice gave me an idea- if you have smartphone, take a picture of ID, passport, medicine prescriptions/labels, credit cards etc. and keep it on phone. When no longer needed, picture can be deleted.