General Alarm @ 2 am-crown princess

[cruising deacon]

The captains general alarm message came on ALL speakers at 2 am this morning louder than I have ever heard it. "If your hear the alarm, gather your life jacket, medicines etc.... and go to your muster station". We were of course sound asleep and thought we just missed the horn that preceeded it. It was bad enough to wake up the entire ship at 2 am, but the crew response was non-existent. NO ONE from the crew responded, no officers....no muster people, NO anyone. I went to the pursers desk and the young lady (being nice) behind the counter was so confused she didn't know how to respond, her phone never quit ringing. At 2:22 am the captain came on the speaker to announce that the alarm was triggered in error......thats right it took 22 minutes for them to get back on the microphone and respond, again NO crew responded. Does anyone know how I can report this total lack of emergency respons by the captain and his crew to the US Coast Guard so they can investigate why the crew responded as if nothing happened. ELITE member for some time, looking for another cruise line.

[silver wedding]

I read a long thread the other day when an elite was leaving Princess over an argument over $100 but this is far more serious. Being ex navy I would expect someone to be disciplined and some re training I was always taught even if triggered in error and it was obvious you still go through the whole safety routine. Let us know what happens next.

[thinfool]

How did you come by this information? What was the captain/crew doing all that time?

 

Playing poker or investigating to see if it was a valid alarm?

 

We cannot support your statement without more information.

[Cauzneffct]

I read a long thread the other day when an elite was leaving Princess over an argument over $100 but this is far more serious. Being ex navy I would expect someone to be disciplined and some re training I was always taught even if triggered in error and it was obvious you still go through the whole safety routine. Let us know what happens next.

 

Yeah, I would assume that once the alarm sounds, the crew is supposed to respond immediately to their stations, if for no other reason than to act as crowd control. If it ends up being a false alarm, that's a bummer, but at least people will be under the impression that its being taken seriously.

[IdahoCruises]

The captains general alarm message came on ALL speakers at 2 am this morning louder than I have ever heard it. "If your hear the alarm, gather your life jacket, medicines etc.... and go to your muster station". We were of course sound asleep and thought we just missed the horn that preceeded it. It was bad enough to wake up the entire ship at 2 am, but the crew response was non-existent. NO ONE from the crew responded, no officers....no muster people, NO anyone. I went to the pursers desk and the young lady (being nice) behind the counter was so confused she didn't know how to respond, her phone never quit ringing. At 2:22 am the captain came on the speaker to announce that the alarm was triggered in error......thats right it took 22 minutes for them to get back on the microphone and respond, again NO crew responded. Does anyone know how I can report this total lack of emergency respons by the captain and his crew to the US Coast Guard so they can investigate why the crew responded as if nothing happened. ELITE member for some time, looking for another cruise line.

 

Alarm triggered in error...

 

Don't think this is a valid reason to stop cruising Princess....

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

Alarm triggered in error...

 

Don't think this is a valid reason to stop cruising Princess....

 

I don't think it was the error in tripping the alarm, but the lack of response by the crew that is the cause for concern. It took 20 minutes for the all-clear to sound, in those 20 minutes, the situation should have been treated like a true emergency by the crew.

[IdahoCruises]

I don't think it was the error in tripping the alarm, but the lack of response by the crew that is the cause for concern. It took 20 minutes for the all-clear to sound, in those 20 minutes, the situation should have been treated like a true emergency by the crew.

 

Agreed.

 

But to discontinue cruising Princess for an obvious error.....

 

At least the boat was still afloat....

[wcflats]

There is, as far as I am concerned, no excuse whatsoever for failure of the crew to respond in this situation. Regardless of the reason for the alarm if it is the general alarm as indicated in the muster drill then the crew response should be as mandated. Carnival/Princess reinforced drill times and crew response in view of the Costa Concordia disaster for this purpose. As mentioned by the ex-navy poster there should definitely be some fall out about this. I hope we passengers will hear about some reassurance from Princess that this has been dealt with accordingly.

[azdmelani]

Alarm triggered in error...

 

Don't think this is a valid reason to stop cruising Princess....

 

I agree. While it was Im sure extremely terrifying to hear in the middle of the night, it was obviously a mistake. To each their own, but its a rash decision in my opinion.

[TorontoTL]

I am very surprised to read this, from what I have consistently read, the crew on Princess are very well trained to act in situations of emergency. Remember the fire on the Star Princess that was put out quickly and safely by the crew in the middle of the sea during the middle of the night.

[toberman]

"If your hear the alarm, gather your life jacket, medicines etc.... and go to your muster station".

 

My guess is that no one actually heard the emergency "alarm", therefore not required to put emergency procedures in effect. This was only a message that should you hear it......

[SwissDave]

The captains general alarm message came on ALL speakers at 2 am this morning louder than I have ever heard it. "If your hear the alarm, gather your life jacket, medicines etc.... and go to your muster station". We were of course sound asleep and thought we just missed the horn that preceeded it. It was bad enough to wake up the entire ship at 2 am, but the crew response was non-existent. NO ONE from the crew responded, no officers....no muster people, NO anyone. I went to the pursers desk and the young lady (being nice) behind the counter was so confused she didn't know how to respond, her phone never quit ringing. At 2:22 am the captain came on the speaker to announce that the alarm was triggered in error......thats right it took 22 minutes for them to get back on the microphone and respond, again NO crew responded. Does anyone know how I can report this total lack of emergency respons by the captain and his crew to the US Coast Guard so they can investigate why the crew responded as if nothing happened. ELITE member for some time, looking for another cruise line.

 

So it sounds like it was not the actual muster alarm that was triggered, but rather the recorded announcement that is used at muster drill to inform you what to do if you hear the actual alarm.

 

If the message was not preceeded by the muster alarm of 6 (or 7) short blasts followed by the one long blast then there was no actual alarm triggered, so it is quite conceivable that the crew would not have to do anything. You would certainly have woken up by the the 2nd or 3rd blast.

 

Having not been in an actual muster situation, is there an announcement after the actual alarm goes off? Perhaps someone who was on the Star a few years ago can say.

 

I suspect in the 20 minutes after the announcment the bridge crew would have been checking to see what was happening, was there a problem or not etc. The Captain certainly would not have been on the bridge at that time of night and a few minutes would have been taken by him getting up and dressed and going to the bridge to see what was happening. If there had been a real problem they would have been sounding the general alarm sounds repeatedly.

Edited January 16, 2014 by SwissDave

[Host CJSKIDS]

Behind the scenes, the crew and the Captain were very busy gathering information and determining whether or not there was indeed an emergency. What would you tell the Coast Guard, that Princess spent 22 minutes to thoroughly determine whether or not there was an emergency?

 

Princess takes the safety of the guests & the crew very seriously and that's coming from personal experience.

 

I'm sure people were very alarmed but thankfully there wasn't an emergency and it was an error.

 

Sorry that you night's sleep was interrupted and that you were fearful for a bit, but thankfully all is alright and you can enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[-Lew-]

As to the crew not responding, the recording may not have come through speakers in crew quarters. The OP did not hear an alarm and neither did Pursers Desk personnel. It may not have been activated. Also, the announcement may have been limited to only a section of the ship.

 

The recorded announcement was set off in error. It's a terrible way to be awakened in the middle of the night, but it could have been a lot worse.

 

Lew

[Gig103]

Being ex navy I would expect someone to be disciplined and some re training I was always taught even if triggered in error and it was obvious you still go through the whole safety routine. Let us know what happens next.

 

Now that you say that, It sounds to me like the crew were doing exactly that. It would explain the 22 minute delay while investigating (and drilling) and why crew weren't available.

I would expect some communication though, maybe from the CD, while they are working, especially at the late hour.

[Ethel5]

I'm surprised that they are not asking for compensation for having their sleep interrupted by an announcement broadcast in error.:rolleyes:

[moorerf]

If it had been a true emergency, as others have said, you would have heard the general alarm, probably more than once. It was most likely an error announcement and needed to be investigated before it was announced what had happened. I find 20 minutes a very short and reasonable time esp since as others said the Captain had to be awakened and told of the incident. This certainly would not keep me from sailing Princess again, that just sounds like an over reaction.

[IdahoCruises]

I'm surprised that they are not asking for compensation for having their sleep interrupted by an announcement broadcast in error.:rolleyes:

 

Me too.

 

Especially after the Cajun whatever weather thing...

[cruiseywoozey]

The crew are highly trained! There are several alarms used for crew to take action much earlier than guests would even realize there was any issue at all! Had an actual alarm have gone off rather than the regular announcement that is used every single passenger drill it would be guaranteed that more action would have been taken by everybody.. Believe it or not in a real emergency the crew want to get home to their loved ones as much as the passenger!

[Colo Cruiser]

Enjoy the rest of your cruise! :)

[tonit964]

I would think that having the attitude of not sailing a particular cruise line any more every time something happens that you don't like or agree with, eventually, you will run out of cruise lines to sail with.

[CI66774]

The captains general alarm message came on ALL speakers at 2 am this morning louder than I have ever heard it. "If your hear the alarm, gather your life jacket, medicines etc.... and go to your muster station". We were of course sound asleep and thought we just missed the horn that preceeded it. It was bad enough to wake up the entire ship at 2 am, but the crew response was non-existent. NO ONE from the crew responded, no officers....no muster people, NO anyone. I went to the pursers desk and the young lady (being nice) behind the counter was so confused she didn't know how to respond, her phone never quit ringing. At 2:22 am the captain came on the speaker to announce that the alarm was triggered in error......thats right it took 22 minutes for them to get back on the microphone and respond, again NO crew responded. Does anyone know how I can report this total lack of emergency respons by the captain and his crew to the US Coast Guard so they can investigate why the crew responded as if nothing happened. ELITE member for some time, looking for another cruise line.

 

I would be concerned, too. Hopefully, Princess would issue a statement (later in the day as not to wake people) about what happened, etc. I suppose they were investigating the error, etc. during the twenty minutes. Thank you for posting this. One recommendation, though. I'm not sure how your "elite" status plays a part in this. It doesn't matter that you've paid to go on many cruises. Has no relevance to your post.

[Oh2B@C]

I'm surprised that they are not asking for compensation for having their sleep interrupted by an announcement broadcast in error.:rolleyes:

 

That would be so funny if I didn't believe that some people will actually do that...

[Pam in CA]

I was on a cruise on another line when the alarm went off at about 1:50am. It was the seven short blasts, one long. It's drilled into you at Muster that this is the emergency signal and would be before any other announcement. No signals, no emergency.

 

In my case, the transformer in the Lido deck cooler had blown and started a fire. It took the Captain well over five minutes to come on the PA after the signal. I'm sure he was assessing the situation during that time but when you're waiting for instructions, it felt like a lifetime. On that cruise line, you go directly to your lifeboat. Even though we'd had Muster the day before, people were wandering the halls in their nightwear, asking each other what to do. Some grabbed their jackets (and nothing else) and went on deck to their lifeboat. Eventually, the Captain told us to stay or return to our cabins. A few minutes later, he announced that the fire was out and the firemen would remain on the scene until the next day. We were told to go back to sleep. Yeah, sure. The whole thing lasted about 45 minutes.

[AKman2495]

I was on a cruise on another line when the alarm went off at about 1:50am. It was the seven short blasts, one long. It's drilled into you at Muster that this is the emergency signal and would be before any other announcement. No signals, no emergency.

 

In my case, the transformer in the Lido deck cooler had blown and started a fire. It took the Captain well over five minutes to come on the PA after the signal. I'm sure he was assessing the situation during that time but when you're waiting for instructions, it felt like a lifetime. On that cruise line, you go directly to your lifeboat. Even though we'd had Muster the day before, people were wandering the halls in their nightwear, asking each other what to do. Some grabbed their jackets (and nothing else) and went on deck to their lifeboat. Eventually, the Captain told us to stay or return to our cabins. A few minutes later, he announced that the fire was out and the firemen would remain on the scene until the next day. We were told to go back to sleep. Yeah, sure. The whole thing lasted about 45 minutes.

 

Yes! But, have you sworn never to sail on that line again???