Muster Drill with 2 little ones

[CruizinMama1026]

This upcoming cruise will be our first with our children (3 and 5). The one concern I have is getting my kids to stand during the 45 min long muster drill. Any other parents who have cruised with little ones have any recommendations?

[loxley]

This upcoming cruise will be our first with our children (3 and 5). The one concern I have is getting my kids to stand during the 45 min long muster drill. Any other parents who have cruised with little ones have any recommendations?

 

 

What are your plans in case of an emergency?

[CruizinMama1026]

Was waiting for a sarcastic comment. Didn't take long.

 

I was more interested in how the experience went for other parents who went through it with their children. On our Victory cruise my husband and I made a point to look for children during the drill but didn't see any. Do parents with young children go somewhere else, Camp Carnival or a lounge for example?

 

Thank you.

[rdler]

We started cruising when my little guy was 3, and that was back when we all had to wear life jackets.

 

I just picked up and talked to him and used my elbows to get enough space in front of us so that I could put him down close in front of me when I got tired.

 

It was torture, but endurable.

[CruizinMama1026]

We started cruising when my little guy was 3, and that was back when we all had to wear life jackets.

 

I just picked up and talked to him and used my elbows to get enough space in front of us so that I could put him down close in front of me when I got tired.

 

It was torture, but endurable.

 

 

Thank you, at least we don't need to worry about them wearing the life jackets anymore during the drill. Thankfully they both know what it's like to wear one already in case a real emergency were to come up.

[TheTexans]

Carnival staff sent us to the handicapped briefing until my daughter was 4 years old.

 

Those were the good old days... now it's safety briefings on deck in 110 degree heat with no breeze.

 

Terrible way to start the cruise, but at least we only have to do it once per cruise.

[rdler]

Things have changed then. For the better! I asked about whether there was a special room we could go to because of my son's age and the guy (snarkily) said, "Sure" and he directed us to a spot on deck in the regular line.

 

I wanted to smack him, but only for his attitude.

[SadieN]

The Family board should have suggestions.

[Out to sea!]

Things have changed then. For the better! I asked about whether there was a special room we could go to because of my son's age and the guy (snarkily) said, "Sure" and he directed us to a spot on deck in the regular line.

 

I wanted to smack him, but only for his attitude.

 

I'm sure he felt the same after you being the hundredth parent wanting special treatment.

[Lerin]

Of about a dozen musters we've never had an issue with children we traveled with (aged infant to 7). Several we were able to have a child or two in a stroller and they slept through the whole thing. A few times we were sent to the handicap area.

 

We also never had a 45 minute muster on Carnival or any ship.

The longest was on Princess which was about 25 minutes but we were sitting in one of the theaters.

 

Never seen a child act up either, contrary to what people here on cc like to post, people tend to take muster seriously. The loud siren followed by crew with life vests and everyone standing silent facing forward...all adds up to even children taking it serious.

[Tapi]

My kids are also 5 and 3. My older one has taken 5 cruises and my younger one 2. No problems on any of them. They've actually considered it to be entertaining. They pay closer attention to the life jacket demo than most adults! The probably think it's story time. I do bring some snacks (granola bars, goldfish, etc) just in case they start fading before it's over. That seems to work.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Tapi

[JLee1973]

The longest I can remember being at a mystery is maybe 25 minutes.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Havingfun2010]

Was waiting for a sarcastic comment. Didn't take long.

 

I was more interested in how the experience went for other parents who went through it with their children. On our Victory cruise my husband and I made a point to look for children during the drill but didn't see any. Do parents with young children go somewhere else, Camp Carnival or a lounge for example?

 

Thank you.

 

I didn't think it was sarcastic. My first reaction to the question was why take you kids on a cruise, if you can't handle them for 30 minutes during the most important "activity" on the ship, learning how to save your kids. Not only do you need to know what and where to go, but the parent needs to know how to handle the situation if they are separated, and it's a good time for the kids to learn how to behave. During an actually emergency, the kids do not go to camp Carnival, or the lounge so the best place is the muster station. Some ships can have anywhere from 300 - 600 kids on the ship.

 

It's amazing how many times questions like this come up and during the drill, the crew takes this serious. They do not need to answer questions like, where can I go to be comfortable so the kids can play during the drill.

[Sooner-Cruisers]

The first time my lo was 2 and we had to stand outside, everyone around us was sweet to her and it went fine. Most recently at 3, we were mustered in the dining room. It was super easy and they excused us in the first group. Good luck.

[deadmoney]

One thing I will point out is to make sure the person doing the head count is able to see/count your children.

They usually ask for parents with children to raise their hands but sometimes don't.

And you will not be released until they have an accurate count.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[jcearth]

I didn't think it was sarcastic. My first reaction to the question was why take you kids on a cruise, if you can't handle them for 30 minutes during the most important "activity" on the ship, learning how to save your kids. Not only do you need to know what and where to go, but the parent needs to know how to handle the situation if they are separated, and it's a good time for the kids to learn how to behave. During an actually emergency, the kids do not go to camp Carnival, or the lounge so the best place is the muster station. Some ships can have anywhere from 300 - 600 kids on the ship.

 

It's amazing how many times questions like this come up and during the drill, the crew takes this serious. They do not need to answer questions like, where can I go to be comfortable so the kids can play during the drill.

 

Let me get this straight: You would advise the OP (who is asking for advice on how to best occupy children during the muster drill) to "handle" her children during the muster drill, thus most likely distracting her from learning the very advice that could save her life and the lives of her children! During an actual emergency, how do you think the children will react if they know it is an emergency? Do you think that they will be calm, cool, and collected? Or will they most likely be screaming, crying, or at best, really frightened and need extra help? Do you expect a 3 year old to be able to reasonably find a muster station should they become separated from their parents? During an actual emergency, the kids may very well be in Camp Carnival. The OP is looking for helpful strategies to "distract" 2 little ones, who will glean very little or nothing from the briefing at best, and at worst, disrupt the entire scenario.

 

OP, I find that tablets or phones (sound muted) work very well (remember you are still in port) should you need a distraction. Otherwise, I stress the importance of the drill to my children in case of emergency, so that they know what to do (this is easier now that they are 5, 6, and 8), and the importance of being quiet so that everyone can understand the directions.

[jiggs]

get there as late as possible and be in the front of the pack. This accomplishs two things, it is more comfortable and it make the process seem much faster. Stay in your cabin until they actually sound the horn telling you to go to the muster. This is like 10 minutes after they start telling people about the drill is getting ready to begin. The people that head up when those announcements start are the ones that are in the back. Then once your steward is bascailly kicking you out for inspection, walk slowly down the stairs. You won't be alone, but most people will already be outside. It is uncomfortably late, like 'we should really be going' late...but you won't be last and they won't start until everyone is down there.

 

The other technique I use is to hang out in the main lounge until after the announcement and you see the stream of people really slowing down.

 

They will give the kiddos bracelets and you'll be through the drill in no time. We used this technique for as young as 2.5 and it has worked. I have no interest in making the kid stand in a sea of a people or do I want to now hold (a now 6 year old) for that long.

[Elaine5715]

Let me get this straight: You would advise the OP (who is asking for advice on how to best occupy children during the muster drill) to "handle" her children during the muster drill, thus most likely distracting her from learning the very advice that could save her life and the lives of her children! During an actual emergency, how do you think the children will react if they know it is an emergency? Do you think that they will be calm, cool, and collected? Or will they most likely be screaming, crying, or at best, really frightened and need extra help? Do you expect a 3 year old to be able to reasonably find a muster station should they become separated from their parents? During an actual emergency, the kids may very well be in Camp Carnival. The OP is looking for helpful strategies to "distract" 2 little ones, who will glean very little or nothing from the briefing at best, and at worst, disrupt the entire scenario.

 

OP, I find that tablets or phones (sound muted) work very well (remember you are still in port) should you need a distraction. Otherwise, I stress the importance of the drill to my children in case of emergency, so that they know what to do (this is easier now that they are 5, 6, and 8), and the importance of being quiet so that everyone can understand the directions.

 

The question is concerning because most of us have traveled a long way to get on board and here's another parent seemingly unable to manage their own children for 30 minutes.

[AngAndBoys]

The question is concerning because most of us have traveled a long way to get on board and here's another parent seemingly unable to manage their own children for 30 minutes.

 

I don't see anywhere in her question where she insinuated she wouldn't be able to handle her children. People just show up here ready to snark. It's a legitimate question, looking for what works for other people.

 

OP, I haven't taken kid's that little to a muster, but I DID produce 3 in 5 years. If they are still napping, I'd make sure they get one in before the drill. I did stand next to a particularly miserable child who cried her way through the entire drill while her poor mother tried desperately to calm her. Tired and over stimulated, I'm sure. I'd also talk it up as a positive thing so they know what to expect, and what behavior you'd like to see from them. Finally, I'd tell them there will be ice cream cones as soon as it's done. I'm sure it will go just fine.

[meatloafsfan]

You may also want to prepare your kids ahead of time for the loud noise. The ships whistle blasts can be deafening and very hard on little ears. You can have them cover their ears when you know they are about to go off to muffle the sound.

[jcearth]

The question is concerning because most of us have traveled a long way to get on board and here's another parent seemingly unable to manage their own children for 30 minutes.

 

The attention span of a normal child is 3 to 4 minutes per year of age. Asking a 3 year old to pay attention for more than 9 minutes and a 5 year old to pay attention for more than 15 minutes is "asking" for trouble, and is unreasonable age appropriateness. Also, I heard OP ask for helpful strategies from other cruisers who have been in the same situation. I didn't read anywhere that said she couldn't handle her own children. I understand that you have traveled a long way to get on board. Imagine the young child who has traveled just as much. Do you think that this will increase or decrease their relative attention span or ability to sit still?

 

I saw a commercial for Carnival on TV last night (beautiful video of the Breeze - I can't wait). The focus of the commercial was families with children having fun. This is the market that Carnival is trying to attract.

[Havingfun2010]

I don't see anywhere in her question where she insinuated she wouldn't be able to handle her children. People just show up here ready to snark. It's a legitimate question, looking for what works for other people.

 

But did she asked how to handle her children in the post? I have 3 kids, all who have cruised while young, and I never asked others how to manage them. They all wore life jackets and were just fine. The question was about how to handle their kids, and yet, they will be waiting in lines, during the entire cruise with them. The muster drill is no big deal. Also, the kids wear arm bands if separated. The 5 year old, if in day care, or kindergarten, will have participated in fire drills already. Kids at any age, must learn how to behave, and you take appropriate action if they don't. Even at 3, and even on a cruise. The poster already had 5 years experience handling her kids and should know what will work and not work, while waiting in lines, or extended periords of "boring" times. That also leads many to assume, that she already is stressed out on how to handle things. I hope the best for the OP, but this is not a parenting board for stressed out parents.

 

OP, I haven't taken kid's that little to a muster, but I DID produce 3 in 5 years. If they are still napping, I'd make sure they get one in before the drill. I did stand next to a particularly miserable child who cried her way through the entire drill while her poor mother tried desperately to calm her. Tired and over stimulated, I'm sure. I'd also talk it up as a positive thing so they know what to expect, and what behavior you'd like to see from them. Finally, I'd tell them there will be ice cream cones as soon as it's done. I'm sure it will go just fine.

 

Bribes usually back-fire. :cool:

[huneemooners]

On our cruise in April, the muster drill was no where near 45 minutes.

[LSUcajunmom]

Nothing wrong w OP asking the question and being prepared. In 12 cruises I have never been overly distracted by children during muster drill. I can't say the same for some adults.

[slim501]

I have taken my 3 year old on 5 cruises and it really depends on the ship. Only once were we offered to go with the handicapped and even then, they made my husband stay outside. We just plan to be one of the last ones there so we are at the front. He stood for a while, then we held him. It was especially difficult when we sailed from San Juan since the muster drill wasn't until 9:45 pm.