Emergency drill

[NanaChar]

Since most cruises are 7 days or more and we give a liberal 2 hours for the drill, this consists of less than .02% of the lost cruise time.

Now, if you don’t go to the drill and there is a disaster and panic with people not knowing what to do, I’m not sure how to calculate that lost life and limb time.

 

 

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[Wiltonian]

Since most cruises are 7 days or more and we give a liberal 2 hours for the drill, this consists of less than .02% of the lost cruise time.

 

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2 hours in 168 is a little under 2%, not 0.02%. Just sayin'.

 

Stuart

[Charles4515]

2 hours in 168 is a little under 2%, not 0.02%. Just sayin'.

 

 

 

Stuart

 

 

 

The muster drill is not 2 hours. It is about 30 minutes.

 

 

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[NanaChar]

2 hours in 168 is a little under 2%, not 0.02%. Just sayin'.

 

 

 

Stuart

 

 

 

Oops. Sorry. Computer error. Meaning I made an error while using the computer.

 

 

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[waterbug123]

When did they start doing that? Always only seen the muster station number on the card.

 

Well yes, it's the station # but the crew can tell you ahead of time where that station # will muster.

[STIguy]

Several US Navy Ships have collided with other ships recently. If the best of the best can screw up, than so can a cruise ship crew.

Never mind the always present fire danger.

Discount safety at your own peril.

[internetwhiz]

The video is ridiculous because it's not apparent what points the cruise line wants you to take from watching it. BTW RCL has the identical video but with an RCL ship. It would make more sense if the cruise line would simply state the key points rather than making up the spy scenario. Also, the wash your hands video is presented at a level that is probably appropriate for a 3 or 4 year old.

 

Just for reference if you have a problem/handicap that makes it difficult to stand during the drill then just simply point this out to one of the drill leaders and they will show you where you can sit during the drill.

 

I totally agree with you. We were stuck in a dining room 20,rows back watching this insane video like folks were spies. I really thought at the end of it, someone would say, these are the points we want you to know in summary. But no, they didn’t.

[Cruise Junky]

I like the HAL drills. Everybody assembles on deck once the appropriate siren sounds. You assemble by your allocated lifeboat, the number and location of which is displayed in your stateroom, and a roll call is taken. The person who will be in charge of your lifeboat then displays how to put on the life jacket etc. Just as it's important to watch the safety drill on an aircraft, so too on a ship. It's not fun and games; it can save lives.

 

Not really effective when you want to assess any damage at 3:00 am in Alaska. The last thing the Captain wants to happen is abandon ship. Being inside, dry and warm are paramount.

[happicruzer]

The video should be on the television when you get access to your cabin. The information with staff showing how to put on the life vest should be at the station.

 

Very impressed with Regal Princess drill - as it happens as explained above - vs both Celebrity and RCI since we also couldn’t see or hear the video as the secret agent caught hold of a rope to exit the ship.

[hvbaskey]

Best muster drill was with Captain Kate on the Summit :)

[abbydancer2003]

I've done a lot of Princess cruises, and can almost recite the muster drill recording. But I go, and do the life jacket try on (I try to see if I can get it over my head without unhooking it).

 

This year, I had two Celebrity cruises. On the Equinox, we were in the theater, and heard it. Before they ran the video, they showed how you'd put on the jacket.

 

Then they spent about 10 minutes calling off cabins who didn't check in and we were done.

 

That wasn't good, but the Reflection was horrible. We were in Tuscan Grill, and we sat down in a table by the window, as did others. We were behind the back of the screen, so I was curious if they'd ask us to move. They did not. (We did). The captain made a brief announcement having nothing to do with safety, and finished with the muster station personnel would give us more information. All he said was

"Does anyone have any questions". We then sat there for 10 minutes of dead silence before we were allowed to go. If this were my first cruises, I'd have no idea what to do in case of emergency.

 

The video had more to do with what you can and can't do on the ship, rather than any emergency info.

[wwcruisers]

Oh, you spoiled whipper-snappers, complaining about your video muster-drills, in your comfy air-conditioned spaces. Why, I can remember back in the good old days of cruising. We had to drag our life-jackets upstairs (both ways), and line up out in the hot sun -- while the staff called roll, and made us don those stinky jackets! The only saving grace was looking around for that inevitable 'newbie', who just couldn't resist putting that whistle in his/her mouth -- before realizing that the person who wore that jacket before him had probably done the exact same thing! And, after a half hour of standing in line, we got to join the mad dash back to our cabins -- trying not to trip over all of the life jacket cords, dragging on the ground. Good times....;p

[begagirl]

Our thoughts?

70+ cruises. 1000+ days on cruise ships.

Have no problem going to the muster, every time. Different ships, different procedures, different locations. No way we get there late. Get there on the second page (15 minutes prior). Always have a seat, where we can listen to the later arriving whiners complaining about "what, no SEATS?"

 

It's like 25-30 minutes, total, even arriving early. Our time is not so precious that we can't spend it being acquainted with the system.

 

Totally agree!

[Beejay4016]

Not really effective when you want to assess any damage at 3:00 am in Alaska. The last thing the Captain wants to happen is abandon ship. Being inside, dry and warm are paramount.

 

My key words were once the appropriate siren sounds. Prior to that, you wait in your cabin. The first sirens that go off alert the crew to what is happening and give you time to put on some warm clothing etc.

[Cruise Junky]

My key words were once the appropriate siren sounds. Prior to that, you wait in your cabin. The first sirens that go off alert the crew to what is happening and give you time to put on some warm clothing etc.

So with the star princess fire you want people to stay in their cabin until the abandon ship siren sounds? Hmmm no. Get out of harms way in control of the staff and wait for the damage to be assessed. Some times your designated lifeboat may not be functional. Even HAL doesn’t do it on deck anymore on the new ships.

[gimletgal]

Muster drill on the Equinox last month was a total joke. I'm not exactly sure what that video was all about, but to me, it was useless. Someone's idea of "cute" but definitely not appropriate. Whoever comes up with these videos needs to go into another line of business. And whoever at Celebrity is allowing this "junk" to cover the all important safety of passengers and the imparting of such information to passengers needs to be fired. Sorry......MHO.

[chengkp75]

So with the star princess fire you want people to stay in their cabin until the abandon ship siren sounds? Hmmm no. Get out of harms way in control of the staff and wait for the damage to be assessed. Some times your designated lifeboat may not be functional. Even HAL doesn’t do it on deck anymore on the new ships.

 

Just remember that the passenger muster signal is not the abandon ship signal. Even on the Star Princess, the Captain likely had very little inclination, ever, to have the passengers get into the boats and leave the ship.

 

Actually, the first indication of an emergency are the well known "code calls", which direct select crew on emergency teams to their stations to deal with whatever the emergency is. The remainder of the crew and the passengers can go on their way with their daily routine. Once the on scene commander advises the Captain that he feels it would be prudent to gather the passengers out of harm's way, then the "more than six short blasts followed by one long blast" (which is actually the "fire and general emergency signal) would be sounded, and the remainder of the crew would report to their emergency stations, and the passengers would report to their muster stations. The passenger muster is not about getting into the boats, and there have been many more instances where the passengers were mustered, the emergency handled, and the passengers released to return to normal, than having to get into the boats. Again, the muster is all about accountability, getting all passengers accounted for and in a controlled area (so they don't go wandering off again), so that the emergency teams do not have to worry about locating missing people, and can concentrate on the emergency.

 

So, yes, as BeeJay says, until the muster signal is given, while you don't have to wait in your cabin, you can go about your daily business onboard, unless an emergency team tells you not to go into an area. You should not congregate at the muster location prior to the signal to muster is given. The emergency may be at the muster location, and without the general alarm being sounded, there may not be sufficient crew to handle a large influx of people trying to get to the muster location, and to direct them to an alternate.

[kjwinston2019]

In an Emergency, no matter how many practices you might do, it is really up to the crew to guide and help you. I have read too many times officers and crew call for "every man for themselves" attitude. So these muster drills are important to you. Yes, the odds are on your favor, but 30 min of watching a silly video or listening to an officer letting you know what/where to go. Please this is for you saving your life.

 

I travel a lot on planes and have to listen to the Flight Attendant do her thing, but I still find where the closest emergency exit is. Common sense! So don't complain about any muster, listen to what the Officers are telling you, standing or sitting, and enjoy a safe trip.

[Beejay4016]

Just remember that the passenger muster signal is not the abandon ship signal. Even on the Star Princess, the Captain likely had very little inclination, ever, to have the passengers get into the boats and leave the ship.

 

Actually, the first indication of an emergency are the well known "code calls", which direct select crew on emergency teams to their stations to deal with whatever the emergency is. The remainder of the crew and the passengers can go on their way with their daily routine. Once the on scene commander advises the Captain that he feels it would be prudent to gather the passengers out of harm's way, then the "more than six short blasts followed by one long blast" (which is actually the "fire and general emergency signal) would be sounded, and the remainder of the crew would report to their emergency stations, and the passengers would report to their muster stations. The passenger muster is not about getting into the boats, and there have been many more instances where the passengers were mustered, the emergency handled, and the passengers released to return to normal, than having to get into the boats. Again, the muster is all about accountability, getting all passengers accounted for and in a controlled area (so they don't go wandering off again), so that the emergency teams do not have to worry about locating missing people, and can concentrate on the emergency.

 

So, yes, as BeeJay says, until the muster signal is given, while you don't have to wait in your cabin, you can go about your daily business onboard, unless an emergency team tells you not to go into an area. You should not congregate at the muster location prior to the signal to muster is given. The emergency may be at the muster location, and without the general alarm being sounded, there may not be sufficient crew to handle a large influx of people trying to get to the muster location, and to direct them to an alternate.

 

Thanks Chengkp75. I think the other poster is someone who just likes to be disagreeable. He has his view, and everybody else is wrong, unless of course they agree with him.

[Froxfield]

The second was in the area outside the Celebrity Theatre. What complete and utter shambles! They had a couple of rows of chairs set up, everyone else had to mill about in the area. People were sitting on the floor, perched on planters, even on and up the stairs. The video was impossible to see or hear, consequently people were restless and talkative. After the videos there was a very long pause until the Captain came on and declared the drill over. There was a lot of muttering and whinging!!

 

I came away from that debacle shaking my head and wondering why it had to be so hard. Surely a simple demonstration of how to put on the life vest then someone on a microphone running through the list of must do's..... I did make several suggestions to Celebrity by way of the post cruise survey. I live in hope someone in authority might take notice.

 

We had a very similar experience on the Eclipse last February. We couldn't see any of the crew supposed to be leading the section (they appeared to be up above somewhere!) or the video screens! Access and exit were so restricted (and up "difficult" stairs) that we couldn't imagine what it would be like in a real emergency. Frankly we left the demonstration with real safety concerns and, like you, raised the issue in the post cruise survey. Surely, in a ship the size of the Solstice class there must be other options?

[kimlovesfl]

Get rid of the inane video for a start. In their attempt to make it entertainment it is now nearly useless. The poor sountrack means that you can't even hear the impotant parts and tge silly plot line is just confusing.

 

They had that stupid video on the Silhouette, and I hated it. It took so much longer than just doing a straight-up muster drill. I don't want to be at the drill for 45 minutes to an hour, I want to be relaxing somewhere and starting my vacation. The whole thing would have taken half the time without that stupid video.

[Sandtrap328]

Gripe, gripe, gripe.

 

30 minutes or so is going to royalty inconvenience you?

 

Standing outside on the deck for 45 minutes was never fun but sitting in the dining room is no big deal.

 

Go in, listen to the regulations, get out and beat the crowd to the Martini Bar.

[gerelmx]

Years ago were all passengers piled on the promenade floor, now they accommodate you in different public areas and they show you a video. Before the vests were in the cabins and you could try and check it, now there is no way you have your own.

 

I believe that assigning emergency stations in public areas gives greater security since there would not be a crowd of people on the promenade deck, currently in mega ships this is a problem.

 

A procedure is needed in which the passenger pays more attention to safety measures, some ones sleeps during video others are drunk, etc.

[sollan]

Muster drill on the Equinox last month was a total joke. I'm not exactly sure what that video was all about, but to me, it was useless. Someone's idea of "cute" but definitely not appropriate. Whoever comes up with these videos needs to go into another line of business. And whoever at Celebrity is allowing this "junk" to cover the all important safety of passengers and the imparting of such information to passengers needs to be fired. Sorry......MHO.

 

Agree! The mustard drill should be informative and clear - not trying to be "entertaining". And the video about "how-to-wash-your-hands"....:eek: Infantile...

[OzKiwiJJ]

The muster drill we attended on Solstice early this year was appalling. We had to assemble in the photo gallery. There were only a few seats and they were (quite rightly) reserved for people with mobility issues. We were packed in rows like sardines against one wall and couldn't properly see any of the screens, nor any crew member. The air conditioning couldn't cope with the number of people jammed in there and by the time they let us go I was close to passing out from the heat. I had to sit down for 15 minutes before I could walk back to our cabin. As a drill it was a major fail. Luckily I have cruised a number of times, mostly on Princess, so I wouldn't be completely clueless in an emergency but many newbies would have been totally confused.