When is One Lifeboat Drill Not Enough?

[zorrosuncle]

Hi --

 

We will be boarding ship in Seattle, we will be taking on additional passengers in Vancouver, and many more a few days later in San Diego. How many drills will I be expected to attend?

 

ZU

[AmazedByCruising]

Hi --

 

We will be boarding ship in Seattle, we will be taking on additional passengers in Vancouver, and many more a few days later in San Diego. How many drills will I be expected to attend?

 

ZU

 

Just one.

[Kamloops50]

You'll be required to attend one. There will be a drill at every point where new passengers board.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just one.

We have done cruises similar to yours where new passengers got on in various ports. The new passengers were the only ones who had to attend the newest lifeboat drills.

[jagsfan]

I never thought about running into multiple drills! I won’t mind because I’ll be happy to relax and skip them.

 

 

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[Scrapnana]

Interesting. I have been on three HAL cruises where everyone had to attend subsequent muster drills.

[SilvertoGold]

Used to be on longer cruises (no new pax) drills were once every week.

 

Sometimes more than one per cruise in the OP's situation. Scrapnana has a lot of experience and she has had to do so.

[sharpsrus]

Spent 40 days on the Noordam in March/April was required to attend a drill once every 30 days.

 

 

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[Schooner-ca]

One 🧐

 

 

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[RuthC]

There is a requirement for a passenger to attend a muster at least every 30 days, but that is the minimum.

 

I have to wonder if the Captain has an option to require more attendance, or if there is a requirement based on area of the world one is cruising in.

Last year, sailing out of Amsterdam twice in two weeks, I was required to attend both musters. A couple of years back, sailing out of Venice, Barcelona, Rome, and Barcelona again I was required to attend only the first one.

[AmazedByCruising]

Last year, sailing out of Amsterdam twice in two weeks, I was required to attend both musters.

 

Strange, I was on a B2B, also twice from Amsterdam on Koningsdam, and we got a letter that we did not need to attend the second one.

[RuthC]

Strange, I was on a B2B, also twice from Amsterdam on Koningsdam, and we got a letter that we did not need to attend the second one.

Which makes me wonder if it is captain's choice.

[TAD2005]

Strange, I was on a B2B, also twice from Amsterdam on Koningsdam, and we got a letter that we did not need to attend the second one.

 

That is the current policy for B2B and Collector's cruises. You only are required to attend the muster drill at the port where you first boarded. You do receive a letter in your mailbox telling you that you are exempt from the next drill. However, on cruises longer than 30 days, you will be required to attend an additional muster drill as scheduled.

[AmazedByCruising]

That is the current policy for B2B and Collector's cruises. You only are required to attend the muster drill at the port where you first boarded. You do receive a letter in your mailbox telling you that you are exempt from the next drill. However, on cruises longer than 30 days, you will be required to attend an additional muster drill as scheduled.

 

Off topic: they did call it a Collector's cruise indeed. What's the difference between a Collector's cruise and B2B?

[RuthC]

Off topic: they did call it a Collector's cruise indeed. What's the difference between a Collector's cruise and B2B?

There's a price break on a Collectors' Cruise, vs. purchasing the same two cruises individually as a b2b.

Other than that, no significant difference.

[TAD2005]

Sometimes a cruise will depart from a particular port, do the normal cruise, then return to the same port, and then leave on a different cruise. That was considered to be a B2B, because it is 2 cruises from the same port, and you are staying onboard for both. HAL sometimes sells these B2B cruises as one continuous cruise. A Collector's Cruise is when there is a long cruise leaving from one port, and ending up in a totally different port many days later. In the middle on that long cruise, there will be a stop where people who only booked the first segment disembark, and others who booked the 2nd segment get on. If you booked the whole cruise, you stay on board at that midpoint, experiencing the "Collection" of the 2 cruises.

One minor point, is if your midpoint of a B2B or Collector's cruise is a US port, you must leave the ship, (just you, not your luggage), to allow US immigration to get a "Zero Count" on the ship. You can take a tour of the midpoint city, or just get off and hang out in the terminal for the ship to be "Zeroed out", and then you can reboard.

[OlsSalt]

Don't forget these life boat exercises are for the crew, far more than for you. Can they deploy, search the ship and get everyone out on deck. In how many minutes. Where are the weaknesses and how can they be fixed. We play stand in roles only. But we are also the end-point product. Mutual respect for the process is appreciated.

[knittinggirl]

Spent 40 days on the Noordam in March/April was required to attend a drill once every 30 days.

 

 

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Us too. We embarked in San Francisco. We didn't have to do the Hawaii drill, but had to do the Sydney drill, because our final destination was over 30 days from when did the muster drill last.

[kazu]

That is the current policy for B2B and Collector's cruises. You only are required to attend the muster drill at the port where you first boarded. You do receive a letter in your mailbox telling you that you are exempt from the next drill. However, on cruises longer than 30 days, you will be required to attend an additional muster drill as scheduled.

 

That's not been the policy on every B2B and Collector's cruise that we have done for at least the last 3 - 4 years. My memory is short before that time ;)

 

We've had to do muster every time. Whether it be the Westerdam, Rotterdam or Prinsendam (the ships we were on).

 

Those were all less than 30 days. The 30 day rule is certainly in place but YYMV with the Collectors' and B2B scenarios.

[frankc98376]

B2B cruises have separate booking numbers and Collector cruises have one booking number. As Jacqui said we have been excused from the second drill and other times required to attend. I really think it is up to the Captain. Likely easier on the crew if all are required to attend as they don't have to figure out who shouldn't be at the drill.

 

Last year we were on a 12 night cruise that was later sold as 2 cruises. We got the letter excusing us from the second drill in San Diego. A bunch of us were sitting at the Seaview Pool at drill time and a crew members in a white jumpsuit demanded (quite loudly) we go to the drill or the Captain would put us off the ship/ One of our group was able to flag an officer down and showed him the letter. He said something to the one that was yelling and they left. Needless to say there were a lot of apologies later.

[chengkp75]

The "30 day rule" is a statutory requirement under SOLAS.

[Sea42]

Sometimes a cruise will depart from a particular port, do the normal cruise, then return to the same port, and then leave on a different cruise. That was considered to be a B2B, because it is 2 cruises from the same port, and you are staying onboard for both. HAL sometimes sells these B2B cruises as one continuous cruise. A Collector's Cruise is when there is a long cruise leaving from one port, and ending up in a totally different port many days later. In the middle on that long cruise, there will be a stop where people who only booked the first segment disembark, and others who booked the 2nd segment get on. If you booked the whole cruise, you stay on board at that midpoint, experiencing the "Collection" of the 2 cruises.

One minor point, is if your midpoint of a B2B or Collector's cruise is a US port, you must leave the ship, (just you, not your luggage), to allow US immigration to get a "Zero Count" on the ship. You can take a tour of the midpoint city, or just get off and hang out in the terminal for the ship to be "Zeroed out", and then you can reboard.

A Collector Cruise can start and end in the same port. Our Med. cruise was a Collector's Cruise. Started and ended in same port but the first leg was western Mediterranean. and second leg was eastern Mediterranean. It was sold separately or as one cruise

[rkacruiser]

The "30 day rule" is a statutory requirement under SOLAS.

 

I do think this is the authoritative response to the OP's question. Any modification of such would be due to the ship's Management, for whatever reason they may have.