A few questions from first time O cruiser

[KirkNC]

Hi,

 

Getting ready for our first O cruise (we are HAL refugees).  A couple questions,

 

1.  Where are lifeboat drills done (i.e. at the lifeboat, in a public room)

2.  Do you take your life jacket to the drill

3.  We are a guarantee so our luggage tags have no room number.  We may find out before we arrive and we can write in the number but we may not find out.  I guess if we don't find out we just turn in our luggage with no number and O will figure it out?

 

Thanks

[StanandJim]

2 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Hi,

 

Getting ready for our first O cruise (we are HAL refugees).  A couple questions,

 

1.  Where are lifeboat drills done (i.e. at the lifeboat, in a public room)

2.  Do you take your life jacket to the drill

3.  We are a guarantee so our luggage tags have no room number.  We may find out before we arrive and we can write in the number but we may not find out.  I guess if we don't find out we just turn in our luggage with no number and O will figure it out?

 

Thanks

1.  In a public room

2)  Yes

3)  If you don't have your cabin number before sailing day (which would be unusual) the porters will have  invoices at  the pier 

[KirkNC]

12 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

1.  In a public room

2)  Yes

3)  If you don't have your cabin number before sailing day (which would be unusual) the porters will have  invoices at  the pier 

 

Thanks!

[sitraveler]

Recently off Regatta. No life jackets for the drill. This was a change. 

[pinotlover]

We didn’t need to take our life jackets in August on the Nautica. The team leader played like an airline stewardess and demonstrated putting it on.

 

You’re over thinking this! Relax! You’ll be on vacation on a cruise ship. The Cruise Director will come on the PA system and make multiple announcements concerning the drill. Each section of the ship has an assigned number. You’ll be told where you go for the drill, GDR for example. What to bring to the drill. Once at your assigned location, you’ll be meet, checked in and told where to sit. They’ll make announcements and tell you everything you might need to know, multiple times, before the alert siren sounds.

 

There is only one thing you need to know or understand before you get on the ship. You must attend the drill. If you try to hide, they will come and find you. If you try dilly dallying around, Security may well escort you personally to your muster area as you are booed and hissed at for holding everyone else up. 

 

Chill out and enjoy your cruise! Once there, they attempt to make it where people don’t have to think much! 😄

[Flatbush Flyer]

41 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

1.  In a public room

2)  Yes

3)  If you don't have your cabin number before sailing day (which would be unusual) the porters will have  invoices at  the pier 

Drill inside and MAY include move to lifeboat afterward.

No longer does O require you to bring/wear Life jacket for drill.

[StanandJim]

3 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

We didn’t need to take our life jackets in August on the Nautica.

What has changed is that they don't insist on returning to the cabin if you don't have it at the drill.  It is still suggested that life jackets are worn.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

What has changed is that they don't insist on returning to the cabin if you don't have it at the drill.  It is still suggested that life jackets are worn.  

Sorry, but you're wrong.

SOLAS drill requirements changed in 2018. We're on our fifth O cruise (most multi-segment) since November 2018 and overhead pre-Drill announcements repeat: "no lifejacket required."

Of course, you will see that occasional person who hasn't got a clue, dragging the Lifejacket around.

BTW, currently on Sirena. No lifejackets at drill.

Edited December 10, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[arima22]

6 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

What has changed is that they don't insist on returning to the cabin if you don't have it at the drill.  It is still suggested that life jackets are worn.  

Not correct, in June on both the Nautica and Riviera we were told DO NOT BRING life jackets!

[pinotlover]

5 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

What has changed is that they don't insist on returning to the cabin if you don't have it at the drill.  It is still suggested that life jackets are worn.  

No that isn’t what has changed!

 

Read my thread! You don’t have to think! The CD came on the PA system multiple times in the 1.5 hours prior to the muster and told all listening that they didn’t need to bring their life jackets. 

[KirkNC]

OK, clearly no lifejackets 😎😉.

 

We travel 250 plus days a year so I like to have all the details I can worked out.  After all as Flatbush Flyer points out, I don't want to be "that guy".

 

Thanks again

Edited December 10, 2019 by KirkNC

[LHT28]

The location of your muster station will be on the back of your cabin door

There will also be notices on the bed or the desk for time the drill will be held & if jackets are required or not

 

 

[clo]

29 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

What has changed is that they don't insist on returning to the cabin if you don't have it at the drill.  It is still suggested that life jackets are worn.  

We had our drill in public areas and no life jackets. That was two days ago.

[Mura]

I'm of two minds about  "no life jackets".  On the one hand, it's a lot more convenient not to be lugging it around -- or having everyone else doing so as well, just helping to clog up the stairways and elevators afterwards.

 

But then there are people like DH who never can seem to figure out just how to put it on.  A demonstration can be VERY helpful ... especially if there is a real emergency and people are panicking.  You want to know how to put it on correctly and in a hurry.

 

[clo]

3 minutes ago, Mura said:

A demonstration can be VERY helpful .

We had a demonstration by a staff member. Hope I wasn't clear about that. Just like a flight attendant.

[pinotlover]

I always wonder in 2019, how many airline passengers don’t know how to buckle or unbuckle a seat belt? 🤪 As a kid, before seat belts were even required in a car, I could well understand the drill! In 2020, rather silly, imo. I believe that putting on a life preserver has become the same. The design has become so simplified that most people, even first time users, figure it out quickly.

 

As far as the panic issue, some people if panicked, can’t tie their shoe laces. Doubt that a single practice of shoe tying will help that.

[Mura]

1 hour ago, clo said:

We had a demonstration by a staff member. Hope I wasn't clear about that. Just like a flight attendant.

Seeing the demonstration is better than not seeing, but at least for me the actual chore of putting it on is best.  On our last two cruises I found it impossible to get the straps to the right length despite many prior cruises when I had no problem at all.

[Jay23]

Another thing.   You don't need to dress warmly when attending the muster.   On each of our last two cruises, one couple turned up wearing warm coats, hats  and carrying their lifejackets.  BTW no-one laughed.   J

Edited December 10, 2019 by Jay23

[clo]

2 hours ago, Mura said:

Seeing the demonstration is better than not seeing, but at least for me the actual chore of putting it on is best.  On our last two cruises I found it impossible to get the straps to the right length despite many prior cruises when I had no problem at all.

You wouldn't believe what it was like in Antarctica! It was a full body suit. So just a demo but even the young crew members seemed to struggle.

[Mura]

It makes sense that you need more body armor in the Antarctic than in the Caribbean ... or Brazil!  I always wanted to go there but I'm too old and decrepit now ... and then there is climate change and the damage we tourists do to the area.  Of course these thoughts didn't stop me from going to the Arctic ... but then I wasn't tromping around on the ice when we were there.

[Go-Bucks!]

I've done 14 muster drills in the past 2 years on Oceania, same process each time...NEVER had to bring lifejackets, went to either the GDR or the Lounge to listen to the Captain and CD speak overhead and tell staff which cabin you're in, then had to walk out on deck to stand underneath the appropriate lifeboat. Took 30-45 minutes, unfortunately. 

Edited December 13, 2019 by Go-Bucks!

[Mura]

That's interesting.  In that same time frame we had two muster drills and had to bring our life jackets both times.  These were on Marina and Riviera.

 

On the "R" ships we always went out to stand underneath the lifeboat, but on the "O" ships we never have.

 

 

[clo]

On 12/13/2019 at 12:03 PM, Go-Bucks! said:

then had to walk out on deck to stand underneath the appropriate lifeboat.

We didn't have to do that. Just the first part.