Muster Drill

[DANCING GRANDMOMMY]

I have always wondered why the muster drill could not be done on the cabin TV. Each cabin could be given a 2 part code at the beginning and end of the drill to enter to verify you have watched the drill. Then you could actually hear what was said and not just the high volume conversations around you.  

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, DANCING GRANDMOMMY said:

I have always wondered why the muster drill could not be done on the cabin TV. Each cabin could be given a 2 part code at the beginning and end of the drill to enter to verify you have watched the drill. Then you could actually hear what was said and not just the high volume conversations around you.  

Because people need a "muscle memory" of where to go to muster.  It isn't just about how to put on your vest. They want you to have been at least once to the physical part of the ship where you would be required to report 

[DANCING GRANDMOMMY]

58 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Because people need a "muscle memory" of where to go to muster.  It isn't just about how to put on your vest. They want you to have been at least once to the physical part of the ship where you would be required to report 

Good point. There could be a box at each station where you must go and drop in your code. 

[Honolulu Blue]

10 hours ago, DANCING GRANDMOMMY said:

I have always wondered why the muster drill could not be done on the cabin TV. Each cabin could be given a 2 part code at the beginning and end of the drill to enter to verify you have watched the drill. Then you could actually hear what was said and not just the high volume conversations around you.  

 

I hear you, but the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) mandates it be done the way it currently is and video can't, at this time, substitute for it.  But it's extremely difficult to socially distance with the current ways the safety briefings on Carnival are run.  So I think something has to give.  Either we'll ignore distancing, run multiple drills, run it from the individual cabins by video as you suggested, or we'll have a vaccine/cure/treatment and we can get close together again.  It will be interesting to see what happens on the first cruises.

 

P.S.  I've found more often that the announcements are LOUD enough to overwhelm everything than local conversation not allowing me to hear the announcements.  I'm sure this is a case of YMMV.

[Elaine5715]

6 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

I hear you, but the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) mandates it be done the way it currently is and video can't, at this time, substitute for it.  But it's extremely difficult to socially distance with the current ways the safety briefings on Carnival are run.  So I think something has to give.  Either we'll ignore distancing, run multiple drills, run it from the individual cabins by video as you suggested, or we'll have a vaccine/cure/treatment and we can get close together again.  It will be interesting to see what happens on the first cruises.

 

P.S.  I've found more often that the announcements are LOUD enough to overwhelm everything than local conversation not allowing me to hear the announcements.  I'm sure this is a case of YMMV.

Or we are at the point where The Virus becomes just another virus because there has always been a chance a virus could/was transmitted during muster

[coevan]

16 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Because people need a "muscle memory" of where to go to muster.  It isn't just about how to put on your vest. They want you to have been at least once to the physical part of the ship where you would be required to report 

 

 

we had an interior muster drill on the Magic or Dream in the showroom

[lazydayz]

We have had several indoors as well, without going to lifeboats after.  Royal filed for copyright or trademark protection within the last two months for something called "E-muster."  That is all of the info I have on it, but it is a good indication that new muster drills will be electronic.   

 

I don't see us having to stand through muster again, shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other cruisers.  Maybe they just give us a window to check in at the lifeboats after the E-muster.  If Royal does it, pretty sure that Carnival and Norwegian will follow.

 

Some of the changes from this pandemic will be good, if we just survive it.  

[coevan]

since the cabin TV's are interactive, they could have guests check that they have watched the video and they would know every guest has checked in and what cabins have not, pretty easy tracking

[shipbound2]

9 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

I hear you, but the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) mandates it be done the way it currently is and video can't, at this time, substitute for it.  But it's extremely difficult to socially distance with the current ways the safety briefings on Carnival are run.  So I think something has to give.  Either we'll ignore distancing, run multiple drills, run it from the individual cabins by video as you suggested, or we'll have a vaccine/cure/treatment and we can get close together again.  It will be interesting to see what happens on the first cruises.

 

P.S.  I've found more often that the announcements are LOUD enough to overwhelm everything than local conversation not allowing me to hear the announcements.  I'm sure this is a case of YMMV.

That is an understatement how the cruise lines are going to have muster stations drills with social distancing  that should be interesting.

[Organized Chaos]

4 hours ago, coevan said:

we had an interior muster drill on the Magic or Dream in the showroom

 

That's still where you report in the event of an emergency.

 

1 hour ago, coevan said:

since the cabin TV's are interactive, they could have guests check that they have watched the video and they would know every guest has checked in and what cabins have not, pretty easy tracking

 

The problem with that is, one person could check in for a cabin with multiple people when the rest of them aren't even there.

[sanmarcosman]

6 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

we had an interior muster drill on the Magic or Dream in the showroom

Didn't the crew announce this is where you are to report in an emergency when the alarm sounds? 

[Elaine5715]

8 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

we had an interior muster drill on the Magic or Dream in the showroom

And that is where you would go in case of an emergency.  You would not go to lifeboats until crew takes you

[coevan]

gheez, never been so popular, no offense everyone😇

[chengkp75]

The passenger muster is a drill.  It is as much a drill for the crew involved as for the passengers, since this is the only time the crew actually get the ability to "herd cats", and learn the problems and difficulties of dealing with large groups of passengers.  As a drill, SOLAS requires all drills to be "as realistic as possible", so that those participating in the drill know, to a degree, what an actual emergency would be like.  Changes to muster drills to remove the actual gathering of passengers into their controlled and accountable stations, in numbers, would require changes to SOLAS via the IMO, and also the class societies.  Regardless of RCI trademarking "E-muster", I don't see that happening in the future, unless it is as a temporary measure during the early stages of the restart of cruising.

 

As for hearing what is said at muster drill, most of that is not required, and is filler, but the required information, including the instructions on donning life jackets has for years been allowed to be done via cabin TV.  In reality, there are only two things you need to learn or know about the passenger muster;  show up,  and shut up.

[jimbo5544]

57 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The passenger muster is a drill.  It is as much a drill for the crew involved as for the passengers, since this is the only time the crew actually get the ability to "herd cats", and learn the problems and difficulties of dealing with large groups of passengers.  As a drill, SOLAS requires all drills to be "as realistic as possible", so that those participating in the drill know, to a degree, what an actual emergency would be like.  Changes to muster drills to remove the actual gathering of passengers into their controlled and accountable stations, in numbers, would require changes to SOLAS via the IMO, and also the class societies.  Regardless of RCI trademarking "E-muster", I don't see that happening in the future, unless it is as a temporary measure during the early stages of the restart of cruising.

 

As for hearing what is said at muster drill, most of that is not required, and is filler, but the required information, including the instructions on donning life jackets has for years been allowed to be done via cabin TV.  In reality, there are only two things you need to learn or know about the passenger muster;  show up,  and shut up.

Well said and thanks as usual.  

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

The passenger muster is a drill.  It is as much a drill for the crew involved as for the passengers, since this is the only time the crew actually get the ability to "herd cats", and learn the problems and difficulties of dealing with large groups of passengers.  As a drill, SOLAS requires all drills to be "as realistic as possible", so that those participating in the drill know, to a degree, what an actual emergency would be like.  Changes to muster drills to remove the actual gathering of passengers into their controlled and accountable stations, in numbers, would require changes to SOLAS via the IMO, and also the class societies.  Regardless of RCI trademarking "E-muster", I don't see that happening in the future, unless it is as a temporary measure during the early stages of the restart of cruising.

 

As for hearing what is said at muster drill, most of that is not required, and is filler, but the required information, including the instructions on donning life jackets has for years been allowed to be done via cabin TV.  In reality, there are only two things you need to learn or know about the passenger muster;  show up,  and shut up.

The fact that it is also a drill for the crew is what is always overlooked by those proposing the watch it on the tv alternative. Thank you for that reminder.

 

The problem lies in how does one balance the need for "herding cats" with the possible need for social distancing to be required.

 

And I'm not so sure on how well the drills do on the shut up part. I would hope in an actual emergency, shutting up and listening would be much more prevalent.

[sanmarcosman]

2 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

And I'm not so sure on how well the drills do on the shut up part. 

And people not putting their phones away during the drill. The crew instruct us to turn off phones but I've never seen any enforcement of this. I see people texting and posing for photos and selfies throughout muster. I'm convinced it will be the same during an actual emergency. 

[chengkp75]

13 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

The problem lies in how does one balance the need for "herding cats" with the possible need for social distancing to be required.

And the next thing would be a lawsuit for possible exposure to covid during an actual emergency when these folks actually have to crowd together, or, heavens to Betsy, get in a lifeboat.

[ontheweb]

5 minutes ago, sanmarcosman said:

And people not putting their phones away during the drill. The crew instruct us to turn off phones but I've never seen any enforcement of this. I see people texting and posing for photos and selfies throughout muster. I'm convinced it will be the same during an actual emergency. 

You might be right, but I truly hope that in a real emergency people would take things much more seriously. 

 

I think the drill is looked at as an oh well we have to get this over with moment.

[ontheweb]

Just now, chengkp75 said:

And the next thing would be a lawsuit for possible exposure to covid during an actual emergency when these folks actually have to crowd together, or, heavens to Betsy, get in a lifeboat.

We do have our ambulance chasers in this group who would pounce on that opportunity.

[chengkp75]

7 minutes ago, sanmarcosman said:

And people not putting their phones away during the drill. The crew instruct us to turn off phones but I've never seen any enforcement of this. I see people texting and posing for photos and selfies throughout muster. I'm convinced it will be the same during an actual emergency. 

While your observations on passenger behavior are spot on, having seen the crew performance during drills and in actual emergencies, by their training they have to balance emergency preparedness with guest services during the drill, but who put on their "game face" and don't take any guff from pax in a real situation.  Those phones would be collected in a heartbeat.

[seaman11]

16 hours ago, lazydayz said:

We have had several indoors as well, without going to lifeboats after.  Royal filed for copyright or trademark protection within the last two months for something called "E-muster."  That is all of the info I have on it, but it is a good indication that new muster drills will be electronic.   

 

I don't see us having to stand through muster again, shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other cruisers.  Maybe they just give us a window to check in at the lifeboats after the E-muster.  If Royal does it, pretty sure that Carnival and Norwegian will follow.

 

Some of the changes from this pandemic will be good, if we just survive it.  

They are not going to want us all packed in at a station anymore.  I agree.  It will likely be on tvs. 

[Elaine5715]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

The passenger muster is a drill.  It is as much a drill for the crew involved as for the passengers, since this is the only time the crew actually get the ability to "herd cats", and learn the problems and difficulties of dealing with large groups of passengers.  As a drill, SOLAS requires all drills to be "as realistic as possible", so that those participating in the drill know, to a degree, what an actual emergency would be like.  Changes to muster drills to remove the actual gathering of passengers into their controlled and accountable stations, in numbers, would require changes to SOLAS via the IMO, and also the class societies.  Regardless of RCI trademarking "E-muster", I don't see that happening in the future, unless it is as a temporary measure during the early stages of the restart of cruising.

 

As for hearing what is said at muster drill, most of that is not required, and is filler, but the required information, including the instructions on donning life jackets has for years been allowed to be done via cabin TV.  In reality, there are only two things you need to learn or know about the passenger muster;  show up,  and shut up.

LOVE IT!

[TNcruising02]

If one of the problems about having muster drills on the TV sets or apps is that people won't know where their actual muster station is, they could require guests to go to the muster stations first and have their cards scanned before going to their cabins.

Edited May 22, 2020 by TNcruising02

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

The passenger muster is a drill.  It is as much a drill for the crew involved as for the passengers, since this is the only time the crew actually get the ability to "herd cats", and learn the problems and difficulties of dealing with large groups of passengers.  As a drill, SOLAS requires all drills to be "as realistic as possible", so that those participating in the drill know, to a degree, what an actual emergency would be like.  Changes to muster drills to remove the actual gathering of passengers into their controlled and accountable stations, in numbers, would require changes to SOLAS via the IMO, and also the class societies.  Regardless of RCI trademarking "E-muster", I don't see that happening in the future, unless it is as a temporary measure during the early stages of the restart of cruising.

 

As for hearing what is said at muster drill, most of that is not required, and is filler, but the required information, including the instructions on donning life jackets has for years been allowed to be done via cabin TV.  In reality, there are only two things you need to learn or know about the passenger muster;  show up,  and shut up.

If I'm not mistaken there are also a lot of other drills for the crew. I do remember an announcement once to ignore the warning bells as it was only a drill for the crew. But, I assume this would be the only drill that the crew actually interacts with passengers.

 

Are crew members at all rated on how they perform during these drills?