Question for someone that has done a HAL Cruise since COVID please -re: Muster Drill

[Ruth]

Can someone tell me how the Muster Drill is being handled. We board the Nieuw Amsterdam in November out of Florida. Wanted to know if we were all going to be pilled up againist one another on the Promenade Deck?

 

Just wanted to be prepared. Thanks

[ski ww]

If you read the post by,  Laffnvegas "Live" from Nieuw Amsterdam Copper 10-8 on page 4 gives a description on how the muster drill is done.

[CruiserBruce]

The very first HAL ship just sailed yesterday...maybe a little early?

[Roz]

I copied and pasted Copper's post from Lisa's LIVE thread:

 

Don't know if you know but the "Mustard" drill (mandatory emergency drill) that you will be experiencing tomorrow has been much simplified, Covid-style:

 

It is now called "Safety Essentials" and is a 3-step process:

 

1. At your leisure, during a time window in the afternoon, scan in at your muster station and receive a very brief/mini safety instruction from a crew member

2. Next, watch the safety video on your stateroom TV (before you are able to switch it to any other channel)

3. Lastly/finally; listen to the captain's announcement before departure

[CRu1853!!]

Yay, glad the close quarters on the deck is gone! 👍🏻👍🏻😂😂😁

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, CRu1853!! said:

Yay, glad the close quarters on the deck is gone! 👍🏻👍🏻😂😂😁

I wonder if there was a real emergency, how would everyone social distance on the life boats?

[Roz]

6 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I wonder if there was a real emergency, how would everyone social distance on the life boats?

 

If there was a real emergency, Covid and social distancing would be the least of our concerns.

[ontheweb]

27 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

If there was a real emergency, Covid and social distancing would be the least of our concerns.

The drill is supposed to be about what if there was a real emergency. And all the experienced mariners on these boards have said the drill is really for the crew as it is the only time they actually get to "herd" passengers. None of us like the traditional muster drill, but it was always, at least after the Costa Concordia disaster, felt to be necessary.

 

Now everyone is so happy, no real muster drill.  I wonder how happy they will be if there is a real emergency? And that was what I was trying to convey in the post you quoted.

Edited July 25, 2021 by ontheweb

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

The drill is supposed to be about what if there was a real emergency. And all the experienced mariners on these boards have said the drill is really for the crew as it is the only time they actually get to "herd" passengers. None of us like the traditional muster drill, but it was always, at least after the Costa Concordia disaster, felt to be necessary.

 

Now everyone is so happy, no real muster drill.  I wonder how happy they will be if there is a real emergency? And that was what I was trying to convey in the post you quoted.

There is an old saying..."you fight like you practice". That can be good or bad. After 35 years in emergency services, have seen too much panic in the civilian population at the least emergent times. A couple of cruises ago, had a fire alarm in the middle of the night. The direction from the bridge was stay in our cabins until further direction. Opened up our door to see numerous people running down the hall with their life vests on.

[tamsno]

On Koningsdam my muster station was theater, and Nieuw Statendam was dining room. Everyone gathered at the same time.   We never went outside.  The decks are too narrow for line up.   Cards were scanned at entrance,  listened to captain's information, life jacket demo and dismissed.  Required stateroom TV information important and must be watched for TV to continue.  

[RuthC]

58 minutes ago, tamsno said:

On Koningsdam my muster station was theater, and Nieuw Statendam was dining room. Everyone gathered at the same time.   We never went outside. 

Currently there are only two ships in the fleet that have muster inside; a third will be joining the fleet in a few months. The other eight ships are all outside, by your lifeboat, for muster. Those are likely to be handled differently if they return to service during the covid crisis. 
In either case, it can be expected there is a different procedure, especially on these initial cruises, so the question of how is muster handled now, is a good one. 

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

There is an old saying..."you fight like you practice". That can be good or bad. After 35 years in emergency services, have seen too much panic in the civilian population at the least emergent times. A couple of cruises ago, had a fire alarm in the middle of the night. The direction from the bridge was stay in our cabins until further direction. Opened up our door to see numerous people running down the hall with their life vests on.

As someone who has been active in emergency services, how do you feel about the changed format of the muster drill? Do you think it will deprive the crew of the practice they should have if a real emergency occurred?

[RuthC]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

A couple of cruises ago, had a fire alarm in the middle of the night. The direction from the bridge was stay in our cabins until further direction. Opened up our door to see numerous people running down the hall with their life vests on.

These are the people YOUR life could depend on to do the right thing in case of a real emergency. 
Scary. 

[tamsno]

Have to assume the way muster was handled on NA yesterday will continue at least for this year.

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

As someone who has been active in emergency services, how do you feel about the changed format of the muster drill? Do you think it will deprive the crew of the practice they should have if a real emergency occurred?

I think it deprives both passengers and crew of the practice of dealing with emergencies.  Reactions to emergency situations has to be as automatic as possible. 

 

Experienced passengers (and crew) get tired of the repetition, but that repetition builds muscle memory and familiarity. 

[ontheweb]

13 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

I think it deprives both passengers and crew of the practice of dealing with emergencies.  Reactions to emergency situations has to be as automatic as possible. 

 

Experienced passengers (and crew) get tired of the repetition, but that repetition builds muscle memory and familiarity. 

Thank you for your response. I do think the emergency drill should be real. What is the purpose of having a drill that is basically a sham?