Unusual (but probably not unheard-of) muster station situation

[mirgloin]

My family and I will be sailing on HOTS in January. We will be in two close, but not adjacent staterooms. (There is one stateroom in between.) In reviewing our boarding passes, I discovered that our staterooms are assigned to two different muster stations. We would prefer to have a chance to be in the same lifeboat if the need arises. 🤞🙂

 

If anyone has experienced this:

 

-Did you contact Royal to see if one of the stations can be changed?

--Were you successful?

---With whom did you speak/email/communicate?

----If a change was made, were there any issues with the muster station on boarding passes, sea passes, etc.?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

M.

[mauimary]

This happened to us a few years back. Our three teenage kids who were a couple of staterooms away we’re in a different lifeboat. We were not happy about it but not that concerned so we let it go. We definitely would have thought they would keep family together. This has happened a number of times when traveling with another party.  

[RosieRoo]

On the Anthem last week, my husband and I were assigned two different muster stations on our sea pass cards and we were in the same room!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

my parents were just a couple of doors down on our cruise a couple of weeks ago, but in a different muster station. They don't speak English. I've never worried about them being in a different boat if a real emergency happens. If they know which muster station to show up at - that's all that's needed.

 

We've sailed with them several times, and it has never worried me. Now, if your family is comprised of minor children - it's a different story.

[VegasVic14]

2 hours ago, mirgloin said:

My family and I will be sailing on HOTS in January. We will be in two close, but not adjacent staterooms. (There is one stateroom in between.) In reviewing our boarding passes, I discovered that our staterooms are assigned to two different muster stations. We would prefer to have a chance to be in the same lifeboat if the need arises. 🤞🙂

 

If anyone has experienced this:

 

-Did you contact Royal to see if one of the stations can be changed?

--Were you successful?

---With whom did you speak/email/communicate?

----If a change was made, were there any issues with the muster station on boarding passes, sea passes, etc.?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

M.

Interesting questions. I hope someone can provide answers.

[LeeW]

Could be worse.  Had assignment on new Princess ship to an assembly station.  Both our cards and the placard on our cabin door said same station.  Checked in - they said we were not in that station but in a different one.  Other station also didn't list us and sent us back to the first (correct) station.  Took a while for Guest Services to correct the assembly station software.

 

Realistically doesn't matter where you are are assigned.  To change you they would have to move someone else from the other assembly station.  Way too complicated.  Even if you are in the same station you could still wind up in different lifeboats.  But when was the last time a cruise ship had to evacuate with lifeboats?  

[UKWLDCruise]

4 hours ago, LeeW said:

Could be worse.  Had assignment on new Princess ship to an assembly station.  Both our cards and the placard on our cabin door said same station.  Checked in - they said we were not in that station but in a different one.  Other station also didn't list us and sent us back to the first (correct) station.  Took a while for Guest Services to correct the assembly station software.

 

Realistically doesn't matter where you are are assigned.  To change you they would have to move someone else from the other assembly station.  Way too complicated.  Even if you are in the same station you could still wind up in different lifeboats.  But when was the last time a cruise ship had to evacuate with lifeboats?  

 

The Concordia in 2012 was probably the last time a big cruise ship really needed to use its lifeboats but you just never know.

[123funcruiser]

54 minutes ago, UKWLDCruise said:

 

The Concordia in 2012 was probably the last time a big cruise ship really needed to use its lifeboats but you just never know.

 

Viking Sky 2019, I don´t think lifeboats were used, but for sure a call for muster and partial helicopter evacuation of the ship with 1373 people on board. Life boats wouldn´t have worked safely in the sea conditions.

[topnole]

I have small kids to give perspective.  This would be the least of my worries as there are many other dangers that could come about on a cruise. The odds it would matter must be 1in hundreds of millions.  You are way more likely for someone in your group to deal with many other serious issues than you are to deal with this dilemma. 
 

Not saying it isn’t important for you.  Just that the odds are so extremely unlikely.  

[cruiseguy1016]

I would doubt very much that they would be able to change muster stations for anyone. The muster stations are designed to accommodate passengers from specific areas on the ship. The lifeboats only hold a certain number of passengers. You can't just show up at whatever muster station you feel like being at, regardless of where other family members are.

[GalwayGirl03]

The same thing is happening to us too and I posted on another page and messaged Royal about it.  My three kids  (12, 9, and 5) are in a connecting room to my husband and I and we are in two different muster stations.  They told me not to really worry about it but to be sure that the kids get the bracelets  for our muster station in case of emergency so that they come to us.  This is what Royal said.   Hope this helps!

Edited December 11, 2021 by GalwayGirl03

[brillohead]

Rooms are assigned to muster stations, not people.  

If it's important for you to be in the same muster station as other people, then you should book with someone who can confirm that at the time of the reservation.  

I would never assume that two rooms near each other would have the same muster station, unless they were actually connecting rooms.

[brillohead]

17 hours ago, mauimary said:

We definitely would have thought they would keep family together.

How would the cruise line do that?  The rooms are assigned to specific stations.  If you pick rooms that aren't connected, the cruise line can't reassign the rooms to different stations.

[cruiseguy1016]

3 hours ago, GalwayGirl03 said:

The same thing is happening to us too and I posted on another page and messaged Royal about it.  My three kids  (12, 9, and 5) are in a connecting room to my husband and I and we are in two different muster stations.  They told me not to really worry about it but to be sure that the kids get the bracelets  for our muster station in case of emergency so that they come to us.  This is what Royal said.   Hope this helps!

 

I would be really leery about what Royal told you. Their CSRs are famous for not knowing what they are talking about. Cabins, not people, are assigned to muster stations. If your muster station is full based on the cabins assigned to that muster station, they are not going to allow others to be there just because you want them to be.

[cruise1957]

Have never had to use the lifeboat, but I would think it's possible that they load and launch lifeboats as they are loaded, not necessarily wait for everyone from that muster station to get there to launch the lifeboat, so if you check in at both muster stations you could still be in the same lifeboat if you arrive at the same time.

[cruiseguy1016]

2 minutes ago, cruise1957 said:

Have never had to use the lifeboat, but I would think it's possible that they load and launch lifeboats as they are loaded, not necessarily wait for everyone from that muster station to get there to launch the lifeboat, so if you check in at both muster stations you could still be in the same lifeboat if you arrive at the same time.

 

I don't think they'd allow you to check into a station that you are not assigned to.

[cruise1957]

 What I meant was each person check in at their muster station, sorry I wasn't more clear. I still think they would load and launch boats as soon as they have enough people, not wait for everyone from a particular muster station.

[cruiseguy1016]

We need chengkp75 to chime in to tell us the real story about how muster stations work.

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, cruise1957 said:

Have never had to use the lifeboat, but I would think it's possible that they load and launch lifeboats as they are loaded, not necessarily wait for everyone from that muster station to get there to launch the lifeboat, so if you check in at both muster stations you could still be in the same lifeboat if you arrive at the same time.

Nope. Because pax should be at the muster station long before any thought of loading the boats even crosses the Captain's mind, therefore they will take each boatload from the muster to the boats as a group. They will also call muster at the boat to ensure they have everyone,  and that they know who is in each boat.

[mirgloin]

4 hours ago, cruise1957 said:

Have never had to use the lifeboat, but I would think it's possible that they load and launch lifeboats as they are loaded, not necessarily wait for everyone from that muster station to get there to launch the lifeboat, so if you check in at both muster stations you could still be in the same lifeboat if you arrive at the same time.

Just to make things more interesting 🙃 one of our muster stations is on the port side of the ship and the other is on the starboard side. (Instead of a few feet between the respective lifeboats, there's a whole ship between them.) Since both of the muster stations are in the theater, it may be possible to check in on one side and then "swim upstream" a bit to go to the other side for lifeboat purposes. With reduced passenger load, there may be more space available, thus making this more possible.

All thing considered, though, I'd rather not be in the ultimate "dock runner" scenario where I'm watching a boat get smaller in the distance because I missed it,  especially if the boat in question is a lifeboat! 😆😆😆

 

I'm pretty sure this situation won't arise,  but I like to plan for eventualities so maybe they won't "eventualize."  (Kind of like keeping the rain away by carrying an umbrella.)

 

M.

(The somewhat apologetic worrywart.)

[Homosassa]

For those of you who never read this thread, here is the thread on the Viking Sky 2019 emergency. It includes reports by passengers on board at the time (passengers were gathered at muster stations).

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2647818-viking-sky-position-adrift-off-norway-coast-and-evacuating-passengers-crew/#comment-57092792

 

[chengkp75]

10 hours ago, mirgloin said:

Since both of the muster stations are in the theater, it may be possible to check in on one side and then "swim upstream" a bit to go to the other side for lifeboat purposes.

As I've said, the muster team for each "station" will know how many people are assigned to that station/boat on each cruise, and if/when they lead people to the boat, if they have two too many, this will slow things down as they try to determine who the extras are.  It is just as important to know who is in each boat, as it is who has reported to each muster station.  "Unofficially" going someplace you are not supposed to be will only slow emergency procedures down, and distract crew from their assigned duties, in some cases causing crew to risk their lives looking for people who have not followed the muster instructions.

[mirgloin]

8 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

As I've said, the muster team for each "station" will know how many people are assigned to that station/boat on each cruise, and if/when they lead people to the boat, if they have two too many, this will slow things down as they try to determine who the extras are.  It is just as important to know who is in each boat, as it is who has reported to each muster station.  "Unofficially" going someplace you are not supposed to be will only slow emergency procedures down, and distract crew from their assigned duties, in some cases causing crew to risk their lives looking for people who have not followed the muster instructions.

Thanks for the clarification and additional info.  I was not suggesting doing something "unofficial," rather something with the knowledge and approval of the crew. I understand and appreciate that adding to the confusion in a serious, stressful (life-threatening,  even) situation is not a good idea at all. I just wanted to see if there is a(n easy) way to keep my traveling party together while allowing for a "calm emergency" 🙃 for everyone. If both aren't possible, I'll take the second one any day.

Also, I wanted to ask here to learn from collective wisdom/experience before asking Royal, and to find out whether it's worth the bother. It's also helpful to know ahead of time what to expect rather than thinking "Oh, I can just take care of this on board." or to set out for the port with unrealistic expectations.

Thanks again, chengp75, and everyone else. If others want to add to this thread,  please feel free. 

 

M.