Nostalgic cruise traditions being phased out

[Joebucks]

I will also miss the printed guides. The best comparison I can give is to getting the Sears catalogs. You would look forward to having the chance to get it and see what exciting things are available. Today, you spoil it all whenever you want on your phone and search for whatever you're looking for.

 

I will also miss traditional dining when it is gone. It's too hectic making different reservations each night, waiting in lines for a table, and then possibly being forced to sit next to people you don't mesh with. Whereas in the MDR, I walk right to my table, and my wait staff generally can provide better service when it is the same crew. 

 

I chuckle at the muster drill one. People ask for it to go away, then want it back. If you're concerned about safety, there is no shortage of safety info. People weren't learning anything in the traditional drill.

[evandbob]

None of the listed discontinued items concern us, and despite our age, we can easily adapt to new and better ways of the digital world.

 

Some of these items were already gone when we started cruising in 2003, and some we never engaged in, like the midnight or chocolate buffet. No big deal to us.

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

I chuckle at the muster drill one. People ask for it to go away, then want it back. If you're concerned about safety, there is no shortage of safety info. People weren't learning anything in the traditional drill.

 

'Tis true that many folk don't listen or understand at musters, but depending on different ships' different routines there are things they can't help but learn.

 

- They'll know there's a notice about their muster on the back of their cabin door

- They'll know where their muster station is - and barred elevators will remind them that taking the          elevator isn't an option. They might even remember the best route cabin - to - muster station.

If they're required to take their lifejackets .......

- they'll find where in their cabin they're stored.

- they'll spot if one has an obvious fault

- they might remember how to put it on

- they'll probably find out that trailing lifejacket tapes can be a trip-hazard

 

JB 🙂

 

[mammajamma2013]

3 hours ago, Joebucks said:

I chuckle at the muster drill one. People ask for it to go away, then want it back. If you're concerned about safety, there is no shortage of safety info. People weren't learning anything in the traditional drill.

I know you're using a collective "people" when you say this, but I was never in favor of the change.

 

chengkp75 has stated in a few posts that while the drill is for passengers to familiarize themselves with the procedure, the drill is more for the crew to get practice in how to run the muster drill - knowing where/when then need to be, herding passengers, and building muscle memory. The same could be said with firefighting drills.

 

Personally, I'll be happier when the "old" muster drills are put back into place.

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

 

I chuckle at the muster drill one. People ask for it to go away, then want it back. If you're concerned about safety, there is no shortage of safety info. People weren't learning anything in the traditional drill.

 

I am not concerned about myself. I'm concerned about all the others who will have no idea what to do in an emergency and who will likely impede the egress of other passengers and crew.   

[Underwatr]

I'm booked in a cabin with a round porthole in November. It's been almost 3 years since I've been aboard so I don't know what of the other items on your list disappeared since my last time.

 

I bought the cruise DVD from a Panama Canal trip in 2011. It was fun to catch glimpses of ourselves or our (fixed dining) tablemates. I guess everyone's ability to record video on their ever-present smartphone was the beginning of the end for that tradition.

I won't miss the muster drills. At least on Cunard they were inside and you could generally find a place to sit. On HAL it was like you were in formation outside on deck (and some of the passengers really couldn't stand very long.

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

I will also miss traditional dining when it is gone. It's too hectic making different reservations each night, waiting in lines for a table, and then possibly being forced to sit next to people you don't mesh with. Whereas in the MDR, I walk right to my table, and my wait staff generally can provide better service when it is the same crew. 

 

 

With the apps I've used on two different cruise lines this year it would seem easy to add a "same time same table" option.  It certainly seems to have some demand.  There is a shared vs private table option I believe, so that shouldn't be a current issue. 

 

On those same last two cruises, we did not have to make different reservations each night.  However, we were not seated at the same table.  When it was our time, we waited in the "have reservations" line for maybe 2 minutes.  

 

The experiences I quote were Princess and Carnival.   We are going to the Caribbean on an RCI megaship  in a few weeks.   It will be interesting to see how things compare.   

[chengkp75]

4 hours ago, Joebucks said:

People weren't learning anything in the traditional drill.

And the crew aren't learning anything in the new drill.  I dread an actual emergency.

[Joebucks]

7 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

And the crew aren't learning anything in the new drill.  I dread an actual emergency.

 

While you certainly know more about this than I do, I just have a hard time understanding it. The process works that people in charge of safety have no training in the event of an emergency? They rely on  learning when the passengers do, through the loud and garbled sound? With the "transition" to the new muster drill process, there is currently no process in place to train the crew? That doesn't pass the smell test.  

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

While you certainly know more about this than I do, I just have a hard time understanding it. The process works that people in charge of safety have no training in the event of an emergency? They rely on  learning when the passengers do, through the loud and garbled sound? With the "transition" to the new muster drill process, there is currently no process in place to train the crew? That doesn't pass the smell test.  

No, what you don't understand is that in order to be effective, training needs to be as realistic as possible "train as you would fight" is the saying.  What the old muster drill provided was hands on training for the crew to learn to handle thousands of unwilling, and sometimes unruly guests.  How/when could this be simulated?  Take a day out of service for the ship, and hire a bunch of day labor to act as passengers?  Have other crew act as passengers on a port day?  You know, as well as I do, that that would not pass the "smell test", as the crowd reactions would be totally different than a cruise ship's "herd of cats".  Getting passengers to muster in an orderly and safe manner is probably the most important training the crew can get, since muster is all about accountability, and not about boats, as accounting for everyone is the basis of cruise ship safety.  Training for this in as realistic situation as possible, meaning thousands walking down stairs and passageways, and getting directed to their proper locations, is crucial to the training actually sticking in the crews' minds and becoming second nature when an emergency happens.

[Mum2Mercury]

5 hours ago, Joebucks said:

I will also miss the printed guides. The best comparison I can give is to getting the Sears catalogs. You would look forward to having the chance to get it and see what exciting things are available. Today, you spoil it all whenever you want on your phone and search for whatever you're looking for.

 

I will also miss traditional dining when it is gone. It's too hectic making different reservations each night, waiting in lines for a table, and then possibly being forced to sit next to people you don't mesh with. Whereas in the MDR, I walk right to my table, and my wait staff generally can provide better service when it is the same crew. 

 

I chuckle at the muster drill one. People ask for it to go away, then want it back. If you're concerned about safety, there is no shortage of safety info. People weren't learning anything in the traditional drill.

You can ask for a printed daily newspaper -- you may or may not get it.  

 

I don't think traditional dining will disappear, but I don't understand the concerns about "hectic" reservations, etc.  I already made my My Time Dining ressies for our next cruise -- made them from the comfort of my own sofa using the app. 

On our recent cruise we were seated immediately upon presenting ourselves at the podium -- except for one night; that night we waited about five minutes.  

 

Eh, I do think people learn in the drills.  I clearly remember the first time we cruised -- my then 5-6 year old figured out the point in a hurry, and she cried, saying she wanted to go home.  (She got over it in a hurry.)

1 hour ago, mammajamma2013 said:

Personally, I'll be happier when the "old" muster drills are put back into place.

People are thrilled with the new method.  I don't think the old way'll come back again.  

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

People are thrilled with the new method.  I don't think the old way'll come back again.  

Fortunately, it is not a popularity contest with the passengers, nor is feedback from the cruise lines important.  The maritime safety experts on the various IMO committees are the ones who will decide if the old muster comes back

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, Joebucks said:

I chuckle at the muster drill one. People ask for it to go away, then want it back. If you're concerned about safety, there is no shortage of safety info. People weren't learning anything in the traditional drill.

 

You clearly don't understand the objective of the Muster Drill, as they aren't to teach pax how to abandon ship, or even how to get to the survival craft.

 

Pax Learning - the Muster Drill is to teach pax to identify the ship's General Emergency Signal (GES) and on hearing that signal to go to their "Assembly Station", following the directions of the crew stairway and other guides. This gets all pax mustered and accounted for. In a real emergency pax can remain at the Assembly Stations for many, many hours, even over 24 hrs. Pax heard the signal and went to the Assembly Stations, so YES, there was learning achieved.

 

Crew Learning - the crew need experience in both herding the mass of humanity and establishing/maintaining communications, so they are aware of any areas of the ship that are involved in the emergency, and to direct the pax via alternative routes. These are critical skills and the Muster Drills were the only realistic opportunity to train the crew. They can train with other crew, but the numbers are smaller, and the behaviors experienced are not consistent with those found during drills. These drills provided the crew with invaluable experience, so YES, again there was most definitely learning achieved.

 

The original Muster Drills provided both these learning objectives, the current ones do not.

[Heidi13]

19 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

People are thrilled with the new method.  I don't think the old way'll come back again.  

 

Sadly, as with most maritime procedures, it will take another accident and more deaths to realise that the current system doesn't effectively prepare pax for an emergency response.

 

I guess memories of Costa Concordia are long since forgotten.

[rkacruiser]

44 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

You can ask for a printed daily newspaper -- you may or may not get it. 

 

On recent HAL cruises, I have asked.  It is not available is what I have been told by Front Office staff.  

[Underwatr]

Last time I was on HAL was 4 or 5 years ago, but back then they provided free online access to much of the NY Times via their WiFi. Did this go away?

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

You clearly don't understand the objective of the Muster Drill, as they aren't to teach pax how to abandon ship, or even how to get to the survival craft.

 

Pax Learning - the Muster Drill is to teach pax to identify the ship's General Emergency Signal (GES) and on hearing that signal to go to their "Assembly Station", following the directions of the crew stairway and other guides. This gets all pax mustered and accounted for. In a real emergency pax can remain at the Assembly Stations for many, many hours, even over 24 hrs. Pax heard the signal and went to the Assembly Stations, so YES, there was learning achieved.

 

Crew Learning - the crew need experience in both herding the mass of humanity and establishing/maintaining communications, so they are aware of any areas of the ship that are involved in the emergency, and to direct the pax via alternative routes. These are critical skills and the Muster Drills were the only realistic opportunity to train the crew. They can train with other crew, but the numbers are smaller, and the behaviors experienced are not consistent with those found during drills. These drills provided the crew with invaluable experience, so YES, again there was most definitely learning achieved.

 

The original Muster Drills provided both these learning objectives, the current ones do not.

And the sad thing is no one, or at least very few, seem to care. I agree with you that it will take some sort of disaster for this to change, and none of us really want that to happen.

[K32682]

If the actual purpose of the in-person muster drill is to train the crew then I won't miss them. I'm not inclined to stand around in a life jacket to help the crew learn how to manage a crowd. Let the lines train them. 

 

As for the others they are no great loss. I also welcome the eventual end of traditional dining and it's loathsome off spring, the Baked Alaska Parade. 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by K32682

[shipgeeks]

 

26 minutes ago, K32682 said:

If the actual purpose of the in-person muster drill is to train the crew then I won't miss them. I'm not inclined to stand around in a life jacket to help the crew learn how to manage a crowd. Let the lines train them. 

 

As for the others they are no great loss. I also welcome the eventual end of traditional dining and it's loathsome off spring, the Baked Alaska Parade. 

 

 

Read posts 35 and 38 again.

Baked Alaska parade?  I haven't seen that for years, and I don't miss it at all.

[DirtyDawg]

On 10/14/2022 at 9:02 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

• Midnight buffets I'm getting too old to stay up to midnight - Good Riddance to it!
• Chocolate buffet I'm getting too fat to eat that much chocolate - Good Riddance to it!
• Intricate ice carvings and demonstrations Seen it, Done it too many times  - Good Riddance to it!
• Cruise recap video Never bothered with that before - Good Riddance to it!
• Themed menus every night OK. I'm a bit 😥 about this one. 
• Chocolates on your pillow See chocolate buffet above - Good Riddance to it!
• In-person muster drills 🥳  Hated those things - Good Riddance to it!
• Rooms with portholes Had a porthole cabin once - never again! Give me a Balcony or give me death! - Good Riddance to them!
• Printing every photo taken Never bothered with that before Who needs a thousand printed photos? - Good Riddance to it!
• Printed daily cruise schedules Waist of paper -Finally, the cruise industry is entering the 20th century! 😉 - Good Riddance to them!
•  

Well, you asked. 😁

[pris993]

On 10/14/2022 at 6:02 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

Cruise.blog did an article on stuff that's disappearing on (some) cruises at https://cruise.blog/2022/10/nostalgic-cruise-traditions-being-phased-out .

It's a good article, well worth reading and dodging the landmines, IMHO.  Here are the items that were mentioned:

 

• Midnight buffets
• Chocolate buffet
• Intricate ice carvings and demonstrations
• Cruise recap video
• Themed menus every night
• Chocolates on your pillow
• In-person muster drills
• Rooms with portholes
• Printing every photo taken
• Printed daily cruise schedules

 

No poll this time, I'll just ask straight out:  Which of these "traditions" do you miss most?  Which ones don't you miss at all?

 

I guess I'll start.  I will miss the daily schedules most when they go.  I've actually gotten full ones on the cruises I've taken since the pandemic, but I've heard of reductions in this area and I'm sure they will affect me eventually.  Much as the Chief doesn't like to hear it, I don't think the in-person muster drills are coming back any time soon, and that's fine with me.

So far on Princess you can still get printed schedules on request.  I with you, still want them.  The in-person muster drill I can easily do without. 

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

Well, you asked. 😁

 

• "Intricate ice carvings and demonstrations Seen it, Done it too many times  - Good Riddance to it!"

 

You have done ice carvings?  I can make a cube shape but that is about it!

 

• "Printed daily cruise schedules Waist of paper -Finally, the cruise industry is entering the 20th century! 😉 - Good Riddance to them!"

 

And just imagine what the 21st century might look like!  🧐

[DirtyDawg]

9 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

• "Intricate ice carvings and demonstrations Seen it, Done it too many times  - Good Riddance to it!"

 

You have done ice carvings?  I can make a cube shape but that is about it!

 

 

• "Printed daily cruise schedules Waist of paper -Finally, the cruise industry is entering the 20th century! 😉 - Good Riddance to them!"

 

And just imagine what the 21st century might look like!  🧐

I'm Canadian, we are born with ice caring tools in our hands and ice skates on our feet.

No wonder our birth rate is getting so low!  😳  😁

 

I'm glad you got the 20th century reference.  😉 

[Ferry_Watcher]

I always enjoyed HAL's Yum-Yum Man, but without the old bellboy uniform.  I think having a crew M/F member dressed in typical crew attire, serving up after-dinner mints would be appropriate, and a nod to a bygone era.  Same for walking thru some ship areas ringing the chimes announcing the start of the evening meal service (again, without wearing that old yum-yum uniform).

[Honolulu Blue]

3 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

Well, you asked. 😁

Yes I did.  Thanks to you, and everyone else, for the replies.  Keep 'em coming!  🙂