Unusual event on Ovation…possible person overboard….poorly handled situation

[WestLakeGirl]

It was clear that it wasn’t an emergency, just a roll call.  But still……

[nelblu]

7 minutes ago, Ashland said:

So everyone headed to the "lifts" (elevators). My understanding is that you're to use the stairs when called to your muster station. Poorly handled by everyone.

Don't know if the announcement to crew came across as a non-emergency therefore, the crew allowed elevators to used.

 

I wonder what code was used in the announcement to crew members.  Maybe Changkp75 who is quite knowledgeable can enumerate those.  I believe that Oscar, Oscar is man overboard.

[chengkp75]

The "code" calls vary by cruise line.  If RCI uses "oscar", then that would have been the announcement to crew.  If the Captain then decides to hold a passenger muster, then sounding the "muster drill" alarm may not have been a good (IMHO) first choice, as this is actually the "fire and general emergency" alarm for the crew, so the entire crew would have stopped guest services and mustered at their emergency stations.  I think an announcement for pax to proceed to their muster locations would have been a better first step (and it sounds like what happened), and if there was continuing uncertainty about a pax or crew whereabouts, then the "muster signal" should have been sounded to account for every soul onboard.  This is a judgement call on the Captain's part, whether to try to account for everyone, without a full muster, or whether to call the muster as soon as an overboard is reported, and you can be damned if you do, or damned if you don't, when you factor in passenger services.

[SE fla]

A search for a person, perhaps sending everyone to their stateroom’s and letting the stateroom attendants do a head count is the best way to do it. There in your room it’s more comfortable for the passengers and it keeps people out of the way while the search goes on. 

[Joseph2017China]

13 hours ago, WestLakeGirl said:

About 6:30 tonight, I was sitting in the solarium pool when an unintelligible announcement came over the PA system. We all looked at each other and at the staff but no one knew what was going on. About 15 minutes later another announcement came.  This time the lifeguard said you all need to leave this area and go to your assembly station. As I was making my way there, I finally heard an announcement I could understand.  Apparently a passenger reported seeing a person in the water and they decided to check every single passenger and every single crew member to see if anyone was missing. Throngs of people headed to the lifts and tried to make their way from one end of the ship to the other.

 

Here is where it gets very weird because the next announcement gave amended instructions that anyone in a restaurant could stay at their table and someone would come around with a scanner to check them in, but anyone in Windjammer had to go to their assembly station.

 

This tells me that there was no reason to go to the assembly station since anyone with a scanner could check anyone in.

 

We are now down to a handful of people who have not checked in and they are naming them on the PA system one by one. Next will come the walk of shame, I presume.

 

Oh, and did I mention that it is St. Patrick’s Day and some celebration began for some passengers early this morning.

 

To everyone’s credit no one was rushing to the assembly stations, everyone proceeded calmly, because it wasn’t a real shipwide emergency;   but had it been, I could envision chaos.

I have an idea.  Now that it is over, do a full analysis how you would handle it, and submit it to corporate office.  Because honestly, I don't think their is a fast and easy way to track 6000 passengers.

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, Joseph2017China said:

I have an idea.  Now that it is over, do a full analysis how you would handle it, and submit it to corporate office.  Because honestly, I don't think there is a fast and easy way to track 6000 passengers.

RFID chips

 

 

[ONECRUISER]

19 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

RFID chips

 

 

Though lot of passengers dont carry own Cards. Know have carried my Kids, Grands and Wife's cards many times

[WestLakeGirl]

I believe that the instruction was that each person had to be checked in  one by 1, since that was the whole point of it

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, ONECRUISER said:

Though lot of passengers dont carry own Cards. Know have carried my Kids, Grands and Wife's cards many times

I was making a facetious referral to implantable chips. Like in a dog 

[ONECRUISER]

Just now, not-enough-cruising said:

I was making a facetious referral to implantable chips. Like in a dog 

I almost went there, revealing I put them in my Kids 😁

[not-enough-cruising]

1 minute ago, ONECRUISER said:

I almost went there, revealing I put them in my Kids 😁

As a father of several daughters, the thought had crossed my mind many times over the years. 

[ONECRUISER]

Just now, not-enough-cruising said:

As a father of several daughters, the thought had crossed my mind many times over the years. 

Oh yeah! Daughters and now have 4 young Grand Daughters!