muster/safety drill - has it changed?

[nosapphire]

Last cruise we took was pre-pandemic, when the muster drill was the standard everybody to muster station when the alarm sounded.

I know that when cruises restarted during the pandemic there were a lot of changes to avoid people crowding together.

How does it work now?

 

[Scorpio41]

Do you know I’ve done four cruises since the pandemic and it’s gone completely out of my head. 😂

You board, they take you to your cabin, you only take your card to be scanned, the safety drill is on the cabin television.
The important bit of when is no where inside my head. 😂

I believe the last time we had to go at a set time. 
 

.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Scorpio41
Brain fog.

[david05]

You have to watch the safety video in the TV. Shortly before sailing, or at least before the evening meal if a late sailing, the Captain does the usual announcement and then you are called to your muster station in deck order. You do not take your life jacket and all they do us check you in and you head back to your cabin. The stairways do get crowded during the exercise! At least that is what happened at the end of 2022, perhaps someone who has been on recently can advise if there have been any further changes.

Edited June 5, 2023 by david05

[twotravellersLondon]

42 minutes ago, david05 said:

You have to watch the safety video in the TV. Shortly before sailing, or at least before the evening meal if a late sailing, the Captain does the usual announcement and then you are called to your muster station in deck order. You do not take your life jacket and all they do us check you in and you head back to your cabin. The stairways do get crowded during the exercise! At least that is what happened at the end of 2022, perhaps someone who has been on recently can advise if there have been any further changes.

 

That is exactly how it was on the Spirit of Discovery two weeks ago.

[nosapphire]

Sounds like a good system.

Many thanks to the three of you.

[Windsurfboy]

The safety video stays on repeating until you have been to muster station

Edited June 5, 2023 by Windsurfboy

[GerryL13]

On 6/5/2023 at 8:58 AM, david05 said:

You have to watch the safety video in the TV. Shortly before sailing, or at least before the evening meal if a late sailing, the Captain does the usual announcement and then you are called to your muster station in deck order. You do not take your life jacket and all they do us check you in and you head back to your cabin. The stairways do get crowded during the exercise! At least that is what happened at the end of 2022, perhaps someone who has been on recently can advise if there have been any further changes.

Just off 2 cruises on SoA. Addition to your description: The captain comes on the loudspeaker and asks all guests to go to their cabins, watch the safety video (if you haven't already) and wait for the drill to start. About 20 minutes later, they call out by deck for passengers to report to their muster stations -- so as to avoid everyone heading out at once. 

Returning to your cabin can be a hassle has you run into the next group heading out. The second time out, I chose to stay put and wait for the crowd to clear. Then everyone starts to get ready for dinner!

Edited June 8, 2023 by GerryL13

[JoJo1947]

On 6/5/2023 at 8:16 PM, Windsurfboy said:

The safety video stays on repeating until you have been to muster station

Not in previous cruise as once you have watched it you can access other items of interest on the tv

[GerryL13]

5 hours ago, JoJo1947 said:

Not in previous cruise as once you have watched it you can access other items of interest on the tv

If you are on back-to-back cruises, you are still required to report to your muster station on the following cruise. The tv is not blocked, but they know who has reported ... and who has not.

[JoJo1947]

1 minute ago, GerryL13 said:

If you are on back-to-back cruises, you are still required to report to your muster station on the following cruise. The tv is not blocked, but they know who has reported ... and who has not.

I've done many b2b and each time at the muster point had the card scanned. Back to the TV you can't view anything else on it until you play the whole video

[david05]

3 hours ago, GerryL13 said:

If you are on back-to-back cruises, you are still required to report to your muster station on the following cruise. The tv is not blocked, but they know who has reported ... and who has not.

That's a recent change, on a back to back last year they didn't require you to attend the muster for the 2nd cruise. We did because we didn't know this and it caused some confusion because the system wouldn't accept the card. It was only when the muster guy looked at it he realised we had been on the previous cruise and told us that we shouldn't be there but should be relaxing in our cabin!

Like you the TV was not blocked and the TV didn't default to the safety video so there was no need to watch it again.

Edited June 8, 2023 by david05

[david05]

Thinking about it, I wonder if our experience was a result of post-covid caution ie not requiring b2b passengers to mix closely with a lot of new arrivals and they have now reverted to requiring all passengers to attend the muster at the beginning of every cruise.

[GerryL13]

21 minutes ago, david05 said:

Thinking about it, I wonder if our experience was a result of post-covid caution ie not requiring b2b passengers to mix closely with a lot of new arrivals and they have now reverted to requiring all passengers to attend the muster at the beginning of every cruise.

I was under the impression that attending muster drill at the beginning of every cruise is international law. I've heard stories of people on multi-leg cruises getting all huffy when being "forced" to attend. My brother and SiL have done several mutli-leg cruises -- but he is not the "get huffy" type.

[david05]

20 minutes ago, GerryL13 said:

I was under the impression that attending muster drill at the beginning of every cruise is international law. I've heard stories of people on multi-leg cruises getting all huffy when being "forced" to attend. My brother and SiL have done several mutli-leg cruises -- but he is not the "get huffy" type.

It used to be the case that if you were on board for more than a month you had to attend a new muster but I don't know if you had to go to a muster for a second cruise when the total was under a month. However, my recollection pre-covid was that you did have to attend but whether or not this was required under maritime law I don't know. In any event, perhaps post-covid there was a relaxation in requirements for a while.

[nosapphire]

One muster drill that has always stuck in my mind was a sea day in the middle of a long cruise, I think it was the Saga Ruby, and back in the days when the muster station was at your lifeboat.

It was a major crew drill, and Captain Philip Rentell made an announcement that any passengers who wished to join in the drill were welcome to do so, as it would assist the crew.

A good majority of passengers did join in, and at our station several had returned to their cabins and retrieved their lifejackets, most (like us) simply came to the muster point from wherever we had been.

It was the usual hubbub around the muster points, with a majority of passengers merrily (and loudly) chattering.

Captain was making a patrol and was less than happy with what he found.

First, the crew were thoroughly torn off a strip - why had they not opened the lockers and given all passengers a lifejacket?

why were the walkways blocked by chatting passengers?

why did they not have things under control?

This alone quietened the chatting.

Then, to our shock, he turned on us passengers - gone was the familiar "genial host persona", in place was very much a Captain responsible for the safety of the ship and all souls on board..

Why were we all standing around gossiping to each other? we should be standing quietly listening for instructions.

Had none of us realised the purpose of a drill?

 

By the time he left, nobody was in any doubt that a muster drill is important, not a social event to be treated as a minor interruption in the day.

 

[Denarius]

12 hours ago, GerryL13 said:

I was under the impression that attending muster drill at the beginning of every cruise is international law. I've heard stories of people on multi-leg cruises getting all huffy when being "forced" to attend. My brother and SiL have done several mutli-leg cruises -- but he is not the "get huffy" type.

A few years ago when doing a back to back cruise with another line I was told that I did not need to attend the muster for the second cruise. I was told that whilst all passengers needed to attend a muster before the start of their voyage back to back cruises were considered as being one voyage, with the second cruise being regarded as a continuation of the first.

[JoJo1947]

Have done a few back 2 back and each cruise was treated separately and it was compulsory to attend and watch the muster procedure.

[JoJo1947]

19 hours ago, GerryL13 said:

If you are on back-to-back cruises, you are still required to report to your muster station on the following cruise. The tv is not blocked, but they know who has reported ... and who has not.

Ours has been until you finish watching the muster vid. That way no one can skip it

[Cynthia Darch]

Thank you for all this information, just one question for a newbie, where is the muster station .. just thinking about the stairs

[FangedRose]

49 minutes ago, Cynthia Darch said:

Thank you for all this information, just one question for a newbie, where is the muster station .. just thinking about the stairs

Haven't been on a Saga ship. But, on all ships I have been on there are many muster stations, which is yours depends on where your cabin is. Anyway in a safety drill the lifts are not in use for getting to the muster station, as they wouldn't be used during a real emergency. Also, on some ships crew stairs, not normally accessible to passengers, are used.

Edited June 11, 2023 by FangedRose

[GerryL13]

5 hours ago, Cynthia Darch said:

Thank you for all this information, just one question for a newbie, where is the muster station .. just thinking about the stairs

Your muster station will be identified on your key card and on the inside of the door to your cabin -- along with a map showing the routes to the stairs you should follow. There will be plenty of crew members in place guiding you to your muster station. If you are unable to negotiate stairs, you should talk to Saga ahead of time. I don't know whether there is a limit on the number of people who can get assistance for muster drill as this is supposed to enact what would happen if a real emergency were to occur.

EDIT: My cabin was on C Deck (deck 9) and my muster station was in the Living Room (deck 5).

Edited June 11, 2023 by GerryL13

[suron]

9 hours ago, GerryL13 said:

Your muster station will be identified on your key card and on the inside of the door to your cabin -- along with a map showing the routes to the stairs you should follow. There will be plenty of crew members in place guiding you to your muster station. If you are unable to negotiate stairs, you should talk to Saga ahead of time. I don't know whether there is a limit on the number of people who can get assistance for muster drill as this is supposed to enact what would happen if a real emergency were to occur.

EDIT: My cabin was on C Deck (deck 9) and my muster station was in the Living Room (deck 5).

I have just arranged assistance for my cruise on Spirit of Adventure and there is a limit on the number of people this can be offered to so this must be requested when booking and not left until check-in