Return to traditional muster drills?

[Ipeeinthepools]

We’re leaving in just a few hours on the NS and we are having a traditional muster drill were everyone needs to report to your muster station.  Maybe I missed it, but this is the first I’ve heard about HAL having a traditional  uster drill.  Is this happening on other ships?

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We are on the Rotterdam and you go to your muster station and a Crew member swipes your room card.

[rodndonna]

3 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

We’re leaving in just a few hours on the NS and we are having a traditional muster drill were everyone needs to report to your muster station.  Maybe I missed it, but this is the first I’ve heard about HAL having a traditional  uster drill.  Is this happening on other ships?

 

Are you sure you don't just have to pop by and be "tagged" after watching the video in your room? Is it really full traditional where you all shop up at the same time?

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 minute ago, rodndonna said:

 

Are you sure you don't just have to pop by and be "tagged" after watching the video in your room? Is it really full traditional where you all shop up at the same time?

Idk.  I can’t find any video to watch and they say they will give us details later.  In any case it appears we will have everyone going to their muster stations at the same time

[CruiserBruce]

2 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Idk.  I can’t find any video to watch and they say they will give us details later.  In any case it appears we will have everyone going to their muster stations at the same time

IIRC, there is a requirement for actual mustering every so often. Can't remember the intervals involved.

[Ipeeinthepools]

3 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

IIRC, there is a requirement for actual mustering every so often. Can't remember the intervals involved.

I think you’re correct.  The room steward just told me they have to do it every 6 months and I just got lucky. 😔

[FlyingCruiser2]

We like the old Muster drills.  We would pick out who we’d eat first if stuck at sea - the burly football-player types.

Edited September 7 by FlyingCruiser2

[Wehwalt]

Everyone standing and few able to lean on anything as the captain and cruise director drone on about things rather tangentially related to the safety of the ship? I think the new muster drills an immense improvement and if they must do it the old way from time to time, I hope they will remember that it isn't an endurance contest.

[WriterOnDeck]

I thought it was a requirement every 90 days but that interval could be wrong. It can "strike" on any cruise - not just the longer ones. It makes you appreciate the new version.

 

They should just serve wine and call it a block party.

[thodges]

I wonder if doing it the old way every now and then is more for the crew and less for the passengers?

[Mary229]

19 minutes ago, thodges said:

I wonder if doing it the old way every now and then is more for the crew and less for the passengers?

I always figured musters were away for the crew to observe pax in a crowd setting.  That said I haven’t done a traditional muster drill on any of the 10 cruises I have taken since 2022

[CruiserBruce]

52 minutes ago, thodges said:

I wonder if doing it the old way every now and then is more for the crew and less for the passengers?

No, doing a full muster is a requirement according to Maritime rules. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

Now that I have experienced the 6 month muster, it is definitely for the crew.  Some crew didn’t realize they needed to scan every guest to confirm attendance, some crew standing on stage didn’t know they were supposed to demonstrate how to wear the life jacket and no one seemed to know when it ended.  The passengers just decided to leave.  No guidance from the Captain or Cruise Director.

[bbodb1]

8 hours ago, FlyingCruiser2 said:

We like the old Muster drills.  We would pick out who we’d eat first if stuck at sea - the burly football-player types.

Lord of the Flies meets Titanic sort of cruise, eh @FlyingCruiser2? 😉

[FlyingCruiser2]

29 minutes ago, bbodb1 said:

Lord of the Flies meets Titanic sort of cruise, eh @FlyingCruiser2? 😉

And I’m sure there would be a Diamonds International barge nearby….

[3rdGenCunarder]

9 hours ago, Wehwalt said:

Everyone standing and few able to lean on anything as the captain and cruise director drone on about things rather tangentially related to the safety of the ship? I think the new muster drills an immense improvement and if they must do it the old way from time to time, I hope they will remember that it isn't an endurance contest.

 

I like the traditional ones because it's a way to learn the route to your muster station from your cabin. Since HAL's first step is to return to your cabin and await instructions, that route is important. Sometimes it uses crew areas, so you can't check out the route on your own. 

 

I know, I know, it's annoying and it happens when people are eager to unpack and have that first drink. But it could turn out to be very important information. And, after reading @Ipeeinthepools's description, it sounds like the crew need to do this more often. 

[iflyrc5]

On the Pinnacle class ships the muster stations can not be on the outer deck because it is too narrow.  The muster stations are in various public spaces (our cabins are usually on deck 1 aft so we muster in the MDR) and then if there is an abandon ship order the crew leads the guests to the lifeboats.

[VibeGuy]

17 hours ago, FlyingCruiser2 said:

We like the old Muster drills.  We would pick out who we’d eat first if stuck at sea - the burly football-player types.

No, no.  We’re tough and chewy.  Think about when you buy chicken.  You won’t want an old stewing hen for frying.  You want a nice tender broiler! 

[Cruising Is Bliss]

21 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

We’re leaving in just a few hours on the NS and we are having a traditional muster drill were everyone needs to report to your muster station.  Maybe I missed it, but this is the first I’ve heard about HAL having a traditional  muster drill.  Is this happening on other ships?

 

Muster drills never went away. They're a SOLAS requirement. The difference is now it's just scan and go at the muster station. No standing around. Then you have to watch the safety briefing on your cabin TV. If you're on a 30+ days cruise or multiple back to back cruises adding up to 30+ days, you have to do it every 30 days.

 

Edited September 8 by Cruising Is Bliss

[Ipeeinthepools]

Never said muster drills went away, but traditional muster drills have gone away.  Yesterday’s muster drill was not as you describe, it was sit in the theater and listen to the Captain talk while you watched crew members try to put on their life vest.

[Cruising Is Bliss]

27 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Never said muster drills went away, but traditional muster drills have gone away.  Yesterday’s muster drill was not as you describe, it was sit in the theater and listen to the Captain talk while you watched crew members try to put on their life vest.

 

Interesting. Westerdam in June and July was as I described.

[Cruising Is Bliss]

18 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

I thought it was a requirement every 90 days but that interval could be wrong. It can "strike" on any cruise - not just the longer ones. It makes you appreciate the new version.

 

They should just serve wine and call it a block party.

 

Jo, is Westerdam still doing the scan and go?

[Bobpell54]

We seem to always be on the sunny side of the ship when we had to muster at our lifeboat station before the rules changed. Packed in like sardines while sweating out our first drinks. Some newbies failed to show up and we had to stand stoically while crew looked for them.

When we were released the elevators were jammed for at least 30 minutes. 

The new way is much more efficient!!

[ontheweb]

10 minutes ago, Bobpell54 said:

We seem to always be on the sunny side of the ship when we had to muster at our lifeboat station before the rules changed. Packed in like sardines while sweating out our first drinks. Some newbies failed to show up and we had to stand stoically while crew looked for them.

When we were released the elevators were jammed for at least 30 minutes. 

The new way is much more efficient!!

Is it more efficient for the purpose of training the crew as to what they would need to do if there was a real muster situation in which they would have to gather everyone at basically the same time?

[Ipeeinthepools]

18 minutes ago, Cruising Is Bliss said:

 

Interesting. Westerdam in June and July was as I described.

Check out the rest of the thread and you’ll see the reason.