When and how long is the muster drill?

[lephysteria]

How long the drill is can be relative if you're sitting in the hot sun. Earlier this month we in California had a heat wave from he!! :eek:

Outside it was in the mid 90s and while mustering on the Monarch, one member (older gentleman) of our party suffered heat exhaustion and spent the evening in the cabin laying down. He felt fine afterward, but I'll bet for him the muster drill felt like forever.

 

In reality, its only 30 minutes or so. We go early to the muster drill because during the drill they shut off the elevators, so we don't like walking up 10 flights of stairs, so we go early.

My mom has a knee that plays tricks on her, so she goes early to the drill too.

 

Sometimes you get lucky and they have your drill inside where its cool. That's somewhat better, I guess.

It is important to go to the drill, and if you camp out in your cabin it just takes that much longer. On our Monarch cruises they actually take roll. You have to say how many are in your cabin. When sailing as a single sailer on 3/5 they asked me where the other half of my party was. I told them "India, thats why I'm sailing as a single this time". :)

[isujim]

Hey Lep........haven't heard from you in awhile.........good to see you!!:)

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

I will be on the EOS from Cape Liberty. Minutes after leaving the dock we will be right near the Statue of Liberty and the Verazanno Bridge. Would love to see them up close like that, but was concerned that timing might coincide with the muster drill.

 

Muster drill is strickly on a "if you feel like attending" basis. You don't have to show up if you don't want to. And if the staff asks you to go, it's OK to tell them to go stuff it (Yes - you may give them the finger too for effect).

And those space-hogging lifejackets: just get rid of them - I'd throw them overboard if I were you! Then you'll have that much more room in your cabin!:D

[lephysteria]

Hey Lep........haven't heard from you in awhile.........good to see you!!:)

 

Hi Jim .... Its always good to seee you :)

[lucywestie]

So how do you know where your muster station is then? and if it is marked on something in your cabin do they give you directions for the fastest way to get there?

Just curious as this will be our first cruise

Cheers

[Sue L]

So how do you know where your muster station is then? and if it is marked on something in your cabin do they give you directions for the fastest way to get there?

Just curious as this will be our first cruise

Cheers

 

 

If I remember correctly there is a sign on the back of your door that gives your station. When they call for the muster drill there will be plenty of crew directing traffic and telling you exactly where to go. They do shut off the elevators so if you have any mobility issues let them know since you have to walk down the stairs to near the lifeboats which on most of the ships I have been on are always around deck 3 or 4.

[Coralc]

We've had odd muster drills twice. Both during hurricane season. On a caribbean Princess cruise we had 2 muster drills on a 7 day cruise. The first was at muster stations on deck and the second one everyone had to report to the theater, with lifejackets, for announcements.:)

 

On a Carnival cruise, Mexican Riviera, where it looked like we might be sailing towards a hurricane. The muster drill was over an hour, and our station was moved 3 times...from deck, to a lounge, to the pool deck, and they kept re-numbering re-assigning and counting people. It wasn't exactly confidence inspiring. :rolleyes: ....Had this been a real emergency.....:D

 

All of the Royal Caribbean ones have been brief and normal.:)

[dorisdvu]

After the muster drill, how hard is it to get a table on deck for the departure?

[sept10dsm]

I don't see why you couldn't get a table. I'm not sure exactly what kind of table, but after the drill most return to their cabin to place the life jackets back.

[sept10dsm]

We've had odd muster drills twice. Both during hurricane season. On a caribbean Princess cruise we had 2 muster drills on a 7 day cruise. The first was at muster stations on deck and the second one everyone had to report to the theater, with lifejackets, for announcements.:)

 

On a Carnival cruise, Mexican Riviera, where it looked like we might be sailing towards a hurricane. The muster drill was over an hour, and our station was moved 3 times...from deck, to a lounge, to the pool deck, and they kept re-numbering re-assigning and counting people. It wasn't exactly confidence inspiring. :rolleyes: ....Had this been a real emergency.....:D

 

All of the Royal Caribbean ones have been brief and normal.:)

I guess the extra drills help to enforce the importance when bad weather is near.

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

After the muster drill, how hard is it to get a table on deck for the departure?

If there are two of you, why don't you send one person to the deck to find a good spot, and the other goes to the cabin to drop off the lifejackets? If you follow my advice from before, you can save valuable seconds by throwing the lifejackets overboard!:D Even better yet: grab that sweet spot during muster drill: all the other passengers will be busy then!:D

[Maxima81]

IIRC, on my NCL Dawn cruise, the reporting / muster station was printed also on the keycard indicating the deck and location (forward, mid, aft, etc.). NCL used lounges, dining rooms, etc. to hold the muster drills, so we weren't standing outside exposed to the weather.

 

Our station was one deck above our cabin, so we didn't have to climb multiple stories as some have mentioned here.

 

It sounds like this might be the case with RCCL? I guess it's a good thing I'll be on Deck 8 of the Explorer, which is about the middle of the ship.

 

But as many have mentioned before, I'm sure the drills will be done well before the ship sails. I had plenty of time to watch on the top decks as our ship was the first of three to leave the NY Cruise Terminal, sail down the Hudson, past Lady Liberty, and under the Bridge.

[01821]

So how do you know where your muster station is then? and if it is marked on something in your cabin do they give you directions for the fastest way to get there?

Just curious as this will be our first cruise

Cheers

 

 

You Life Jackets are also marked with your muster station. The crew will direct you to your station.

[bankonus]

How many of you see the people blowing on the whistles attached to the lifevests? YUCK!! I will blow that whistle ONLY when it is absolutely necessary, and that is when I am already overboard!!:p

[masterbaker]

Did a little research on this, and you are correct (for cruises of one week or less). Here's some Coast Guard info:

 

Emergency Drills. Coast Guard regulations and SOLAS require that the master of an ocean cruise ship periodically hold fire and lifeboat drills. They are intended not only to give the crew practice, but also to show the passengers how to act in the event of an emergency at sea. Passengers should participate fully in these drills. The timing and frequency of the drills depends in large part on the length of the voyage. On voyages that will last more than one week, the first drill will be held before the ship gets underway (passengers who embark at the last minute sometimes miss this drill), with additional drills at least once a week thereafter. On voyages of one week or less, the drills must be held within 24 hours after leaving port.

 

This is from http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/cruiseship.htm.

 

Has anyone that's been on a cruise lasting more than 2 weeks had to do a second muster drill?

 

I totally agree with you...what if something happens within that first 24 hours???:eek:

 

A majority of our cruises have been more than a week, some more than 2 weeks, and we have only mustered once for each of our cruises. I have seen crew drills during our cruises, but passengers were not required to participate in those, only crew members.