suggestions for kids when there is an emergency

[becauseisaid]

I have always wonderered if I give my kids the correct advice on what to do in case of emergency like the evacuation of a ship. But now, with the sinking of this cruise ship on thursday (&friday), I want more advice. I always thought that (especially on the enormous ship-)what are the odds that we will be near enough to our life boat to get there or that my kids will be at the ice cream bar...

 

Can we start a thread about NCL and what general suggestions/advice as well as anything specific to NCL??

 

Ilene

[PDAZ]

If they're not with you, they would be in the kids' program, right? In either case, there would be someone to help them evacuate. Unless, you're on a Greek ship where the crew bails out first!:rolleyes: Kidding -- I'm not assailing Greeks or their ships -- it was just weird to read the comments about the crew freaking out.

[lilant]

they could wear "floaties" the whole cruise.

 

the ship "sank" a day after it hit the rocks, and all the guest were off, and i'm sure that they would not be turned away from a life boat b/c it was not "theirs".

[SSKB]

I don't know how NCL works their kids club, but on both Carnival and Celebrity, my kids had wrist bands with the age group that they were in and the letter of our muster station. We were told that in the event of an emergency, a crew member would deliver any child with a wrist band (whether during a kids event or not) to the appropriate muster station. Parents were told to go directly to the muster station to meet the children. I thought it was a very good idea.

[newmexicoNita]

I don't know how NCL works their kids club, but on both Carnival and Celebrity, my kids had wrist bands with the age group that they were in and the letter of our muster station. We were told that in the event of an emergency, a crew member would deliver any child with a wrist band (whether during a kids event or not) to the appropriate muster station. Parents were told to go directly to the muster station to meet the children. I thought it was a very good idea.

NCL works pretty much the same way as other lines. HAL does it that way as well. The crew will make certain parents and kids are together if at all possible. NMnita

[songanddance]

An interesting twist to this whole thought porcess about ship board evacuation emergencies. One day when the crew on one NCL ships (I don't remember if it was the Majesty, Dawn or Crown) was having a life boat drill, I asked the deck officer if they had ever drilled in a high wind and rough seas and he said never because it would be a safety hazzard to the crew. So next time when you are in a storm pray that you never have to evacuate the ship using the life boats because no one has ever tried to launch life boats into a 40 MPH wind and thirty foot seas. Comforting thought but then they don't issue parachutes on planes either.

[dyslexic pirate]

Our rule is to report to mom and dad's cabin and stay there. That way we can proceed as a family to our muster stations.

 

We have 6 in our family. I would rather do a nose count in our cabin, make sure everyone has their life jackets etc. I would hate to try and find everyone in the chaos out on deck.

 

Unless the ship has been ripped in two by a huge explosion there should be no reason to panic and run for the lifeboats. As with the ship that just sank (even the Titanic) it took several hours.

[Tahoestarr]

Well, unfortunately for some of these folks, they couldn't get to their cabins because they were full of water :eek: Always good to have a back up plan. However, my little guy did have a wrist band with his information on it. RCCL also does it this way, and at the muster Drill, they crew made sure that each child had a wrist band.

[GORDONCHICK]

Well, unfortunately for some of these folks, they couldn't get to their cabins because they were full of water :eek: Always good to have a back up plan. However, my little guy did have a wrist band with his information on it. RCCL also does it this way, and at the muster Drill, they crew made sure that each child had a wrist band.

 

Being part of RCI, X does the same thing.

[PelicanBill]

If your kids are young enough to have the wristbands, then the crew will take them to your muster station. If they are old enough to be allowed to be apart from you and not in the program, they should learn from the muster drill where their muster station is. Go to the cabin and get their life vests and proceed to the muster station if the emergency is calling for passengers to proceed to muster stations. If they are not yet calling for that, then join you at the cabin. But impress on them that if there is a call to proceed to muster stations they should GO without you but with their life vests.

 

The disturbing thing about the ship in Greece is they did not use their life boats or muster stations. Everyone gathered at the back of the ship where they used rope ladders and other ways of transferring people to other boats. With the ship taking on water, they should have followed protocol and evacuated the fastest way possible.