can muster call be skipped?

[sanjay]

background -- 8 of us are trying to go on freedom in september....one of which is my elderly grandmother who walks at a snails pace.

 

can we leave her behind for the muster call? i just know she'll cause a huge hurdle in the line stressing her out.....and in a real life situation the 7 of us would be helping her.

 

alternativly....can we take her to the muster station before the call begins?

[CruiseAddict74]

background -- 8 of us are trying to go on freedom in september....one of which is my elderly grandmother who walks at a snails pace.

 

can we leave her behind for the muster call? i just know she'll cause a huge hurdle in the line stressing her out.....and in a real life situation the 7 of us would be helping her.

 

alternativly....can we take her to the muster station before the call begins?

 

Everyone MUST be present during the muster drill (maritime law) However, you can absolutely take your grandmother to the muster station early to avoid the masses - and probably stay there a little later when people start to return to other parts of the ship. Unfortunately the muster is a necessary evil. Have a great cruise!!!!

[SheriNtexas]

background -- 8 of us are trying to go on freedom in september....one of which is my elderly grandmother who walks at a snails pace.

 

can we leave her behind for the muster call? i just know she'll cause a huge hurdle in the line stressing her out.....and in a real life situation the 7 of us would be helping her.

 

alternativly....can we take her to the muster station before the call begins?

 

 

Everyone is required to go to muster drill. Muster drill CAN get a little crazy with everyone walking down narrow hallways, up and down stairs, etc. When you get onboard, check in, I guess at the purser's desk, and ask them. Y'all should be able to take her early, but that would mean standing and waiting for everyone else to get there. Also, when muster is OVER, there will be a mad rush to get up top to watch sailaway! Just ask when you check in or when you get onboard and find out, but she will be required to go. Good luck!!:)

[steve20832]

background -- 8 of us are trying to go on freedom in september....one of which is my elderly grandmother who walks at a snails pace.

 

can we leave her behind for the muster call? i just know she'll cause a huge hurdle in the line stressing her out.....and in a real life situation the 7 of us would be helping her.

 

alternativly....can we take her to the muster station before the call begins?

 

 

You can not miss the muster drill. All cabins and public areas are checked for passengers. I suggest going to the muster station about 10-15 minutes before the drill. Drill times are in the cruise compass. Staff is usually on the stairs ready to direct people about 15 minutes before drill time.

[FrancescaH]

You all have to go, but go early. You can always help her down and find her a seat (usually they have some chairs out on the deck but stacked during the muster drill) then have someone go fetch the life jackets closer to the drill time. I use a wheelchair so always arrive a bit early.

[Jimmers]

background -- 8 of us are trying to go on freedom in september....one of which is my elderly grandmother who walks at a snails pace.

 

can we leave her behind for the muster call? i just know she'll cause a huge hurdle in the line stressing her out.....and in a real life situation the 7 of us would be helping her.

 

alternativly....can we take her to the muster station before the call begins?

 

No one likes the muster drill. It's really tough standing outside with those uncomfortable vests on. But it could be a lifesaver in a real emergency.

 

It is mandatory for all passengers and they do a head count. How accurate that is and whether they check all the rooms to see if everyone participated I don't know.

 

I don't see why she couldn't get an early start on the process.

[Cathomas]

background -- 8 of us are trying to go on freedom in september....one of which is my elderly grandmother who walks at a snails pace.

 

can we leave her behind for the muster call? i just know she'll cause a huge hurdle in the line stressing her out.....and in a real life situation the 7 of us would be helping her.

 

alternativly....can we take her to the muster station before the call begins?

 

She can stay behind, but if the ship goes down you must do the same.

 

Joke over, everyone must go to muster.

I believe you can do one of two things; leave early before they call you or the crew will help those that need help. Someone should be able to give more info on the last one.

[carmelninetysix]

month before and tell them that you have a grandmother who needs assistance! They will have a person who will take her down by elevator and get her checked in and posibly give her an early release from the drill! She MUST ATTEND but if she has an assistant from the ship and they know ahead of time they really will work with people who are elderly, have ailments/oxygen or even me for my knee problems and not being able to use alot of stairs! I was lucky our drill on Explorer of the Seas took less than 5 minutes due to our late sail away! I think they felt badly for everyone who had to wait until 7:30 p.m. to start the boarding of our ship so muster was painless and over before we knew it! Be sure to let them know ahead of time and again once you board your ship let someone know and they will give your Grandmother much assistance! Best of Luck!!! Happy Sailing and Bon Voyage!!! Melissa

[Evilgrin72]

No one likes the muster drill. It's really tough standing outside with those uncomfortable vests on. But it could be a lifesaver in a real emergency.

 

It is mandatory for all passengers and they do a head count. How accurate that is and whether they check all the rooms to see if everyone participated I don't know.

 

I don't see why she couldn't get an early start on the process.

 

 

They check around briefly, but they don't hold it up for everyone if one person isn't present. I know a guy (not me - keep the flame off) that's been on about 6-7 cruises and has never been to a muster drill. He stays in his room and unpacks during it and if someone pokes around at his door, he steps into the bathroom until they leave. I asked him if they've ever caught up to or said anything to him, and he said no.

[Jimmers]

They check around briefly, but they don't hold it up for everyone if one person isn't present. I know a guy (not me - keep the flame off) that's been on about 6-7 cruises and has never been to a muster drill. He stays in his room and unpacks during it and if someone pokes around at his door, he steps into the bathroom until they leave. I asked him if they've ever caught up to or said anything to him, and he said no.

 

I will admit that we did that once on Carnival way back in 95. It was our first cruise and we didn't know we HAD to attend the party. We stayed in our room and no one checked. But since then we have gone along with the program since you never really know when you're going to have to make a quick exit.

 

I'm reminded of the tragedy in the Greek isles a year or so ago when the ship hit a rock and had to be evacuated. A father and daughter never made it off the ship and are presumed dead though as far as I know they never recovered their bodies.

[alphakitty]

They will provide assistance for anyone who needs it if you ask. The biggest issue is the elevators are closed just before and just after muster drill. I have trouble with a lot of stairs, so I just go early to muster, then hang out until the elevators are open again.

[MakinGold]

Good question. (I thought from the title it was going to be someone just whining about not wanting to attend muster drill.) The drills are really not that big of a deal. Everyone just assembles at their muster stations; it takes a few minutes for everyone to arrive; you listen to a few instructions of what to do in a real emergency; you get dismissed.

 

It sounds like your grandmother is able to get around, but just very slowly. I think, if I were you, I'd board the ship relatively early, if possible, and give yourselves plenty of time to get settled in before the drill. Find out where your muster station is and scope out a lounge or some such place that is nearby. Then you can show up there early and just sit and chat, people-watch, play cards, whatever your group enjoys, until the drill is called. Then you can take your time getting to your station, since it's only a few steps away.

[Lawrence22]

Can I ask how long the muster drill lasts normally? Going on my first cruise in March.

 

Lawrence

[ksuds]

Yes, I know the drill is "mandatory". However, I have not attended one in quite some time. We stay in our room. Sometimes we get caught my our room stuart, but they do not do anything. I will not go..........the life jackets stink from all the sweaty people putting them on, and I don't want that touching me. In the event the ship goes down I will make an exception though:confused:

[lisiamc]

 

Yes, I know the drill is "mandatory". However, I have not attended one in quite some time. We stay in our room. Sometimes we get caught my our room stuart, but they do not do anything. I will not go..........the life jackets stink from all the sweaty people putting them on, and I don't want that touching me. In the event the ship goes down I will make an exception though:confused:

 

If I were you, I'd get my flame-proof undies on - it isn't going to be pretty!

 

I will very gently say that you might want to rethink your non-attendance. You won't know what to do in an emergency, and you might be running around in an even bigger panic than everyone else if you have to evacuate the ship.

 

You can bring Lysol and give your life jacket a squirt if it really bugs you.

 

Lisa

[seagoer55]

Also if you let the guides know that your Grandmother has mobility problems they will take her in one of the elevators. A friend of mine that I sailed with has knee problems & when they saw her walking with her cane they escourted her to an elevator & she met me at the muster station.

[cruise_lover]

We just got off the Voyager and during our Muster Drill there were several people with clipped boards at each station asking us what our cabin number was and how many people were in it. Then he/she was checking off that information. Ours even called out severl names to make sure those people were at the Muster Drill.

[Luv2croose]

Actually when we were on the Voyager a few years back, I had surgery 3 days before leaving for our cruise and was confined to a wheel chair. Our stateroom attendant told me I didn't have to go to the muster drill and that all my hubby had to do was tell whoever was taking room numbers down, where I was and what my circumstances were.

With that said I would do one of two things, either go to your muster location early - and hopefully it will be one of the lounges where you can get her a seat - or talk to Royal Caribbean about her situation.

There is always a way to work these things out.

Nora

[SDPadreFan]

This is an interesting thread to me. First of all let me state that I have not been on a RCCL cruise. We are booked on Brilliance for this November and are very close to booking Vision for this April (just working out the details).

 

So my experience has been 1 Celebrity, and 2 Carnival cruises. My Celebrity cruise (in 1998, pre. RCCL purchase) was fairly similiar to what everyone else has stated about RCCL. Grouped into cramped areas wearing a smelly lifejacket for an uncomfortable period of time.

 

My experience with Carnival both in 2006 (Spirit) and 2007 (Elation) was almost pleasant by comparison. Is it possible Carnival actually does something better than RCCL (I have my flame-proof undies on). I'm certainly not down on RCCL. I'm really looking forward to my next cruise(s) on RCCL. Every vacation can have bumps in the road. Get over them and continue to have a great time. I spent 24 years on and off aircraft carriers so I know all about bumps.

 

My experience with Carnival is this. People are separated into groups (like all ships). On Carnival, the groups all met in public areas first (lounges, bars, lido deck areas). They explained all the procedures there (where many people were able to sit), including trying out the life jackets. They then took us en-mass up or down the stairs to our life boat station (we no longer were required to wear our life jackets (just carry them, or wear them). We were packed together at the life boat station for a couple of minutes for a little extra instruction and then we were free to go. On our second Carnival cruise we had my mobility impaired, 82 year old mother-in-law with us in a wheel chair (more for distance walking and stability than anything else). We had previously notified the Pursers desk of her condition. We were told to go to the mustering area for our group (a lounge). We were told it would be ok to use the elevator for her wheelchair. We did this with no problem. When we got to the lounge area, a crew member paid special attention to her, explaining all the procedures. When it was time to go out to the life boats, she was able to stay in the lounge with a crew member while my wife and I went to the lifeboats with everyone else. So it really worked out pretty well.

[FL_Cruiser64]

I will admit that we did that once on Carnival way back in 95. It was our first cruise and we didn't know we HAD to attend the party. We stayed in our room and no one checked. But since then we have gone along with the program since you never really know when you're going to have to make a quick exit.

 

I'm reminded of the tragedy in the Greek isles a year or so ago when the ship hit a rock and had to be evacuated. A father and daughter never made it off the ship and are presumed dead though as far as I know they never recovered their bodies.

 

Not to take the thread off subject but what a horrible situation that was. And the capt and crew leaving the ship? My goodness...

 

One of his excuses was that he wanted to go ashore and call for help. :eek:

 

To the OP: yes your granny should attend. Go early, leisurely. Advantage is that you be lined up in the first line and it will not be as claustrophobic since one of your sides will not have another passenger line.

 

Being on many cruises and seeing it as a necessary evil it is good to know what to do, where to go when a real emergency should happen..or as the cruise line always says: in the situation of an unexpected event...:D

 

Plus, when you do the muster drill you know that you are only minutes away from sail away.

 

;)

[FL_Cruiser64]

Can I ask how long the muster drill lasts normally? Going on my first cruise in March.

 

Lawrence

 

For a 5pm sail away, the muster drill usually starts around 4:30 pm and is over within 20 min.

[Lawrence22]

For a 5pm sail away, the muster drill usually starts around 4:30 pm and is over within 20 min.

 

Thank you

[Snoozeman]

Is it possible Carnival actually does something better than RCCL (I have my flame-proof undies on).

 

And Princess is even better. They also give some practical information, such as 'how the exit the ship in an emergency situation sans lifeboat' i.e. jumping ship.;)

[Aubiecruiser]

 

Yes, I know the drill is "mandatory". However, I have not attended one in quite some time. We stay in our room. Sometimes we get caught my our room stuart, but they do not do anything. I will not go..........the life jackets stink from all the sweaty people putting them on, and I don't want that touching me. In the event the ship goes down I will make an exception though:confused:

 

If I were you I wouldn't advertise this. It's no fun standing out in the sun waiting for the stragglers to show up. We've been held out there for over 15 minutes extra while the crew was trying to find some losers who only thought about themselves. :mad: They know who you are and what cabin you are in by the numbers on the vests.

For the OP, maybe you will be one of the lucky ones to have their muster station in one of the common rooms. Twice on cruises our muster area was the Schooner Bar. Good luck and hope you don't have any problems with stragglers.

Aubie

[The Martins]

To me, the muster drill drives home just how SCREWED I am if things really go badly on that cruise. I cannot imagine a real-life catastrophe at sea.:eek: