Anyone ever successful in skipping the life jacket drill?

[kamfan]

I would like to add one thing on this subject that I have yet to see mentioned. The drill is not just for passengers. I would argue, it is actually more for the crew. As there is a regular change in crew at the beginning of every cruise, this gives them a chance to become familiarized with the ship and passangers during this time. It gives individual crew members that are responsible for a section, a chance to have an idea of who is in their group and if there is going to mobility problems etc.. For those of you that insist that by being late, or not showing up, that you are not affecting anyone else, you do, in fact keep the rest of the ship waiting while those staff members have to take the attendance (you may not always see them doing it, but they do). By being late or being a no show you take their attention away from the job at hand by having to shepherd wayward passengers. Maybe, just maybe, it might be to YOUR advantage to get there quickly and let the crew do their jobs. Then we can all get on with our purpose there, to have a great time!!!!!!

[patience32]

a few years ago we were on a ship with a real emergency a bad storm with 30 foot swell and a fire in the laundry room[ caused by a cigarette]at three in the morning and banging on our cabin we all proceeded to muster station [with life jackets] some people were panicking and to sum it up it was chaos.obviously a lot of sea sickness.i thought the crew who practiced this drill were more scared then the passengers.and in reality no amount of drills can prepare you for this kind of emergency.the captain said they were lowering the life boats for passengers.they tried but they kept tipping over with the thirty foot waves .cutting a long story short the storm got better and the fire was put out.and ive done many cruises since.what im saying is what use was the lifeboat drill which i attended.when the life boats wouldnt float on the water.were not always sailing in the lovely warm caribbean.:confused:

[sapper1]

Me, I am very helpful fellow. During a real emergency if I saw a fellow passenger running back and forth in the hallway hollering "what do I do, Where do I go?" I would take a second out of my planned and practiced evacuation to give this advice. Do the same thing you did during the Muster Drill. Go hide in your Cabin until the emergency is over.:rolleyes:

Bob

 

That comment gets right to the heart of the matter in a very amusing way. Love it!!!!

[INeedAMaiTai]

The emergency drills could be worse...the bars could be closed. The best thing about them is standing in line with a big umbrella drink and enjoying the sights. It's a half an hour out of your day. It is as fun as you want to make it. My husband and I just grab a drink and chat. Sure, sitting by the pool or hanging out in the cabin would be better, but you have to do it...for the sake of the other passengers, for the sake of the crew, and just in case something happens.

[satxdiver]

On our first cruise we skipped the muster. We were in our cabin and did have our PFDs in our hands when the cabin steward opened the door. He just made sure we put them on and told us where we were supposed to muster. Then he left.

 

Now what we do is arrive at the muster station late. We are not in any hurry to stand in the heat next to our fellow pax who obviously have not had a shower in several days. We are put in the front since they fill from the back to the front.

 

After the muster we head for the nearest bar and being in the front we are able to be the first to leave. The hordes will be clogging the stairs and particularly the elevators while we are enjoying our drinks. Later we casually make our way back to the room in the now uncrowded hallways.

 

One of the first things we check when we enter our room for the first time is where the PFDs are located and I check them. We also take note as to where our muster station is located. This part is important just as it is important to check the diagram on the back of your hotel door as to where the emergency exits are located every time you check into a hotel. Just a bit of common sense.

[12vman]

I guess it's not funny or humorous subject to most of us.

 

 

you also said:

 

 

You know I break just about every rule the ships have. I dress in shorts of the dining room, i wear flipflops on formal night i go topless on lido i bring my own booze and pop i could go on on, we all can.

 

But I always go to the life boat drill, have never tryed to miss it, dont feel the need to try.

 

I hate the darn drill too but it could save you life if somthing went bad on the cruise.

 

just go to the drill

__________________

Brett Jeffery

 

 

"we all can"? well...not me. frankly i find your rule breaking far more offensive than someone who misses a drill. Please keep in mind, you are on a ship of thousands, things run well when we all act like respectful human beings toward each other. The gang plank didn't get raised after you came aboard man. I Don't mean to come after you hard, its just that your post...the way you so casually said what you said, i was surprised really, i felt i had to respond to that.

[yakdaddy42]

to 12 v man

 

IF I really did all the rule breaking I said I do, I'm not putting myself or any one else in harms way.

 

Of the rules broken that I said I do, ok you called me on a few. I do not wear shorts in the dinning room. I own a tux belive it or not and a suit or two. I hate flip flops and never wear them.

 

But of the rules I do break, I'm a guy, so of course I go topless on Lido deck. Well the booze that is a dont ask, dont tell type action.

 

I was being flip, all of the rules I said I broke are all hot topic, button pushing, flame starting subjects on this board and that was my point in my own pin head way of saying it.

 

 

safety first and the rest, so what.

[familyfromvt]

We haven't and wouldn't skip this drill. However, I am not going to be the first one up there this time. We were very timely with attending our previous drills and ended up stuck in the back - unable to see or hear anything. That didn't help the kids - and we ended up going over what to do in case of and emergency on our own afterwards. We're going to be with the stragglers this time. Not last - just not first.

[Gathina]

Must be a gen-xer. The rules of life seem to not apply to them either.

 

"we all can"? well...not me. frankly i find your rule breaking far more offensive than someone who misses a drill. Please keep in mind, you are on a ship of thousands, things run well when we all act like respectful human beings toward each other. The gang plank didn't get raised after you came aboard man. I Don't mean to come after you hard, its just that your post...the way you so casually said what you said, i was surprised really, i felt i had to respond to that.

[Parrot Mom]

On our last cruise in December we made a mistake and and not fly in to Brcelona the day before the cruise and when we did arrive our driver was told our fliht was cancelled. We manged to get the last bus from the airport to the ship and were extremely stressed out.. We got to the ship. flopped on the bed.. the steward wanted to know if we were alright.. we said just exhausted..He said we could skip the "life boat drill"..I could have kissed him. Yes, it's a generation thing..lol.. we are in our mid-seventies..give or take...lol

[EverettAndTanya]

So YOUR the one we are all waiting on! :mad:

 

Fortunately, I have better things to do than stay mad at some jerk who makes us all wait while they selfishly try to skip out of the drill. :(:rolleyes:

 

As soon as muster drill is over, it's back to party time! :D

[Parrot Mom]

PARTY ON!!! Obviously,the room steward took care of the situation..actually the only favor he did for us on that cruise..lol This Sept. cruise we will be in earlier and will party with you after the muster..

[BalconyBumz]

I wouldn't want to skip it. Don't like it, but I just like to get it over with. Some have certainly been worse than others.

[Julie Koefoot]

Yes, they are a pain but necessary and I want to know how to get off that ship in an emergency. I surprised they only do one per cruise. Were luck they don't a second drill just to see if we remember what we learned from the first. Just incase.

Julie

[capncarp]

Of course, skipping muster IS one way of possibly preventing your offspring from having to participate.

ALL of ANY POSSIBLE FUTURE offspring...:eek:

[TPreston]

The last cruise I took they had the muster drill between first and second seating i think... now is this true on most of their ships? Becuase on Sunday we depart on AOS and we will be arriving late(hopefully on time tho) but our flight doesnt land til 4:35, if nothing gets delayed with transferes. If we miss the drill by the time we board will they give us instructions on another time to meet? The actual ship doesnt depart until 830, but if they board people until 7:30 how can they have the muster drill before that time?

[RICKnVICK]

IMHO - Like Nike says - just do it! We have met some really great people while waiting for the drill to start. It is a small amount of time out of your trip, and once over let your vacation begin!

[Janan]

My wife and I use to til about the year 2000, since then we have attended everyone....not that we haven't been tempted!:D

 

Andy

[Steviewonder1]

Been to all of them. On our cruise last year on HAL, they scanned everyone's ID card barcode. The next day there was a long line of folks walking thru the ship with life preservers on following several folks in white jackets out to lifeboat stations. No one escaped, they ran you down and out to the drill you go. I usually carry the DOTD and my pocket camera, you never know what you will see...

[WinoSanJose]

I would cheer loudly if I knew that you folks who cavalerly avoid the safety drills were to die from a similar fate, hopefully slowly and painfully, without harm to the rest of us. You risk my life by your high falutin attitude.

[cruise_addicted]

I agree! Just stop being a baby and go through the muster drill that, for me, has never lasted more than about 15 minutes. By trying to be sneaky and avoid it, you are only being a nuisance to everyone who is waiting to be done! I would rather spend 15 minutes learning how to use my life jacket, etc. than to be involved in the horrible situation of the ship being in trouble and me being lost on how to save myself.

[capncarp]

Somehow, the image of the panic-stricken uninformed drill-skipper clawing at someone to help him/her get to the muster station, or trying to grab a life preserver from someone else :eek: comes very easily to mind. I'd be highly inspired at that particular moment to borrow my DW's cane or some other handy blunt object and, um, "pacify" the poor soul--for the good of the rest of the passengers, of course:rolleyes:

[Smellytoes]

I just returned from the Norwegian Dream yesterday and the whole ship got to skip the life boat drill. A huge thunderstorm rolled through Boston just as the muster drill was supposed to start. The cruise director announced that the drill was cancelled and we could have a "make believe one in our cabins" if we wanted.

[Woobstr112G]

Just do it........15 minutes isn't that big of a deal.......

 

Bob

 

Future: Diamond Princess Aus/Nz 01/09

Future: Emerald Princess Med/Trans Atlantic 10/08

Constellation British Isles/Norway 07/06

Summit Alaska Repositioning 05/05

Summit Panama Canal 10/02

Rhapsody Of The Seas Alaska 09/01

Spledour Of The Seas Baltic 09/99

Veendam Eastern Caribbean 07/96

Holiday Western Carribean 07/93

[G'ma]

Some friends told me they have NEVER attended a life jacket drill, and have never been made to leave their cabins. While we were all out there, they were inside having some fun LOLOL. Anyone else?

 

Angie

 

Hopefully they'll think they are as clever if/when an emergency arises at sea and they don't know where to go or what to do.

 

These mindless, self-centered people jeopardize every passenger on the ship with their stupidity.

 

I refer you to the fire on Princess a few years back...and a few others.

 

Most cruise ships enforce the attendance by checking each cabin and having a roll call by getting the cabin number off the back of the lifejacket at the drill. Most cruise ships would send these jerks a message from the Captain ordering them to appear the next day.

 

Guess they must have been sailing on the Minnow.

 

Trust me, they are not clever, they are simply empty-headed.