Jump to content

Muster drills


Jac21
 Share

Recommended Posts

I for one think it is a good thing. What I would like to see is a time limit put on it. If muster is called at 4.15 anyone who has not swiped in by 4.30 should receive some kind of punishment (unless they have a valid reason for being late). How about their cruise card de activated, then they will have to go to reception to get it re activated. Most people get to the muster station in plenty of time, then have to sit waiting for the people who think they can just take their time in getting to it. On my last cruise the muster was called and it was a good 40 minutes before it started and even then people came strolling in. They were not late arrivals as the gangways were cleared before muster was called.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I for one think it is a good thing. What I would like to see is a time limit put on it. If muster is called at 4.15 anyone who has not swiped in by 4.30 should receive some kind of punishment (unless they have a valid reason for being late). How about their cruise card de activated, then they will have to go to reception to get it re activated. Most people get to the muster station in plenty of time, then have to sit waiting for the people who think they can just take their time in getting to it. On my last cruise the muster was called and it was a good 40 minutes before it started and even then people came strolling in. They were not late arrivals as the gangways were cleared before muster was called.

 

'Some kind of punishment', it's a bloody cruise not boot camp! :eek::D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Muster Drill prior to sailing is a legal requirement and designed to educate people into what will happen in the unlikely event of an emergency situation occurring. People being late in arriving or not turning up are things which in a real life emergency situation are very likely to happen. In a drill should this type of event occur, it should not delay or affect the good smooth running of the event. It should be determined whether people are absent or late, identify them and simply take them aside to impress how serious these events are taken and if they absent themselves completely they should have a very good reason. People who have failed to attend and deliberately tried to evade the event on other lines have been disembarked in the past.

 

Regards John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Muster Drill prior to sailing is a legal requirement and designed to educate people into what will happen in the unlikely event of an emergency situation occurring. People being late in arriving or not turning up are things which in a real life emergency situation are very likely to happen. In a drill should this type of event occur, it should not delay or affect the good smooth running of the event. It should be determined whether people are absent or late, identify them and simply take them aside to impress how serious these events are taken and if they absent themselves completely they should have a very good reason. People who have failed to attend and deliberately tried to evade the event on other lines have been disembarked in the past.

 

Regards John

 

Good answer John.

Have to say, if people deliberately miss the Muster Drill because they can't be bothered or don't like to follow rules then I'd have them disembarked. If they can't be bothered to follow the rules when all if well then they would be a danger to others if there was an emergency.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's my cruise and I want to start enjoying as soon as the muster is over. :p

 

I agree. It's the one thing that I have no choice but to attend (for absolutely the right reasons) and I want it over and done quickly so that my cruise can begin. All too often, by the time you deposit your life jackets back in the cabin the ship is leaving and you miss the sailway. It irritates me also when people amble in ages after the drill is due to start, but you can't legislate for stupidity :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's only one thing worse than a muster drill on a cruise, and that's trying to get out of the muster station to anywhere else after the drill is complete.

 

Quite. Especially when your other half is in a wheelchair and you need a lift, given that a large proportion of able bodied people suddenly lose the ability to walk up and down stairs the minute that they board a cruise ship. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, i am in the same situation. I have found it is best to go out on

The open deck for a good half of an hour. By which time, those

Massive crowds by the lifts will be gone.

That is fine provided that the muster drill is not delayed and/or you are not on 1st sitting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quite. Especially when your other half is in a wheelchair and you need a lift, given that a large proportion of able bodied people suddenly lose the ability to walk up and down stairs the minute that they board a cruise ship. :(

I completely understand your point of view and wheelchairs obviously need to have priority in the lifts.

 

I am reluctantly to criticise anyone waiting for the lifts because I can't determine anyone's health simply by looking at them. We rarely use the lifts even though my husband has a health problem that sometimes makes it difficult to use stairs. The only time that he wanted to use the lift after the muster he was told by a crew member that he looked fit and healthy and could not use the lift, we took almost an hour to get from deck 7 to our cabin on deck 10. On the odd occasion that my husband feels too unwell to do the stairs and there are a lot of people waiting to use one I usually wait until he is in one then I go up the stairs and meet him by the lift where he gets out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I completely understand your point of view and wheelchairs obviously need to have priority in the lifts.

 

I am reluctantly to criticise anyone waiting for the lifts because I can't determine anyone's health simply by looking at them. We rarely use the lifts even though my husband has a health problem that sometimes makes it difficult to use stairs. The only time that he wanted to use the lift after the muster he was told by a crew member that he looked fit and healthy and could not use the lift, we took almost an hour to get from deck 7 to our cabin on deck 10. On the odd occasion that my husband feels too unwell to do the stairs and there are a lot of people waiting to use one I usually wait until he is in one then I go up the stairs and meet him by the lift where he gets out.

 

Oh my, I can't believe he was denied a lift :( I hope the crew member received feedback... :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I completely understand your point of view and wheelchairs obviously need to have priority in the lifts.

 

I am reluctantly to criticise anyone waiting for the lifts because I can't determine anyone's health simply by looking at them. We rarely use the lifts even though my husband has a health problem that sometimes makes it difficult to use stairs. The only time that he wanted to use the lift after the muster he was told by a crew member that he looked fit and healthy and could not use the lift, we took almost an hour to get from deck 7 to our cabin on deck 10. On the odd occasion that my husband feels too unwell to do the stairs and there are a lot of people waiting to use one I usually wait until he is in one then I go up the stairs and meet him by the lift where he gets out.

 

To clarify, I'm certainly not suggesting that lifts should be exclusively for wheelchair users. Clearly anyone is free to use them if they wish, healthy or not. I just find it amusing how many people on cruise ships just don't even remotely consider using the stairs and fail to appreciate that it is usually far quicker to walk between floors. When pushing my wife in her wheelchair I have no choice but to use lifts. When I am on my own I try to always use the stairs, partly to help offset the cruise calories! When our adult children come with us, they always walk between floors as we battle with the lifts. They always arrive at our destination floor before we do!

 

In ten P&O cruises I've never once seen a crew member refusing access to lifts for able bodied people.

 

On Aurora recently, our fellow passengers were all lovely and always gave wheelchair users priority with the lifts. On our two Britannia cruises however, we have had to wait an age for lifts as many able bodied passengers have either pushed past us or steadfastly refused to give priority to those who have no choice but to use the lifts. We are on her again soon and fear that we will experience the same. Aside from the very different passenger mix on Britannia, the problems are compounded by the lifts being too small, no stairs midships (which means people tend to use the lifts rather than go fore or aft to move between floors) and the fact that it is such a long way up to the higher decks that frankly only the bravest would attempt a full ascent without oxygen half way!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree with that oxygen requirement... we make a self rule that we won't use lifts on a cruise, so as to get fitter (I'm normally at a desk all day :() and offset those calories (it works, we don't put in weight) but going from Reception up to the top deck means I'm puffing like a steam train by the top!!! We've only done Aurora, Arcadia (and Azura once) Brittania would definitely offset the calories :')

 

The only time we gave up and used a lift was on a cruise a few weeks ago as we'd walked miles at each fjord port. We'd then done 8 miles in Bergen. At the end of that final day it was a formal night... we looked at the empty lifts, then at each other and got in! We felt like naughty kids and chuckled :')

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh my, I can't believe he was denied a lift :( I hope the crew member received feedback... :(

We spoke to reception the next day and were told that due to complaints that passengers with limited mobility being unable to access lifts after muster so they were experimenting with having staff members monitoring who was getting into the lifts after muster. I also wrote to P&O when we got home because I would not want anyone else to have this problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We spoke to reception the next day and were told that due to complaints that passengers with limited mobility being unable to access lifts after muster so they were experimenting with having staff members monitoring who was getting into the lifts after muster. I also wrote to P&O when we got home because I would not want anyone else to have this problem.

 

That is worrying. Did you get a response from P&O to your letter? My husband had a near 2 hour cardiac arrest at home 6 years ago (when in his 40s) followed by a miracle recovery, and is now fit enough to only use the stairs (I struggle more than him!). But even after coming out of hospital, people could have told him he looked mobile enough to not use the lifts :( health and mobility issues can be hidden. There's no way back then he could have climbed several decks of stairs, but people would have seen a 'slimmish' man in his 40s and judged incorrectly...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...