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Hi there.

Are the muster drills the same on each cruise line?

On my last and only cruise we all had to sit in the theatre for a half hour introduction.

It wasn't just safety,it was about loads of other stuff.

Then had the alarm and went to stations.

Will it be a similar thing on Indy?

Or do they just sound the alarm and you go straight there?

Of course would never miss a drill ,just wondered about this sitting in the theatre thing?

Do people who have cruised before do this everytime aswell as the actual drill?

Many thanks:)

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With regards to RCI, different ships have different muster stations and they are not all outdoors. On Independence this past March ours was in the main dining room and others were in other indoor and outdoor locations. When the alarm sounds your proceed to your muster station and the crew will demonstrate the use of the life preservers. They are all at your muster station so you don't bring one with you. The muster drill is mandatory for all passengers, regardless of cruise experience,

 

Each station confirms your attendance with your SeaPass (as well as by stateroom check) and once all are confirmed in attendance and the life preserver demonstration is completed, the Captain will make an announcement regarding the evacuation of the ship in an emergency, and then conclude the drill. No additional information is given at the drills.

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It may be the theatre was your muster station. The muster drills are the same on all RCL ships. Just depends on where your station is. I have been out on deck and also in the comedy club on the Oasis for my muster.

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Hi there.

Are the muster drills the same on each cruise line?

On my last and only cruise we all had to sit in the theatre for a half hour introduction.

It wasn't just safety,it was about loads of other stuff.

Then had the alarm and went to stations.

Will it be a similar thing on Indy?

Or do they just sound the alarm and you go straight there?

Of course would never miss a drill ,just wondered about this sitting in the theatre thing?

Do people who have cruised before do this everytime aswell as the actual drill?

Many thanks:)

 

On all RCCL cruises your muster station is determined by what stateroom you are in. Could be outside near the lifeboats or inside. If they are inside you remain there until the drill is over. They will announce the time to be at your muster station. They like you to be there before the alarm is sounded and will check your name off on a list

 

Depending on the captain some of them are very short such as 10 mins. Others a bit longer but never more than 1/2 hour

 

Drills are mandatory for everyone, whether you have cruise with them before or not.

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We went for this lecture first

It went on about the line the entertainment blar blar.

Then the alarm went and we all had to make our way from the theatre to our stations,ours was outside.

Maybe it was a first time cruiser thing?

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We went for this lecture first

It went on about the line the entertainment blar blar.

Then the alarm went and we all had to make our way from the theatre to our stations,ours was outside.

Maybe it was a first time cruiser thing?

 

 

No they don't do that on RCCL. They do not make this a promotional event as they take the drills very seriously. Some captains are a little more talkative then others.

 

What can hold things up is when people do not show up for drill....... or show up late. They wait until they have the lists complete before they start.

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We went for this lecture first

It went on about the line the entertainment blar blar.

Then the alarm went and we all had to make our way from the theatre to our stations,ours was outside.

Maybe it was a first time cruiser thing?

 

That would only work if everyone on your ship for your first cruise was on their first cruise as well - which is extremely unlikely. :) Either way, RCI does not do that and conducts their drills as previously described.

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The safety drill can last a very long time if people do not report promptly to their stations and the captain insists on waiting for them to show up. It creates a lot of cameraderie among the people who DO come on time, as they complain about the slow-shows and plot their punishment.

 

;)

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The safety drill can last a very long time if people do not report promptly to their stations and the captain insists on waiting for them to show up. It creates a lot of cameraderie among the people who DO come on time, as they complain about the slow-shows and plot their punishment.

 

;)

 

...and if it is your muster station involved, followed with entrances by the culprits that are impossible to be inconspicuous and met with responses clearly indicating the "levels of frustration" by everyone else there....:D

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If you show up at your muster station before they call the drill, you can maybe lean back against the bulkhead while awaiting the latecomers. But the crew members will start lining folks up in rows, so try to stay back or be alert to the first line being set up.

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With regards to RCI, different ships have different muster stations and they are not all outdoors. On Independence this past March ours was in the main dining room and others were in other indoor and outdoor locations. When the alarm sounds your proceed to your muster station and the crew will demonstrate the use of the life preservers. They are all at your muster station so you don't bring one with you. The muster drill is mandatory for all passengers, regardless of cruise experience,

 

Each station confirms your attendance with your SeaPass (as well as by stateroom check) and once all are confirmed in attendance and the life preserver demonstration is completed, the Captain will make an announcement regarding the evacuation of the ship in an emergency, and then conclude the drill. No additional information is given at the drills.

 

That's it exactly. No complaints about muster drills as they are a necessity. Go by quickly, and if in a good spot like my last one, the AquaTheater on the Oasis, you get to enjoy the outdoors and the view of the port around us. Hoping it'll be the same on the Allure next year.

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I think we must of gone to some new to cruising seminar then lol.

It must of been a totally diffrent thing to the actual drill which so happened at the end of the lecture!

I will just await instructions over the pa system then and go straight to the station.

Many thanks for your replies.

I was on the carnival victory last time.

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I think we must of gone to some new to cruising seminar then lol.

It must of been a totally diffrent thing to the actual drill which so happened at the end of the lecture!

I will just await instructions over the pa system then and go straight to the station.

Many thanks for your replies.

I was on the carnival victory last time.

 

Actually, the time for your muster will be in the Cruise Compass. In addition, there will be several announcements over the Public Address System reminding you of the time of the drill.

 

Go to your muster station AHEAD OF the "actual" time. BEFORE you hear the official signal: 7 short blasts, 1 long blast of the ship's horn. You are already late if you are not at your station when the horn blasts.

 

:)

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We've had a good mix. Allure was go to theatre and listen to the captain speak. No life jackets. It wasn't a big deal. You couldn't stay in your room so you may as well just go to the muster.

 

On other ships we've been left standing Outside for ages wearing life jackets. It was actually a fun experience - the first time. :)

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My last few musters (Oasis, Allure, Celebrity X 2) have been a complete waste of time. The ONLY possible value was visually determining where my muster station was. And even that is a reach, seeing as two times it was a specialty restaurant on Celebrity and once was "Aqua Theater" (I'm guessing I could've found my way to these anyhow).

 

Once there, just a crowd of people talking, an inaudible sound system with either the captain giving instructions that couldn't be heard over the din of the crowd, or someone demonstrating how to put on a life vest, who was impossible to see unless you were right next to them.

 

I swear, the late comers to these drills had the right idea. Wander in ten minutes late, and as soon as everyone is there, they were the first ones to be able to get out.

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Maybe eventually they will have a mandatory video that you have to watch in your cabin rather than actually having a muster. Set it up so the TV won't work until you finish the video........lol.

 

Kind of like how the flight attendants no longer demonstrate the safety equipment, but rather just turn on a video.

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Maybe eventually they will have a mandatory video that you have to watch in your cabin rather than actually having a muster. Set it up so the TV won't work until you finish the video........lol.

 

Kind of like how the flight attendants no longer demonstrate the safety equipment, but rather just turn on a video.

 

I think this would be a good first step. I've said they should do three things:

 

1. Require you to "check in" at your muster station at some point between boarding and sail-away. Instead of tying up the entire crew for 40 minutes at once, have one or two crew members at a time cover each muster station in shifts. Probably no change in overall workload. Swipe peoples cards to check them in.

 

2. Require you to watch a demonstration video, you know, so you could actually see and hear what's going on. This could either be done at the muster station (have it on a continuous loop, and you need to "swipe in" and "swipe out" to confirm you were there long enough to watch it), it could be done in the terminal prior to boarding (depends on the port of course), or it could be "locked in" on the stateroom tv (i.e. you can't change it to anything else until sailaway, or until you've "swiped in" at muster.

 

3. If someone fails to report to muster, at sailaway, their card is "locked out". No stateroom access, no buying power, require "swiping" at dinner the first night, and no entry unless you've mustered.

 

If only I ruled the world.....:rolleyes:

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Lots of reasons. Irresponsibility, ignorance, alcohol.

 

You will find that the same idiots you encounter on dry land also take cruises.

 

I do also believe the cruise lines are partially responsible, as they have made the muster process so cumbersome, unpleasant, and ineffective, that entitled vacationers say "I'm not going to waste 40 minutes there, I'll just go a little late".

 

Not defending them. Just conceding human nature, and wishing the lines would work with it instead of fighting it.

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Don't forget that the muster also acts as as training for the crew so they are always familiar with their roll and duties and can do it without thinking.

 

There have been enough incidents in the last couple of years that people should appreciate the importance.

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I am a professional mariner, who has done fire and boat drills 180 times a year for 37 years, which works out to 6500+ drills. Until you have matched that total, you really shouldn't complain about muster drills, as you can continue to learn something that may save your life each and every time.

 

"Go to your muster station AHEAD OF the "actual" time. BEFORE you hear the official signal: 7 short blasts, 1 long blast of the ship's horn. You are already late if you are not at your station when the horn blasts." While this is helpful to the crew, this is not quite correct, as in an emergency you would not proceed to your station before the alarm, so the drills are set up to start at the signal.

 

"I swear, the late comers to these drills had the right idea. Wander in ten minutes late, and as soon as everyone is there, they were the first ones to be able to get out." I hope you are being sarcastic here, because I would hope that no one would condone the poor behavior of people at drill, especially in light of the Concordia.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zigggypup

Maybe eventually they will have a mandatory video that you have to watch in your cabin rather than actually having a muster. Set it up so the TV won't work until you finish the video........lol.

 

Kind of like how the flight attendants no longer demonstrate the safety equipment, but rather just turn on a video.

I think this would be a good first step. I've said they should do three things:

 

1. Require you to "check in" at your muster station at some point between boarding and sail-away. Instead of tying up the entire crew for 40 minutes at once, have one or two crew members at a time cover each muster station in shifts. Probably no change in overall workload. Swipe peoples cards to check them in.

 

2. Require you to watch a demonstration video, you know, so you could actually see and hear what's going on. This could either be done at the muster station (have it on a continuous loop, and you need to "swipe in" and "swipe out" to confirm you were there long enough to watch it), it could be done in the terminal prior to boarding (depends on the port of course), or it could be "locked in" on the stateroom tv (i.e. you can't change it to anything else until sailaway, or until you've "swiped in" at muster.

 

3. If someone fails to report to muster, at sailaway, their card is "locked out". No stateroom access, no buying power, require "swiping" at dinner the first night, and no entry unless you've mustered.

 

If only I ruled the world..... As another poster stated, the passenger drill is training for the crew as well. In reality, the entire crew is not used for the passenger drill, only those assigned to direct traffic at stairwells and the muster station personnel. this is only about 150-200 crew.

 

Part of the drill is to show people what it looks like in an emergency. You would not be sauntering one or two at a time, there would be thousands of passengers in the stairwells and passageways, and at the stations. To be effective, drills need to be as realistic as possible.

 

Comparing a ship's muster drill to an airline safety briefing is wrong. While an airplane may have 300-400 people onboard, they are all in one room and easily accountable for. A cruise ships has thousands of passengers spread throughout a massive structure of many rooms that all need to be cleared so that people can be counted. If you are not instituting accountability during drill, you cannot expect to achieve perfect accountability during an emergency.

 

I do also believe the cruise lines are partially responsible, as they have made the muster process so cumbersome, unpleasant, and ineffective, that entitled vacationers say "I'm not going to waste 40 minutes there, I'll just go a little late". The muster drill is by its very nature a cumbersome and unpleasant process. If any of you were personally responsible for the lives of 4000-5000 people, you would insist on even more training and accountability. If the drill is "ineffective", that is the fault of the ship's crew and management. If the ship allows the drill to continue when passengers are missing and talking and not paying attention, then that is a failure of the company's Safety Management System. The drill should be held up until EVERYONE is present and QUIET. The requirements for passenger drills are set by IMO, and have been perfected over years.

 

I am sorry for my rant, but I and all the licensed officers on these cruise ships are PERSONALLY responsible for your lives, and even if you don't care about saving yourself, we are legally required to save you from yourself.

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I do also believe the cruise lines are partially responsible, as they have made the muster process so cumbersome, unpleasant, and ineffective, that entitled vacationers say "I'm not going to waste 40 minutes there, I'll just go a little late".

 

Not defending them. Just conceding human nature, and wishing the lines would work with it instead of fighting it.

Another reason for arriving a bit late (this is our experience and I'm not advocating it), is if your station is outdoors on the deck and you're among the first, you'll be lined up with the early arrivers at the back, up against the bulkhead and the later arrivals at the front. Not only can shorter people (like me) not see the demonstrations if we're 4-5 rows back, but it can be stifling hot back there. Indoors that's obviously not an issue. I should mention we've never done an RCI muster drill so I don't know (and cannot tell from responses on this thread) if the outdoor stations are run like we've experienced or not.

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We just got home last week from Alaska on the Dreaded Carnival and the muster drills was to show you what to do with those life jackets. Half the people did not speak English or Spanish... but they show you what to do outside it was very cold in Seattle. and our aching bones told us... this. I had to stand outside along the back wall.. this old lady can not do this much anymore... ;) but wanted to tell you the life jackets were under our cabin rooms... I wish they bring this back to show others Really how to use it, in the Oasis we watched a movie... Bring back the Muster drills with the jackets so that in case of accident no one can say I can not find the jackets.. and how to put them on... do not let this ship be like the other one who went down in Italy.... and many lives were lost because they could not find their jackets. very sad... RCCL Bring back the drills the original right way without the movie... I think that most people would totally agree with me on this...:D

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Hi there.

Are the muster drills the same on each cruise line?

On my last and only cruise we all had to sit in the theatre for a half hour introduction.

It wasn't just safety,it was about loads of other stuff.

Then had the alarm and went to stations.

Will it be a similar thing on Indy?

Or do they just sound the alarm and you go straight there?

Of course would never miss a drill ,just wondered about this sitting in the theatre thing?

Do people who have cruised before do this everytime aswell as the actual drill?

Many thanks:)

 

Here are my muster experiences.

 

Carnival Cruises - Go to cabin, get lifejacket, stand on promenade deck for a half hour, very hard to here, very HOT!, one couple in their wedding outfits.

 

Royal Caribbean - Go to promenade, stand there for 20 minutes, hard to hear.

 

Norwegian!!!!! - the best at assembly drills. Go to area, which could be a bar or restaurant our lounge on deck 6. Checkin and then sit down. Very easy to hear. Air conditioned. 15 minutes

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