Princess Life Boat Drills

[Franknca]

It's sort of ironic that a life boat drill, that is for safety purposes, can put people in harms way with accidents due to carrying the life jacket to the drill. I'm wondering when Princess will lighten up on their life boat drills similar to other cruise lines? HAL does not require passengers to drag their life jackets to the meeting place. Not only are these jackets bulky but I've seen a few accidents due to the straps hanging down or the entire jacket being open and dragged on the floor. Older passengers are even more prone to having an accident by carrying the life jackets. On the Celebrity Solstice, they don't even have the life jackets in the cabins anymore. One picks theirs up when they go to the appropriate station.

 

I've written Princess, requesting that they consider changing their drills to be less of a potential safety problem. Hopefully they'll do something by our next cruise the end of February.

Frank

[caribill]

It's sort of ironic that a life boat drill, that is for safety purposes, can put people in harms way with accidents due to carrying the life jacket to the drill. I'm wondering when Princess will lighten up on their life boat drills similar to other cruise lines? HAL does not require passengers to drag their life jackets to the meeting place. Not only are these jackets bulky but I've seen a few accidents due to the straps hanging down or the entire jacket being open and dragged on the floor. Older passengers are even more prone to having an accident by carrying the life jackets. On the Celebrity Solstice, they don't even have the life jackets in the cabins anymore. One picks theirs up when they go to the appropriate station.

 

I've written Princess, requesting that they consider changing their drills to be less of a potential safety problem. Hopefully they'll do something by our next cruise the end of February.

Frank

 

It is more unsafe when passengers do not know how to put on their life jackets. Watching a demo is not the same as doing it with assistance as needed by the crew.

[Pam in CA]

Most people are smart enough to read the instructions and listen to the directions, and not have straps hanging. Plus, HAL and other cruiselines have you stand outside in the cold, rain, heat or whatever weather under a lifeboat that in an emergency, you'll never find again. I've seen people fainting and dropping like flies. Besides, "your" lifeboat might be under a fire or in an unsafe area. I have been on a HAL ship when the muster siren blew at 2am. People did everything from run onto the deck in their jammies and life vest, to standing in the hallway, asking what to do. As it turned out, we were told to remain in our cabins and the all clear sounded a few minutes later. The point is that the Princess muster (it's not a life boat drill) is reasonable, designed for passenger safety and comfort, and for ease of communications, not for jumping off the side of the ship.

[CruiseAholic]

Veteran of almost 100 cruises, IMHO, Princess does it much better. Standing out on deck is just ridiculous.

 

Plus, I'm guessing that SOLAS has to approve (or someone does) that the drills are done in an acceptable manner.

[teripp]

I have no experience with other cruise lines but IMHO Princes is very comfortable and you tend to hear more of what is being said when you are comfortable as apposed to fainting from heat exaustion or being rained on or even it being cold enough for snow. Princes passengers I think hear more of what is being said. Lets use this as an example.. You are crammed into a small seat with other passengers . You are in the middle with no room to move either way as there are people on both sides. Do you REALLY listen to the flight attendants on their life vest drill???

Teri

[jlp20]

Here is a link as to why the drill should be attended and exactly how all equipment is to be used.

***WARNING GRAPHIC LANGUAGE****

 

 

Pay attention to what idiot #2 says at the end of the clip.

[Colo Cruiser]

Princess knows what they are doing and have been doing it for a long time. ;)

[bhopal21]

Princess knows what they are doing and have been doing it for a long time. ;)

 

Somehow, I believe that they know what they are doing is the correct approach.

 

Mike:)

[BobT172]

We took a cruise on the NCL Sky last January. The drill was a big joke. Out on the deck we had two of the showgirls as our lifeboat "captains".. they were laughing, joking, helped no one and were very clear in saying "we just wanna have a good time"...

 

We could not hear the girls well at all and when the announcements came on we could not hear them due to all the noise...

 

Princess does it well....

[davekathy]

Where else can you go and see a bunch of fools (cruisers) demonstrating how loud they can blow the attached whistle. Great entertainment.

[Tagsalong]

Plus, I'm guessing that SOLAS has to approve (or someone does) that the drills are done in an acceptable manner.

 

Royal Caribbean started the "no life vest required" drills because of the logistics on "how to move 6000 pax around on the Oasis with life vests" was untenable. RCCL then went across the board with this policy on all 21 ships, obviously with SOLAS (or someone elses) approval. Then they changed it on Celebrity. Both of these lines have most muster areas in comfortable lounges or in the theater.

 

Hal is doing "no life vest required" musters but Princess does not. How can it be so unsafe for all the other lines?

 

Now, Princess does not require B2Bers to attend muster at all on the 2nd and 3rd legs, for which I enjoyed sitting at the bar while everyone else was rushing back to their rooms to get their vests and then back to their muster stations this past September. The other lines make pax go to muster regardless.

 

These differences are corporate decisions, not agency regulations, IMHO.

[Putterdude]

They safety drills don't bother me one way or the other...but just wonder if there would be any merit in being precluded from the drill if you have attended one within the previous 6 months.

[CruiseAholic]

While I'm sure it's a corporate decision as to exactly how to do it, I'm quite sure that it's in line with the SOLAS regulations, that is the point I was trying to make.

 

Tho, I rarely even go anymore to these.

[RickEk]

It's sort of ironic that a life boat drill, that is for safety purposes, can put people in harms way with accidents due to carrying the life jacket to the drill. I'm wondering when Princess will lighten up on their life boat drills similar to other cruise lines? HAL does not require passengers to drag their life jackets to the meeting place. Not only are these jackets bulky but I've seen a few accidents due to the straps hanging down or the entire jacket being open and dragged on the floor. Older passengers are even more prone to having an accident by carrying the life jackets. On the Celebrity Solstice, they don't even have the life jackets in the cabins anymore. One picks theirs up when they go to the appropriate station.

 

I've written Princess, requesting that they consider changing their drills to be less of a potential safety problem. Hopefully they'll do something by our next cruise the end of February.

Frank

 

Well, they do make multiple announcements that folks should be careful that the straps are not dragging on the deck.

 

Personally, I don't see the problem. Princess makes the passengers as comfortable as possible during the drill and I would think that having some familiarity with how the life jacket is actually put on would enhance safety and lead to less panic if the need arises.

[gingera]

Princess is very clear about the straps and the safety of them. They need to be carried and not dragged. Also, I pay attention each and every time about the drill on ship(and on planes) as if there was going to be some sort of incident. It keeps me focused and serious with the job at hand. Practice keeps me familiar with the vest.

I am very happy to go thru this 1/2 hour drill.

[pablo222]

It's sort of ironic that a life boat drill, that is for safety purposes, can put people in harms way with accidents due to carrying the life jacket to the drill.

 

I've been on more than 40 princess cruises, and I've never seen

anyone injured by a life jacket.

 

I've seen people fall out of chairs, fall off stages, slip and fall,

fall when the ship rolled unexpectedly, etc.

 

But, never with a life jacket. Maybe the above people would

actually be safer if they wore their life jackets for the entire

cruise. It might break their fall.

[navychop3]

I'm really surprised that all cruise lines aren't required to do the drills the exact same way, good or bad.

 

And I can imagine what difficulties would arise if the person taking muster would have to determine who is truly missing, versus who is excused. Any muster sheet will sooner or later have errors.

[ejd]

While I'm sure it's a corporate decision as to exactly how to do it, I'm quite sure that it's in line with the SOLAS regulations, that is the point I was trying to make.

 

Tho, I rarely even go anymore to these.

 

 

So how do you not go....do you just stay in your state room?

[DrivesLikeMario]

I would prefer not to have to take the lifejacket to muster. I find it hard to believe that anyone cannot figure out how to put one on, but I suppose there are a few...refraining from making any comments about those that can't figure it out... :D

[RickEk]

I would prefer not to have to take the lifejacket to muster. I find it hard to believe that anyone cannot figure out how to put one on, but I suppose there are a few...refraining from making any comments about those that can't figure it out... :D

 

I'd prefer not to take my life jacket either. But the reality is that there are many first-timers on any given cruise. What might be easy to do in a controlled situation might be almost impossible in a crisis situation for someone who has never done it before.

[Globaliser]

... but just wonder if there would be any merit in being precluded from the drill if you have attended one within the previous 6 months.

No, because the most important thing in the drill is that you actually walk to your muster station so that you know exactly where yours is - on that specific cruise that you are then on.

I find it hard to believe that anyone cannot figure out how to put one on, but I suppose there are a few ...

I believe that the cruise lines that don't require it any more have learned from recent occasions when passengers have had to muster for real on large cruise ships. There is plenty of time to teach passengers then how to put on their life jackets.

 

One other difference between Princess and other cruise lines mentioned in this thread is that Princess ships are on a British registry (Bermuda, I think, for most or all of them). Their regulator may demand that muster drills are done in a certain way that is no longer required of (say) Panamanian or Bahamian ships - or even Dutch ships (HAL). Only speculation on my part, but a possible explanation.

[caribill]

I would prefer not to have to take the lifejacket to muster. I find it hard to believe that anyone cannot figure out how to put one on

 

At every Princess muster I have attended, there have been passengers who needed help from the crew in putting the lifejacket on correctly.

 

Better to learn how to do it when there is not an emergency in progress.

[caribill]

Royal Caribbean started the "no life vest required" drills because of the logistics on "how to move 6000 pax around on the Oasis with life vests" was untenable.

 

And the RCCL drill I attended earlier this year was a joke as far as actual safety was concerned. Nobody came away from it knowing how to put on the life jacket.

 

The muster drill required everyone to be outside at the lifeboat station assigned to you and listed on the cruise card. There was no need to bring the life vest to the muster. Use of the vest was demonstrated by a crew member at each lifeboat. No mention was made of what needed to be done if it became necessary to walk/jump into the water.

 

Everyone lined up in rows on the deck with their backs to the wall. Most people could not see over/through the people in front of them to actually see the demonstration by the crew member putting on the vest.

 

Before the demo they did a roll call with everyone's name that was assigned to that lifeboat. They made note of all passengers who were not there, but I do not know what they did with that list.

[bighairtexan]

As for a previous post regarding no life jackets in the cabins on the =X= Solstice .... they are in a basket under the bed. One does not pick one up on the way to muster or to an emergency. I can imagine the lines if that were the case. We did not need to take our jackets to the muster station, but stood or sat and watched a video and live demo. This was last week so that is current information.

I'm w/ Pam. I have no trouble w/ bringing the jacket w/ me to muster; but am ever so grateful not to have to stand outside crammed 5 deep against the wall, staring at someone's backside in miserable weather. And after 40+ cruises, I still always find my jacket and make sure everything is in order. Ok maybe not the whistle because... gee... who just BLEW that thing?

[itzmered]

So this is our 1st Princess cruise. Tell me how they do their muster drills. I take it that it is not the same as it was on NCL