Princess Life Boat Drills

[Colo Cruiser]

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

 

 

You muster in the comfort of one of the lounges/specialty restaurants/Princess Theater.

[shipmate13]

I don't know how everyone else feels about the life vest drill but reading from some of you that some cruise lines don't even have the life vest in the rooms is kind of dangerous to me. I could only imagine if there was a situation on the cruise which required everyone to muster to their assigned locations and evacuate the ship and find out then that the vest that was just handed to them was destroyed. Although I have not been on 20 or more cruises like so many others, I want my life vest in my room and I don't care if I have to take it with me on the drill. This way I can see, along with the staff that there are no problems with the vest from previous cruises or previous guest. I hope anyone crusing who chooses not to attend the drills at least checks their life vest when they arrive.

[bighairtexan]

Ripples, that was misinformation on that post. Solstice DOES have the vests in the room in a basket under the bed and has for a while. I can't say it's ALWAYS been that way, as i wasn't on the maiden voyages. I just think it would be pandemonium lining up for life jackets. And yes if you're out on deck and have to run to your cabin in a real emergency, that's not great either but I'd still like my vest where I know where it is, that it fits and that I don't have to stand in a line to get it.

[Franknca]

Ripples, that was misinformation on that post. Solstice DOES have the vests in the room in a basket under the bed and has for a while. I can't say it's ALWAYS been that way, as i wasn't on the maiden voyages. I just think it would be pandemonium lining up for life jackets. And yes if you're out on deck and have to run to your cabin in a real emergency, that's not great either but I'd still like my vest where I know where it is, that it fits and that I don't have to stand in a line to get it.

 

Sounds like my friend was wrong who just sailed on the Solstice. I have to agree that Princess, mustering in lounges, is more comfortable than making cruisers stand 5 deep in the elements. But HAL was just as comfortable sans vests. Do you folks really believe that Princess has this "sophisticated" system to know who has been to the drill and who has not? We've skipped a few, one that was held at first seating time. We and others went to dinner rather than the drill and nothing was ever said. I'd prefer to go to those drills that I chose to attend without dragging those life jackets along. To each his own. After 30+ cruises, I think I know how to put on a life vest. The only thing sillier is the airlines showing people how to attach a seat belt. Duh? Like no one has ever been in a car.

[caribill]

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

 

It will be posted on the inside of your cabin door where your muster station is.

 

Your life jackets will be on a high shelf in your closet in your cabin.

 

The time of the muster drill will be in the Patter, that day's schedule of events which will be in your cabin upon arrival.

 

Your room steward will try to greet you ASAP and will point out to you where the life jackets are and where your muster station is.

 

There will be several P.A. announcements warning that the muster drill will occur soon.

 

By the time the emergency whistle blows, you may already be on your way or already at your muster station with your life jacket. If you go before the whistle blows, you can still use the elevators. Once the whistle blows, the stairs must be used (unless there is a medical reason not to). Staff will be stationed on all decks by all stairways to help direct you. Service elsewhere on the ship (food service, Purser's desk, etc.) will cease during the muster drill.

 

Your life jackets are marked with a letter (A,B,C,D, etc.) which indicates to the crew which location you should be going to. They will direct you to the proper station if you need help.

 

Once you are at the muster station do NOT put on your life jacket.

 

Until the recorded announcement starts (about 10 minutes after the whistle blew), staff may talk a little bit about the ship. This will be interspaced with the request to NOT put on your life jacket.

 

There will be a recorded announcement about emergency procedures and that will be followed by the staff showing how to put on your life jacket. While they do this, do NOT put on your life jacket.

 

When the staff demo is completed, you will be asked to put on your life jacket. Staff will assist if you have any problems. Once you have done this, you can return to your cabin. Be sure to not have the straps on the life jacket drag as you do so so that nobody (including you) trips on them.

 

From the time the whistle blows until the end of the muster is usually about 30 minutes.

 

Princess holds the muster (for the drill or for a real emergency) inside because:

a) When there is an emergency, it can last for hours before it is resolved. During an emergency you can thus be in the comfort of inside intead of out on the open deck in whatever weather exists at that time.

b) If there is a need to abandon ship, a pre-assigned lifeboat could be located so that it could not be used for that emergency (close to a fire, damaged by the event, etc.) so it would be counterproductive to have people muster in a location that might put you in danger.

 

If you are unable to attend the muster drill (late embarkation, for example), there will be a makeup drill the next morning. It's location and time will be listed in the patter. For the makeup drill, you will report to the listed location, not to your normal muster station.

 

If you are on a back-to-back Princess voyage on the same ship, you do not have to attend the muster drill for the second segment.

[rcacace]

Even with the new scanning of cards at muster they still do not compile a list of everyone who's attended. I'm not sure if they do scan all the people there or not as we stayed in our cabin & relaxed during the drill.

[SwissDave]

After 30+ cruises, I think I know how to put on a life vest. The only thing sillier is the airlines showing people how to attach a seat belt. Duh? Like no one has ever been in a car.

 

 

You seem to have an issue with safety. Putting on a life jacket in a REAL emergency WILL be difficult for alot of people due to panic.

 

How is airlines showing how to use the seat belt silly? the seat belts on planes are nothing like those in a car, for a start they are only lap belts and tend to fasten in the middle. In a car they are 3 point belts that fasten to the left or right. It was proven in the Manchester airport disaster where a lot of people died in a fire on a plane that was still on the ground that confusion on how to unfasten the belt caused a number of peole to perish. I bet you dont even count the number of seats to the exit that is BEHIND you do you? and that you read your paper when the cabin crew are giving the demonstration. All your own perogative, however you are being inconsiderate to those around you, and you are being a danger to them, never mind yourself. I have had no problems at all telling people sitting next to me or behind me on a plane to be quiet during the safety demo, and they always stop. Everytime I fly I take notice of the demo and what the crew say.

 

I'm the one who is going to get out alive if I have to. You, are not.

[itzmered]

It will be posted on the inside of your cabin door where your muster station is.

 

Your life jackets will be on a high shelf in your closet in your cabin.

 

The time of the muster drill will be in the Patter, that day's schedule of events which will be in your cabin upon arrival.

 

Your room steward will try to greet you ASAP and will point out to you where the life jackets are and where your muster station is.

 

There will be several P.A. announcements warning that the muster drill will occur soon.

 

By the time the emergency whistle blows, you may already be on your way or already at your muster station with your life jacket. If you go before the whistle blows, you can still use the elevators. Once the whistle blows, the stairs must be used (unless there is a medical reason not to). Staff will be stationed on all decks by all stairways to help direct you. Service elsewhere on the ship (food service, Purser's desk, etc.) will cease during the muster drill.

 

Your life jackets are marked with a letter (A,B,C,D, etc.) which indicates to the crew which location you should be going to. They will direct you to the proper station if you need help.

 

Once you are at the muster station do NOT put on your life jacket.

 

Until the recorded announcement starts (about 10 minutes after the whistle blew), staff may talk a little bit about the ship. This will be interspaced with the request to NOT put on your life jacket.

 

There will be a recorded announcement about emergency procedures and that will be followed by the staff showing how to put on your life jacket. While they do this, do NOT put on your life jacket.

 

When the staff demo is completed, you will be asked to put on your life jacket. Staff will assist if you have any problems. Once you have done this, you can return to your cabin. Be sure to not have the straps on the life jacket drag as you do so so that nobody (including you) trips on them.

 

From the time the whistle blows until the end of the muster is usually about 30 minutes.

 

Princess holds the muster (for the drill or for a real emergency) inside because:

a) When there is an emergency, it can last for hours before it is resolved. During an emergency you can thus be in the comfort of inside intead of out on the open deck in whatever weather exists at that time.

b) If there is a need to abandon ship, a pre-assigned lifeboat could be located so that it could not be used for that emergency (close to a fire, damaged by the event, etc.) so it would be counterproductive to have people muster in a location that might put you in danger.

 

If you are unable to attend the muster drill (late embarkation, for example), there will be a makeup drill the next morning. It's location and time will be listed in the patter. For the makeup drill, you will report to the listed location, not to your normal muster station.

 

If you are on a back-to-back Princess voyage on the same ship, you do not have to attend the muster drill for the second segment.

 

Thank you for the explanation.

[DiTomCruisers]

I do see what Franknca is saying.

 

The life vests are not always put away and wrapped up tight from the last drill. I always have hanging straps and unbuckled straps when I go to grab mine.

 

On the way to the drill I take mine and my wife's and wrap the straps up so there is nothing dragging.

 

Maybe someone with Maritime law knowledge can chime in.. Is it a law to have a lifevest at the drill? Bringing them a long does send the message that during a drill/emergency you need to grab your vest.

 

I also agree with many of the folks that responded, Princess does it right, comfortable seats/meeting areas (and in AC). Not standing for extended time on the deck.

 

For everyone's safety, I'd like to see Princess take 30 seconds at the end of the drill to instruct folks on how to wrap up and stow lifevests, which will avoid the dragging straps and potential safety issues. Just my $.02

[iheartbda]

Even with the new scanning of cards at muster they still do not compile a list of everyone who's attended. I'm not sure if they do scan all the people there or not as we stayed in our cabin & relaxed during the drill.

Just how did you do that? I'm not asking so I know how to skip, as I've gone to both drills on a B2B, not Princess, even when I didn't have to. On at least one other line that I've been on, they took a roll and anyone who was not there, got a notice to attend the "makeup" drill the next day. I also understand that on some lines, the stewards do a cabin check for any stowaways.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I like mustering in a lounge.

I would prefer to NOT take the life vest, as I would prefer to not have to return it to the cabin before sailaway.

I am glad that Princess now appears to be taking a roll (using ship cards)...I was never convinced that they really knew how to account for everyone in the event of an emergency (based on passenger accounts of the chaos after the Crown tilt).

 

JMHO

[RickEk]

For everyone's safety, I'd like to see Princess take 30 seconds at the end of the drill to instruct folks on how to wrap up and stow lifevests, which will avoid the dragging straps and potential safety issues. Just my $.02

 

That's a good idea!

[Woobstr112G]

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.

 

Totally agree with you.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

Even with the new scanning of cards at muster they still do not compile a list of everyone who's attended. I'm not sure if they do scan all the people there or not as we stayed in our cabin & relaxed during the drill.

 

Not right IMHO.....

 

Bob

[Franknca]

Ripples, that was misinformation on that post. Solstice DOES have the vests in the room in a basket under the bed and has for a while. I can't say it's ALWAYS been that way, as i wasn't on the maiden voyages. I just think it would be pandemonium lining up for life jackets. And yes if you're out on deck and have to run to your cabin in a real emergency, that's not great either but I'd still like my vest where I know where it is, that it fits and that I don't have to stand in a line to get it.

 

I checked back with my friend and here's what he said about the Solstice: "That isn't true. We put our luggage under the beds and there was nothing else under there. Besides that, they told us the life jackets would be passed out by the crew in the event of an emergency."

 

He just sailed last month.

Frank

[Franknca]

You seem to have an issue with safety. Putting on a life jacket in a REAL emergency WILL be difficult for alot of people due to panic.

 

How is airlines showing how to use the seat belt silly? the seat belts on planes are nothing like those in a car, for a start they are only lap belts and tend to fasten in the middle. In a car they are 3 point belts that fasten to the left or right. It was proven in the Manchester airport disaster where a lot of people died in a fire on a plane that was still on the ground that confusion on how to unfasten the belt caused a number of peole to perish. I bet you dont even count the number of seats to the exit that is BEHIND you do you? and that you read your paper when the cabin crew are giving the demonstration. All your own perogative, however you are being inconsiderate to those around you, and you are being a danger to them, never mind yourself. I have had no problems at all telling people sitting next to me or behind me on a plane to be quiet during the safety demo, and they always stop. Everytime I fly I take notice of the demo and what the crew say.

 

I'm the one who is going to get out alive if I have to. You, are not.

 

I don't have a problem with safety. I do have a problem with purported safety by rote that could cause potential accidents. Unless one is going to exit the ship from their balcony (don't know how those with inside cabins would do it) I see no need for the life jackets to be anywhere but at or in the life boats that one needs to get to for disembarking.

 

As far as people perishing because they didn't know how to unlatch their seat belt, well maybe that's just Mother Nature's way of culling the herd.

Frank

[Pam in CA]

I see no need for the life jackets to be anywhere but at or in the life boats that one needs to get to for disembarking.

Really? What if the lifeboats aren't available or inaccessible? That would have worked well in the Star fire if passengers had to leave the ship. How about the ship that was evacuated near Santorini and eventually sank? If people didn't have their life jackets handy, more than one life would have been lost. I'm curious about the logic of having life jackets available only at or in lifeboats. I can think of only one emergency or evacuation situation in recent years when that would have worked and many others that would have resulted in loss of life for many in the event of an evacuation.

[RickEk]

Really? What if the lifeboats aren't available or inaccessible? That would have worked well in the Star fire if passengers had to leave the ship. How about the ship that was evacuated near Santorini and eventually sank? If people didn't have their life jackets handy, more than one life would have been lost. I'm curious about the logic of having life jackets available only at or in lifeboats. I can think of only one emergency or evacuation situation in recent years when that would have worked and many others that would have resulted in loss of life for many in the event of an evacuation.

 

Exactly. It is the height of foolishness to think that every emergency situation can be handled in only one way. It is certainly better to have life jackets available to the passengers in their cabins and at the muster stations and at various locations throughout the ship to attempt to accommodate any given emergency. Seems to me that Celebrity, by not providing life jackets in the cabins are putting their passengers at risk. What if you could not get to their muster station or any muster station? What if they had to abandon ship immediately? Sure, the odds are against anything that catastrophic, but there is that small chance...

[Colo Cruiser]

Exactly. It is the height of foolishness to think that every emergency situation can be handled in only one way. It is certainly better to have life jackets available to the passengers in their cabins and at the muster stations and at various locations throughout the ship to attempt to accommodate any given emergency. Seems to me that Celebrity, by not providing life jackets in the cabins are putting their passengers at risk. What if you could not get to their muster station or any muster station? What if they had to abandon ship immediately? Sure, the odds are against anything that catastrophic, but there is that small chance...

 

 

I agree, not everyone can make it back to their staterooms in an emergency.

Lifejackets can also be found in all the large teak cabinets along the length of the Promanade deck.

[Globaliser]

As far as people perishing because they didn't know how to unlatch their seat belt, well maybe that's just Mother Nature's way of culling the herd.

I whole-heartedly urge you to contact the FAA to persuade them of this rationale for removing the requirement to demonstrate the seat belts on aircraft. Truly I do.

[Ula]

This is just my observation on the life vests. We were at a muster where a person put their's on, upside down. And it was not as a joke. They put their legs through the arm holes. It was an Oh My moment in time. So yes teaching how to put on that vest is important for someone.

[rich52us]

To me the life boat drill is a small inconvenience for a short time. After that the fun really begins and I feel the cruise is really underway.:D

[rdsqrl]

To me the life boat drill is a small inconvenience for a short time. After that the fun really begins and I feel the cruise is really underway.:D

To me, it's actually part of the fun. What other vacation do we go on where a key element is a muster drill? It totally means "on the ship" to me -- I bring along a mocha from the IC/Patisserie and relax and enjoy my first glimpse of a cross-section of my fellow passengers.

[bighairtexan]

I checked back with my friend and here's what he said about the Solstice: "That isn't true. We put our luggage under the beds and there was nothing else under there. Besides that, they told us the life jackets would be passed out by the crew in the event of an emergency."

 

He just sailed last month.

 

Frank

 

I've sailed her before and I sailed her last week on the majorly diverted 10/10/10 cruise. And yes we also stowed 3 suitcases under the beds. Right there next to the metal basket (which have been discussed on previous Celebrity threads as an alternative to a foot rest for the balcony chairs) that contain 2 life vests. Did they only look under one bed? Or perhaps they were the only cabin that didn't have a basket under their bed. And after listening (more than once) to that video and watching the crew buckle up as a demonstration, there was no mention at any time on MY two Solstice cruises about jackets being passed out by the crew. :cool:

[Jasperdo]

I personally feel that Princess does the muster drill better than any other cruise line. I've sailed out of Miami on Carnival, and nearly passed out in the 90 degree heat. Being crowded onto the outside Promenade and standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other passengers is no fun at all. The Princess experience is much less stressful. Getting to sit in an air conditioned lounge and actually being able to see the staff put their life jacket on is a much more sensible way to do it. Plus, in the event of a real emergency, most people will find it easier to remember what lounge they need to go to, rather than what section of the long promenade deck they need to stand at.