Lifeboat Drill

[howard6933]

Going on Westerdam in december and was wondering how HAL does the boat drill. Do they hold it on deck or in certain lounges and do you have to bring the life jacket?? My wife is wheelchair bound and the last cruise we were on, they directed us to a lounge for the boat drill. Does HAL do that? Thanks for any info. ;)

[taxmantoo]

Going on Westerdam in december and was wondering how HAL does the boat drill. Do they hold it on deck or in certain lounges and do you have to bring the life jacket?? My wife is wheelchair bound and the last cruise we were on, they directed us to a lounge for the boat drill. Does HAL do that? Thanks for any info. ;)

 

On deck, at your assigned station, without life jackets.

[iriemon]

Going on Westerdam in december and was wondering how HAL does the boat drill. Do they hold it on deck or in certain lounges and do you have to bring the life jacket?? My wife is wheelchair bound and the last cruise we were on, they directed us to a lounge for the boat drill. Does HAL do that? Thanks for any info. ;)

 

My wife is also wheelchair bound and were on the Westerdam last Feb. We went to the elevators and they allowed us to use them to get to the floor that we were suppose to be on and then we had to go outside and line up with everyone else. You no longer need to bring your life preserver. Just a hint, don't plan on moving off that floor for a while because all the people that took the steps down, take the elevator up.

[KirkNC]

Personally I think they should still have you put on the life vest. While unlikley to happen, it would be a mess explaining to everyone how to put them on right in an emergency. My understanding is that too many people were tripping over the straps (because people did not put them on right). That would not be good in a real emergency. I do think that having you go to your actual life boat station is good, better than some lines.

 

Kirk

[Globaliser]

While unlikley to happen, it would be a mess explaining to everyone how to put them on right in an emergency.

I think that real emergencies have demonstrated that there's actually plenty of time then to teach passengers how to do it. And once they've got them on, the lifejackets can then stay on.

I do think that having you go to your actual life boat station is good, better than some lines.

AFAIK, all lines require you to go to your assigned muster station. That's where you need to be in an emergency, wherever your muster station happens to be. Those locations are what the emergency plans are based around.

[scdreamer]

AFAIK, all lines require you to go to your assigned muster station. That's where you need to be in an emergency, wherever your muster station happens to be. Those locations are what the emergency plans are based around.

 

 

Not true. We were on Celebrity a year and a half ago, and everyone went to the lounge for muster, even though there were actual assigned stations on deck in the event of a real emergency.

[Typhoon1]

WITHOUT life jackets. There are always a few people that can't follow instructions and show up wearing a life jacket.

[iriemon]

I think they did away with bringing the life jackets for safety reasons. People were not carful carrying them and had strings hanging on the floor which others would step or trip on. I am sure if you had a concern you could ask your room steward to show you how you should be wearing it. All of the crew is trained in this.

[Dayenu]

"WITHOUT life jackets. There are always a few people that can't follow instructions and show up wearing a life jacket."

 

It may be just misunderstanding. I did that once too. English is not my first language, and must be the last language of that person on the loudspeaker, my husband and I, we couldn't understand. So we peeked outside. Some people were carrying life jackets, some did not. We brought ours not to go back to get them if needed. Won't happen again, Master Typhoon :p

[KirkNC]

Not true. We were on Celebrity a year and a half ago, and everyone went to the lounge for muster, even though there were actual assigned stations on deck in the event of a real emergency.

 

That has been our experience also.

 

Kirk

[KirkNC]

I think that real emergencies have demonstrated that there's actually plenty of time then to teach passengers how to do it. And once they've got them on, the lifejackets can then stay on.AFAIK, all lines require you to go to your assigned muster station. That's where you need to be in an emergency, wherever your muster station happens to be. Those locations are what the emergency plans are based around.

 

I would hope that to be true, not many things that would sink a cruise ship quickly but the real danger is fire which could make it necassary to get off the ship much quicker. I am not concerned about getting my own jacket on, it is everyone elses I am worried about.

 

Kirk

[tangerinebunny]

Going on Westerdam in december and was wondering how HAL does the boat drill. Do they hold it on deck or in certain lounges and do you have to bring the life jacket?? My wife is wheelchair bound and the last cruise we were on, they directed us to a lounge for the boat drill. Does HAL do that? Thanks for any info. ;)

 

Howard, if your station is on the side facing the setting sun, and if your wife's sensitive to the sun, she might want to wear a hat or at least suncreen. We were there long enough last winter for me to turn a less than pretty pink.

 

Have a great cruise.

[mamaofami]

On two occasions, on two different ships, I witnessed people falling down steps when tripping on the vest strings. I'm sure that's why they stopped having people wear them to the drill. IIRC Eurofdam had vests that buckled instead of tiing.

[Sandi3667]

We were cruise newbies on the Oosterdam, and were curious about the lifeboat drill. When we checked the cabin TV, they actually had (at least one) station running instructions for the lifeboat drill, and they included the message to not bring your lifejacket.

[zijlweg]

It sounds harsh,

 

But lifevests are only good to pick the dead easily out of the water.

Any captain or pilot will tell you that.

[howard6933]

Howard, if your station is on the side facing the setting sun, and if your wife's sensitive to the sun, she might want to wear a hat or at least suncreen. We were there long enough last winter for me to turn a less than pretty pink.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Thanks for the info about the sun Bunny, but my wife is of Italian descent and never gets sun burn. She can take a 5 minute trip outside and she'll get a beautiful tan. It's me that's allergic to the sun, so if the drill is outside by the lifeboats I'll get as far back against the bulkhead as I can. Thanks again. :rolleyes:

[catl331]

My understanding is that too many people were tripping over the straps (because people did not put them on right).

 

On two occasions, on two different ships, I witnessed people falling down steps when tripping on the vest strings. I'm sure that's why they stopped having people wear them to the drill. IIRC Eurofdam had vests that buckled instead of tiing.

The new single-buckle type are being distributed to all ships, I think. IIRC we've had them on our last three cruises. Maybe they think that more people will be able to put these on correctly, or that correcting errors in a real emergency would be quicker.

[Traveling Bob]

Check with your cabin steward. My mom only uses a walker and the last she was told to stay in her cabin until crew arrived to help her. They never came, so she didn't have to go through the drill at all!

[Live4cruises]

It's me that's allergic to the sun, so if the drill is outside by the lifeboats I'll get as far back against the bulkhead as I can. Thanks again. :rolleyes:

 

Lucky for you! Holland America is still a "women and children in front" cruise line, so you will be safe (?) near the bulkhead. I never have figured out why they say this since there are more than enough life boats for all. . .

[djhsolara]

Not true. We were on Celebrity a year and a half ago, and everyone went to the lounge for muster, even though there were actual assigned stations on deck in the event of a real emergency.

 

Perhaps I'm off base here, but we just sailed Celebrity and I thought that they have two separate things. The casino was our muster station (which is the meeting/organization place) but then we also had a lifeboat station out on deck (where we would actually get on a lifeboat).

 

On HAL these are one and the same (at least on the ships I've been on).

 

:) :)

[Himself]

We now call it a "Muster Drill" and it is done without life jackets. Men in the rear and women and children up front. We are to keep silence and listen to the instructions.

[Traveling Bob]

Perhaps I'm off base here, but we just sailed Celebrity and I thought that they have two separate things. The casino was our muster station (which is the meeting/organization place) but then we also had a lifeboat station out on deck (where we would actually get on a lifeboat). On HAL these are one and the same (at least on the ships I've been on).:) :)

 

This is what I don't understand. The cruise lines present that the drill proceedures are mandated by the government. Yet different lines (even when owned by the same parent company) have different proceedures. Some have civilized proceedures where passengers gather inndoors in lounges; others make passengers stand outside, lined up like prisioners, regardless of the weather conditrions. It is obvious that the specific proceedures aren't government mandated, but why can't they get their acts together? :confused:

[GeriatricNurse]

I think they did away with bringing the life jackets for safety reasons. People were not carful carrying them and had strings hanging on the floor which others would step or trip on. I am sure if you had a concern you could ask your room steward to show you how you should be wearing it. All of the crew is trained in this.

 

The lifejackets, formally with "strings", have now been replaced with new lifejackets with buckles! :)

[dobiemom]

AFAIK, all lines require you to go to your assigned muster station. That's where you need to be in an emergency, wherever your muster station happens to be. Those locations are what the emergency plans are based around.

I have sailed on Princess, Carnival, and NCL and we met in a lounge or showroom. They gave their safety talk and demonstrated how to put on the life vest. One of the lines (I can't remember which) had us go to our life boat after the meeting.

 

I prefer how HAL does muster drills, i.e., meeting at your lifeboat. I'll remember better where I'm supposed to go if I've been there before. ;)

[Globaliser]

We were on Celebrity a year and a half ago, and everyone went to the lounge for muster, even though there were actual assigned stations on deck in the event of a real emergency.

That has been our experience also.

Are you saying that when you did the drill, you went to a place which was not your muster station, and that in the event of an emergency, you were expected to go to a different place on deck?

 

I've not sailed Celebrity yet, but I've been on other lines where your assigned muster station is in a public room like a lounge or a dining room, and that is where you go both for your drill and in an emergency. If (and only if) there is a real chance that you may be embarking the lifeboats would you be taken to your actual lifeboat station. But the key is that in both situations, you go to your muster station, not the lifeboat station.

 

In fact, just as described here:-

Perhaps I'm off base here, but we just sailed Celebrity and I thought that they have two separate things. The casino was our muster station (which is the meeting/organization place) but then we also had a lifeboat station out on deck (where we would actually get on a lifeboat).

If Celebrity requires to you go to place A for the drill, but to go to place B in the event of an actual emergency, then that would seem to take away one of the main benefits of having a drill at all. You might as well just watch the video in your room.