What will you do to to make your next cruise safe in an emergency?

[geocruiser]

The Costa tragedy got me thinking how I can keep safe on our cruise. What will you do to to make your next cruise safe in an emergency?

 

For me:

 

1. I will make sure I really know the lay out of the ship. Know how to get to the life boats.

 

2. Have a plan where to meet my husband if we are not together.

 

3. Will keep our meds handy in the cabin along with our passports,some money and a credit card.

 

4. Keep flash light in our cabin.

 

5. Have copy of passports in my wallet.

 

What will you do?

[SwissMyst]

Good suggestions. We are going to be looking for Plan B escape routes. And carry wool socks, gloves and hat an at least one layer of wool clothing as emergency duds.

 

Bleakly thinking here, maybe asking for passengers to honor formal dress codes is a way to find out who the trouble makers are who don't like to follow "rules" or orders on a ship. Huh? :confused: Maybe ships need to know who will be the good passengers in case of an emergency and which ones they have to keep under closer watch.

 

Flaunt a little request here may mean breaking rules there later. Okay, dark thought but this sort of incidence does make one take a closer look at those around oneself on any next cruise. Will they be helpful or hurtful in any given situation we may all be asked to face?

[Himself]

Your list of items are a good must have. It sounds like a plan to me.

[Typhoon1]

Pay closer attention at the Muster drill.

[Call8675309]

I am seeing a lot of great suggestions, many of which we will plan to follow. The one I will add is looking for an alternate route from our cabin to the muster station. On our last cruise we had an aft veranda and learned there were stairs to the muster point very near our location. We have booked aft for our next cruise as well so I will look for a similar staircase to avoid the long walk in the hallway if it seems to be a prudent route.

[CB-MAC]

Hi this is my first post I just had to reply. My husband and I are sailing with HAL for the first time on the 27th of January and are really looking foreward to it. With the Costa tragedy this weekend I know my first thought was to put our passports, cash, credit card and debit card in a zip lock bag with the life jackets just in case. Being with out ID and money has been very hard on all the passengers.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[itzmered]

Good suggestions. We are going to be looking for Plan B escape routes. And carry wool socks, gloves and hat an at least one layer of wool clothing as emergency duds.

 

Bleakly thinking here, maybe asking for passengers to honor formal dress codes is a way to find out who the trouble makers are who don't like to follow "rules" or orders on a ship. Huh? :confused: Maybe ships need to know who will be the good passengers in case of an emergency and which ones they have to keep under closer watch.

 

Flaunt a little request here may mean breaking rules there later. Okay, dark thought but this sort of incidence does make one take a closer look at those around oneself on any next cruise. Will they be helpful or hurtful in any given situation we may all be asked to face?

 

I am sorry but just because someone disregards a dress code rule ( maybe they were not aware of it, not everyone reads cruise critic) has absolutely no bearing in my mind on how they will react in an emergency. Most people that react badly in an emergency do it because they are in panic mode and not thinking clearly.

 

I am one that is always safety conscious in respect to these types of things. I always count how many rows to the exit aisles on an airplane and I pay attention to the emergency exits signs on the ship.

[IRL_Joanie]

1. Find a way to attend Life Boat/Muster Drills no matter what it takes!! No more staying in my stateroom as per instructions and watching the Safety Video (I am Handicapped and some ships are almost impossible for me to get to the Life Boat) BUT in case of an emergency, I HAVE to get there so I'd better find a way before hand!! The crew will have enough to do in case of an emergency without having to give me special attention!!

 

1.a. Make sure I know how to put my life vest on CORRECTLY!!!

 

2. Make sure that I have all medications, Medical History printout, travel documents, Passports, Credit Cards, ID Cards, Cell Phone and a change of clothes with me at all times (easier for me than many as I have a scooter and can keep a small bag on it)

 

3. Make sure that hubby knows NOT to try and find me!! We will find each other later when we are safe. Better not to meet somewhere and endanger each other or others.

 

4. Make sure that I pay attention to greater detail to the ship layout and possible routes of escape such as, how many wall panels from the lower level dining room doors to the first doors out to the Promenade deck. (with limited vision if the lighting goes out I will have a hard time seeing the low level emergency lighting in the floor so will have to depend on feel.)

 

5. Try to keep a good attitude no matter the situation...

 

Joanie

[sapper1]

Certainly having warm clothes set aside that you can get into in a hurry is a good idea. Since the things we would need--meds, passport, money etc., are kept in the safe, it would be a good idea to keep a small "go bag" next to the safe so you could just scoop everything into it. I am thinking of a compact backpack that could sit on your lap or even a HAL bag.

 

What this event has done is to take away all the anticipation I have for our upcoming Panama cruise. Of course we will still go, but without the sense of euphoria I usually develop as the date approaches. I don't like to say I am dreading the experience as that may be a little extreme but I just cannot shake the "Please Mr. Custer, I don't want to go" feeling.

 

How many of you remember that song?:)

 

My husband and I tend to stay together most of the time on a cruise and maybe there will be a little more of that tendency.

 

I was reading the thread on the Costa boards about what should be the pecking order in boarding lifeboats and was too shocked by what I was reading to even reply. (That has never happened before;))

I would be terrified to be on a cruise with that bunch in any kind of an emergency. People are supposed to help each other out in times of danger. That is what makes us human.

 

I hope some of the more outrageous posts get removed, such as the one that said that kid's lives are not that important because it is easy enough to pop out another one.

[DeepWaterMariner]

Good suggestions and pretty much what we are told at every Muster Drill. The additional thing for us is to nail down the ships plan for handicapped passengers and determine our plan B if the advertised handicap plan falls victim to chaos in an emergency.

[sail7seas]

The 'go bag' is a good idea. Small and lighweight with the bare minimum in it and something that can go over body to keep hands free. VERY light, small backpack or long strap shoulder bag. Also a good idea to have it right beside the safe.

 

I have to honestly say though that as horrifying as this whole event is, I am not going to worry we will be in a like situation. I have far too much trust and confidence in the fine HAL crews and I am not going to go on our next cruise worrying we might sink.

 

I well might get run over by a bus before that ever happens.

Sure, it certainly can happen but I'm just not going to dwell on it.

I'll be prepared and make reasonable choices and then what will be will be.

 

JMO.

 

[jcrandle]

I'm booking my next cruise on the Elbe. On a previous cruise, the captain told us that if the ship sank, due to the water depth, our feet wouldn't get wet!

[bellebaby]

Has anyone had first hand experience with the 24 Hour Service Assistance coverage provided by many credit cards and by travel insurance? They say they will assist with travel document replacement, emergency cash transfers, language interpretation, etc. in the event of an emergency.

 

While we all hope we aren't in need of this type of assistance, has anyone used the service and was it useful?

 

Thanks.

 

B

[IRL_Joanie]

Good suggestions and pretty much what we are told at every Muster Drill. The additional thing for us is to nail down the ships plan for handicapped passengers and determine our plan B if the advertised handicap plan falls victim to chaos in an emergency.

 

My Plan B in case of electrical outage will be to find the nearest stairs and go down on my back side!! Since the elevators will not be working, I'll have to get to the life boats somehow.

 

Joanie

[Spire2000]

Bleakly thinking here, maybe asking for passengers to honor formal dress codes is a way to find out who the trouble makers are who don't like to follow "rules" or orders on a ship. Huh? :confused: Maybe ships need to know who will be the good passengers in case of an emergency and which ones they have to keep under closer watch.

 

Flaunt a little request here may mean breaking rules there later. Okay, dark thought but this sort of incidence does make one take a closer look at those around oneself on any next cruise. Will they be helpful or hurtful in any given situation we may all be asked to face?

 

What in the Blue Hell??? Not wearing a penguin suit somehow equates to not being trusted to save someone's life in an emergency? I'm trying to think of a way to say what I want to say about this statement, but there's no way to do it without looking like an ass.

[Robin7]

Like other posters, I will have a small (very small since I'm an overpacker)go-bag.

 

I will also really study and learn the ship's layout. I always rely on my husband to know where we're going and how to get there. We are almost never apart when cruising, but what if we were??? I always count hotel room doors in case of fire and know where the stairs are. I always count the rows between me and an exit on an airplane. I guess I will now add know the ship and an alternate route to my lifeboat to my cruise preparation.

 

The thing I would really, REALLY like to know is do the doors open if there is no power? Do they auto-unlock? If I'm not IN my cabin, can I get in to get my life jacket??? I never thought about that before until I read that news story where they were concerned about people being locked IN.

 

Robin

[itzmered]

Has anyone had first hand experience with the 24 Hour Service Assistance coverage provided by many credit cards and by travel insurance? They say they will assist with travel document replacement, emergency cash transfers, language interpretation, etc. in the event of an emergency.

 

While we all hope we aren't in need of this type of assistance, has anyone used the service and was it useful?

 

Thanks.

 

B

 

For the most part most people will have forgetten when a tragedy strikes that this is available. Most will also not know how to contact them if they dont have their credit card with them either.

[iancal]

....Bleakly thinking here, maybe asking for passengers to honor formal dress codes is a way to find out who the trouble makers are who don't like to follow "rules" or orders on a ship. Huh? :confused: Maybe ships need to know who will be the good passengers in case of an emergency and which ones they have to keep under closer watch.

 

 

...what a silly comment. And very inappropriate. Maybe those would be the same troublemakers who actually believed the first announcements to the effect that this was only a power failure...or maybe the poor unfortunate souls who were found drowned in the ship today beside a muster area that was never serviced-but they were following the rules.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Bleakly thinking here, maybe asking for passengers to honor formal dress codes is a way to find out who the trouble makers are who don't like to follow "rules" or orders on a ship. Huh? :confused: Maybe ships need to know who will be the good passengers in case of an emergency and which ones they have to keep under closer watch.

 

Flaunt a little request here may mean breaking rules there later. Okay, dark thought but this sort of incidence does make one take a closer look at those around oneself on any next cruise. Will they be helpful or hurtful in any given situation we may all be asked to face?

 

With an attitude and mindset like that, I sincerely hope you are not on my lifeboat.

[COLLEYBERRY]

 

Unfortunately muster drills, in some cases may be of no use....a life boat isn't very useful when the starboard side is under water and the port side is in the air.

 

Who knows how a cruise line crew or a Captain, will react in a rapidly sinking vessel... lining calmly up at a muster station isn't quite the same...a true emergency comes with little practice.

 

In this latest tragedy, the vessel listed so quickly I would imagine returning to your cabin or getting to a lifeboat would be like climbing uphill sideways.

 

The image of this huge ship, sideways in the sea, is not something I will soon forget.

 

Colleen

[Carmeldi]

Remember 9/11. Countless stories of small sacrifices, concern for all around you, drawing on the best you can be. We can be more than we expect. It's in all of us to swell up and take the high road.

[COLLEYBERRY]

With an attitude and mindset like that, I sincerely hope you are not on my lifeboat.

 

Hope you are in mine .....wear sneakers and bring wine.:D

Colleen

[DizzyDallasDi]

 

Hope you are in mine .....wear sneakers and bring wine.:D

Colleen

 

We'd have the funnest (is that a word ?) lifeboat on the high seas. For sure! :D

[Himself]

pay closer attention at the muster drill.

 

amen!

[bellebaby]

For the most part most people will have forgetten when a tragedy strikes that this is available. Most will also not know how to contact them if they dont have their credit card with them either.

 

Agreed... I'm trying to put together my "plan" for our next cruise. The telephone number will be in our "emergency" bag. It's a different number than the number to credit card customer service, although I'm sure customer service could provide it.

 

I just wonder how helpful the service really is.

 

Thanks.