Muster Drill was a huge JOKE!

[H82seaUgo]

btw, i see this post has been reposted on the brand ambassador's facebook page.

 

the usual suspects are already. Attempting to discredi the op's credibility.

 

fortunately, there are more people backing up the op's claim.

[elcuchio24]

Sounds like every other drill I've ever been to.

[elcuchio24]

I would like additional training on how to lower the lifeboats and how to start the engines. All the basic stuff I would expect a crew member to completely screw up. I would feel a lot more safe knowing I didn't have to rely on the crew and I could do it myself.

 

Do you take flight lesson refreshers before every time you fly commercially?:)

[Aplmac]

That's the same way it was on our cruise March 17th 2012.

Everyone was very quiet, drinks were taken away and the captain and CD over the loud speaker.

I don't quite understand the drinks taken away bit.

 

How does that remove the alcohol already imbibed?

How does that reduce the blood/alcohol level already well above the norm?

 

That drinker is already beyond paying attention: taking his drink away accomplishes very little.

.

[Disneycruisers]

You shouldn't have to resort to this but yes it helps to concentrate the mind.

 

Another factor is to withhold alcohol until after muster drill is over

-then the alcohol can be served, but not before.

.

 

Yes! (to wearing the lifevests and no alcohol.)

 

On our most recent cruise, we had a good 'tough' crew member who pointed out to a young, obnoxious 20-something girl who had quick one-liner comebacks to every instruction. (Acting as if she were in junior-high.) People were getting annoyed and giving her dirty looks until the tough (a TALL muscular woman) crew member called out to her "be quiet please!" She quickly backed down in humiliation. GOOD!

[elcuchio24]

I don't quite understand the drinks taken away bit.

 

How does that remove the alcohol already imbibed?

How does that reduce the blood/alcohol level already well above the norm?

 

That drinker is already beyond paying attention: taking his drink away accomplishes very little.

.

 

I think they should encourage drinking during the drill. After all, if there were a real emergency, chances are that 40% of the ship would be drunk anyway. Makes sense, right?

[TrinaLC]

If you want people to take this seriously make them wear the life jacket.

 

People are much more likely to be injured by tripping over the straps - balancing that v. the remote benefit of making pax bring the life vest, its a pretty easy decision to leave the vests in the staterooms.

[serene56]

On the Legend in February ours was dead silence. I was shocked but pleased everyone was so quiet and paying attention. I guarantee I know where to be LOL. There were 5 rooms holding us up to start the drill. They call your name and room number out for everyone to hear if you try and skip the drill. Could not leave till all of these people showed up! :mad:

 

 

it was like that for ours too. (i am guessing the Captain of each ship determines who serious this should be taken.)

 

I have never been to a drill where you could "hear" the fish flopping int he water it was that quiet.

[okgirl]

how many shios sail in iceburgh infested water, yet the titanic changed all the rules, most still in effect.

 

and regardless how you think you will act, if in a real emergency, you get down to deck 4 because you know where you're supposed to go, but you can't get past the bottom of the staircase on that floors landing for the crowds, and the lights are out, or there is smoke present, any orchestrated evacuation is better than none.

 

if concordia was a wake up call to those who think cruise ships can't sink, those that don't want ti listen perpetuate the problem.

 

But surely you are not suggesting that the passengers should take it upon themselves to deploy the rescue craft......

 

Cruise ships can sink.....that's not the issue for me......all I'm saying is that if the Captain of the Concordia had reacted in a more timely manner, some lives would have been saved.........as it was even with whatever chaos ensued, 4000+ souls were saved. That is an absolute credit to the crew members who were actually doing their jobs.

 

There is nothing about the current muster drill that would have prepared me for a severely listing ship, or how to climb to the exterior hull and climb down a rope ladder.

 

My sister and I have a very well thought out plan for emergency situations. We pay attention to announcements when they come on, to ensure it's not something urgent.....many just continue the party......We always have cash, credit card, identification and a flashlight with us........while we are apart much of the day and evening, we know how long to wait in the cabin for the other to arrive, where our 2nd meet point is, and an alternative meet point. We've scoped out the many not so obvious paths that will get us to our muster station.

 

We accept responsibility for our own safety. But we don't need to know how to deploy a lifeboat and if there ever comes a day when that kind of information is given to passengers then it will be sad indeed for it will be the end of my cruise life.

[theneals4]

All stupid and loud drunks should be subjected to real life "man over board" drill. But with life vest of course ;)

 

On our cruise on the dream on Sept. They were dead serious about the muster drill. If they they heard laughing they would ask whoever to kindly respect, what what they trying explain. So to hear that kinda sucks.

 

Hope they get it straight.

 

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

[cheewiee]

Life Vests...

 

The purpose of an emergency drill is to practice the steps your going to take in an actual emergency...

 

If there is an actual emergency aboard, passengers would go directly to their muster stations, where the crew will have life vests waiting for them. Normally you would not return to your cabin, right?

 

So I am okay with not bringing a life vest to the drill, because I don't want the practice of returning to my room lodged in my head, when I may not be thinking clearly

 

Locale...

 

I for one am glad they moved the muster stations off of the deck. Yes I understand I will eventually be corralled onto the deck, and into a boat, but they don't practice loading passengers into the lifeboats do they? No. Again, If we are going to make it easy for a paniced stressed vacationer to get to safety, expecting them to remember Muster Station G on the Port side of deck 8, may be expecting a bit much from someone who may be well on their way workingin on tomorrow's hangover.

 

I know where the X lounge is, I know where the X dining room is... It makes sense to meet there, and then move to the life boats without trampling over all of my fellow vacationers...

 

Drinks...

 

I do think its a good idea to stay sober through atlest Muster... I would think that the wait staff, and bar have become very good at determining when to cut someone off... especially before Muster...

 

In a disaster situation, crew drills become MUCH MUCH MUCH more important than the drills passengers go through. In an emergency situation, they become the leaders, in the attempt to get people to safety. I am far more concerned about their responsiveness than my own in an emergency situation.

 

That isn't to say, we shouldn't prepare ourselves, but there is only so much one can do in the few hours leading up to departure.

[michelle1836]

a fun ship activity? I thought this was mentioned before and why this wouldnt happen. I bet people would sign up for it though. almost like a behind the fun tour :)

[Julz226]

Well the biggest shocker for me was that the staff just didn't care. "You can see it on TV."

 

As for the question about the youth life vest, there wasn't one when we arrived but our cabin steward brought one before we had a chance to call for one.

 

It was a short cruise and over spring break so there was LOTS of intoxication. The first night you could get high from the smoke walking through our hallway. On day 3 someone was injured late at night and we had to return to Cozumel around 2:00 am (we left at 10:00 pm) so they could receive medical attention (??? I just heard it was a student on break) but fortunately there were no major incidents and we still made it home on time.

[okgirl]

Life Vests...

 

The purpose of an emergency drill is to practice the steps your going to take in an actual emergency...

 

If there is an actual emergency aboard, passengers would go directly to their muster stations, where the crew will have life vests waiting for them. Normally you would not return to your cabin, right? No, you are instructed to go directly to your cabin and retrieve your lifevest.

 

So I am okay with not bringing a life vest to the drill, because I don't want the practice of returning to my room lodged in my head, when I may not be thinking clearly

 

Locale...

 

I for one am glad they moved the muster stations off of the deck. Yes I understand I will eventually be corralled onto the deck, and into a boat, but they don't practice loading passengers into the lifeboats do they? No. Again, If we are going to make it easy for a paniced stressed vacationer to get to safety, expecting them to remember Muster Station G on the Port side of deck 8, may be expecting a bit much from someone who may be well on their way workingin on tomorrow's hangover.

 

I know where the X lounge is, I know where the X dining room is... It makes sense to meet there, and then move to the life boats without trampling over all of my fellow vacationers...

 

Drinks...

 

I do think its a good idea to stay sober through atlest Muster... I would think that the wait staff, and bar have become very good at determining when to cut someone off... especially before Muster...

 

In a disaster situation, crew drills become MUCH MUCH MUCH more important than the drills passengers go through. In an emergency situation, they become the leaders, in the attempt to get people to safety. I am far more concerned about their responsiveness than my own in an emergency situation.

 

That isn't to say, we shouldn't prepare ourselves, but there is only so much one can do in the few hours leading up to departure.

 

I do think that there should be more specific information as to what is going to happen once you are called to muster. Will we really be lined up like sardines then once everyone is assembled load the boats?? Or will you be directed to a boat as you arrive at your muster station?

 

The one thing I am positive of is that my sister and I won't be standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people in one of three elevator lobbies on deck four trying to crowd our way to the exterior deck.....we'll arrive there via one of the other doors.

[H82seaUgo]

But surely you are not suggesting that the passengers should take it upon themselves to deploy the rescue craft......

 

Cruise ships can sink.....that's not the issue for me......all I'm saying is that if the Captain of the Concordia had reacted in a more timely manner, some lives would have been saved.........as it was even with whatever chaos ensued, 4000+ souls were saved. That is an absolute credit to the crew members who were actually doing their jobs.

 

There is nothing about the current muster drill that would have prepared me for a severely listing ship, or how to climb to the exterior hull and climb down a rope ladder.

 

My sister and I have a very well thought out plan for emergency situations. We pay attention to announcements when they come on, to ensure it's not something urgent.....many just continue the party......We always have cash, credit card, identification and a flashlight with us........while we are apart much of the day and evening, we know how long to wait in the cabin for the other to arrive, where our 2nd meet point is, and an alternative meet point. We've scoped out the many not so obvious paths that will get us to our muster station.

 

We accept responsibility for our own safety. But we don't need to know how to deploy a lifeboat and if there ever comes a day when that kind of information is given to passengers then it will be sad indeed for it will be the end of my cruise life.

 

no.

 

and every "event" at sea is not going to play out like the last one.

 

listening to the family from connecticut relay their story made me change significantly how i would think on my next cruise.

 

she stated she knew exactly where she was supposed to go, and how to get there.

 

and when she did, there were mobs inside the ship, and couldn't even make it to her lifeboat.

 

and when she got there, it was already full, as she proceeded to the next one. she went the whole length of the ship, and all were full.

 

by the time she realized the next thing she and her family could do was make it to the other side of the ship, the ship was listing so bad that they couldn't make it across the ship.

 

until some ropes were put acrosss that deck.

 

and it turned out, she and her family ended up having to go down that ladder on the outside of the ship; the one they show on the infrared film.

 

yup. she knew what she was supposed to do. :rolleyes:

[braveslake]

I found the exact opposite of the original poster's drill when we cruised on the Miracle two weeks ago. The muster drill was very serious, drinks were taken away, cell phones were asked to be put away. Everyone was quiet. The staff demonstrating the life vest stood on chairs so all could see in the back. Both the Captain and the CD spoke and there were definitely more staff at the drill. More emphasis on safety than I had seen in 26 cruises! I was impressed.

[golfadj]

People are much more likely to be injured by tripping over the straps - balancing that v. the remote benefit of making pax bring the life vest, its a pretty easy decision to leave the vests in the staterooms.

 

Sorry I disagree. Wearing a life jacket and having to put it on yourself is good training and sets the tone for a drill.

[halos]

Sorry I disagree. Wearing a life jacket and having to put it on yourself is good training and sets the tone for a drill.

 

I'm not in agreement with that. Having it on is confining and they squish you in together so tightly....all people think about while the drill is going on is "Dear God when is this going to end??" I can concentrate far better without being choked.

I will also say that it bothers me that the life vests are in our cabins. This to me is ridiculously UNsafe.

God forbid something happens, you should not have to go to your cabin to retrieve a life vest. It's totally absurd. The life vests should be stored at the muster stations.

Edited April 3, 2012 by halos

[ouachita]

We accept responsibility for our own safety.

 

That kind of sums it all up right there doesn't it? (Like the way you think okgirl.)

 

I fully agree with the comments that people should be more attentive and respectful of the muster drills and the sensibilities of their fellow passengers. I am also as appalled as anyone that a ships crew would treat a matter of survival as a joke. The bottom line, however, is that the world is full of numbskulls who believe that (1) Nothing bad can ever happen to them, and/or (2) It is someone else's responsibility to take care of them in the unlikely case something bad does happen. These are your basic "self inflicted victims" and there seems to be a high correlation between this group and the "habitual bitch and whine" classes. I prefer to think of them as evolutionary cannon fodder.

 

It would be a lot easier to write them off if they didn't produce so much collateral damage.

 

One must always keep in mind that you cannot control the actions and attitudes of others - you can only control yours.

 

Just remember that no one takes care of YOUR business like you do. Make sure that you and yours are safe first, then you do what you can for the "numbskulls."

Edited April 3, 2012 by ouachita
typo

[Sargent_Schultz]

Not only do people trip on the life jacket straps, I've seen too many pass out from the heat only made worse by wearing a life jacket.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Sargent_Schultz

[H82seaUgo]

Not only do people trip on the life jacket straps, I've seen too many pass out from the heat only made worse by wearing a life jacket.

 

i wonder how many will pass out during the real deal, then.

[H82seaUgo]

Sorry I disagree. Wearing a life jacket and having to put it on yourself is good training and sets the tone for a drill.

 

it is interesting that this party atmosphere only started when they discontinued the jackets being worn.

 

my concern is wondering how many would need to jump in the water and their head go through the hole because it's not on secured properly. no one will be checking strap and compliance in a real emergency.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Baloney. The party starts as soon as you board the ship and they are hustling DoDs. Always has been.

[H82seaUgo]

Baloney. The party starts as soon as you board the ship and they are hustling DoDs. Always has been.

 

i've yet to see bar service at muster.

[cruiserNC]

Unfortunately this it the day in age we live in with technology etc.

I think responsible adults in this situation should review and ask question to parts they don't understand. I cruise with children and I go out of my way to understand where we need to be and what we need to be doing if an emergency occurs.