Muster Drill.... i.e. "If I ruled the world!"

[macruisefan]

On recent cruises, I have become less and less enthralled with the muster drill. I don't know if it's a product of larger ships, but it seems to me that the current format of the drill is nothing but a huge waste of time. Large crowds, PA announcements that are inaudible, people coming late, just a big mess.

 

So, under the category of "If I ruled the world", here's what I propose.

 

All muster stations should be staffed by an appropriate number of crew members from the time boarding starts until sailaway. All guests must visit their appropriate muster station and swipe in, sometime between boarding and sail away. The staff at the muster station can demonstrate life vest use, perhaps there could be a video (like the ones they currently play that no one can hear) on a continuous loop.

 

In the staterooms, have a muster video play on a loop continuously. The tv will be on upon entering the room, and be available to watch on a particular channel throughout the cruise.

 

Lastly, come sailaway, anyone who has not yet swiped in at their muster will have their cards frozen until they do so- no room access, no charging, you could even require swiping in to dinner the first night. The card would be reactivated once they visit their muster station and swipe in.

 

It's not perfect, but I think it has potential.

 

Any thoughts?

[celle]

On recent cruises, I have become less and less enthralled with the muster drill. I don't know if it's a product of larger ships, but it seems to me that the current format of the drill is nothing but a huge waste of time. Large crowds, PA announcements that are inaudible, people coming late, just a big mess.

 

So, under the category of "If I ruled the world", here's what I propose.

 

All muster stations should be staffed by an appropriate number of crew members from the time boarding starts until sailaway. All guests must visit their appropriate muster station and swipe in, sometime between boarding and sail away. The staff at the muster station can demonstrate life vest use, perhaps there could be a video (like the ones they currently play that no one can hear) on a continuous loop.

 

In the staterooms, have a muster video play on a loop continuously. The tv will be on upon entering the room, and be available to watch on a particular channel throughout the cruise.

 

Lastly, come sailaway, anyone who has not yet swiped in at their muster will have their cards frozen until they do so- no room access, no charging, you could even require swiping in to dinner the first night. The card would be reactivated once they visit their muster station and swipe in.

 

It's not perfect, but I think it has potential.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Of course there are large crowds at muster drill. that's unavoidable, as the drill involves all passengers. Yes, there are late-comers, who delay the whole process. You can't change their inconsiderate natures by changing the procedures. The same people who come late (or who don't come at all) would still find a way to circumvent your suggestions.

 

Your idea would tie up large numbers of staff for several hours, when they already have other jobs to do. It's very labour-intensive for the crew.

 

Even if the TV is on in the stateroom when you arrive, there is nothing to prevent passengers turning off the TV, and nothing to prove they have watched the safety video.

 

Just visiting your muster station is insufficient preparation. Currently, those who do not attend can be put ashore - a much more efficient punishment than freezing their cards.

 

Better keep muster the way it is, and maybe improve the quality of eth sound system.

 

In some ships, the muster station is held in a room (theatre, bar, restaurant) and a video is shown. You get to sit in comfort and there is no problem understanding the instructions.

[Orator]

Glad you're doing some out of the box thinking. I agree with your comments. Have you been assigned the Photo Galery for a drill. What a disaster! Don't know if your plan would cut muster with the the USCG since the viewing of the demonstration would be at the disgression of the guest. How many would actually view it? My guess would be not many. Like the idea of a card swipe, but I can see many complaints from those who would find it an inconvience. Thanks for giving us something to think about.

[thebutlerdidit]

I like your ideas a lot macruisefan. I always wonder if it's just me, but I can rarely understand PA announcements at all.

[sunflower46]

On recent cruises, I have become less and less enthralled with the muster drill. I don't know if it's a product of larger ships, but it seems to me that the current format of the drill is nothing but a huge waste of time. Large crowds, PA announcements that are inaudible, people coming late, just a big mess.

 

So, under the category of "If I ruled the world", here's what I propose.

 

All muster stations should be staffed by an appropriate number of crew members from the time boarding starts until sailaway. All guests must visit their appropriate muster station and swipe in, sometime between boarding and sail away. The staff at the muster station can demonstrate life vest use, perhaps there could be a video (like the ones they currently play that no one can hear) on a continuous loop.

 

In the staterooms, have a muster video play on a loop continuously. The tv will be on upon entering the room, and be available to watch on a particular channel throughout the cruise.

 

Lastly, come sailaway, anyone who has not yet swiped in at their muster will have their cards frozen until they do so- no room access, no charging, you could even require swiping in to dinner the first night. The card would be reactivated once they visit their muster station and swipe in.

 

It's not perfect, but I think it has potential.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Not a bad idea. I've seen people sleeping through them. Even saw a whole table full of people talking loudly and laughing as if nothing was going on. The Captains Club hostess had to come over and tell them to be quiet. They were clueless.

[macruisefan]

Of course there are large crowds at muster drill. that's unavoidable, as the drill involves all passengers. Yes, there are late-comers, who delay the whole process. You can't change their inconsiderate natures by changing the procedures. The same people who come late (or who don't come at all) would still find a way to circumvent your suggestions.

 

I guess my thought isn't so much about those who DON'T do as they should, but rather trying to make it more useful for those of us that do.

 

Your idea would tie up large numbers of staff for several hours, when they already have other jobs to do. It's very labour-intensive for the crew.

 

I'm not a numbers cruncher, but I bet it would be a wash. Right now, they make everyone go to their stations at the same time. So hundreds of people are in one place at the same time. This requires dozens of crew members. Make it something people visit over several hours, and you would end up with only a fraction there at a time. You would need fewer people there at a time.

 

Even if the TV is on in the stateroom when you arrive, there is nothing to prevent passengers turning off the TV, and nothing to prove they have watched the safety video.

 

Fair point. Granted, I think a lot of people would at least "passively" watch it. And that's a lot better than I got to do last year on Solstice. They were playing the video on two screens in Tuscan Grill. Shades were up, sun glare made it impossible to see anything, and could barely hear.

 

Perhaps, you could make people swipe twice. Go to your station, swipe your card, and then you must swipe it again five minutes later. In the meantime, the video is playing on a loop....

 

Just visiting your muster station is insufficient preparation. Currently, those who do not attend can be put ashore - a much more efficient punishment than freezing their cards.

 

True, but I haven't heard of that happening much. The freezing of the cards would more or less cripple that person. Can't access the stateroom, can't get dinner, can't buy drinks.

 

Like I said, not perfect, but just some food for thought!

[Andy]

Have you been assigned the Photo Galery for a drill. What a disaster!

 

Hi Orator,

 

We had our muster in the same area, last month on Eclipse. It was overcrowded, with extremely limited seating. I noticed a number of elderly folks and others having issues standing and I felt really bad for them. From our position - we couldnt see or hear anything. We walked away feeling that nothing was learned.... other than Celebrity should avoid using this area in the future. At the very least, use it for a smaller number of guests, and provide more seating.

 

What I found most interesting, is that we could see the Entertainment Court below on Deck 4, and there was only a handful of Celebrity crew standing around, with no guests in sight. Why not make use of the crew and this area ? Would have certainly helped with the madhouse on Deck 5. The whole experience made no sense to me.

 

While I find the OP's post thought provoking - there was a time when Celebrity offered safety infromation on TV, and it was turned to this channel when you first entered your cabin on Day 1. It wasnt in place of the muster drill, nor should it be... but I thought this was an excellent idea. I'm not certain if Celebrity currently offers this, but I do not believe they are. If I'm wrong, please comment.

 

Being informed can be life saving in an emergency. I strongly feel we can never have enough information on this topic.

[newsier]

Our first cruise ever was on the Carnival Holiday back in April 1991.

 

For muster, Carnival had us report to the main theater with our life jackets on. They did show us how to put the life jacket on and said in the unlikely event of an emergency - we were to report to this location for further instructions.

 

Kind of like the safety announcement as the plane rolls out to the runway...........

 

As we shuffled out of the theater I said to Angie, "We're going to drown".

 

21 years later and countless cruises - I feel the same way..............."we're going to drown"!

 

On Royal, we don't even have to take our life jackets, I can see the reason for this though. Our first X cruise is in May, I expect the same thing there.

 

And we comtinue to put our money down and cruise!

 

Loved the idea from OP.

 

Happy New Year everyone.

 

Glenn

[cruisestitch]

In regards to wearing the life jackets, that turned out to be quite a safety hazard, so instead of increasing safety, it decreased it!

 

People left the long belts dangling behind them as they walked away from the drill, causing those behind them to trip

 

People couldn't see over the top of the jacket and tripped as they walked through the raised doorways

 

It is much safer now. If there is anyone out there who can't figure out how to put one on when it is needed, there will be plenty of people nearby to show them!

[dkjretired]

Not too long ago, the TVs were on when you entered the cabin and the only thing you could get on it was the info about the Muster drill....

[sjb317]

I like your idea! Our muster station on Century was in the casino and was a complete waste of time. It was crowded, we could not hear anything, and a staff member stood on a chair in the center of the casino to demonstrate putting a life vest on but only people up close had a good view. I would have gotten just as much out of it if they had put a card in my room telling me my muster station was the casino.

 

Sherri:)

[travelberlin]

Hi Orator,

 

We had our muster in the same area, last month on Eclipse. It was overcrowded, with extremely limited seating. I noticed a number of elderly folks and others having issues standing and I felt really bad for them. From our position - we couldnt see or hear anything. We walked away feeling that nothing was learned.... other than Celebrity should avoid using this area in the future. At the very least, use it for a smaller number of guests, and provide more seating.

 

What I found most interesting, is that we could see the Entertainment Court below on Deck 4, and there was only a handful of Celebrity crew standing around, with no guests in sight. Why not make use of the crew and this area ? Would have certainly helped with the madhouse on Deck 5. The whole experience made no sense to me.

 

While I find the OP's post thought provoking - there was a time when Celebrity offered safety infromation on TV, and it was turned to this channel when you first entered your cabin on Day 1. It wasnt in place of the muster drill, nor should it be... but I thought this was an excellent idea. I'm not certain if Celebrity currently offers this, but I do not believe they are. If I'm wrong, please comment.

 

Being informed can be life saving in an emergency. I strongly feel we can never have enough information on this topic.

I agree with your post. I will also like to raise my concern that the singers and dancers are the ones who seem to be incharged of the drills. I wonder how qualified they really are in case of an emergency to control the probably nervous passengers and to help them to safety. I would feel more comfortable with mariners from profession at those positions.

[dkjretired]

In regards to wearing the life jackets, that turned out to be quite a safety hazard, so instead of increasing safety, it decreased it!

 

People left the long belts dangling behind them as they walked away from the drill, causing those behind them to trip

 

People couldn't see over the top of the jacket and tripped as they walked through the raised doorways

 

It is much safer now. If there is anyone out there who can't figure out how to put one on when it is needed, there will be plenty of people nearby to show them!

 

Also annoying are the people including adults who keep blowing the whistles during the drill.

[Nukesailor]

You mean the whistles that aren't cleaned between cruises?:eek:

 

When someone near me at the muster starts blowing the whistle, I take great joy in advising them of this fact. The response is always the same: eeeewwwww!!!

 

Art

[Presto2]

On recent cruises, I have become less and less enthralled with the muster drill. I don't know if it's a product of larger ships, but it seems to me that the current format of the drill is nothing but a huge waste of time. Large crowds, PA announcements that are inaudible, people coming late, just a big mess.

 

So, under the category of "If I ruled the world", here's what I propose.

 

All muster stations should be staffed by an appropriate number of crew members from the time boarding starts until sailaway. All guests must visit their appropriate muster station and swipe in, sometime between boarding and sail away. The staff at the muster station can demonstrate life vest use, perhaps there could be a video (like the ones they currently play that no one can hear) on a continuous loop.

 

In the staterooms, have a muster video play on a loop continuously. The tv will be on upon entering the room, and be available to watch on a particular channel throughout the cruise.

 

Lastly, come sailaway, anyone who has not yet swiped in at their muster will have their cards frozen until they do so- no room access, no charging, you could even require swiping in to dinner the first night. The card would be reactivated once they visit their muster station and swipe in.

 

It's not perfect, but I think it has potential.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Yip, go with that. What was interesting on our cruise last year was that we were not shown how to use one of the staff stairways that was allocated a route to our muster station. Instead we were sent to the main stairs which was chaos. On previous cruises on OV2 and P&O there were staff on the 'usual staff only areas' who made sure that we were taking the shortest route.

 

I am still one of those who think we should all take our life jackets with us and try them on -- though I know that there are views for and against.

 

Whatever - I pray that all cruise lines don't have a need to review their systems this year............

 

Safe journeys all ---

[ehfl]

Yes, I agree this would be better. On our last cruise, I proposed the basic same idea to my partner. The only difference is that the video on the TV would have a short quiz...probably just, what is the emergency signal, and where is your muster station, that you would have to answer using the remote. But swiping at your physical station sometime before sailaway would definitely make it easier on both passengers and crew. Of course, they would need to have the stations staffed, and I know the crew is pretty busy before sail away, but I'm sure they could find some people, or even have some portable kiosks that you could swipe at.

[sandyss]

Excellent ideas OP. Normally the venues are so crowded and noisy that we can't see or hear anything. Improvements are needed. Now, can we get Celebrity to listen??

[billie5]

I don't think OP's suggestion makes much sense (although the topic is one worthy of discussion --- and improvement). There is almost nothing in the world which can not be improved in a very labor intensive fashion. The crew is obviously under the highest labor pressure during embarkation-disembarkation. Suggesting that they be tied up for additional hours with muster is pointless.

 

On the other hand, Andy's suggestion that muster locations be chosen more wisely makes a huge amount of sense.

 

Incidentally, we have been on a number of musters which did check cabin cards.

[peterm]

I don't think OP's suggestion makes much sense (although the topic is one worthy of discussion --- and improvement). There is almost nothing in the world which can not be improved in a very labor intensive fashion. The crew is obviously under the highest labor pressure during embarkation-disembarkation. Suggesting that they be tied up for additional hours with muster is pointless.

 

On the other hand, Andy's suggestion that muster locations be chosen more wisely makes a huge amount of sense.

 

Incidentally, we have been on a number of musters which did check cabin cards.

 

I agree with Andy and billie5. Our drill on Equinox in December was in the theater, very well organized, short and without people lugging life vests through the ship. They explained also, that, if in case in case of an emergency your are not in your stateroom, you must go direct to the muster station and, if an evacuation is necessary, life vests will be available before your embark in the life boats. The new mega ships even don't have life vests anymore in the staterooms, but only at the muster stations or life boats.

[macruisefan]

There is almost nothing in the world which can not be improved in a very labor intensive fashion. The crew is obviously under the highest labor pressure during embarkation-disembarkation. Suggesting that they be tied up for additional hours with muster is pointless.

 

And I don't think it would add any work to the crew, but rather would just redistribute it.

 

Let's say the muster occupies those involved for 30 minutes. Now, how many crew were at the last venue when you mustered? I was in Tuscan Grill and I believe there were at least a dozen crewmen there.

 

What if, instead of all twelve people being there at once, they were there in half hour shifts, starting at noon? You would be covered until 6pm with the same man power.

 

And now that I think about it, forget the people assigned to the muster stations. There are two crew members on every deck at every stairwell, just directing traffic. That's only necessary because you're sending all three thousand people to the stations at once.

[dkjretired]

And I don't think it would add any work to the crew, but rather would just redistribute it.

 

Let's say the muster occupies those involved for 30 minutes. Now, how many crew were at the last venue when you mustered? I was in Tuscan Grill and I believe there were at least a dozen crewmen there.

 

What if, instead of all twelve people being there at once, they were there in half hour shifts, starting at noon? You would be covered until 6pm with the same man power.

 

And now that I think about it, forget the people assigned to the muster stations. There are two crew members on every deck at every stairwell, just directing traffic. That's only necessary because you're sending all three thousand people to the stations at once.

 

I would think during an Emergency they would be sending all 3000 to their stations at once..

[macruisefan]

I would think during an Emergency they would be sending all 3000 to their stations at once..

 

Obviously. But I think the bigger issue isn't testing the ability to do that, but rather making sure people all know where to go, and what to do when they get there.

 

As such, I still contest that the current format does a poor job at best of this. Go to the Tuscan Grill, stand there in a crowd, try and watch a video you can't see or hear.... That's where I'm seeing the improvement.

[shoreham01]

Hi Orator,

 

We had our muster in the same area, last month on Eclipse. It was overcrowded, with extremely limited seating. I noticed a number of elderly folks and others having issues standing and I felt really bad for them. From our position - we couldnt see or hear anything. We walked away feeling that nothing was learned.... other than Celebrity should avoid using this area in the future. At the very least, use it for a smaller number of guests, and provide more seating.

 

What I found most interesting, is that we could see the Entertainment Court below on Deck 4, and there was only a handful of Celebrity crew standing around, with no guests in sight. Why not make use of the crew and this area ? Would have certainly helped with the madhouse on Deck 5. The whole experience made no sense to me.

 

While I find the OP's post thought provoking - there was a time when Celebrity offered safety infromation on TV, and it was turned to this channel when you first entered your cabin on Day 1. It wasnt in place of the muster drill, nor should it be... but I thought this was an excellent idea. I'm not certain if Celebrity currently offers this, but I do not believe they are. If I'm wrong, please comment.

 

Being informed can be life saving in an emergency. I strongly feel we can never have enough information on this topic.

Andy, although I am sorry you had to experience this debacle. When we sailed in June last year we had our muster drill there too. I have a bad back and had to stand for half an hour squashed up like animals awaiting slaughter, infact they would not allow animals to be kept in such conditions. I am short and could not see the monitors or the staff. We made an official complaint on the ship and had an appointment with the head of security. The compulsive standing resulted in me having a bad back for two days. Quite honestly it was a complete waste of our time meeting with the head of security or whoever he was. He just shrugged his shoulders saying no-one else had complained and it was not until I went on and on and on did he agree that we were not the only ones to complain.

 

When we got home I contacted head office in Miami where I was assured that my complaint would be taken very seriously. They gave us strawberry chocolates and a dinner in Muranos plus $300 dollars OBC for our next cruise as compensation.

 

I am horrified to hear that they are still using this area. If I am ever given that area again for muster I will arrive right at the very last minute. No way will I stand and have two days of my holiday ruined again.

 

You may have more luck than me, but I doubt it. It seems that Celebrity don't really care about their customers comfort. There were people who had flown around the world to be told to stand squashed up. So many elderly people who looked about to collapse too.

 

We too noticed the spacious empty area downstairs and wondered why this was not used.

 

I hope you can speak up for us all and make them sit up and listen. Do you have health and safety rules in the US?

[cyntil8ing]

And now that I think about it, forget the people assigned to the muster stations. There are two crew members on every deck at every stairwell, just directing traffic. That's only necessary because you're sending all three thousand people to the stations at once.

 

It's necessary as training for the crew!

 

Personally, I don't much care if every single person practices putting on their life vest or can see it demonstrated. I do care that crew knows where they should be and what they should be doing in a real emergency. I care that they're practiced moving large groups of people from place to place in the most efficient and safe manner. How else, besides the muster drill, would they get to practice?

 

I think that we, the passengers, are but props for crew training and practice. I have no problem with that.

[macruisefan]

It's necessary as training for the crew!

 

Alright, but they don't need to do it every single time. There is a muster drill every cruise because all passengers are required to muster. If the cruise is a three day cruise, they muster. If it's a 20 day cruise, they muster.

 

There is no way the crew needs to practice standing in the stairwell every single time.

 

Again, not a perfect solution. But I haven't honestly heard of a problem with the idea that cannot seemingly be easily resolved.