Muster drill

[Mizzouaholic]

You'd think they would make everyone put on their life jackets and show you how to get in the boat. And then make sure they point out where the beer cooler is located on the lifeboat.

[ISurfTooMuch]

I would never miss one. Never, and I have sailed from Florida to St Thomas on a 50ft boat. My unlce always did his own version of a muster drill the 2 times I have sailed with him. It's important information to know. We sail with our kids so that means even more.

I've been to every muster drill and wouldn't even consider skipping them. If a disaster did happen, you want to know where to go, and you certainly don't want to run from lifeboat to lifeboat searching for a spot when the one reserved for you is on the other side of the ship.

 

Even on a small boat owned by a friend, he told us what to do if the worst should happen. And for those who think that the sky is blue and nothing could possibly happen that day, well, the sky was blue that day when we went out fishing, but the weather changed in an instant. I really didn't notice at first, but the captain did, and he told us it was time to go and got us underway very, very quickly, and we raced back to shore as quickly as we could. Fortunately, we made it into the intercoastal waterway before the storm hit us, but it came hard and fast, and we spent quite a while going in circles to hold our position. And, during that time, we could hear the distress calls coming in on the radio. There was a boat about 14 miles out that had its engine quit, and you could tell that they were in trouble and knew it. Fortunately, either the Coast Guard or another boat came to their aid.

 

So I really can't understand why some people don't take this seriously. Odds are that nothing bad will happen, but if it does, it really can be a matter of life or death.

[rjackieb]

Last cruise my wife had a migrane and we were considering skipping muster. (Wife was worried about get "busted" so we did go.) Unless someone checks the staterooms, they wouldn't have known because there was no roll call.

The room stewards do a room check during the muster drill. Little tags are put in the door locks saying each room has been checked. For medical reasons though, the steward will ok you to skip the drill.

[MrPete]

Anyone ever skipped it? And if you did, afther what happened with Triumph would you skip it again.

 

Skip it? Do you skip it at work? Do you tell your kids to skip it at school.

 

Skip it? Now it makes sense when I hear some can't make it out of their homes. They don't think fire applies to them.

 

Skip it? SMH

[chengkp75]

Muster these days is a joke. First cruise on the NCL SKY, we mustered with our jackets and they took roll call out on deck. They demonstrated how to put on the jacket, then watched/checked as we did it. That's how muster is supposed to be.

 

The last few cruises we've mustered in the showroom, and outside the casino. No jackets, no one paying attention, no roll call, folks showing up with buckets of beer. Why bother??

 

Last cruise my wife had a migrane and we were considering skipping muster. (Wife was worried about get "busted" so we did go.) Unless someone checks the staterooms, they wouldn't have known because there was no roll call.

 

I know the Sky well, having worked on her in her Pride of Aloha days, and the drill you mention should be standard for NCL ships. Some ships, due to the design of the decks, boat launching arrangements, etc, will have muster stations inside in large public areas, but that does not excuse not taking roll call or having a briefing or requiring people to pay attention.

 

This is the kind of thing that should be reported here on CC boards, allowing customers to vote with their feet about not cruising on ships that "fail" in their safety culture. Believe me, the companies do have people at headquarters looking at these boards, looking for negative comments.

 

It is beyond me that in the year since the Concordia, people are still not paying attention at the muster.

 

I would say that trying to instruct people in boarding a lifeboat is really not feasible. For one thing, its not designed to be comfortable, and there could be injuries during this simple process. Lowering all the boats to the rail will also usually block the outer decks with the davit arms, so making the muster that much more difficult if the boats were lowered ahead of time, and if lowered with guests mustered under them, it tends to drop very nasty grease all over. The deck crew spends a good bit of time after every crew drill (when all boats are lowered) cleaning the promenade.

[chengkp75]

Forgot to comment about your wife's migraine. There is usually a special muster location where those with special needs (mobility, unable to stand for long periods, etc) will be mustered, usually where seating is available. If you find out where that is in advance, you can go there and speak to the nurse who is normally there, and get mustered there.

 

Extra crew are stationed there to assist these guests in getting to the boats if actually needed.

[BIG_Steve]

Forgot to comment about your wife's migraine. There is usually a special muster location where those with special needs (mobility, unable to stand for long periods, etc) will be mustered, usually where seating is available. If you find out where that is in advance, you can go there and speak to the nurse who is normally there, and get mustered there.

 

Extra crew are stationed there to assist these guests in getting to the boats if actually needed.

 

Thanks. WE knew it was a migrane. But were afraid the ship folks might be concerned she was really sick and send us off or quarantine her.

[msmaj4700]

This will be my first cruise, but why would you skip the drill? Headache or not, handicapped or not, don't you still need to know what to do in case of an emergency? People get me, never wanna follow the rules, and first to blame someone else!

[michelle1836]

never skipped it. nor would I think about skipping it.

[mbalmr71]

Mane they should add a guaranteed spot at the front of the line in the muster drill to the FFTF perks.:p. If things got really bad they could call it faster to the funeral.

[chengkp75]

The drills I've seen, the muster leader will arrange people by height, tallest to the back, so us vertically challenged ones can see. Apparently, not universal.

[TullMan]

Once again this question is asked. Why, I don't know.

 

I always tell the story of my cruise aboard the Star Princess. It was in the wee hours when the muster alarm sounded. While making our way to our station an idiot stuck his head out of the cabin and asked, "What do I do?". I waited a couple of minutes before self preservation kicked in and decided the smoke was too thick. We were only minutes from abandoning ship. Luckily it didn't happen.

 

Don't skip Muster like the idiot did!

[MrPete]

Once again this question is asked. Why, I don't know.

 

I always tell the story of my cruise aboard the Star Princess. It was in the wee hours when the muster alarm sounded. While making our way to our station an idiot stuck his head out of the cabin and asked, "What do I do?". I waited a couple of minutes before self preservation kicked in and decided the smoke was too thick. We were only minutes from abandoning ship. Luckily it didn't happen.

 

Don't skip Muster like the idiot did!

 

There's a video on YouTube where some guy was videotaping on the same ship I think. During the video he says he probably shouldn't have skipped the

muster drill.

[thatsonofa]

Why do people feel like they need to buck the system? Why have we gotten to a day and age when you would categorize a safety meeting as "cramped" or "squishy"?

 

To the people that are claustrophobic... Are you more afraid of crowds or dying if there is an emergency? I think I would rather be claustrophobic and safe than not cramped and drowning or dying in a fire.

 

I would applaud a captain for booting people that skip the muster drill. The captain is responsable for the safety of the ship and everyone on board. He is not there to be popular. I would rather have an a$$hole captain that is serious about safety than a cool captain that lets things slide.

 

Too many words for such a simple answer....

 

Go to the muster drill, deal with it, then remember that you are on day one of a great cruise!

[rjackieb]

This will be my first cruise, but why would you skip the drill? Headache or not, handicapped or not, don't you still need to know what to do in case of an emergency? People get me, never wanna follow the rules, and first to blame someone else!

Before muster drill was called, our room steward explained to my mother that she did not have to go for drill, but went over procedures with her individually if the alarm sounded, which included a staff member taking her to the muster station, since she was "special assistance."

The steward started to tell my hubby and I that we could probably stay with my mother during the drill, but we told her we wouldn't think of skipping it. We wanted to be sure we knew where we'd go in an emergency, because if we were in another part of the ship when an alarm sounded, we wouldn't know what to do.

[Dicecatt]

Why do people feel like they need to buck the system? Why have we gotten to a day and age when you would categorize a safety meeting as "cramped" or "squishy"?

 

To the people that are claustrophobic... Are you more afraid of crowds or dying if there is an emergency? I think I would rather be claustrophobic and safe than not cramped and drowning or dying in a fire.

 

I would applaud a captain for booting people that skip the muster drill. The captain is responsable for the safety of the ship and everyone on board. He is not there to be popular. I would rather have an a$$hole captain that is serious about safety than a cool captain that lets things slide.

 

Too many words for such a simple answer....

 

Go to the muster drill, deal with it, then remember that you are on day one of a great cruise!

 

I'm the one that said squishy, and I think you misunderstood. I would never, NEVER consider missing muster, even if I had to be squished despite my really hard time with crowds (not claustrophobic, I'm not afraid of small spaces, I just have a hard time with tight crowds). I've never had a problem with Disney, who is organized, and the reports about Carnival muster was making me anxious. My question was to find out the best way to do muster without that problem, based on some of the reviews people have posted regarding non organization. I like to plan things out so I'm not caught in a tight place, and the nice folks on here gave me some great suggestions! That doesn't mean I was trying to get out of muster. Planning is my friend.

[gelo7]

It has never crossed my mind.

[joepeka]

The drills I've seen, the muster leader will arrange people by height, tallest to the back, so us vertically challenged ones can see. Apparently, not universal.

We've never seen this happen. We always were the types to head for our muster station as soon as the announcement was made and ended up 3-4 rows deep and the station leader(s) never attempted to rearrange people (probably would have been futile given the number of DOD's that had been consumed by then). So we now just arrive about 10 minutes after the announcement but in the future will ask to be moved forward if we're buried in the crowd. And no, we have never and would never consider skipping out on the drill altogether.

[keith75]

I'm the one that said squishy, and I think you misunderstood. I would never, NEVER consider missing muster, even if I had to be squished despite my really hard time with crowds (not claustrophobic, I'm not afraid of small spaces, I just have a hard time with tight crowds). I've never had a problem with Disney, who is organized, and the reports about Carnival muster was making me anxious. My question was to find out the best way to do muster without that problem, based on some of the reviews people have posted regarding non organization. I like to plan things out so I'm not caught in a tight place, and the nice folks on here gave me some great suggestions! That doesn't mean I was trying to get out of muster. Planning is my friend.

 

Sounds like the later you get there the better..lol! They wait for you to start, you're on the front row, and when it's all done you're FTTF.

[Beachdude]

You never know what questions get poeple so up-tight.

 

Just think of a muster drill like the instructions on an airplane before take off. Everyone always listen to all the instructions, right?

 

Drills are not exercises in testing self-obedience, there is a reason for them. What are lessons from a muster drill? If you had to pick the most important lesson, what would it be?

 

Thinking back, our worst muster drill has to be Disney a few years ago when we stood in the 105 degree Florida heat facing the sun for 45 minutes. A few folks got ill waiting for the stragglers.

 

Princess is a little different because you meet in the lounges. Much more comfortable. Yes, they do ask you to only carry your life jackets to and from your muster station to prevent folks from tripping on those pesky tie cords being dragged behind. RCCL was the same on our cruise last October.

 

Have you chosen your most important piece of information that you want from your muster drill yet?

 

Hey everyone have a great cruise.

 

Burt

[keith75]

Why do people feel like they need to buck the system? Why have we gotten to a day and age when you would categorize a safety meeting as "cramped" or "squishy"?

 

I would applaud a captain for booting people that skip the muster drill. The captain is responsable for the safety of the ship and everyone on board. He is not there to be popular. I would rather have an a$$hole captain that is serious about safety than a cool captain that lets things slide.

 

Don't forget a playboy captain that likes to get close to the rocks.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

I can't imagine misssing a muster drill. Cruised for over 25 years never missed one even when we are in the same room on a b2b we go.It is a rule.

Our son and his wife hide in the cabin (not ours)and believe me if something really happened and she did not know what to do she'd be the first in line at the attorneys! No matter what we say their minds ar made up that they do not have to follow rules. I am sure glad most of our fellow cruisers are not like them.

[ccruisequeen]

Well said. And the ones not showing up or showing up late, will be the first to sue, if there's a real emergency and they're harmed or worse. It's unreal.

 

Can you change the size of your font please? I'm going blind trying to read your intelligent (i assume) responses!

[okgirl]

Okay this is freaking me out. I've been on drills many times with Disney...but my one Carnival cruise wasn't a normal cruise and we didn't have one. The terms "cattle herd" and big crowds is making me perspire already, I plan very carefully to try as much as possible to avoid squishy crowds as I have a fear of them. I have a lot of crowd fear management going on :p. Is it really that bad? Disney's do not bother me, you line up in small rows while they go over everything with you (and it doesn't include lifeboats).

 

If you have a problem with crowds then go to GS upon embarkation and ask to be part of the handicapped muster drill. You and one companion will be allowed to attend.

 

On several Carnival ships over the past few years the muster drills have been held in lounges with no lining up on deck 4. And it's been several years since we've had to bring or wear our lifevests at a drill.

[Havingfun2010]

So did anyone notice this? Ships place a wrist band on kids, with their muster info on it. This I believe is for everyone age 12 and under. Now on your next cruise, take notice of how many kids after the first day do not have this important info on them? Seriously, take notice.....than think about this thread and understand that so many will never take this seriously until it is too late.