Emergency announcement in cabin when hearing impaired

[aussielozzie18]

When we were on cruise last year, the Captain made an announcement in the early hours of the morning which was broadcast in our cabin. Due to hearing impairment a family member did not hear it. They were informed by another family member in the morning upon awakening.

 

My question is, if the ship staff are aware that a passenger in a cabin is hearing impaired, how do they notify them of such an announcement? Are stewards informed in advance and is it their responsibility or do hearing impaired passengers get the message via some other means?

Edited June 10, 2014 by aussielozzie18

[whiterose]

Wish I had the answer to that question. When I take off my cochlear implant at night I am totally deaf so would not hear anything. I just rely on my husband to let me know.

 

I always check in with the Princess front desk staff to make sure I'm on their list of passengers who need help in an emergency. Usually I'm the only person with a hearing loss on that list even though I see many others with hearing aids. I asked what would happen if there was an emergency and we had to go to our muster stations. They told me they would send a staff person to get me. Also said they had ways on getting into the cabin even if we had locked it from the inside.

 

Personally I would prefer to have some kind of warning system inside the cabin such as a flashing light. Would not want to have to rely on staff to "save" me if the ship was on fire or sinking. I believe the final ADA regulations for cruise ships will mandate flashing light alarms but we're still waiting for them to be issued - nearly 25 years after the ADA went into effect.

[Caribbean Chris]

Whiterose, you are right on target (as in your previous posts about these issues.) I don't have a CI yet, by the way, but it's just a matter of time.

 

If I were traveling alone in the stateroom, I'd think seriously about posting a red sign on my door, along the lines of "Deaf passenger, bring staff here immediately during ship emergency." As much as I prefer to blend in with everyone else, it could be a life saver. I'd also ask about their door-knock device triggering a flashing light inside - I've never seen one but they supposedly provide them.

 

I honestly believe no one would come to my room in a chaotic situation, despite the cruise lines' good intentions. This is based on what has happened to me on airplanes when I've traveled alone.

 

One episode was a on plane of many passengers who spoke another language, including my row-mates, when I awakened to smoke filling the cabin and an unplanned landing with emergency vehicles lined up and a very fast exit. Another more recent episode was a diverted plane during a blizzard. I called the flight attendant over, whose lips I could read.

 

Despite all my reminder notifications to her and ground airline personnel, no one ever came back to tell me what was happening, what gate we were moved to, where we were supposed to meet for a bus eventually, etc. I had to chase familiar-looking passengers and ask them for information. I'm pretty sure that would be the case on a ship.

 

That was one reason I finally applied for a Hearing Dog - she's a visible symbol of invisible disability. The staff would be more likely to notice my dog in her orange jacket, and therefore me.

 

I am lucky to also have a hearing spouse to rely on, but he could of course be in another part of the ship when something happens. The dog won't be.

 

I do think the cruise lines vary a lot on their success in helping passengers with disabilities. Once on Holland America, we were upgraded (un-asked) to a room location on the promenade deck very close to a door leading out to the lifeboats, and I wondered if that was done consciously to make evacuation faster. If so, it was most appreciated.

 

Most of the time, though - in my opinion, hearing impaired people are on their own and can't count on help in an emergency.

[xxoocruiser]

Most cruise lines have a Special Needs or Access Dept and the passenger should do the following to help to ensure any messages are received.

 

• The person should first notify the Special Needs Dept. and complete a Special Needs Form at the time of booking advising the cruise line of the hearing impairment.
  
• The individual should also request that they require the need for a portable room kit for the hearing impaired in their stateroom . All mass market cruise lines in which the ship is embarking from a USA Port are required to have these kits. It includes a visual-tactile alert system that provides alerts for door knocking, telephone ringing, alarm clock and smoke detector. Laws are different for Europe but this should still be requested.
  
• AFTER Boarding go to Guest Services to check to make certain that all this information in advance was actually received by the ship.
  

Though the cruise line is to send someone to the passengers cabin if the individual requested and received a visual-tactile alert system the an alert could also be triggered via the phone system first as well as being alert someone comes to their door. Not all staff have master key access so it's important to having the door alert. This still isn't a fool proof system, but it certainly helps . Also if staying in an accessible cabin don't assume that cabin has these features . Therefore the person should still follow the same steps listed about regardless of cabin category.

Edited June 10, 2014 by xxoocruiser

[Caribbean Chris]

I have been filling out the special services form for years. In my experience, the difference is vast between what the cruise lines say they will provide on board and the ship's reality. I don't count on anything any more and feel safer providing my own solutions.

 

(My favorite experience was when the gear provided had no battery inside to make it work, and the ship had no batteries that size on board. The front desk's helpful suggestion was first that I check with the tobacco shop to see if they had any batteries that I could purchase... and after that failed, that I could perhaps purchase a battery ashore - for their equipment. That shopping trip would have been many days ahead since we were on a transatlantic cruise.)

 

It would be really great if the cruise lines took hearing impairment more seriously (beyond providing interpreters for the profoundly deaf, which is great and I commend them for doing it.) The reality is that the older population that takes a lot of their longest, priciest cruises is the group most likely to need assistance.

 

I'd sincerely be interested in hearing experiences people have had and am truly hopeful that others have had better luck. Has anyone ever been provided with the room kit you requested on the form? Did it work?

[whiterose]

Years ago I requested the "ADA kit" on Holland America and Princess. It included a TTY phone and there was supposed to be another TTY in Passenger Services so someone would answer if I called - sometimes they answered and other times not. The kit also had a flashing light smoke alarm but that would only work if the smoke/fire was actually in my cabin. Also had a doorknocker with flashing light and one of those thingies that jumps around - you can put it under your pillow.

 

I really just wanted the flashing light doorbell so the steward would not walk in on me when I was getting dressed. HOWEVER, they were so sensitive they would go off if someone just walked past our door or opened a door nearby. So I stopped asking for it. I put out the Privacy Please sign when I take a shower or change clothes and I rely on my dear husband to tell me if the ship is on fire or sinking.

[whiterose]

This is an interesting thread and raises some good questions. I've decided that next time we take a cruise (nothing booked yet :o( I will ask for the ADA kit. I'd love to know if they have updated it since the last time I requested it which is at least 10 years ago. Maybe the flashing light doorbells are not so sensitive.

 

If I was in a cabin by myself I would insist on knowing how they would let me know there was a problem and also how they would tell me exactly what the problem is. It would be very scary to have a flashing light go off and not know why! Telling me to listen to the message is obviously is not going to work.

 

These days there are all kinds of alerting systems. The cruise ships just have to start using them. NOTHING WILL CHANGE UNTIL PASSENGERS WITH HEARING LOSS START ADVOCATING FOR THEMSELVES. SPEAK UP - LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU NEED.

[dorisis]

The only help I have ever had on a ship was not from the ship. My husband's hearing is better than mine so I rely only on him for help. Conversation in the dining room is difficult at best and hearing in showrooms or theaters is iffy. It is just another condition of living to old age. being able to cruise at all is a blessing.

[aussielozzie18]

Do any of the cruiselines use the tvs in cabins to relay emergency messages? We would switch on our tv in the morning and get a positional and weather updates. Do or could the the ship relay important announcements like the news stations do with scrolling messages at the bottom of the screen or some other written format on the tv?

 

I ask this because we had two ongoing emergency situations occur during our cruise and the Captain kept us informed of developments throughout the day with regular updates via the PA system. For the hearing impaired, who tend to not hear everything that is said during these announcements or who may miss such a announcement if they have taken their hearing aids to swim or shower, it would be good if they could just turn on their tv in their cabin and read an update.

 

This would not solve the issue of a hearing impaired cruisers needing to be woken in the middle of the night but it would at least be a way of keeping them informed of an ongoing emergency issue.

[Caribbean Chris]

Aussie, your idea is practical and would be ideal. I've never seen that on any of the ships we have sailed in recent years, but maybe others have.

 

In my experience, it's rare for shipboard room TVs to even display the closed captioning programmed into modern movies, for some unknown reason, no matter how many settings or buttons you try. (And most hearing impaired people are expert at finding those captions if they can be found.) Even a $40 a night motel room TV will, but not a $400 a night cruise stateroom TV. Go figure.

[whiterose]

Aussie

That is a wonderful idea and technically I'm sure it could be done.

 

My cruise experience is with Holland America and Princess. Both say their TVs have closed captioning which is true. The problem is that the cruise line purchases a "packet" of movies and reruns of TV programs and do not specify that they want the version with captions. Easily corrected if they would just ask. With news and sports channels it seems to depend on which satelite they are coming from.

[slyster]

I just learned that Royal Caribbean rents out Iphones to their passengers. how about providing them to your deaf/hard of hearing customers? When there is an announcment, they can be sent a text message so no matter where they are on the ship, they will get the same message via text that your cruise director or captain gives verbally.

[xxoocruiser]

I just learned that Royal Caribbean rents out Iphones to their passengers. how about providing them to your deaf/hard of hearing customers? When there is an announcment, they can be sent a text message so no matter where they are on the ship, they will get the same message via text that your cruise director or captain gives verbally.

 

Though this might be a something for RCCL to consider the Royal Connect phone rental program is only available on the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of Seas. [/size]

[Caribbean Chris]

I just learned that Royal Caribbean rents out Iphones to their passengers. how about providing them to your deaf/hard of hearing customers? When there is an announcment, they can be sent a text message so no matter where they are on the ship, they will get the same message via text that your cruise director or captain gives verbally.

 

A simple and logical solution. It's amazing that we now have incredible communications technology, but it is seldom implemented for people with disabilities. I belong to the Hearing Loss Association of America, and should contact them about lobbying for travel-friendly systems for hearing impaired people.

Edited June 26, 2014 by Caribbean Chris

[kiwijohn]

CC It would be great if the Hearing Loss Association of America could lobby the large cruise lines that serve the USA like the Carnival Group, RCCL and Celebrity. I belong to the New Zealand Hearing Association and served on the Board of the National Foudation of the Deaf but the cruise lines would not take any notice of our little country, but if the US hearing loss associations took it up they would.