Hiding in Your Cabin During Lifeboat Drill

[RaleighNC]

I'm going on my first cruise in May, and I plan to be there with a notepad! :o My cabin happens to be on the deck right above the lifeboats on the Norwegian Sky. I hope this would work to my advantage!

[pbc1]

My first cruise was a last minute I want to go somewhere. I booked a cruise, but I worked 7pm-7am night before, went straight to airport, flew chicago to los angeles, taxi to pier, made it to my cabin at 3:30 and promptly went to bed I was exhausted. They came in the cabin and got me, I had held up everyone on the ship. I was young and didn't know. I will never miss another muster. There were snide remarks the next day, alot of people knew I WAS THE ONE. 1st time cruising I also didn't know about tips (booked 3 days prior to sailing so all my info was at the pier) Thats a whole different story====I left checks for the waiters and steward :o

[beachchick]

[quote name='LKHomemail']I have hidden out before . LOL. Funny story to share . Celebrity Mercury - we were in the shower (the only place you can be). We had just shut the water off, we heard someone come in our room. We stayed in the bathrooom (didn't want to get busted). Then all the sudden , we hear the drawers being opened closed . Wardrobe being opened / shut . I'm not sure what the steward was looking for but I wish I would have had a mini cam in that room. LOL. I don't know if it was our steward or another one ? I've often wondered why ? If that happens . Nothing was missing / we had excellent service. I can't figure that one out. Last cruise I was on, I attended the drill as I was kind of concerned as I heard of a couple cruises going down / and a fire on one.[/quote]

:rolleyes: Funny? I think not. I wish that whoever was in the cabin had been able to take pix of you huddled in the shower "hiding" from a drill designed to protect you and everyone else onboard. Pretty petty and perhaps even childish, IMO. ("You can't make me go to this stupid muster drill! I'll run away and hide.")

[quote name='Sea Hag']I can't see why anybody would refuse to cooperate on this. It's a minor inconvenience, but it really doesn't take that long. I can't say that I enjoy them, but it's something that we're asked to do - and that the cruiseline is required by law to do - so I'd personally feel like a jerk if I avoided it. [COLOR=red]Flamers note! I'm not calling anybody else a jerk. I'm saying that I would feel like one if I tried to get out of this.[/COLOR][/quote]

I won't flame you and I will say that IMO anyone who tries to hide/skip the muster drill is being a jerk about that specific issue. I'm positive that those who manage to avoid it are the same ones who would be frantically running around, trying to stop other pax or the crew with "Oh no! I don't know what to do because I hid in my cabin during the muster drill," and basically endangering everyone else onboard because of their selfishness. It takes what, about 30 minutes total time out of a cruise? Of course, these are probably the same people who think the little safety "lecture" before planes takeoff is a stupid waste of time. My DH and I always check the safety card, feel under our seats to make sure the life vests are there (if applicable), and pay attention--even when we're on plane types we know well. If the plane has problems or crashes, we want to have the specifcs of that plane fresh in our minds. Maybe it's because we're both from families full of pilots and my DH has done some flying too (sadly, no more because his bicycle accident damaged his optic nerve and caused a retinal detachment). I just know that the idiots who don't pay attention would be grabbing other passengers--endangering them further--in a panic because they don't know what the heck they're supposed to do.

Safe cruising everyone (and safe flying too).:)

beachchick

[cruiserbryce]

why is hiding in your shower better than actually just doing the drill?

[shelby_36]

That's why the rest of us have to stand up there for a half an hour waiting on the people that drag their feet.

[julesbeara]

Depending on the ship, I have asked and been given permission to stay in the cabin during the lifeboat/muster drill. I have really bad asthma and had an attack during a drill where our muster station was outside on a very crowded promenade deck. I don't know if it was someone's cologne or the overwhelming heat. I do make sure to find out where our muster station is upon boarding. If we are going to be reporting to an area where I won't have breathing issues I go to the drill. My husband & I always make special arrangements in advance, so no one is kept waiting.

[read52]

Would you want your children to ignore or hide during a fire drill at school? As a teacher, we not only have to practice fire drills but an assortment of other drills to stay safe. If you practice you know what to do and are less likely to panic because you know what to do.

I had a former student on the plane that landed on the Hudson River. He was one of the last people out. Those people followed the drill, stayed calm and got out.

[Gathina]

A teacher I had in high school once said "People who are chronically late are usually very self centered". He also said the same was true about people who deliberately skip things just because they think they are better than everybody else.

Very applicable here to this topic.

[Gathina]

If there is a real life drill will they give you permission to stay in the cabin when the ship sinks??

If you report to a real life drill what how are you going to control what part of the ship you go to. The part that has the "clear" breathing room will probably be the part that is sinking.'

Not trying to be crass, but I'm sure there are many others that have breathing issues, asthma, etc. and they go to the drill to practice in a "calm" situation so there are no incidents if a real life drill occurs.

[quote name='julesbeara']Depending on the ship, I have asked and been given permission to stay in the cabin during the lifeboat/muster drill. I have really bad asthma and had an attack during a drill where our muster station was outside on a very crowded promenade deck. I don't know if it was someone's cologne or the overwhelming heat. I do make sure to find out where our muster station is upon boarding. If we are going to be reporting to an area where I won't have breathing issues I go to the drill. My husband & I always make special arrangements in advance, so no one is kept waiting.[/quote]

[Gathina]

Excelletn post!

[quote name='read52']Would you want your children to ignore or hide during a fire drill at school? As a teacher, we not only have to practice fire drills but an assortment of other drills to stay safe. If you practice you know what to do and are less likely to panic because you know what to do.

I had a former student on the plane that landed on the Hudson River. He was one of the last people out. Those people followed the drill, stayed calm and got out.[/quote]

[KAYEF]

OK, here is my humble opinion: I think everyone should attend the drill, arrive on time and LISTEN or at least shut up during the entire drill. This drill is made for our safety. We need to know our muster station and the procedure for the ship we are on before it set sails. In case of a real emergency, I feel that it's those people who hide or didn't listen carefully that won't know where they are going or what to do and will make it harder for everyone else.

 

It's only a couple of minutes, everyone can do this without complaining, no? After that last duty, everyone is entitled to a great vacation where they can do (almost) all they want.

 

I'm with YOU! The no talking part, too..............it can be like on an airplane when they're trying to teach the safety part. You never know when you will NEED the information..........can't you still see those folks standing on the airplane wing in the Hudson?

Very little is ASKED of passengers on cruises; they take care of us very well. No one should have to ASK you to leave your cabin; make their jobs easier ~ cooperate!:)

[julesbeara]

If there is a real life drill will they give you permission to stay in the cabin when the ship sinks??

 

If you report to a real life drill what how are you going to control what part of the ship you go to. The part that has the "clear" breathing room will probably be the part that is sinking.'

 

Not trying to be crass, but I'm sure there are many others that have breathing issues, asthma, etc. and they go to the drill to practice in a "calm" situation so there are no incidents if a real life drill occurs.

 

In my original note, it stated that I always make sure to know where my muster station is upon boarding. It is one of the 1st things we do before the actual muster drill. When I did have my asthma attack on-board the Adventure of the Seas, the ship doctor recommended that I start being more cautious and making different arrangements if needed in the future. If there is a real life emergency since I am responsible and find my muster station upon boarding, I will obviously know where to go during a real life emergency. I have only had to stay in our cabin twice & had permission from the proper safety personnel prior to doing so. I don't really want to start my vacation with an asthma attack. The majority of my 14 cruises haven't required us to go outside in a crowded environment. The purpose of a Muster Drill is to account for all passengers on board, to insure that they all have life jackets & know how to put them on, and know where there Muster Station is located. I posted so that those that have medical conditions knew to deal with them in advance.

[Gathina]

I understand and respect your opinion but disagree with you. There are probably hundreds of others on the ship that have some sort of medical situation that is equal to your or worse and I am sure they make it to the drill.

 

In a real life emergency you can't control everything so quickly. Knowing where your station is way different than knowing what to do in that situation, IMO.

 

In my original note, it stated that I always make sure to know where my muster station is upon boarding. It is one of the 1st things we do before the actual muster drill. When I did have my asthma attack on-board the Adventure of the Seas, the ship doctor recommended that I start being more cautious and making different arrangements if needed in the future. If there is a real life emergency since I am responsible and find my muster station upon boarding, I will obviously know where to go during a real life emergency. I have only had to stay in our cabin twice & had permission from the proper safety personnel prior to doing so. I don't really want to start my vacation with an asthma attack. The majority of my 14 cruises haven't required us to go outside in a crowded environment. The purpose of a Muster Drill is to account for all passengers on board, to insure that they all have life jackets & know how to put them on, and know where there Muster Station is located. I posted so that those that have medical conditions knew to deal with them in advance.

[pris993]

In my original note, it stated that I always make sure to know where my muster station is upon boarding. It is one of the 1st things we do before the actual muster drill. When I did have my asthma attack on-board the Adventure of the Seas, the ship doctor recommended that I start being more cautious and making different arrangements if needed in the future. If there is a real life emergency since I am responsible and find my muster station upon boarding, I will obviously know where to go during a real life emergency. I have only had to stay in our cabin twice & had permission from the proper safety personnel prior to doing so. I don't really want to start my vacation with an asthma attack. The majority of my 14 cruises haven't required us to go outside in a crowded environment. The purpose of a Muster Drill is to account for all passengers on board, to insure that they all have life jackets & know how to put them on, and know where there Muster Station is located. I posted so that those that have medical conditions knew to deal with them in advance.

 

Obviously you are doing what is right for you and have the agreement of officials -- that's all you need.

 

Even though we attend drills, I surely doubt doing so is really going to make a difference in an emergency. I handled safety and emergencies in a formed job, no two emergencies are alike for sure. Knowing where you life boat is and how to put on a life jacket is about all that may come in handy in an emergency. Fire is the real threat at sea.

[Cruisin' Chick]

The drill is required by law. You don't go, you can end up endangering your life or someone else's. In light of even a few times in recent years (the fire on the Star Princess, for example), when it was necessary to evacuate cabins, I think it's absolutely stupid for anyone not to take this seriously.

 

We turn it into a tradition. With enough time before the drill (that's one way we make sure we have a youth one for our kid), we don our jackets in the cabin, take photos of each other, take off the jackets, and make our way to the muster station. On Princess, the stations are indoors, which is good because you're not standing in the elements AND you can actually hear the crew members. They explain what they need to, and then have you put on the jackets to make sure you know how to do that. Besides, it's fun to see how many passengers ignore the instructions not to blow the whistle.

 

Afterwards, we remove the jackets and wait awhile before taking the stairs back to our cabin.

[shelby_36]

In my original note, it stated that I always make sure to know where my muster station is upon boarding. It is one of the 1st things we do before the actual muster drill. When I did have my asthma attack on-board the Adventure of the Seas, the ship doctor recommended that I start being more cautious and making different arrangements if needed in the future. If there is a real life emergency since I am responsible and find my muster station upon boarding, I will obviously know where to go during a real life emergency. I have only had to stay in our cabin twice & had permission from the proper safety personnel prior to doing so. I don't really want to start my vacation with an asthma attack. The majority of my 14 cruises haven't required us to go outside in a crowded environment. The purpose of a Muster Drill is to account for all passengers on board, to insure that they all have life jackets & know how to put them on, and know where there Muster Station is located. I posted so that those that have medical conditions knew to deal with them in advance.

 

 

Of course you should follow your drs medical advice, but my daughter also has asthma but we make her go. If standing in that crammed area bothers your breathing I'm sure you could request to stand at the front of the pack or even near the rails with the staff. I would second guess going on cruises so far from medical care if your asthma is so severe.

[beachchick]

In my original note, it stated that I always make sure to know where my muster station is upon boarding. It is one of the 1st things we do before the actual muster drill. When I did have my asthma attack on-board the Adventure of the Seas, the ship doctor recommended that I start being more cautious and making different arrangements if needed in the future. If there is a real life emergency since I am responsible and find my muster station upon boarding, I will obviously know where to go during a real life emergency. I have only had to stay in our cabin twice & had permission from the proper safety personnel prior to doing so. I don't really want to start my vacation with an asthma attack. The majority of my 14 cruises haven't required us to go outside in a crowded environment. The purpose of a Muster Drill is to account for all passengers on board, to insure that they all have life jackets & know how to put them on, and know where there Muster Station is located. I posted so that those that have medical conditions knew to deal with them in advance.

 

Of course you should follow your drs medical advice, but my daughter also has asthma but we make her go. If standing in that crammed area bothers your breathing I'm sure you could request to stand at the front of the pack or even near the rails with the staff. I would second guess going on cruises so far from medical care if your asthma is so severe.

 

This is a toughie for me. My DH has asthma, but he's never had a severe attack during something like the muster drill. OTOH, if he did, we'd probably request special treatment (such as leaving early if necessary). OTOH again, his asthma is not so severe that he has frequent life-threatening attacks, so we don't have much experience with that extreme situation. Aside from always bringing his inhaler, just in case, we've never thought about it.

 

We both now have physical disabilities that make standing there for 30 or 40 minutes very difficult. As well, I sometimes have trouble with temperature regulation and it's really, really unfun to pass out from being crammed in with other pax on a hot deck. That's only happened once; uber embarrassing. From then on, we've made sure to check out where we muster in advance and I bring my cane, even though I usually only need it when my symptoms are severe or if I'm over-tired. If it's on deck and standing in the sun, we get there early and tell the crew members of our medical issues. They have allowed us to either stand to the side and in the shade or to leave early if absolutely necessary. We have never asked to skip it entirely. When our muster drill stations are inside where we can sit down, no problem.

 

I think that special situations need to be addressed individually. If julesbeara has made arrangements with the cruise line and if she and her DH make sure to find their muster station and check their life vests and if the cruise safety officers believe that she and her DH have satisfied the requirements, then we should leave it alone. Not everyone is able to do everything the same way as the "perfectly healthy" folks do.

 

beachchick

[Dukegirl5577]

We always go, but we're never the first ones there. On our last cruise, the drill was scheduled to begin at 4:30. They started announcing at 4 pm that we should all proceed to our cabin to get our life jackets.

 

Lots of people left the pool area at that time but those who had been on cruises before knew to wait until about 4:20 or so. So we enjoyed an extra 20 minutes of pool time, then proceeded to our cabins, got our life preservers, and then headed to the muster drill.

 

You never want to be the first ones there, because you will get pushed to the back of the muster lines. It can get hot there there and crowded. And if you're at the back of the line, then you're the last out when it's over. So show up right at the designated time (or a minute or two early) and you're much better off then those who showed up 25 minutes early.

 

(Not really sure why you'd need to show up 25 minutes early. Why they start making the announcements at 4 pm for a 4:30 pm drill is beyond me.)

[printingchick]

Heard this from a couple in their 70's who we met on a cruise. They had no need for the life boats because if there came a time to use them, no one would be orderly. Eveyone would be pushing, shoving and they weren't getting in THAT mess. They were going to sit in their suite enjoying their cocktails and go down with the ship.:p

 

On my last cruise, they continued to page people who had not arrived for the drill. I think someone must have been checking the numbers on the life vests. They certainly didn't ask our names. It really delayed things. It was the longest muster drill on ANY of my previous cruises. I don't know about other cruise lines, but on the ship I sailed, they would not start until they had full attendance.

[navybankerteacher]

A line which takes safety seriously takes attendance - late arrivals and no-shows (while obviously the "cool kids") are the sort of self-absorbed jerks who diminish their fellow-passengers' experience by making the muster drills take much longer than necessary. I couldn't care less if they drown - but only wish that they got fined as well as being required to attend a make-up session the next day.

 

I guess they are simply too self-absorbed to consider, or care about, the imposition their approach is upon everyone else.

 

Give us all a break: show up on time and shut up, so the drill can be done in the least time possible.

[momofmeg]

I understand and respect your opinion but disagree with you. There are probably hundreds of others on the ship that have some sort of medical situation that is equal to your or worse and I am sure they make it to the drill.

 

In a real life emergency you can't control everything so quickly. Knowing where your station is way different than knowing what to do in that situation, IMO.

 

Gathina, why do you want to argue so much? This woman had a valid reason, she was not simply trying to get out of it.

 

I do know that cruiselines will make exceptions from my own personal experience-

I know my sister messed up her sciatic nerve years ago and I took her on a cruise as a treat, as she had been housebound for months. She was better, but she still had trouble walking. We did not ASK that she be excused, but a ship's officer saw her struggling, and me trying to help her. We had made our way from the elevator to the area where the purser's desk was. (yes we were allowed the elevator because of her condition, a crew person had directed us to use it) Our station was out on the promenade deck just outside from this.The ship's officer sat her down in a chair and told me to go and attend the muster for the both of us and that I could direct her where we needed to go in the event of an emergency. We certainly did not expect that, but we appreciated it. It had not occurred to us that we could.

 

So yes, Gathina, there are exceptions and valid reasons. It seems as long as someone in your party attends the muster, if you have a serious and valid issue, you can be excused from going.

 

Asthma is a serious condition. I know personally a man who almost died from an asthma attack and had to be hospitalized. I can see a person with such a history being excused.

[vjmatty]

This thread reminds me of my days as an RA in college when people would try to get out of fire drills/alarms and hide in their rooms! :D

 

We were always very enterprising.... making sure we'd bring out car keys and wallets so we could go to Denny's or some other place that was open in the middle of the night. ;) Some of those false alarms took an hour to get resolved, so why stand in the cold?

[nitnyleo]

I always go to the muster drills . . . even tho they are held at the most inconvenient times, there's an opportunity to meet (and grumble) with your fellow pax.

 

On Cunard, I learned the correct way to jump off the ship if there were no lifeboats available; that was a first (and, "somewhat" disconcerting)

 

On a Celebrity cruise, they mustered us to a lounge only to say that it would not be the muster station :rolleyes: . . . and, then, halfway thru the cruise, the crew had a safety drill in St Kitts . . . upon arriving back at the ship after a day at the beach, there was a lifeboat dangling off the side* of the ship; we left port late and missed our next port. (Thankfully, I was not assigned to that boat).

 

* my apologies to the poster who insists on using correct sailiing terminology . . . I'm wasn't sure of which of the terms for "side" was accurate . . . please advise

[nitnyleo]

A line which takes safety seriously takes attendance - late arrivals and no-shows (while obviously the "cool kids") are the sort of self-absorbed jerks who diminish their fellow-passengers' experience by making the muster drills take much longer than necessary. I couldn't care less if they drown - but only wish that they got fined as well as being required to attend a make-up session the next day.

 

I guess they are simply too self-absorbed to consider, or care about, the imposition their approach is upon everyone else.

 

Give us all a break: show up on time and shut up, so the drill can be done in the least time possible.

 

I could not agree with you more, except for the fine (maybe the no-shows should have the contents of their cabin confiscated) And it is so very easy to render your boarding pass rendered useless ... a couple of three or four strokes and your boarding pass/key card/charge card becomes just a frame for your mugshot.

[lambs2]

We always go, too. BUT we were on a B2B in January. Same cabin and we had a very long walking excursion to Montserrat near Barcelona on turn-around day. We made it back to the ship just as they were announcing the lifeboat drill was to take place. I was so beat and badly needed a shower and a little nap...SO we played hooky from a drill for the first time ever. After all we had just done the drill 9 days before and knew exactly where our station was, etc. I am not bragging, but there were extenuating circumstances that day. (No one came looking for us or announced our names.)