AFTER THE EVENT>>Thomson Safety Drill

We have traveled on Thomson for 12 years now.

Why is their SAFETY DRILL the day after you sail?

When you board an aircraft the drill is before take off.

If the same thing happened as on the Costa... NO one would no the drill if you were a first time Cruiser on that ship!!!!!!!!!!!!

IS THIS THE MARATIME LAW?????:eek:

maratime law says that you have to do the drill within 24hrs of sailing

Not much use if you sink within 5 hours of sailing

Not much use if you sink within 5 hours of sailing

i agree.i was just thinking how the hell you would get up the stairs with the ship at that angle?as you arnt allowed to use lifts in an emergency.really frightening thought

I think maritime law states you have to do the safety drill within 24 hrs of embarkation and on the first day with passengers arriving all day it is seen as not practical so it`s done on the first full day at sea

maratime law says that you have to do the drill within 24hrs of sailing

oops! jilljoy sorry for more or less repeating your first post should have looked at all the posts before posting:o

I think maritime law states you have to do the safety drill within 24 hrs of embarkation and on the first day with passengers arriving all day it is seen as not practical so it`s done on the first full day at sea

As well as cruise ships we do like to use some ferry companies for a Minibreak cruises throughout the year.

No life jacket in your cabin and no muster drill ,just a tape playing away that you hear if your close to a speaker.

By the time the tapes done your half way accross the north sea:eek: No designated life boat stations just turn up at one :confused:

Makes the Thomson Ships drills look good .

Point taken the drills should be held before they set sail would be a good move in maritime law. :)

As well as cruise ships we do like to use some ferry companies for a Minibreak cruises throughout the year.

No life jacket in your cabin and no muster drill ,just a tape playing away that you hear if your close to a speaker.

By the time the tapes done your half way accross the north sea:eek: No designated life boat stations just turn up at one :confused:

Makes the Thomson Ships drills look good .

Point taken the drills should be held before they set sail would be a good move in maritime law. :)

I totally agree with you kalos

Maybe some countries are strickter than others. We have always done the drill the morning after sailing, however when we sailed from the UK we were doing it before we were out of the Tyne. The captain was English too so maybe it's down to the captain?

the drill was done within 24 hrs according to one of the passengers interviewed

the drill was done within 24 hrs according to one of the passengers interviewed

The alarm was raised about three hours after the Concordia had begun its voyage from the port of Civitavecchia, en route to its first port of call, Savona, in north-western Italy.

It's ok if your a seasoned cruiser, but for 1st timers must have been a panic situation, I still get bored at the musters but I know they have to be done, it makes me mad when you see people miss them..because they want a suntan :mad:

I bet on my/your next cruise everyone will turn up the the drill.

Not stay sat down to breakfast, or guarding their sunbeds for dear life, or pretend this is the second week of their cruise and they did the drill last week.... llike people do now.

Just been on the costa site and read the i survived posting in tears its horrendous and frightening but got to say this i know the safety drill is done within 24 hrs of sailing but on thomson when you arrive in your cabin the drill instructions are playing on the tv in the cabin and you should sit down on your bed and watch it before you have even unpacked your suitcase. its your responsibility to try to protect yourselves because panic ensues in a case like this and people will not stand in line and take instructions in a real emergency at the very least learn how to put your lifejacket on and where the spare lifejackets are kept up on deck and what deck the lifeboats are on. it will take one hour of your cruise. Oh and go on the costa site and read it its a real eye opener

Yes drill has to be done within 24 hours - I echo others' views about that being too late if tragedy strikes on the first night. I can't imagine how terrifying an experience that must have been for everyone on board the Concordia.

If Thomson ships have their full complement of passengers on board early enough, they will do the drill straight away (as someone has mentioned, this is the norm sailing out of the UK) also for sailings from other ports, if all planes have brought in their passengers in early enough, they will also do a drill before sailing.

The problem for Thomson is their twinned air/cruise operation. Passengers are arriving all through the day and some until very late at night when it wouldn't be practical to do a drill for all passengers. The only solution to that would be for Thomson to re-schedule in-coming flights for earlier in the day.

As others ahve said though, there is a video playing in your cabin as you arrive, also the Cruise Director always runs through the whole procedure on the first night - you get all the same information as at the drill but just played over the public address and the bit which is missing is actually going to your particular muster station (also sometimes missed out at proper drills if the weather is dire outside or considered too rough to be getting everyone out on the promenade deck - then each station gathers in some public area on board.)

Trouble is, people often don't listen very carefully - it's human nature on the first exciting night of your cruise to zone-out of rather boring public announcements. It's true to say that at proper drill I've also met people who have been very inattentive or treating it all as a big laugh and trying to get others on board to go along with that view - and even one couple who thought it a complete invasion of their human rights to have to do it at all!!

Perhaps everyone will take it more seriously now and i wonder whether cruise operators will alter their approach to when these drills are done for the future (or even whether new legislation will dicate it must be done before sailing - as many have said this is a real hole in the whole process!)

I feel that life jackets should be at the muster stations and extras around the ship (can't be too many life jackets). Getting to and from your cabin to get your life jacket in an emergency would be even more stressful and very dangerous.

I have also just read Michelles letter on the Costa Section it made it all seem very very real . I can only imagine what the passengers must of gone though .

I think Thompson are one of the better cruise lines for carrying out the lifeboat drill. When conditions allow they line you up by your lifeboat and check you off individually, or as stated earlier carry out muster in a lounge. If you are on a back to back cruise with Thompsons and change cabins you have to do the drill again. I did notice however that when we carried out the lifeboat drill there were quite a few people missing.

I suspect that a lot of passengers on Concordia would have cruised before and know the drill, however when faced with the situation they had how many people would have followed procedure, clearly some of the staff and officers didn't.

If I were in a similar situation there is absolutely no way that I would return to my cabin to pick anything up, there are plenty of extra lifebelts stored on and with the lifeboats. The last place I would want to be is in a low cabin on the inside of a sinking ship.

I suspect that a lot of passengers on Concordia would have cruised before and know the drill, however when faced with the situation they had how many people would have followed procedure, clearly some of the staff and officers didn't.

Spot on Phil.Yes drills are important but no matter how many times you do it in that kind of situation,panic sets in and remembering drills goes out the window

If I were in a similar situation there is absolutely no way that I would return to my cabin to pick anything up, there are plenty of extra lifebelts stored on and with the lifeboats. The last place I would want to be is in a low cabin on the inside of a sinking ship.

Ditto

I feel that life jackets should be at the muster stations

There are life jackets at muster stations but you mean they should be there as opposed to being in the cabin.

Every cruise my d/w and I have been on with Thomsons on Spirit and Celebration,since she has had to use a walker/wheelchair to get around, for lifeboat drill,we have been allocated a crew member to come to our cabin who escorts us to our muster station,does this happen on other ships?

We were talking to friends this morning who sail with Cunard - they said that they had the impression that a lot of people fail to turn up at muster drill and they weren't checked off - again Thomson seems to be more thorough than this!

Recreate the scenario, 7 peeps on the whistle (man the lifeboats) your cabin is on deck 2 and your now having lunch deck 10?..long way to go down then back up, lucky I'm fairly fit, I would hate to think if I had a walking stick or frame/wheelchair.

Recreate the scenario, 7 peeps on the whistle (man the lifeboats) your cabin is on deck 2 and your now having lunch deck 10?..long way to go down then back up, lucky I'm fairly fit, I would hate to think if I had a walking stick or frame/wheelchair.

On Thomsons ships there are spare life jackets at the muster stations.

Thomson have it well organised on the cruises we have done with them. This time I think I will wear my lifejacket all the time whilst sitting in a lifeboat and have the waiter bring my drinks to me to be on the safe side. I agree you would never get back to your cabin to collect anything with everyone doing the same, straight to the lifeboat for me.

We were talking to friends this morning who sail with Cunard - they said that they had the impression that a lot of people fail to turn up at muster drill and they weren't checked off - again Thomson seems to be more thorough than this!

You got me thinking back to our muster at New Year on the destiny .As we were stood by life boat 9 the girl checking our names off from

our life jackets id said she may have missed some so she shouted the names she had missed and got a few replies. Then we all stood while

they tried to track the others down which they failed to do so with some . Most likely hid on a sunbed :mad:

Do they track them down and make them do it as the law requires ? :confused: Maybe they should freeze their ships card until they comply :eek:

A few hours with no drinks would have them soon lined up ;)

On Thomsons ships there are spare life jackets at the muster stations.

Not that many?