Muster drill

[Cruisin' Chick]

It really is relatively painless on Princess. You're assigned to a lounge or another location. The time is listed in the Patters and will be announced. My family always takes traditional life jacket photos, wearing them while sitting on the bed, then take them off and carry to our station. On our last cruise, a crew member scanned each passenger's sign and sail card, so make sure to take yours to the drill.

 

You'll hear safety info over the PA system and then a crew member will stand near you wearing their jacket and demonstrating what you are to do. Then you are told to stand up and put on your jacket. After the drill, you're told to take yours off (adjust the straps so they're folded up and not hanging down), laugh about how many passengers you've seen blowing the whistle, and make your way back to your cabin (many of us experienced cruisers will wait a few minutes before hitting the stairs).

 

Then you're free to enjoy your cruise.

[retiredldo]

Pete,

 

In case no one said it to you before "Thank You and Welcome Home".

 

Thanks and it is funny how many of the Viet Nam vets will greet each other with a welcome home

 

Pete

[Mara4166]

I am hoping that someone can provide a good guess as to the time of the muster drill for my upcoming cruise. I believe it is usually prior to sail-away, but...

 

The time of our departure changed from 5pm to 4pm about 2 months ago. They moved boarding back from 1pm - 4pm to 12:30pm - 3pm at the same time.

 

I had expected muster at 4pm or 4:15, but now do not know what to expect. Will it be at 3pm or 3:15? Could they have it after sail-away.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I am on the 19 November Crown Princess to Western Caribbean. I am asking since I am getting married the next morning and have a lot to coordinate on boarding day. Knowing when the drill is will help plan my activities prior to the wedding.

[ladyruby]

Both of you have to go where you are told to go. It is only for a short time and why does it matter?

 

DON

 

the first time cruiser are on there own so the unknown can be daunting so id prefer her to be with us but as the cabins are not next to each other thats why i asked was it sorted out by deck, i no its only a quick process but think she will be nervous if she has to go on her own

[Broughton]

I am hoping that someone can provide a good guess as to the time of the muster drill for my upcoming cruise. I believe it is usually prior to sail-away, but...

 

The time of our departure changed from 5pm to 4pm about 2 months ago. They moved boarding back from 1pm - 4pm to 12:30pm - 3pm at the same time.

 

I had expected muster at 4pm or 4:15, but now do not know what to expect. Will it be at 3pm or 3:15? Could they have it after sail-away.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I am on the 19 November Crown Princess to Western Caribbean. I am asking since I am getting married the next morning and have a lot to coordinate on boarding day. Knowing when the drill is will help plan my activities prior to the wedding.

 

 

 

Cruising on the Grand last month to Western Med. Sailaway was 4pm. Muster was about 3.15pm. I know that as we had just boarded the ship got to our stateroom when Muster was called. All a bit of a rush but got it out of the way and let us enjoy sailaway and get on with the remainder of the cruise.

[Pam in CA]

the first time cruiser are on there own so the unknown can be daunting so id prefer her to be with us but as the cabins are not next to each other thats why i asked was it sorted out by deck, i no its only a quick process but think she will be nervous if she has to go on her own

You can always go and get her settled in the lounge for her Muster and then head to your Muster station. She can also stay there afterwards and you can come back and get her. I am often alone during Muster and have found people are very friendly; I often wind up chatting with the people sitting near me.

[77Network]

You can always go and get her settled in the lounge for her Muster and then head to your Muster station. She can also stay there afterwards and you can come back and get her. I am often alone during Muster and have found people are very friendly; I often wind up chatting with the people sitting near me.

 

 

So what happens if you try to get scanned at a muster station that is other than the one for your room? From a legal standpoint, you just need to be mustered in the first day. Does princess care if they are mustering you in the lounge or if you get musterd in the buffet?

[Pam in CA]

So what happens if you try to get scanned at a muster station that is other than the one for your room? From a legal standpoint, you just need to be mustered in the first day. Does princess care if they are mustering you in the lounge or if you get musterd in the buffet?

If you are not in the correct Muster station, you will be directed to the one you should be in. If you are showing a new cruiser where to go and get them seated, there's no problem as long as you then go to your Muster station. Yes, Princess cares where you are mustered because it's calculated based on the number of seats in a lifeboat.

 

Muster stations must be on the same deck as access to the lifeboats so the buffet will never be used as a Muster station. All Princess ships are designed with lounges and public spaces with access to the outside deck area and the lifeboats. HAL, on the other hand, has most of their lounges on the deck below the outside deck so they have to muster you outside on deck. The only exception to this design (which I consider a flaw) is the Prinsendam.

[ladyruby]

You can always go and get her settled in the lounge for her Muster and then head to your Muster station. She can also stay there afterwards and you can come back and get her. I am often alone during Muster and have found people are very friendly; I often wind up chatting with the people sitting near me.

thanks pam thats a very good idea :D

[captainron]

WVbill you see I aways stand by and listen for "land the landing craft" then over the side I am going on the ropes, not waiting for the boats to hit the water. Those landing were always fun

 

To your point it is not a drill but more of complying with a regualtion and taking attendance. As has been mentioned amazing how they vary from cruise line to cruise line.

 

"Away all boats, land the landing craft... now liberty call ..

 

Pete

 

Princess takes attendance??? Never had a stand to in three ranks roll call on Princess yet. Only encountered it on Royal Caribbean's EOS years ago.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[Pam in CA]

Princess takes attendance??? Never had a stand to in three ranks roll call on Princess yet. Only encountered it on Royal Caribbean's EOS years ago.

Nahh... no rows. They are using a hand scanner to scan cards as you enter the Muster area.

[retiredldo]

Princess takes attendance??? Never had a stand to in three ranks roll call on Princess yet. Only encountered it on Royal Caribbean's EOS years ago.

 

Ciao for now!!!

 

Stand in rows, scan it, touch an ipad, put your left foot in, they stiil track on who is there and who showed up

 

One has to assume there will be an app for the iphone/ipad/droid where you can sign on to the muster drill where ever you maybe Hmmm

 

Pete

[NauticalOne]

We did not have to muster too often during my 26 years in the US Submarine service, not really anywhere to hide and really hard to fall overboard when you are under water. :)

[WVBill]

Pete and Nauticalone - to keep this on topic - maybe we'll cruise together sometime and we can swap sea stories while at muster drill... :D

[1 HappyCruiser]

Stand in rows, scan it, touch an ipad, put your left foot in, they stiil track on who is there and who showed up

One has to assume there will be an app for the iphone/ipad/droid where you can sign on to the muster drill where ever you maybe Hmmm

 

Pete

 

Not really. They only scan a sampling of people on the way in to check if their equipment is in working order and not everyone who shows up at any particular station. We've not been scanned yet & never been called on it.

[Putterdude]

I certainly have no issue with muster drills but it would be nice not to have to drag along your life jacket....I know the letter on it is a benefit to the crew in determining which muster station one should be in but I think everyone knows how to put on a life jacket. Plus it sure would nice not to have to drag it ("drag" is not quite the right word) back to one's cabin post drill.

[Loonbeam]

Based on what I have seen, actually, no apparently many people do not know how to put on a life jacket.

 

I certainly have no issue with muster drills but it would be nice not to have to drag along your life jacket....I know the letter on it is a benefit to the crew in determining which muster station one should be in but I think everyone knows how to put on a life jacket. Plus it sure would nice not to have to drag it ("drag" is not quite the right word) back to one's cabin post drill.

[Putterdude]

Based on what I have seen, actually, no apparently many people do not know how to put on a life jacket.

 

Interesting, I have never made such an observation but maybe I have just to busy adjusting the straps on mine to notice.:D HAL seems to credit their pax as having enough intelligence to put one on, but then maybe IQs are a tad higher on HAL crusises.... ;)

[caribill]

Not really. They only scan a sampling of people on the way in to check if their equipment is in working order and not everyone who shows up at any particular station. We've not been scanned yet & never been called on it.

 

On two Princess cruises this year, they scanned everyone's cruise card at the Muster.

[Pam in CA]

Interesting, I have never made such an observation but maybe I have just to busy adjusting the straps on mine to notice.:D HAL seems to credit their pax as having enough intelligence to put one on, but then maybe IQs are a tad higher on HAL crusises.... ;)

I have to laugh at this because having been to quite a few HAL musters before they changed it to not bringing your life jacket, HAL passengers are no more adept at putting them on than Princess. :)

[1 HappyCruiser]

On two Princess cruises this year, they scanned everyone's cruise card at the Muster.

 

They make an effort to scan them all but if they don't there is no checklist for the ones that they miss or should I say there is no make up drill for the ones they miss scanning.

[pppiglet]

Thanks for posting the muster drill info for Princess. I have my first time Princess Cruise next May.

 

Someone mentioned it's always done on the first day. This past Feb. on Disney because we sailed on Super Bowl Sunday, they didn't do a muster drill since everyone was watching the game. We didn't have one until the next day! I kept thinking, "what if something happens tonight?"

[Pam in CA]

Someone mentioned it's always done on the first day. This past Feb. on Disney because we sailed on Super Bowl Sunday, they didn't do a muster drill since everyone was watching the game. We didn't have one until the next day! I kept thinking, "what if something happens tonight?"

By law, it has to be held within 24 hours. Cruiselines generally prefer to do it right after boarding and before sailing so passengers can start enjoying their cruise. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muster_drill

[Jasperdo]

One thing I'd like to add to all the great information about muster drill. My wife and I like to get to our muster station about a half hour early. We're able to find a nice seat, and not have to deal with the last minute craziness in the hallways and public areas. After the drill, we wait about 15 minutes. Then I take the life jackets back to the cabin, and meet my wife up on deck for the sailaway.

 

Princess deninitely has the most civilized muster drill. I nearly passed out once on a Carnival ship in Miami. We were packed in like sardines on the outside deck on a hot muggy afternoon. The Princess way is so much better ... plus, I think it makes more sense. In an actual emergency, how many people are going to remember exactly where they stood on the outside deck. But, most people will remember that their muster station was in the casino, or the Princess Theatre.

[caribill]

The Princess way is so much better ... plus, I think it makes more sense. In an actual emergency, how many people are going to remember exactly where they stood on the outside deck. But, most people will remember that their muster station was in the casino, or the Princess Theatre.

 

And in an actual emergency which can last hours, on Princess you are sitting inside in comfort, not standing outside all that time no matter what the weather and temeprature.