Costa incident: Return to Professional Muster?

[MrPete]

Been disheartened over the years with each succeeding cruise how muster seemed to get more and more lax, eventually leading to not needing to bring the life jackets. And where silence was maintained, they started seeming like social events.

 

My thought was, should an incident arise, one should know how to put a jacket on, as well as fully versed as to what to do.

 

I personally hope this is a wake up call. To hear the one eyewitness report of not knowing what to do scares me. Last I need is to find myself behind someone who doesn't know what to do.

[cdamion]

It can't hurt.

 

Princess' muster drill is the most complete I have seen (complete with life jackets and I think they scanned us in or checked us off on a list).

 

You never know what can happen. This is the second ship to be grounded in less than a week (MSC in the Bahamas a few days ago).

[Crazy4Cruisin225]

Mr. Pete, I couldn't agree more. Nowadays the muster drill is a bunch of people complaining thet they can't bring their drinks or chat on their cell phones. This Costa incident should be a wake-up call that the drill is full of important information and that everyone should pay complete attention. I also feel that it should go back to the traditional drill where you bring the lifejacket and stand by your lifeboat. Sitting in the air-condidtioned lounge may be more comfortable, but is not as informative. Really, it's 20 minutes of your precious vacation that could save your life!!

[FloridaGators]

I have to agree with Mr. Pete. We've been lucky enough to have taken many cruises in the past few years and I will shamefully admit that I am one who has "complained" in the past about the muster drill.

I will not complain any longer. They MUST return to the original drill where there was silence and they checked your name off to make sure every single person was accounted for. The MUST have everyone put on life jackets and they must set a time to be at your life stations, i.e. within a set number of minutes. No taking your sweet time to get there.

I pray for the families of those involved in this accident.

[BadJelly]

Unfortunately no matter how lax or tightly run the passenger musters are when the brown stuff hits the fan very little will be retained by the average passenger from one training. This is why professional crews train and train and train. Nothing is any use it unless it comes as second nature and this is just not going to happen with the average cruiser - whether they cruise once a year or once a month.

 

I do strongly disagree though with the life jackets being left in the room, they should always be fitted/tried on by each passenger. The crews training being maintained is the only thing that is going to help in a major incident.

[RuthlessBoss]

Bringing that life jacket is a pain, but was saddened when this ritual disappeared. People sincerely do not pay as close to attention to detail as they should. The wearing of the jacket makes it more real.

I think the ritual should come back.

What upsets me is the lally gaggers who stroll in late holding the rest of us captive.

[BadJelly]

Mr. Pete, I couldn't agree more. Nowadays the muster drill is a bunch of people complaining thet they can't bring their drinks or chat on their cell phones. This Costa incident should be a wake-up call that the drill is full of important information and that everyone should pay complete attention. I also feel that it should go back to the traditional drill where you bring the lifejacket and stand by your lifeboat. Sitting in the air-condidtioned lounge may be more comfortable, but is not as informative. Really, it's 20 minutes of your precious vacation that could save your life!!

 

Actually standing in an oppressive humidity or wet/cold is not condusive to learning anything. What would probably be best is to be scanned in/checked off at the lifeboat/muster station then taken into a lounge/theater and have a film clip showing some real life situations where cruise ship passengers have needed to know what to do. And not "prettied" up for general viewing either.

[DiverDownAZ]

We used to train for emergencies 10+ hours a week every week and when it hit the fan people still reacted poorly. I don't think it would matter what type of drill you do, people will not respond the way they should. Especially when they are at the lido eating and getting drunk.

[RuthlessBoss]

Actually standing in an oppressive humidity or wet/cold is not condusive to learning anything. What would probably be best is to be scanned in/checked off at the lifeboat/muster station then taken into a lounge/theater and have a film clip showing some real life situations where cruise ship passengers have needed to know what to do. And not "prettied" up for general viewing either.

On second thought, this is not a bad idea, but bring the orange preservers as a reality check.

 

I don't cruise during those hot times, it can be brutal if you are on the sunny side of the ship especially waiting for last minute arrivals.. Safety or not, not a fun way to start a cruise.

[golfadj]

Time to go back to a real muster drill so we know what to do in an emergency at sea.

[PaulMedik]

Been disheartened over the years with each succeeding cruise how muster seemed to get more and more lax, eventually leading to not needing to bring the life jackets. And where silence was maintained, they started seeming like social events.

 

My thought was, should an incident arise, one should know how to put a jacket on, as well as fully versed as to what to do.

 

I personally hope this is a wake up call. To hear the one eyewitness report of not knowing what to do scares me. Last I need is to find myself behind someone who doesn't know what to do.

 

 

MrPete,

 

Absolutely. It should be completed PRIOR to pulling away from the dock and roll should be taken.

[BadJelly]

Since it is no longer mandatory to take the jackets to muster, how many of you actually get them out of the wardrobe and check that the straps are actually there and the buckles? Or even if there are a sufficient number of them in your room?

[pe4all]

I agree with all. And especially the part with attendence being taken. When we first sailed with Disney each muster station had a clipboard with a list of the cabins that reported there. As you got to the station you had to report in, and they checked off each cabin AND EACH PASSENGER IN THAT CABIN to make sure they attended. Truthfully, I don't know what they did with the people who didn't attend. Maybe CCL should FINE people for not attending. $100 per person sounds reasonable for my safety for idiots not knowing what to do in the event of a real emergency. (I actually thought $1,000 pp - but that is probably too much)

[DALSAL]

I totally agree with MrPete! This was tragic and I hear there are around 70 people unaccounted for..Sad

[rtw68]

I do think the muster needs to return back to what it was and be taken much more seriously by pax and crew.

 

The scary part about what happened to the Costa ship is when it happened (dinner time), and how quickly did it list to the point where the life boats were having issues.

 

Would you even have time in that case to go back to your cabin and get your life jackets? I know they have them around the life boats, but it is still something to think about. In looking at the video and pictures, its very alarming to me how quickly things can turn into a disaster.

 

It will be interesting to see what the cause was (equipment failure, human error). Hopefully everyone can learn from it. Things changed after Titantic 100 years ago. Things will change again after the Costa disaster.

[Call8675309]

:eek:Our cruise in December included a muster drill in a lounge with no life jackets. For the life of me, I could not figure out how that would prepare us properly for an emergency. The number of pax drinking during the presentation was horrifying. I wasn't looking forward to being on a lifeboat with them if the situation warranted. I am sure the drills will change for our next cruise.

[zqvol]

Carnival is the only line that I am aware of that has done away with the "professional" safety drills. The problem is that no matter how professional the drills are too many people are already drunk and don't pay a bit of attention.

 

If you want a proper safety drill do them before any bars open, otherwise they are a waste of time anyway. Also don't allow people with mobility issues on board. Heck if we are going to make it professional let's make everyone pass a fitness test before they can board the ship.

 

As an aside looking at the pictures in the hull of the Concordia I suspect that the deceased and missing were trapped below the water line and no amount of drills or anything else could have saved them.

[Snorkel2Much]

We used to train for emergencies 10+ hours a week every week and when it hit the fan people still reacted poorly. I don't think it would matter what type of drill you do, people will not respond the way they should. Especially when they are at the lido eating and getting drunk.

Some ..."people still reacted poorly"...after 10+ hours a week drills, I'll agree with that, but us Nuc's weren't considered actual "people" back in my day. ;):D

[Frank12]

I would bet a paycheck that sooner than later we will definitely see some changes to the muster drill.

[kelkel2]

I agree, I think we have to go back to the professional drills. I don't care if you don't like them and they aren't fun it's what needs to be done. I remember thinking on our first cruise after the muster drill that I wouldn't even know where to find our life jacket, and definitely wouldn't be able to put it on. It's something I think every passenger should have to do. Bring your life jacket and practice putting it on.

I don't know, I just feel like this costa disaster shows that yes, cruises are fun, but they can go so wrong so quickly. Everyone on the ship needs to have a good idea of how to respond in an emergency and making the muster drills more serious and less of a joke would in my opinion help a lot.

[Crazy4Cruisin225]

Carnival is the only line that I am aware of that has done away with the "professional" safety drills. The problem is that no matter how professional the drills are too many people are already drunk and don't pay a bit of attention.

 

If you want a proper safety drill do them before any bars open, otherwise they are a waste of time anyway. Also don't allow people with mobility issues on board. Heck if we are going to make it professional let's make everyone pass a fitness test before they can board the ship.

 

As an aside looking at the pictures in the hull of the Concordia I suspect that the deceased and missing were trapped below the water line and no amount of drills or anything else could have saved them.

 

 

When I was on the NCL Gem last year they also held the muster drill in various lounges. They said in an emergency you would go to your cabin to get your life vest and then meet in the main show lounge to be escorted to the life boats. I prefer to just go straight to the life boat!!

[me-n-kev]

I saw at least one report on one of the news web sites that the muster drill hadn't happened yet - it was scheduled for today.

 

If that is accurate, well, type of drill doesnt matter.

 

I am recently back from the carnival magic where I did the behind the scenes tour. Someone asked the safety officer how long to evac all passengers and crew. Once everyone was at muster station, answer was 30 minutes. Course I think that assumes all life boats functional.

 

Kevin

[DaveRRT]

On Hal we mustered under our boat, no jackets which is fine. I always locate mine in the cabin myself.

[Crazy Gramps]

it sort of helped the ship was a stones throw from shore.

 

Current reporst have 3 dead and 69 missing.

 

All in all that's a pretty good survival rate.

 

Gramps

[riffatsea]

A muster drill would not help those folks who were in lifeboat stations on the side of the ship that was IN the water!

The crew needs to be trained in how to guide people!

The Costa accident occurred when folks were at dinner in "evening dress". I don't know if they all had time to go back to their cabins to get life jackets? In a real emergency it is a well trained crew that can help folks to get where they need to go and it seems that THIS crew was not really prepared.