UK Blog Post: My first cruise on Princess: 6 reasons to go

[LauraS]

I fell for cruising long before I joined the Cruise Critic staff,*and I’ve been hooked ever since. Over the years, I had sailed a number of lines, including every major mainstream line — except Princess. It wasn’t intentional avoidance. Somehow, it just never worked out, until last week, when I took an Alaskan cruise on [...]

 

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[Ray66]

4. Safety

Muster drills vary greatly from one line — and one ship — to the next. Many lines have tried to streamline the process, even bringing in videos to assist the staff in showing how to stay safe in case of emergency. Princess is the only mainstream line I’ve sailed recently that still requires passengers to bring a life jacket to the drill. And we had to practice putting on the jacket, which is something I haven’t done since my first cruise. I like the concept; I paid attention and felt confident I could do what needed to done, if an emergency happened. Yes, it took a little longer than other drills, but it was well organized and clearly aimed at keeping everyone safe. While all lines make safety a priority, I liked the old-school tactile approach.

 

Wow, I thought on all cruiselines you were required to take your life jacket to muster drills. You do on Cunard. So what you're saying is that with some cruise lines you don't have to.

[Host Sharon]

You also have to bring your life jacket on P&O (UK), Fred Olsen and CMV. And on Oceania last week we were required to wear it to the drill rather than put it on later.

 

I had no idea there were some lines you didn't have to bring it.

[jocap]

You also have to bring your life jacket on P&O (UK), Fred Olsen and CMV. And on Oceania last week we were required to wear it to the drill rather than put it on later.

 

I had no idea there were some lines you didn't have to bring it.

Same here, Sharon- we've always had to bring the life jacket with us to muster on every line we've been with.

The strictest was with Thomson, where you were mustered in rows, wearing your jacket, which was checked, and standing underneath your life boat. The crew members were very strict, telling people off if they talked or moved out of line, and checking and double checking. An officer came to do an inspection, and we guessed that the crew members would be in some sort of trouble if he found faults. A memorable muster!