What ships do muster/lifeboat drills inside??

[rubrrick]

O, good grief.

 

Your muster station is assigned based on your stateroom. They are not inside on some ships and outside on other ships. They are both inside and outside on all ships (most likely answer). So, if you have an issue with your assigned muster station, you should discuss it with the ships personnel.

 

A lot of people don't like to be hot or cold or anything else, not just people with back/hip/knee surgery.

 

I find the muster drill to be a complete farce, but it is a rule that is has to happen.

 

So again, for those who want to be offended by everything. The muster station is based on where you cabin in assigned, and is not based on the ship as either inside or outside, for the nth time it is both on RCI.

 

JC

 

JC..........once again you are right on!

 

Royal Caribbean has muster stations both inside and outside, and you will be placed in your muster station, as located on the back of your cabin door.

 

Used to be.....that everyone had to carry their life jackets to their muster station, and be able to demonstrate that they understood how to properly wear their vests. Thank goodness that has gone by the wayside.

 

I really like how Princess does their drill. Everyone starts inside, and stays inside. You do have to bring your life jacket, and learn how to properly secure it to your body. That is a comfortable way to do the drill, as mandated by international law.

 

Just off the Liberty of the Seas last Sunday, and our muster station was outside, in the sun and heat. Captain Rune kept it very short, just over 15 minutes from start to finish. I'm glad that we do not have to carry our life jackets to muster drill, as we had to in the past.:)

 

Rick

[obnurse]

This topic reminds me that maybe not everyone is fit to sail. If a outside muster station is a deal breaker for physical reasons, would that same person be physically fit enough to do what's needed to abandon ship? I hope never to find out, but I fear there are some that would not be able to comply.

[Snit13]

This topic reminds me that maybe not everyone is fit to sail. If a outside muster station is a deal breaker for physical reasons, would that same person be physically fit enough to do what's needed to abandon ship? I hope never to find out, but I fear there are some that would not be able to comply.

 

I presume by your screen name that you are a nurse. Have you ever heard of skin cancer? Please don't fear for us. I don't think the Americans with Disabilities Act would side with you. One does not crawl in a hole just because of medical issues. Life goes on. We deal with it.

[xpcdoojk]

What a kind person you are. You don't really know what you are talking about. I know from personal experience on both RCCL and Celebrity.

 

Someone who spent last week at a muster drill outside of a ship.

 

The cruise line will happily accommodate people with disabilities. That said your muster station is either outside or inside, what they make you do is up to your conversation with the appropriate people on the ship.

 

Good grief...:rolleyes:

 

JC

[Artemus]

I presume by your screen name that you are a nurse. Have you ever heard of skin cancer? Please don't fear for us. I don't think the Americans with Disabilities Act would side with you. One does not crawl in a hole just because of medical issues. Life goes on. We deal with it.

 

Well said, Snit.

[obnurse]

To anyone who interpreted my original post defensively, I sincerely apologize. My comment was not meant to insinuate that anyone isn't fit to cruise. I enjoy the fellow passenger I've cruised with and am personally a crusader for seniors. I'll be the one to hold a door for you and offer my help if you are struggling. I (and my dh) have spent the last 13 or so years helping 3 of our parents age gracefully, managing health crises and making their comfort an happiness. At the time I wrote that post, I had a fleeting thought that if the unthinkable happened and abandon ship occurred, there may be some passengers that don't make it off the ship safely because of physical limitations. Who cruises and when is certainly a personal decision. Please don't get snarky over a simple thought.

[molsonschooner]

To anyone who interpreted my original post defensively, I sincerely apologize. My comment was not meant to insinuate that anyone isn't fit to cruise. I enjoy the fellow passenger I've cruised with and am personally a crusader for seniors. I'll be the one to hold a door for you and offer my help if you are struggling. I (and my dh) have spent the last 13 or so years helping 3 of our parents age gracefully, managing health crises and making their comfort an happiness. At the time I wrote that post, I had a fleeting thought that if the unthinkable happened and abandon ship occurred, there may be some passengers that don't make it off the ship safely because of physical limitations. Who cruises and when is certainly a personal decision. Please don't get snarky over a simple thought.

 

There will be crew members to help passengers into the lifeboats

[obnurse]

I'm well aware of that. Last time I think out loud on here!

 

To Snit: No "fear for you" just human concern. Sorry if I put you in a snit....truly. I actually had my own family member on my mind when I posted that. Sometimes people who would never get nasty talking face to face with another feel perfectly justified typing nasty remarks. This actually hurt my feelings. Your response to me was mean spirited and unjustified. I hope for good health and happiness to both you and your husband.

[chengkp75]

This topic reminds me that maybe not everyone is fit to sail. If a outside muster station is a deal breaker for physical reasons, would that same person be physically fit enough to do what's needed to abandon ship? I hope never to find out, but I fear there are some that would not be able to comply.

 

I presume by your screen name that you are a nurse. Have you ever heard of skin cancer? Please don't fear for us. I don't think the Americans with Disabilities Act would side with you. One does not crawl in a hole just because of medical issues. Life goes on. We deal with it.

 

Didn't really want to weigh in on this, but a couple of posts got me going.

 

For those who cannot tolerate standing outdoors for muster, or standing for long periods, or who are chairbound, the lines have a special needs muster station. When you board, go to Guest Services and request this. They will amend the muster list, add you and one companion to the special needs station, and you will be told where it is, usually someplace central like the atrium or centrum near Guest Services. There will be crew assigned there to assist in an emergency, and generally for the drill there is a nurse assigned. RCI, in addition, will allow you to go inside after checking in to an outdoor station if requested.

 

In an actual emergency, there are crew assigned specifically to assist those who are mobility challenged to get to their stations and from the stations to the boats. They are on call as well, to answer if the crew checking cabins finds someone who needs assistance. It is only crew that are required by law to be able to physically respond in an emergency, passengers are not.

 

As far as the ADA goes, know that foreign flag cruise ships (all of them but one) do not need to fully meet the requirements of the ADA, as set out by the US Supreme Court decision of Specter v. NCL. The court specifically excluded the ships' "internal policies and procedures", so while they cannot deny boarding and must make at least "reasonable" modifications to allow accessibility, how the line handles accessibility issues and equipment onboard is their own business. Further, the court ruled that SOLAS trumps the ADA in all cases.

[crabby5]

To address a couple things mentioned here: we just got off the Oasis this morning. We had 2 boardwalk balconies next to each other and they do split up families. We each went to different locations. For another thing- we mustered at the Aqua theater and they went to one of the dining rooms, so 1 was inside and 1 was outside. Neither had enough seats for everyone to watch the video, so lots of standing.

 

 

 

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[chengkp75]

Back to the OP's question. Some ships have all outdoor musters, some have all indoor, and some have both outdoor and indoor. SOLAS requires the muster stations to be as close as practical to the boats, but also must meet requirements for ingress, egress, volume and fire protection, so while many new ships have reduced the dimensions of the promenade deck to increase the revenue generating volume within the ship, this has required the muster locations to move indoors. Because of the design requirements and the need to simulate emergencies using crowd management algorithms in analyzing whether or not a space is suitable for a muster location, very few ships will change muster stations over the life of the ship.

 

I believe Princess is the only mainstream cruise line to use MES (Marine Evacuation Systems) for passengers, which are large metal boxes (6-10 feet on a side), not the small life raft canisters which are for the crew. The crew do not leave the ship at the same time as the passengers, they will still be at their emergency stations when the boats are loaded and lowered.

 

"Originally Posted by M_BA View Post

Liberty had the muster drill inside this Spring 2016. I wasn't too pleased, as we weren't show our station and such. In an emergency, everyone isn't going to the MDR for instructions - rather the the vessels that can provide an escape if necessary."

 

Doing so only slows the muster process. In an actual emergency, the passenger muster is not about the boats, it is about accountability, so that the crew responding to the emergency know that the areas are completely evacuated, and that they don't have to search for victims, which can adversely affect their response to the emergency. As another poster said, if you go to the MDR for drill, that is where you will go in an emergency, not "for instruction", but so that the "herding of 2000 cats" that a passenger muster is, can be accomplished in an orderly and prompt fashion. There have probably been a hundred more passenger musters in actual emergencies than cases where the Captain even considered loading the boats. Star Princess is a fine example. The guests were mustered for hours, but the Captain never considered putting the guests in the boats.

 

To be brutally frank, as one who has been in charge of emergencies on cruise ships, and who has been trained in crowd and crisis management, a passenger's duty in an emergency is: go to your assigned muster station, shut up, and listen to the crew. Anything else, and unless you are a trained mariner, you are jeopardizing yourself, other passengers, and the crew assigned to care for you.

[obnurse]

Thank you! I, for one, really appreciate all of your information. You have clarified this issue for all of us.