Life Boat Drill

[mamaofami]

Is drill still done outside on NA and do you bring your vest .

[dfish]

Yes, it is still done outside on NA. Koningsdam is the only ship that does it indoors. You do not bring your vest with you. You do have to go to your stateroom before gong to your muster station. It is a three step drill. The first signal is for crew to get in place. The second is to go to your stateroom. The third is to report to your muster station. I may have the first two backwards.

[TAD2005]

You got the sequence right. However, we never wait for the final order to report to the muster station. We head out immediately so we can find a comfortable place to sit or at least lean while the attendance is being taken. It really bugs me to see stragglers coming in 20 minutes late, with a drink in their hands, making us all wait to be released. We take full advantage of the signature beverage package, and never lose money on it, but we do wait until the muster drill is over.

[DAllenTCY]

Almost as annoying as those showing up late......cell phones and texting during the Muster Drill.

 

David

[Krazy Kruizers]

Since HAL started this new 1-2-3 drill, we are always late for the drill -- at least 15 minutes.

I have used a Rollator since 2012 and originally we would go down to the Ocean Bar and sit and wait for the drill to begin -- no ordering of drinks. When this new system began we were politely told that we had to go back to our cabin and wait for the 3rd set of alarms. We followed orders. Now I have to wait and wait for an elevator.

HAL needs to rethink this for handicapped people.

[chengkp75]

Is drill still done outside on NA and do you bring your vest .

 

Ships will never change their muster locations during the life of the vessel. If the ship started with outdoor musters, it will have them until the day it is scrapped, unless there are very significant structural changes made to the vessel.

[Cruising-along]

You got the sequence right. However, we never wait for the final order to report to the muster station. We head out immediately so we can find a comfortable place to sit or at least lean while the attendance is being taken. It really bugs me to see stragglers coming in 20 minutes late, with a drink in their hands, making us all wait to be released. We take full advantage of the signature beverage package, and never lose money on it, but we do wait until the muster drill is over.

 

I agree about the stragglers, but someone recently reported here that they were chastised for coming early! I don't remember which ship, sorry.

[TAD2005]

On HAL ships, you DO NOT bring your life jackets to your muster station. The reason for the 2nd step in the 3 part muster drill is to encourage you to go back to your cabin and find your life jacket and get familiar with it. That is what would happen in a real emergency. They stopped requiring you to bring and/or wear your life jacket because many people would put them on, but not connect the straps. After the drill, they take them off and drag the straps behind them. These long straps would trip people, especially on the stairs, and also the jackets are very warm to wear for extended periods, making the muster drill even more uncomfortable.

[RuthC]

The reason for the 2nd step in the 3 part muster drill is to encourage you to go back to your cabin and find your life jacket and get familiar with it.

The more important reason for step 2 is to get you into the proper routine for an emergency. You would return to your cabin when directed, gather your passport, meds, credit cards, as well as don your life vest, and wait for further instructions.

Then you would follow the route from your cabin to your muster station.

 

In case of emergency my life depends on everyone following instructions, and not second-guessing procedures.

[BJzink]

A few years ago I saw a video on TV of the actual sinking of the "Costa Concordia". It sure made me a believer in paying attention for the disaster drill. I think that an actual sinking would be like the Concordia - staff not controlling the passengers, not giving clear instructions, passengers who did not attend the drill, it was a nightmare! They were on their own - the only reason most of them survived was that they were very close to the coast.

[Aquahound]

A few years ago I saw a video on TV of the actual sinking of the "Costa Concordia". It sure made me a believer in paying attention for the disaster drill. I think that an actual sinking would be like the Concordia - staff not controlling the passengers, not giving clear instructions, passengers who did not attend the drill, it was a nightmare! They were on their own - the only reason most of them survived was that they were very close to the coast.

 

A cruise ship sinking will almost certainly have casualties, especially if on the high seas and some distance from rescuers. Even on Concordia where passengers could swim to shore, there were 32 casualties. Frankly, I'm not sure if this 3 step process HAL is using is any good or not. It could be good for the reasons already stated or it could be bad because in a real emergency, the 3 steps could be information overload to the passengers.

[RuthC]

A cruise ship sinking will almost certainly have casualties, especially if on the high seas and some distance from rescuers.

And yet, when the original Prinsendam sank there was no loss of life.

I have to wonder if there was a correlation between that, and the generation of passengers on the ship were from a time when people respected authority and followed directions.

Frankly, I'm not sure if this 3 step process HAL is using is any good or not. It could be good for the reasons already stated or it could be bad because in a real emergency, the 3 steps could be information overload to the passengers.

When we had a galley fire on the Nieuw Amsterdam during dinner it was clear that this was serious. The Captain came on the PA and instructed us as to what was happening, and told us to stay where we were. I saw no one leave the dining room.

 

Fortunately, we never got to the 'head to your cabin, gather your things, and wait for instructions' stage. The Captain did keep us very well informed several times; you could have heard a pin drop when people listened.

I did not consider the several times we were informed as coming close to information overload, but rather very reassuring.