post covid muster drills?

[cthrn27]

Hello, all.  Wondering about the current Muster Drill situation.  Are we back to the in person, stand and listen?  Or have they remained virtual post covid.  Thanks!

[teknoge3k]

You show up to your muster station and have your card scanned. Some ships they chose to show you how to put on a life vest, others just scan your card and send you on your way. Either way, you're there less than a minute.

[dallasdan]

They are in person, at your designated muster station.  Takes about 5 minutes.  We go straight to our muster station when boarding.  Super easy.  This is one good thing to come out of Covid.  

[hapytobehr]

6 minutes ago, cthrn27 said:

Hello, all.  Wondering about the current Muster Drill situation.  Are we back to the in person, stand and listen?  Or have they remained virtual post covid.  Thanks!

You are assigned a muster station and go watch them put on a life jacket and they scan your card/boarding pass and you're done.  

 

No more sardine line ups.

[cthrn27]

Excellent!  thanks!

[ontheweb]

17 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

They are in person, at your designated muster station.  Takes about 5 minutes.  We go straight to our muster station when boarding.  Super easy.  This is one good thing to come out of Covid.  

This is the "good thing" unless a real emergency occurs and there is a need for a real call for a muster. Let us all hope and pray this never happens.

[hard_eight]

3 hours ago, ontheweb said:

This is the "good thing" unless a real emergency occurs and there is a need for a real call for a muster. Let us all hope and pray this never happens.

The song and dance on the deck in the heat would do **** all in an actual abandon ship emergency.

[Roscoe13]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

This is the "good thing" unless a real emergency occurs and there is a need for a real call for a muster. Let us all hope and pray this never happens.

I don't understand this statement. 

You still have to go to your actual mustard station. 

[Elkins45]

On our first cruise in 2015 we did the muster drill standing out on the exposed deck by the lifeboats. That was where our muster station was located. On Celebration last week our muster station was the casino and they just scanned our cards. 
 

I know how to put on a life vest and I appreciate not having to stand out in the heat, but I must admit I did like at least knowing where my lifeboat was the old way. There was no lifeboat hiding between the slot machines.

Edited June 27, 2023 by Elkins45

[deelightfull]

While we were docked in Ensenada on Father's Day they ran a while crew drill over the pa.  (I'm sure other stuff was happening, but I didn't see anything else, just heard what was going on over the announcement system.)

 

It was very interesting, to me anyway, as they called for crew members to lead each muster station in order to lifeboats and then each crew station went to boats/rafts.  Second calls for each set of life rafts to be lowered. Then there a final announcement that must have been to clear rooms.  Most of the announcements were just in the hall, but the final one was in the room.  Then a "final final" announcement that everyone that was supposed to be at the debrief should report to the bridge and the drill was over and another announcements were heard were real and we should pay attention. 😁

 

I'm only a lowly red card, but it was interesting to me!

[FastShip24]

6 hours ago, ontheweb said:

This is the "good thing" unless a real emergency occurs and there is a need for a real call for a muster. Let us all hope and pray this never happens.

If it is really needed, people in panic will not know where to go anyway

[jsglow]

1 hour ago, Elkins45 said:

On our first cruise in 2015 we did the muster drill standing out on the exposed deck by the lifeboats. That was where our muster station was located. On Celebration last week our muster station was the casino and they just scanned our cards. 
 

I know how to put on a life vest and I appreciate not having to stand out in the heat, but I must admit I did like at least knowing where my lifeboat was the old way. There was no lifeboat hiding between the slot machines.

While true, what you are supposed to do during an actual emergency is to go to your muster station. It may or may not be true that the emergency will have you escorted to the boats. And 'your's' might be an evolving answer.

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, hard_eight said:

The song and dance on the deck in the heat would do **** all in an actual abandon ship emergency.

 

12 hours ago, Roscoe13 said:

I don't understand this statement. 

You still have to go to your actual mustard station. 

 

9 hours ago, FastShip24 said:

If it is really needed, people in panic will not know where to go anyway

As our resident expert @chengkp75 has explained several times on these boards, the real reason for muster drills (other than of course they are required by law) is training for the crew. It is the only time they get to "herd" (his term) all the passengers. He goes on to say that your requirement as a passenger is to "show up and shut up" (again his term).

 

Others with vast experience like @Heidi13 and @Aquahound have chimed in agreeing with him.

[BobbiSox]

In the old days, passengers had to stand outside on the deck in the blazing hot sun and wait for the last few pasengers to finish their cocktails and stagger to the exisitng line before the crew was allowed t get started.  There was always 'that guy' who talked through the whole thing so no one could hear what the crew was saying. It's more effecient now. Last two, we just showed up at the station, they noted that we were there, and sent us away with no information at all. They told us to watch the video.  Seriously. 

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, BobbiSox said:

In the old days, passengers had to stand outside on the deck in the blazing hot sun and wait for the last few pasengers to finish their cocktails and stagger to the exisitng line before the crew was allowed t get started.  There was always 'that guy' who talked through the whole thing so no one could hear what the crew was saying. It's more effecient now. Last two, we just showed up at the station, they noted that we were there, and sent us away with no information at all. They told us to watch the video.  Seriously. 

 

The location of the Assembly Stations, which most pax refer to as Muster Stations, is based on the ship design and not the age of the ship. Some cruise lines have never mustered at the Survival Craft, in my lifetime.

 

My first cruise ship was in 1976, aboard a vessel built in the mid 1950's, and her Assembly Stations were all in lounges, not out on deck at the Survival Craft. My other early ships built in 1959 and 1960 were the same, having interior Assembly Stations. Even the oldest pax vessel I commanded was built in 1950, and she also had the Assembly Stations in the lounges 

 

I only experienced the Assembly Stations on deck at the Survival Craft on a single cruise and that was with RCCL, on a ship built in 2000.

[FastShip24]

On 5be last cruise on March, I was told by staff that you can only buy 2 drinks until you check in for muster..

[Joebucks]

8 hours ago, ontheweb said:

 

 

As our resident expert @chengkp75 has explained several times on these boards, the real reason for muster drills (other than of course they are required by law) is training for the crew. It is the only time they get to "herd" (his term) all the passengers. He goes on to say that your requirement as a passenger is to "show up and shut up" (again his term).

 

Others with vast experience like @Heidi13 and @Aquahound have chimed in agreeing with him.

 

Give it a rest

[ontheweb]

19 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

Give it a rest

How about when it comes to safety, we all should not be so complacent.

[Joebucks]

6 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

How about when it comes to safety, we all should not be so complacent.

 

Neither the two biggest cruise lines, nor the coast guard are worried about it. I'm not going to put my fear into "crew members" not having a "dry run" to "find" people who refuse to follow safety instructions that were delivered more clearly than they were in the past. There is nothing specific or measurable about that. 

[Top_of_the_Cube]

To "muster" just means getting to your assembly location.  If you know your muster station and how to get there, not sure what more you need to know.  Prior to the shut-down, when my muster station was at an inside venue, the required drill never actually entailed the crew escorting you to your survival craft.  They just took roll.  Which, as best I understand, is the actual intent of a call to muster.

 

And I get the idea of training for the crew, but again, they take roll and report those passengers (and I assume other crew members) who are not accounted for.  Not sure how the old way is significantly superior to the current system for them.  I am not an experienced seaman, but I am familiar with Disaster and Relocation drills for business buildings.  Of course it is not the same, but not really that dissimilar.   

 

I take the muster drill seriously.  And I think all passengers should occasionally remind themselves of their assigned location, and periodically consider where that location is in relation to their current spot.

 

I highly respect and appreciate those experts who post on these issues, this is just my observation and opinion.

[d9704011]

4 minutes ago, Top_of_the_Cube said:

To "muster" just means getting to your assembly location. 

Actually, it doesn't mean that at all.  To muster means to bring together or collect people or things.

[Aplmac]

3 hours ago, FastShip24 said:

On 5be last cruise on March, I was told by staff

that you can only buy 2 drinks until you check in for muster..

 

= Biggest quantum leap in crowd control and compliance!

Frankly, it should be ONE - not two
You can always get sloshed, after muster drill.

[FastShip24]

1 hour ago, Aplmac said:

 

= Biggest quantum leap in crowd control and compliance!

Frankly, it should be ONE - not two
You can always get sloshed, after muster drill.

Haha great point

[broadwaybaby123]

Not sure if this varies from how Carnival does it but on Royal you complete the entire drill on your app and then report to your Muster Station to have the app scanned saying you completed it.

Edited June 29, 2023 by broadwaybaby123

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

Not sure if this varies from how Carnival does it but on Royal you complete the entire drill on your app and then report to your Muster Station to have the app scanned saying you completed it.

What if you do not have a smartphone?