The truth about muster drill

[mlzangel78]

Ok here it is from the Coast guard themselves:

I must admit i am a bad cruise ship passenger and on the 3 cruises i have been on(carnival and princess) I have not attended muster drill, I grew up on a boat all my life i know how to put on my life jacket, and i also when i get on the ship look at where my muster station is and find it before proceeding to the lido deck for lunch. I am in the minority i know who do not attend but i personally do not feel that it is any different than staying in a hotel who also posts the nearest emergency exit on every door in the event of an emergency... the hotels do not hold this drill, and i dont feel that i want to attend it... now over on the know before you go board i am being told that rccl will put your name on a list if you do not attend, when calling rccl to ask them the purpose it is a liability requirement for their insurance company in the event of a loss, that holds them harmless of any lawsuit i may bring against them since i did not attend their safety drill... Maritime law requires that the ship hold it , it does not require that passengers attend it ,, Now im not a bad person, and im also not an instigator just trying to get away with something i just get really claustrophobic around that many people all squeezed together.....please see the following....

This was taken directly from the coast guard:

Emergency Drills. Coast Guard regulations and SOLAS require that the master of an ocean cruise ship periodically hold fire and lifeboat drills. They are intended not only to give the crew practice, but also to show the passengers how to act in the event of an emergency at sea. Passengers should participate fully in these drills,but are not required to by law. The timing and frequency of the drills depends in large part on the length of the voyage. On voyages that will last more than one week, the first drill will be held before the ship gets underway (passengers who embark at the last minute sometimes miss this drill), with additional drills at least once a week thereafter. On voyages of one week or less, the drills must be held within 24 hours after leaving port.

Coast Guard and international regulations also require a notice to be posted conspicuously in each passenger cabin or stateroom. The notice explains the following: How to recognize the ship's emergency signals (alarm bells and whistle signals are normally supplemented by announcements made over the ship's public address system); the location of life preservers provided for passengers in that stateroom (special life preservers for children will be provided, if necessary, by the room steward); instructions and pictures explaining how to put on the life preserver; and the lifeboat to which passengers in that stateroom are assigned. (Note: Passengers need not be alarmed if they discover that the total number of person's on board a cruise ship (passengers + crew) exceeds the total capacity of the ship's lifeboats. Modern cruise ships carry a variety of survival craft. Passengers are invariably assigned to lifeboats or similar survival craft. The total capacity of all the survival craft on board will exceed the total number of persons on the vessel).

When fire and lifeboat drills are held, crew members from the stewards department are generally responsible for assisting and directing passengers in the drill. Direction signs showing the path to reach lifeboats are posted in passageways and stairways throughout the ship. The crewmember in charge of each lifeboat will muster the passengers assigned to that lifeboat, and give passengers any final instructions necessary in the proper method of donning and adjusting their life preservers. If there is any portion of the emergency procedures the passenger doesn't understand, they should question the crew until the instructions are clear and completely understood.

[Snowblower]

I found the place on the Coast Guard website with this information but it doesn't read exactly the same as what has been cut-and-pasted here. Neither of the documents I found have the last part of the 3rd sentence; "but are not required to by law" in the text.

Melissa, you might want to check your history file in your web browser to see where you might have obtained it??? Be interesting to know where it came from??? The docs I found both have the Coast Guard seal on them.

Here are links to the two docs:

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/cruise.pdf#search='coast%20guard%20&%20cruise%20sh ip%20lifeboat%20drill

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/cruiseship.htm

[ljeanbrown]

I have posted this on the other boards also, I just copied it and am pasting it below. This is from the link that was posted above and as explained in the post above I don't see the sentence that says passengers are not required to attend =shrug






Emergency Drills. Coast Guard regulations and SOLAS require that the master of an ocean cruise ship periodically hold fire and lifeboat drills. They are intended not only to give the crew practice, but also to show the passengers how to act in the event of an emergency at sea. Passengers should participate fully in these drills. The timing and frequency of the drills depends in large part on the length of the voyage. On voyages that will last more than one week, the first drill will be held before the ship gets underway (passengers who embark at the last minute sometimes miss this drill), with additional drills at least once a week thereafter. On voyages of one week or less, the drills must be held within 24 hours after leaving port.

Coast Guard and international regulations also require a notice to be posted conspicuously in each passenger cabin or stateroom. The notice explains the following: How to recognize the ship's emergency signals (alarm bells and whistle signals are normally supplemented by announcements made over the ship's public address system); the location of life preservers provided for passengers in that stateroom (special life preservers for children will be provided, if necessary, by the room steward); instructions and pictures explaining how to put on the life preserver; and the lifeboat to which passengers in that stateroom are assigned. (Note: Passengers need not be alarmed if they discover that the total number of person's on board a cruise ship (passengers + crew) exceeds the total capacity of the ship's lifeboats. Modern cruise ships carry a variety of survival craft. Passengers are invariably assigned to lifeboats or similar survival craft. The total capacity of all the survival craft on board will exceed the total number of persons on the vessel).

When fire and lifeboat drills are held, crew members from the stewards department are generally responsible for assisting and directing passengers in the drill. Direction signs showing the path to reach lifeboats are posted in passageways and stairways throughout the ship. The crewmember in charge of each lifeboat will muster the passengers assigned to that lifeboat, and give passengers any final instructions necessary in the proper method of donning and adjusting their life preservers. If there is any portion of the emergency procedures the passenger doesn't understand, they should question the crew until the instructions are clear and completely understood

[Cottonblossom]

Well, on our cruise on the Grand a week ago, the muster was not bad at all......I remembered being crowded all together on the deck on the Carnival Victory last May when we went, so I was expecting the same on the Grand. But, not so........we were led into one of the theaters, the seats were comfortable so we didn't mind listening to the rules and being reminded of things we already know. Really think it's in my own best interest that I attend those drills!!!

[NJRonbo]

Do they come looking for those that
don't attend the drills?

On RCCL they were knocking on our cabin door
and checking inside.

[mlzangel78]

snoblower... i couldnt pull it through history because i was at work when i posted ( shhhhh :) ), our system does not save cookies (real pain in the butt ) and couldnt re pull it i had searched maritime law and muster drill on yahoo search it was about 4 pages in that i finally found something... if i am wrong i stand corrected.... i also remember however reading on my princess book thats in the cabin about it and it did not say it was mandatory....

[Oceanlvr]

When I was on RCCL we waited an hour on deck while the crew rousted every last passenger from their cabins.I can see your point in not wanting to participate, but please keep in mind how it could affect the rest of your fellow pax. Perhaps you could tell them ahead of time you won't be attending muster so they'll cross you off the manifest.

[mlzangel78]

thanks oceanlvr, i will keep that in mind i certainly dont want to spoil any one elses time

[cruisegary]

I suspect if you tell them you will not attend, they will make it a point to get you butt up on deck or do something else harrassing.

Muster drills would not be so bad if they did not drag them out. On our trip last year, we were rousted up on deck when the pre-announced. Then they announced it was about to happen. Then it happened. Of course we went up early and STOOD THERE FOR 30 MINUTEs waiting for everyone else to show up.

They do this every week. You would think they could get it down to a science with the least amount of wasted time.

[Snowblower]

That is one of the things I like about Princess. At least when they do the muster drill you are in one of the lounges or the theater, don't torture you on deck in the hot sun like other cruise lines we have been on.