Cruise Talk: Lifeboat Drill

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Author

Topic: Lifeboat Drill

scorpio
First Class Passenger
Member # 1245

posted 05-10-2000 05:16 AM

Is attendance of passengers at lifeboat drills mandatory? The information given out on board implies that it is, but nothing seems to be done to ensure attendance. We met several people who couldn't be bothered to attend and some who have been on many cruises and were proud to claim that they have never attended one.

Posts: 92 | From: UK | Registered: Apr 2000 | IP: Logged

garrys
First Class Passenger
Member # 581

posted 05-10-2000 07:18 AM

Whilst on the sunbird I noticed that the lifejackets had the cabin number on and the members of staff allocated to our lifeboat were making a note of who attended in a register.

As it is Maritime Law to attend I should imagine that non attendance is frowned upon. I know that if you have done it once it is a chore to do it again on another cruise but surely it's a good idea to refresh the memory and ultimately 30 mins out of your cruise is no big hardship.

Those people who are proud not to attend are surely stupid because you do really need to know what your nearest escape routes are Etc. so you do not put yourself or fellow passwngers at risk by panicking.

[This message has been edited by garrys (edited 05-10-2000).]

Posts: 47 | From: Ipswich, Suffolk, England | Registered: Jun 99 | IP: Logged

sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 05-10-2000 07:58 AM

Yes, lifeboat drill is mandatory and it is those idiots who do not attend, who would cause the biggest ruckus if something happened and we were called to our lifeboat stations.
I get so mad watching people arrive at the lifeboat station, with a drink in their hands, high heels, instead of good runners or flat shoes, talking, and with their life jackets on backwords or tied incorrectly. They all think it is a game. Well it is no game when the real think happens.
HAL personnel call each cabin #/name and if someone doesn't show up, they get a very stern letter from the Captain. It is not a laughing matter. Sure it is a pain to do, especially when you have to do it every 10-12 days when you are on a longer cruise, but it is worth it in the long run - you know what to do in case of an emergency.
HAL even starts and lowers some of the lifeboats so the passengers can see inside them. The cabin # and lifeboat station are stamped on each life jacket. In case of an emergency and you cannot get to your cabin to get your life jacket there are enough in the lifeboats for each passenger. Remember the Prinsendam!!

Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

K&K
First Class Passenger
Member # 1040

posted 05-10-2000 10:18 AM

I believe they are mandatory.They vary from ship to ship on how they are done. HAL and NCL take role and do not allow any drinks. Costa you go into the main show lounge listen to the explaination but do not go to the life boat station.
Kevin

Posts: 446 | From: Sandpoint,Idaho,USA | Registered: Jan 2000 | IP: Logged

joe at travelpage
Administrator
Member # 622

posted 05-10-2000 10:27 AM

As others have said, the lifeboat drills are mandatory and anyone who does not take them seriously is putting themselves and their family at risk.

The worst I've ever experienced was on a Carnival cruise where passengers were dragging their life jackets, drinking and wouldn't shut up. Most of the staff running the drills did not seem to take their job as serious as I've seen on other lines and no roll-call was taken. Some passengers were never even shown where their life boats were located.

The best I've experienced, have been on Holland America and Disney. As Sympatico described above, the drill on HAL is very professional and roll is always called. On Disney they had the men line up in the back with the women and children in front. On both HAL and Disney I have seen staff stop passengers and help them re-tie their life jackets correctly.

Joe at TravelPage.com

Posts: 29976 | From: Great Falls, Virginia | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 05-10-2000 10:30 AM

K&K - HAL may not allow drinks, but I have seen people with them during life boat drill. Next time I speak with my friend who is a CO, I am going to ask him about this and find out why they don't stop the people with drinks in their hand from taking them to the lifeboat station.

Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

gohaze
First Class Passenger
Member # 586

posted 05-10-2000 10:39 AM

Hi...on Marco Polo there is a boat drill every week. Everone musters at their station and a check call is done to make sure all are there. Lifejackets are checked on everone to make sure they are on and tied properly. Those who may require assistance are identified. Advice on what to do is given. Every other week a single file is made and the route to the boat is taken so all are familiar. If the weather is OK some boats are lowered for people to see inside....basically, thats how it SHOULD be done...peter

Posts: 1909 | From: Vancouver.BC | Registered: Sep 99 | IP: Logged

garrys
First Class Passenger
Member # 581

posted 05-10-2000 11:01 AM

Again on the Sunbird the drill is done twice a week. On a Sunday for the canadians & Americans who joined the ship at Aruba and again on the Tuesday for the British passengers who joined at Barbados.

They made sure that all lifejackets were put on and tied correctly and that suitable shoes were worn and that no drinks were in evidence. All in all they were very thorough in what they have to do.

Posts: 47 | From: Ipswich, Suffolk, England | Registered: Jun 99 | IP: Logged

Gerry
First Class Passenger
Member # 168

posted 05-10-2000 11:56 AM

Lifeboat drills are mandatory just as the demonstrations on airplanes. During my time onboard Cunard ships we took the drills very seriously. The purpose behind the drills is mainly to show the route from the cabins to the muster stations, how to don the lifejackets and what to do in an emergency. The trouble now is that people get very blase about it all and tend to not take them seriously. Thats one of the reasons I always give my full attention to the cabin staff in the planes as I know how extremely annoying and frustrating it can be to be giving a demonstration for the sole benefit of an audience which is ignoring you. If we have people missing from our drills, we send a stern letter to the cabin itemizing the safety procedures.Crew members missing drills can be dismissed. We also lower a boat to the embarkation deck when conditions allow.
In the event of a real emergency, those passengers which had not attended or did not pay attention become a real hazard to all other passengers on board and not just themselves. They would be treated very sternly and herded in the right direction by staff members who are instructed to drop the pleasantries if it will ensure people's safety. Sorry to go on but it was always one of my pet hates. I used to tell passengers that I would throw them in the boat if it would save their life. The British deck officers I sailed with would revert to a more naval style of command in a real emergency and would expect passengers to obey them for their own good.

Posts: 315 | From: Miami, Florida, (originally from UK) | Registered: Jun 99 | IP: Logged

DAMBROSI
First Class Passenger
Member # 100

posted 05-10-2000 02:35 PM

Now for my turn. The response from me on this matter is also serious.
Sympatico, Gerry and others are RIGHT ON. Lifeboat drills are very important, there was none on the RMS TITANIC. But I have also noticed how laxed most passengers are on these
drills. Total complacency is wrong.
They thought TITANIC was solid as a
rock. Nothing is solid in this day
and age either. When the next space shuttle goes up, we'll see another
CHALLENGER, it's just a matter of
time. The point is, my main goal when we get to our room, is to look
at the panel of our door. See where
our nearest station is. I come to
the Lifeboat drill at the station ahead of the call for attendance. My
lifebelt is on correctly (we've done
43 cruises). I'm quiet when instruction is given on vital information as to how we are (if we
do) evacuate the liner. I also make
it a point to know all the nearest
exits are. Know where the bulkhead
areas are, so I don't get caught in
one area when the sea comes in.
You have to know your way around the
liners. People who do not pay attention will fight tooth and nail
to get off and forget the way we are
to get off. I hope Geno-R does the
same thing I do. Passengers, know
your ship before it leaves. The drinks and fun can wait. Learn your
deck plans. It can save your life.

Posts: 2554 | From: Florida, USA, Where the Legend SS NORWAY sailed from. Moving back to FL next yr. | Registered: May 99 | IP: Logged

KruzinKat
First Class Passenger
Member # 260

posted 05-10-2000 02:42 PM

When we missed the lifeboat drill due to a weather delay in January of 1999, they scheduled a separate one the next day for the group of passengers who, like us, arrived late. They had left a slip with the time in our cabin, but then the captain announced the time as half an hour later. We made the mistake of believing the captain and, again, missed the drill. One officer took the time to go through the whole explanation with just the two of us and made it clear that, at least on Norway, they take that responsibility very seriously. The only times we've ever had a drill in a lounge was when that was the station we were to meet at. And we understand they've always tracked the no-shows down. Our experience is just with NCL and Royal Caribbean, but I imagine most people are contacted one way or another and told what they'd need to know. As has been said, when you're miles off the coast of land, knowing evacuation procedures is VERY important!

KruzinKat

Posts: 101 | From: Kingston, MA USA | Registered: Jun 99 | IP: Logged

Patrick
First Class Passenger
Member # 364

posted 05-10-2000 03:14 PM

When I was on the ASTOR 3 weeks ago, the crew was checking by name-list if really everybody was present at his muster-station. Nobody would come around to miss it. If somebody is missing, they go to check the cabins again, aprocedure they do automaticly anyway.
Germans normally are very serious with drills and just follow all what they are told to do.
But the crew did an excellent job too. Even during the crew drill, they checked all the cabins.
Other experiences I made during my cruises with Celebrity Cruises. Although the crew tried their very best to manage the drill, people would not at all follow the instructions. And be sure that these people will be the first to complain in a real case of emergency that nobody of the crew will tell them what to do.
Everybody has to participate at a lifeboat-drill, even if he was on many cruises before. Every ship is different and everytime regulations can change due to updated rules.

Posts: 1680 | From: OSC Luxembourg | Registered: Nov 98 | IP: Logged

Paddy
First Class Passenger
Member # 357

posted 05-10-2000 06:07 PM

Tell me, when do most lines do their drill? Is it the day of departure, or does it simply depend on what time the ship leaves the port? On my Airtours cruises from Palma, we left at midnight as we had to wait for late inbound flights from the UK with passengers, so the drill was on the day after. But I have to say, although the demonstration on the Carousel was superb, there wasn't much of a demo on Seawing. It was a really rough day with a force 8 gale, and everyone was sick in their cabins, myself and my strong stomach included. So, my friend went and said about a third of the passengers turned up. We never heard it mentioned again throughout the cruise.

It is horrible doing the drill - never mind missing 30 minutes on Pool Deck, but it makes me feel very uneasy and anxious. But I have to say everyone should go. You don't want to be on a ship with 3,000 clueless passengers to evacuate in the middle of a stormy night with flames and smoke belching out below and the deck at an alarming angle!

Posts: 763 | From: Belfast, Ireland | Registered: Aug 99 | IP: Logged

geno-r
First Class Passenger
Member # 931

posted 05-10-2000 06:28 PM

I agree with whoeversaid on the Norway they take the drill seriously. It must be the ONE thing NCL does really well fleetwide. When we were on the Norweigan Crown last year, they took attendence. Carnival does the worst job. You get herded into one of the lounges and listen to a tape. They wouldn't have a clue as to who was or wasn't there. You were packed in like sardines so a crew member couldn't get around to show you anything even if they wanted to.

Posts: 549 | From: Mt. Pocono,Pa. Usa | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged

sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 05-10-2000 07:53 PM

Paddy - the lifeboat drills have to be held within so many hours (can't remember what that time frame is) after the ship leaves port. This in accordance with Maritime Law. In the old days, on HAL, they were held within 24 hours of leaving port, but new stricter laws came into effect and they are now held before the ship sails. We sailed at 5pm on the Veendam and lifeboat drill was held at 4:15pm. I have been on the ship out of New York as we sailed down the river past the Statue of Liberty having lifeboat drill.

Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

Molly
First Class Passenger
Member # 853

posted 05-10-2000 09:40 PM

As I have stated before, we sailed on Carnival's Fantasy last month and we had to report to a certain area and then were taken to our lifeboat station. We were shown the proper way to put on the life jackets and corrections were made if this wasn't done properly. One of our tablemates was upset because the cabin stewards were knocking on doors and insisting that everyone attend. Maybe the seriousness varies from Carnival ship to Carnival ship. One lady showed up in heels and was told sternly that she should have come as if the drill was a true emergency. I guess I sound like a PR person for Carnival but the above comments were NOT true on that cruise. We were even put in rows like lifeboats would be loaded if needed.

Posts: 68 | From: Norman Park, GA USA | Registered: Oct 1999 | IP: Logged

LizKiddo
First Class Passenger
Member # 1167

posted 05-11-2000 12:33 AM

The lifeboat drill on the Holiday (3/00) was taken very seriously, too, Molly. They wouldn't leave San Pedro before it was complete.

Our life jackets had our muster station and cabin number on them and, while we didn't have to sign in, there was someone from the crew at all doors of the lounge that served as our muster station checking off what I assumed were room numbers as we walked in...at least that's what it looked like. (I'm not sure what areas would be more appropriate for muster stations than the lounges and larger bars/nightclubs - where do they do it on other ships?) They were very unobtrusive about it.

Once we were in our muster station, a crew member stood before us (no taped messages) and gave a short lecture on what should be done and where we should go in the event of an emergency. Once we got out on deck by the lifeboat stations, the crew in charge of our area made sure that people kept fairly quiet (and with the group of Spring Breakers from UC Santa Barbara in our group, that was a task).

Posts: 33 | From: Pasadena, CA, USA | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

CTrail
First Class Passenger
Member # 64

posted 05-11-2000 06:55 AM

I concur with your statement LizKiddo. The same approach was taken on the Imagination. A very thorough job and the indeed the crew did take the drill very seriously.

Thankgoodnessfortheprofessionalapproach.

Posts: 332 | From: Kitchener, ON Canada | Registered: Apr 99 | IP: Logged

cruznut6
First Class Passenger
Member # 543

posted 05-11-2000 08:09 AM

I'm not sure if it's SOLAS or the U.S. coast guard, but it's the law that life-boat drills be performed within 24 hours of departure. I think a passenger roll-call is also required, but I'm not 100% sure. All of us have seen serious problems with ships catching fire or being rammed. I think it's extremely important for the cruise lines to enforce the safety rules for everyone's sake. If you've ever experienced a fire or other disaster, imagine the panic being on a vessel that you can't find your way around. Eveyone should take a few minutes to listen and learn the drill.

Regards,

cruznut6

Posts: 161 | From: Mount Laurel, NJ, USA | Registered: Apr 99 | IP: Logged

geno-r
First Class Passenger
Member # 931

posted 05-11-2000 12:03 PM

Glad to see the 2 reports that Carnival seems to be doing better with the lifeboat drills. Maybe they actually read my comment card LOL. We are sailing with Carnival in Dec. it will be interesting to see if we notice any changes.

Posts: 549 | From: Mt. Pocono,Pa. Usa | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged

Barryboat
First Class Passenger
Member # 33

posted 05-11-2000 12:15 PM

I think the seriousness of boat drill depends on how strict the ship's Captain is. I know that Captain Iakovos Korres was very strict about boat drill, as he should be. The crew were required to stand in a straight line at our boat station, our lifejackets were to be secure, there was no talking, and like the military, we were required to stand at attention. I think that if there are crew members in charge at a Muster station or boat station for passengers, they should be experienced crew and know what they are doing at the drill and how to answer questions. The Captain is ultimately responsible if the boat drill is not carried out in a timely manner. The lead crew member at a boat station should indeed be very strict with the passengers if they are not paying attention, don't have their lifejacket on properly, or they are talking. Passengers who are late to their boat station or Muster station, or don't show up, are truly being rude and selfish, because it will often delay the completion of boat drill. The sooner everyone is in place and the Security officer makes his inspection of all stations then the sooner the boat drill will be completed.

Posts: 1851 | From: Bloomington, Minnesota (Home to the Mall of America) | Registered: Mar 99 | IP: Logged

MHP
First Class Passenger
Member # 1101

posted 05-11-2000 02:28 PM

When I was on the Sundream in March, they didn't do the life boat drill until 10am the following morning. (Somewhere between Jamaica an Costa Rica) This from a company that had their sister ship (Carousel) hit some rocks just 3 week prior. Obviously Airtours doesn't take it very seriously. Just to send a strong safety message, it should have been done before we left port.

Posts: 86 | From: Toronto, Canada | Registered: Feb 2000 | IP: Logged

topgun
First Class Passenger
Member # 928

posted 05-11-2000 05:05 PM

Obviously we have to have a lifeboat drill. Its better than nothing at all.
In the early 70"s when we introduced the Boeing 747, our attitude was, when we lose one of these its going to be big time. And it came to pass.
Is the same not true of the megaliners.When you attend the lifeboat drill, look back down the stairwell to the packed mass of bodies. Translate this to a real emergency with the kids, grossly overweight and elderly in this mass. These ships are an accident going somewhere to happen.
Fortunately like air travel, its probably safer to be on a megaliner than crossing the street.

Posts: 759 | From: Burlington ont,canada Cruise center of North America | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged

scorpio
First Class Passenger
Member # 1245

posted 05-12-2000 04:24 PM

Thanks for the excellent responses. I never expected such a level of interest. Just to clarify the situation; we were on the Sunbird and the lifeboat drill was carried out on the Sunday following our embarkation at Aruba on Saturday. The staff performed in a very professional manner, with marshalls at every stairway and doorway. The staff at the lifeboat station noted the cabin numbers of attendees. They checked that everyone knew how to fasten their life jacket and explained the evacuation procedure. It was on the Tuesday (after passengers embarked at Barbados on Monday) that we met people who claimed that they never attend. This is what prompted the question. Once again, thanks to everyone who replied.

Posts: 92 | From: UK | Registered: Apr 2000 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 05-12-2000 05:23 PM

I fully support lifeboat drills. Those passengers that do not comply should simply be keel hauled!

I agree with Topgun - Cruise Ships are very safe compared to driving your car. I think that the biggest risk is not from a sinking ship/drowning, but fire and fumes. Speedy evacuation is vital.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

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