This is the first in person muster drill on the Wish ever so I'm not surprised it was chaotic and disorganized. Hopefully it was still informative for everyone and going forward they should smooth out the bumps for that drill on that ship.
Both are meant to save your life. If a plane was a big as a ship - it would take a lot longer I am sure. Personally it isn't my favorite thing to do - but I am more than happy to participate if it means I can sail away for a week. I work in an industry where if safety isn't taking the highest priority, people can die so Safety first - then we can have fun.
Are you? I have heard of people cheating the system and 1 person in the family or group doing it for all. Nothing worse than a bunch of people running around without a clue in an emergency. While the physical drill won't stop that completely it has a better chance of working. As I replied to someone else. I work in an industry where if safety isn't taking the highest priority people can die so I am all for a few minutes of inconvenience for the priveledge of sailling on their ship.
I agree. They should and they do. But as the other poster pointed out, forcing them doesn't mean they will do what it was intended to do. And from my experience, these people do affect the rest.
This is the reason you do actual drills and don’t “phone it in”. Costa Concordia. Sank 10 years ago. 32 dead. Stop complaining about taking an hour out of your precious cruise that could very well save your life. Coming from someone who sailed the world for 25 years.
And your point? it sank, how many people died. Those who were to direct people failed -so one more reason to know what to do.
Been there, done that multiple times. Yes, it can be a bit uncomfortable for the short time the muster drill is taking place. I would say it’s less uncomfortable than sitting in one of the theaters for a 45 minute show or movie where there is little legroom.
Why do you think that all people in the stateroom will know where the muster station is if only one person goes to check-in? Oh and out of 25 DCL cruises I have only been inside for muster once. Actually if was up to me I think everyone should go to muster drills with their lifejackets. Not a popular opinion but when we sailed on DCL with my daughters when they were small there were multiple times when there were just all adult lifejackets or one time when it was one adult and 3 children's . The last couple of cruises I have been guilty of not even checking the life jackets where if I had to muster with them I would have known for sure what was in the closet.
It's the same for the safety briefings that are given on every flight. I think it's meant to be so repetitive that everyone will know what to do because they have done it so many times. Plus, for the cruise ships, your station is usually different every time.
That would be me. I, personally, believe that everyone actually going to the muster station, checking in, and lining up for further information (like would be required in an actual emergency) is a better process. It would aid in the "muscle memory" or whatever you call it, of actually, physically doing something aids in repeating the process.
To be clear, I wasn't saying they shouldn't get the briefing, just that they could do the briefing in their room and check in at the station. The repetition would still be there. I get the argument that you can better ensure people are listening to it while on deck, but from what I have observed, those who want to listen will, those who don't, won't, regardless of location. From what I have read, in a real emergency, few go to their proper muster location, even back when the live drills were mandatory. But, It's really not the big of a deal to me either way. First-person accounts I have read of the Costa experience are harrowing, and I personally take it very seriously, even if the odds of an actual problem are miniscule.
I really like this plan. It's somewhat similar to our experience on the Magic this June. We were directed by every cast member to our station, very first thing, before we could do anything else, then got the direction on the TV later. The only difference here is that you would do the in-person direction at the station, before you moved onto anything else. It might be more work for the cast members, but it would be a much better guest experience. They could make sure your cards won't work for anything until you have reported in. Not even your room access. Maybe even ask people as they enter Cabanas if they have completed it and say it's required before eating. They would have to figure out how to show you what the emergency horn sounds like, as they couldn't do that over and over again. What did they do for that in your case?
