Is the Evacuation drill scary/loud

[Gram7]

This is my first post, so bear with me.

There are 21 of us sailing on the 11/30 Magic and I was wondering if the evacuation drill will seem scary for the little ones? I was hoping Disney would put a happy spin on things so the kids don't set sail crying. Are the alarms loud? Is there chaos? How long does it last?

I know this may seem like a crazy thing to ask about, but I don't want to start the vacation off on a bad note.

Thanks to everyone for your great posts!

 

[floridaminnie]

It was very organized. It is loud like a fire drill. CM are directing you to where you need to go.

 

[SC Minnie]

Welcome to DIS!

The alarms are not startling. Everyone walks to their station and you are directed where to go. The talks last about 10-15 minutes or as soon as all guests are accounted for. They go over how to use the life vest etc. There were some smaller kids near us this last time and they did not seem scared at all. As a matter of fact we were assembled in Animators Palate for our drill and there was on toddler who was not happy being there and was crying. I noticed a CM go up to him and try to calm him down by playing with him a little.

 

[WDWLVR]

First off welcome to the boards. i think you will find any kind of information you want or need here and the people are great.

As for your question. The drill is not really scary especially if you prepare for it. When you get to your room you will be able to tell your lifestation location right away by looking in the back of your door. Find the life jackets you need for each member of you party in the closet and have them on and headed for your location before the 4pm drill. You will find that most people get there a few minutes before. There will be people to direct you to the correct station and tell you where to stand (or sit if you are lucky enough to get an inside station). They then take your stateroom number and check you off a list. They have to do a roll call of all rooms not accounted for and that sometimes takes a while if people don't show up or check in. You then hear an announcement and are realeased. The good thing is the leaders are each station are part of the acting troop so they have loud, easy to understand voices and will often crack a few jokes as well. If you prepare the kids ahead of time, and can tolerate the 1/2 or so of standing you'll soon find the drill over and will be on your way to the sailaway party.

Not the most pleasant 1/2 hour you'll spend on the cruise but very necessary.

 

[AnnMorin]

Our son tends to get a bit anxious so what we did on our first cruise (he was fine on number two) was try on our life vests right when we went to our room. Then we figured out the route to get to our station. (there is a little movie you can watch in your cabin about this) we usually go back to our cabin at about 3:45 to get the vests on to be ready for the alarm. It is loud I won't lie to you and say it is not, but we explained to mike that is a good thing so that we will not miss it if we ever needed to evacuate. Nothing is scarey or panicy people move along in an orderly fashion. The only thing that takes time is when people don't bother to show up to the station. We had one cabin like that on cruise number two and they would not release us until a CM went and got them. Our group was pretty annoyed with that family. It is a lot like a fire drill at school.

 

[Rose_Greenthumb]

Although the alarm is loud there is plenty of warning as to what the alarm will sound like and everyone is very prepared for it. The worst part of the whole drill is when you are trying to get back to your cabin because everybody else is too. You aren't supposed to take off the jackets until back at the cabin so there are hundreds of orange blamonges(sp?) moving about the stairways! Have a great trip!

 

[imgoingtodisney]

There's 21 of you guys cruising with us on Nov 30th?! Welcome to the DIS. Have any of you been posting?

 

[FOJMO]

Not scary or loud, but very HOT, HOT, HOT! And uncomfortable. I tend to be a little claustrophobic, and wearing those vests, standing on the deck at your assigned station, kind of crowded with all the others around you, and yes, kids crying and screaming. They're not scared, just probably discontented, as I was. Don't blame them!

The 2nd cruise we took, I was prepared and brought along my little hand-held battery-powered fan and after we were at our post, I just closed my eyes, held my fan in front of my face, and pretended I was somewhere else and tried not to think about it.

Yes, afterwards, everyone is trying to go to their cabins at the same time, so there are crowded elevators or lots of people on the stairways.

So, you just have to get yourself in the right frame of mind and know that afterwards, the rest of the time is FUN, FUN, FUN!!!

 

[Gram7]

No we have never posted before but have read all the great info from everyone. I don't know who is more excited the kids or the adults.

 

[jrabbit]

Don't think of this as something scarry, think of it as a great time to get some really goofy pictures of everyone wearing ORANGE. Since you are not going in the summer it will not be so hot and humid like in the summer.

Even though you are not suppose to, I would recommend that in your group an adult caries some of the other adults life jackets to and from the drill (put them on once you get there). This way you will be able to hold hands with the smaller children as you are going to and from your muster location. EVERYONE is in the hallways and you don't want your kids to get seperated from you or get trampled by adults (who have limited vision downwards because the life jackets are HUGE). Have the kids wear their life jackets to and from the drill.

One of the comedians on the Magic said that if your children get out of hand during the cruise, all you have to do is threaten them with having to wear the life jacket again - instant cooperation!!

Have Fun

 

[FOJMO]

Originally posted by jrabbit

One of the comedians on the Magic said that if your children get out of hand during the cruise, all you have to do is threaten them with having to wear the life jacket again - instant cooperation!!

[/B]

I know that would SCARE ME....!!!!

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Well DH, DS and I are going to blend right in - lol. We're wearing our orange Tigger t-shirts that day! Never thought of the color of the vests - guess we'll be coordinated!

 

[noahsmom]

actually thought it was fun. The CM at our station acted like a drill sargent and we all had to yell "sir yes sir".

Have a wonderful time!

 

[flexsmom]

My three year old was fine putting on the jacket and walking to the station, but once there she decided she was hot and tried pushing the vest up over her head. This, of course, hurt, and she started to cry - all the while continuing to try to peel it off over her head! Nothing I said was helping, and the CM finally helped her to take it off. One of the cruisers next to us tried to help by telling her she needed to keep it on, or the Captain would make her leave the ship. I didn't think she understood until a senior crew member walked by - when everyone asked if that was the Captain, my daughter hid behind my legs and almost started crying again! At least it provided some humor for those of us standing in 90 degree weather. It's quick and painless - unless you try to peel the jacket off without undoing the straps!!

 

[sjm]

Originally posted by FOJMO
Yes, afterwards, everyone is trying to go to their cabins at the same time, so there are crowded elevators or lots of people on the stairways. [/B]

We have not been on Disney yet (1/03 - Magic), but have done the drills on 10 cruises, on three different cruise lines. We usually get our life jackets and head to the assigned area about ten or fifteen minutes before the drill. Then after the drill we try to find a lounge or bar to hang out in, untill the stairways are less crowded. This makes life a lot less rushed and might work better for those who are traveling with kids.

Sue

 

[buzz&woody'smom]

It was easy, organized and quick. My 4 year old and 17 DS did not seem to mind it at all. One hint, if you or your DH husband is holding an infant or toddler you do not have to wear your life jacket just hold on to it or have someone else in your party hold yours.

My husband had his on and our CM said he could take it off so he could hold the toddler comfortably and I held it. He told the same thing to a couple next to us with an infant.

Have fun. We had a party of 8 and had a blast

 

[Michelle]

My daughter is VERY sensitive to sounds but she knows what to expect with the blast of the horn, and she keeps her ears covered the whole time. If your child is not sensitive to noise they'll be fine. The whole thing is over in about 15 minutes.

 

[jellymoon]

We've cruised twice with kids now. The difficulty isn't the noise, and it is very well organized. It is quite difficult for the infants and toddlers. They, too, must wear the lifejackets and that can be pretty upsetting. My youngest is tiny--- only 21 pounds!!!! the tops of hte infant lifejacket came above her ears. It was also a little hard to wear a lifejacket while carrying a toddler with a lifejacket. Fortunately, part way through a CM allowed dd to have her lifejacket removed!!!

Good luck!
Jelly

 

[disboo]

I don't think the drill is too scary if your child is prepared, but it can either be quick and painless as our most recent one was, or long and boring as the first one was since some people chose not to show up on time and the rest of us had to wait. Everybody - show up on time!

 

[randytenn]

If you have little ones, be very aware of where you stand in relation to the speakers. Our room was on deck 2, so we assembled outside along the railing. We ended up standing right next to a speaker. When the final annoucement came, they again played the warning klaxon, which scared a 2 year old next to us. It was very loud, and she started crying immediately.