Tips for a shipboard emergency while on a cruise.

[Disney Dreams]

Go to the drill.
Pay attention.
Ask questions.
Try on your life jacket.
Know where your muster station is.
Remember the crew is trained on emergency procedures. Listen to them.

- Dreams

 

[When I Grow Up]

Definitely agree with the PPs. We do have a flashlight by the bedside. (But then we do at home as well). I am not impressed with the drills without the Life Preservers. DCL should re instate this fast.
My Tip... And this works for any Cruise (with or without an Emergency).
It only works for the Dream though.
Where am I? and which way am I going?
Look at the carpet in the passageways and you will see a 5 pointed Star pattern. The single point is always pointing towards the bow of the ship.
Am I Port or Starboard? - Look at the little hooks outside each Stateroom door (where people hang the Fish Extender) on the Dream there is a Seahorse (S for Starboard) and on the other side of the ship is a fish that looks like a Piranha (P for Port).

 

[annabug]

Great thread, thank you for all of the safety and information
When emergencies occur, panic ensues
It is most difficult to navigate unfamiliar territory, especially a large vessel, possibly in the dark, my takeaway is stay calm, stay together, be familiar with muster station, and pay attention to crew instructions, try on life jackets
I will now be packing a small led light, also great to have in a room at night
To check on my little ones

As a mother with small children I am planning on reviewing a home safety plan
Thank you all for these most important tips

 

[DCLSecondChance]

I am not impressed with the drills without the Life Preservers. DCL should re instate this fast.

I am curious as to why you think this way?

 

[lexlaw69]

 

[lexlaw69]

Also, best advice I heard (which I will be heeding) is to pack a flashlight. One will be on my keyring from now on. Everything else is just tossed salad depending on the situation.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

I'm the OP and really wanted tips on what to do in a shipboard emergency. I was not expecting people to say they would blatantly disregard orders that would affect the safety of themselves or fellow passengers. As to a previous poster about keeping the family intact, if they call a "women and children first" order. I'm thinking her husband would not feel to good about himself if lifeboats were in short supply and he took the place of child that could have been evacuated. Tips will still be welcomed, I really don't want this to be a behavior thread.

Maybe some missed the point of this thread and the OP's repeated request. Hmmmm.


Ex Techie

 

[emum]

DW, after seeing a recent father/son rescued holding on to their floating cooler, remarked that I should always have one aboard when leaving the dock. As if....!
But, it's true - MANY a small boater has clung to one.

I wonder if that was footage of the two fathers and their sons off the Northern Beaches here in Sydney (where I live) ? Also worth noting they had their own EPIRB. Without it, their chances of survival would have been greatly reduced. Of course, their boat was not a cruiseliner, so I digress.

As an Australian, where the majority of children are taught to swim, I would think a major tip would be make sure you know how to swim, and also do a Life Saving course. Something akin to a Bronze Medallion here.

Cheers,
Sally

 

[mmouse37]

Again, please keep this thread to tips/info only...if you have questions on the accident or other non tip questions/comments start a new thread.

Thanks,

MJ

 

[insureman]

Again, please keep this thread to tips/info only...if you have questions on the accident or other non tip questions/comments start a new thread.

Thanks,

MJ

Thanks MJ

 

[jilljill]

My suggestion is that in an emergency, guests need to shut their mouths and listen to the instructions given by the crew. It seems basic, but....I can't hear if the person next to me is talking or screaming.

This should be at the top of the list. This should also be noted and done at the muster drill onboard.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Thanks MJ

Agreed!

Also JillJill's comment regarding kcashner's post.

Ex Techie

 

[disney1990]

There is enough lifeboats and liferaft on each side for 100% of the poeple omboard....

AKK

Where did you get this information? I have my doubts about it.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Where did you get this information? I have my doubts about it.

Please see the above post by MJ and JillJill.

Ex Techie

 

[disney1990]

Please see the above post by MJ and JillJill.

Ex Techie

Thank you, but I don't want people to be given misinformation either.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Thank you, but I don't want people to be given misinformation either.

Since you brought it up twice....short and sweet.its in the IMO rules, please refer to them and others posts which has discussed this.

Sorry Insure man, I wanted to shown as fact.

AKK

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

One thing that I have not mentioned, when you get your lifevest on, make sure you tighten all the straps, and they are not flying around or trailing to be tripped over.

Also if you can, to help another passinger who is having problems would be the proper thing to do, just a hand to hold or a little support could go a long way to help keep someone and traffic moving to the muster stations or open decks.

AKK

 

[MrsScooby]

My suggestion is that in an emergency, guests need to shut their mouths and listen to the instructions given by the crew. It seems basic, but....I can't hear if the person next to me is talking or screaming.

This should be at the top of the list. This should also be noted and done at the muster drill onboard.

Good point

Also, if the situation allows, a note left on your cabin door letting family know where they can find you. We like the dry erase boards on our cabin door and it would seem like this could save alot of frantic searching in an emergency for both kids and parents.

 

[Brandis]

I can see why it does make sense not to have passengers wear the lifevests for the drill. If the alarm sounds and you are in the cabin, take it with you by all means, but if not, why waste precious time by going to your cabin (maybe even have to fight the crowd who is trying to get from their cabins to the muster stations) and back if you could get to the muster station much faster and get a vest there.

Same for the rescue routes, often, the fastest way to the muster station will be through crew areas which usually are off limits to guests. Some cruise lines will direct passengers through those areas even at the muster drill while others will insist that they use the regular guest passages for the drill. I'm sure, even in an alarm situation, many guests would again take the longer way since they are not aware that they could use the emergency exits which lead through crew areas.

I have experienced this before at my workplace. There were drills sometimes (but not often enough IMO) and people always used the regular exits to get out of the building, as they were afraid to push the button which unlocks the emergency exits and sounds an alarm. Then, when we had a real emergency, insisted on using the regular exits again, since it was what they always did at the drills and even when the smoke was much heavier from the main stairwell. As I didn't want to argue with people in such a situation, I just went and hit the button to unlock the nearest emergency exit and left that way, most people then followed. But someone has to take the first step.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

We bring one of our small dry sacks that we use when kayaking. We can keep items like medication and cell phones in one, secured in the safe. It would be our grab and go bag. They're also brightly colored (red and yellow), which would present something else to use to be seen.

DW also has a Mickey shaped key chain, with a small LED light built in.