Why Disney, WHY??

[sethschroeder]

I wonder if some sort of hybrid/compromise would work?

Disney already had you physically go to the muster station though unless it changed in the middle of this year.

 

[sethschroeder]

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?

Not sure what line it is on but they had the example of the horn in the app.

Also on Royal they had a specific video for kids as well which is superior to anything on Disney.

 

[Evita_W]

Disney already had you physically go to the muster station though unless it changed in the middle of this year.

The difference is Disney only required one person to physically go there and take a picture of the sign, other cruise lines require every person in the cabin to go and be scanned in.

 

[Bonnie1222]

@sethschroeder We both have valid points and I am ending my comments on this thread. We can respectfully agree to disagree.

No matter what our opinions.... we have no choice but to do what Disney wants or cancel our cruises to sail with someone else.

Happy Sailing!

 

[sethschroeder]

No matter what our opinions.... we have no choice but to do what Disney wants or cancel our cruises to sail with someone else.

Its not an opinion other cruise lines are doing just fine and are creating a safe environment.

 

[gmi3804]

Disney, please explain the logic to us as to why you want to cram a hundred people into close quarters, standing shoulder to shoulder, in the hot sun, for 20 minutes spreading possible germs and disease so you can show us how to put on a life jacket when you put a system in place a few years ago that works wonderfully and is being used by evert other cruise line in the industry? PLEASE EXPLAN YOURSELF so we can understand this move to put your customers and employees in unnecessary danger. PLEASE!!!
Katesdad

Well, you’re already on a floating Petrie dish, so…

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Personally I feel people are making a mountain out of molehill. One hour out of your trip won't impact you that much. I've been cruising since 2000 and not once did I miss out on anything by having to physically go to the muster station. Yes, it's hot, real hot but pretty sure we all survived back in the days. Being crammed together isn't an issue because cruising has never been known to be germ free so you can pick up illnesses all over the ship. They aren't known for being a floating petrie dish for nothing. Yes, I still listen to the flight attendants and CM's on the ships even though I've heard it all before.

 

[soundnew]

On another cruise we had to go to the muster station anytime between boarding and 5 pm. Anyone was scanned in. They did the drill in small groups of max 15 people. That was comfortable and smart.

 

[Evita_W]

Personally I feel people are making a mountain out of molehill. One hour out of your trip won't impact you that much. I've been cruising since 2000 and not once did I miss out on anything by having to physically go to the muster station. Yes, it's hot, real hot but pretty sure we all survived back in the days. Being crammed together isn't an issue because cruising has never been known to be germ free so you can pick up illnesses all over the ship. They aren't known for being a floating petrie dish for nothing. Yes, I still listen to the flight attendants and CM's on the ships even though I've heard it all before.

It's not about the time, it is about crowding that many people together at once. It is also about access for those with various types of disabilities that the new muster setup accommodated much better. It is about a much safer experience than the old system.

 

[sabrecmc]

I definitely preferred the new way, but, having said that, honestly, we were so crammed in together at dinners, shows, activities, the bus, etc., I don't think standing out on deck is really the dealbreaker. The new way is much easier and more convenient, but I can admit that it didn't "register" with me the way the old drill did. I'm not sure I would have so easily found our station in an emergency just because we sort of happened upon it and were like, "let's check in" and then wandered away, totally distracted by everything going on. So, I can sympathize with both sides of the debate! Ultimately, it just isn't a big deal to me.

 

[RedHead0186]

It's not about the time, it is about crowding that many people together at once. It is also about access for those with various types of disabilities that the new muster setup accommodated much better. It is about a much safer experience than the old system.

Excellent point. And although not a disability per se, I do not do well when packed in to tight crowds. Standing so tightly packed in out on a deck for muster is very stressful for me (and I'm sure for many others). I'm lucky I'm short so I get to stand in front, but if I had gotten stuck at the back of one of those lines it would have been a lot worse. And we got stuck there for a long time, waiting for some of the stragglers (getting there on time is almost a 'punishment' because then you have to stand there longer).

If that's what the Coast Guard wants, that's fine, but I agree with you that for me it's not about the time, it's about the uncomfortableness of it. And I wish there was a way to get everybody to get to their muster stations in a more timely fashion, as that would keep the uncomfortableness to a minimum.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

It's not about the time, it is about crowding that many people together at once. It is also about access for those with various types of disabilities that the new muster setup accommodated much better. It is about a much safer experience than the old system.

Safer?

 

[hrhdhd]

Not sure what line it is on but they had the example of the horn in the app.

Celebrity has the horn in the app.

 

[Evita_W]

Safer?

The new system was substantially safer:

• You don't have as many people hanging around one area for an extended period of time.
  • This means fewer germs spread around
  • Also means people with service animals are less likely to have their services animals unintentionally stepped on
• People didn't need to take backstage areas to get to their muster station
• Those with crowd issues didn't need to be in a massive crowd
• Those with limited mobility didn't need to stand for 30+ minutes during the drill
• Not standing out in the weather for extended periods of time

There are many other ways that the new system was much safer, but these are a few of the main examples.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The new system was substantially safer:

• You don't have as many people hanging around one area for an extended period of time.
  • This means fewer germs spread around
  • Also means people with service animals are less likely to have their services animals unintentionally stepped on
• People didn't need to take backstage areas to get to their muster station
• Those with crowd issues didn't need to be in a massive crowd
• Those with limited mobility didn't need to stand for 30+ minutes during the drill
• Not standing out in the weather for extended periods of time

There are many other ways that the new system was much safer, but these are a few of the main examples.

Regarding the bolded, if anyone has issues with attending the regular drill, special drills are held for them.

About taking backstage areas, if you don't go through them for the drill, how do you know where/how to access them during an actual emergency?

 

[jiminyC_fan]

The new system was substantially safer:

• You don't have as many people hanging around one area for an extended period of time.
  • This means fewer germs spread around
  • Also means people with service animals are less likely to have their services animals unintentionally stepped on
• People didn't need to take backstage areas to get to their muster station
• Those with crowd issues didn't need to be in a massive crowd
• Those with limited mobility didn't need to stand for 30+ minutes during the drill
• Not standing out in the weather for extended periods of time

There are many other ways that the new system was much safer, but these are a few of the main examples.

I guess I don't see it as safer especially during an emergency.

 

[Karin1984]

The main question should be: Which muster drill is safer, old style or new style.

I wonder if the CDC has conducted research on this. If they did one ship the old style, and questioned people half way and at the end of their cruise to see how much they have remembered. And the same on a ship with the new style. To make it valid, they should have done these studies on several studies at different times during covid and now.

On plenty of airlines they have replaced the safety procedures in person by a movie on long haul flights and only do it in person on short and medium haul flights because not all planes have a screen in each seat.
I am sure that for airplanes they have come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter.

Statistics
1 in 11 million people die in a plane crash every year. 4.5 billion passengers per year, that's slightly over 400 people per year.
In the last 100 years 11 cruise ships sank and 900 people died.

With these figures, I see no reason why you wouldn't do the safety drill in the most comfortable and convenient way for both passengers (and maybe also for crew, but that's debatable ;-) )

 

[Mommb]

A key difference between airline safety explanations in person versus on screen and cruise ship safety explanations in person versus on screen is that the airline explanations are passive either way -- passengers just watch without actually doing anything. Even when the crew are giving information, they are just talking with props, not doing what they would in a crisis.

On a ship, passengers (and crew) going through in-person drills actually move to the location they would go to in an emergency. In a ship-wide drill, this involves everyone moving at once, as they would in a true emergency. Sure, it doesn't feel the same if everyone knows it's just a drill, but it does involve actual movement, and will surface issues that need to be addressed. If someone with mobility issues is unable to get safely to the muster station for a drill, that's a problem that needs to be discussed with a crew member so there's a plan in place if they have to muster for real. Similarly, if someone with sensory issues has trouble in noisy crowds, they and the people with them need to know how to manage that so that they can evacuate safely if an emergency comes up.

Having people stop by their muster station after watching a video involves some movement, but is even farther away from what would happen in a true emergency. I have not cruised in the past 3 years, but I see a lot of reports that even if it was expected that everyone go to the muster station, it was not enforced or monitored to ensure that everyone did.

Will people remember everything they did during the drill? Of course not. But they are more likely to remember what they've done and be able to do it again if they have actually done it the first time. Plus, the "better" ways to learn the material will still be available. People who believe they are more likely to remember where their muster station is if they walk to it on their own can absolutely walk to it on their own before or after the ship-wide drill (although, as mentioned, in an emergency the best route may be one that is not available except during a drill or emergency). Even when the ship-wide drill was required pre-COVID, DCL made a video of the safety procedures available on stateroom TVs, so those who want to watch without distraction from other passengers can still do so.

Ships don't need to be sinking to use mustering protocols -- I'm sure more than 11 ships in the past 100 years have had fires, mechanical issues, and other problems that required getting all passengers accounted for quickly. The more people who know what to do in a crisis, the less time the crew will need to get everyone where they need to be, and the faster the crew can respond to the emergency that precipitated the mustering.

 

[Sykes]

It's really all speculation which way is safer than the other. We have our own personal experiences (like the fact that I personally retained the information much much better in the virtual drill), but as far as I know it hasn't been studied all that well. Actual emergencies that require muster are so rare that I would posit a theory that more people are harmed or killed specifically from the exceptionally rare accidents, heat exhaustion, etc. that occur during the performance of the old-style muster drill than are saved by it.

 

[Karin1984]

A key difference between airline safety explanations in person versus on screen and cruise ship safety explanations in person versus on screen is that the airline explanations are passive either way -- passengers just watch without actually doing anything. Even when the crew are giving information, they are just talking with props, not doing what they would in a crisis.

On a ship, passengers (and crew) going through in-person drills actually move to the location they would go to in an emergency. In a ship-wide drill, this involves everyone moving at once, as they would in a true emergency. Sure, it doesn't feel the same if everyone knows it's just a drill, but it does involve actual movement, and will surface issues that need to be addressed. If someone with mobility issues is unable to get safely to the muster station for a drill, that's a problem that needs to be discussed with a crew member so there's a plan in place if they have to muster for real. Similarly, if someone with sensory issues has trouble in noisy crowds, they and the people with them need to know how to manage that so that they can evacuate safely if an emergency comes up.

But the old style (at least on my last pre-covid Disney cruise in 2019) was also a passive muster drill. We sat in the theater, listened to the CM/tape and the horn and then left again.
I think there are plenty of cruiselines who don't require their passengers to bring their life jackets anymore. It was extremely similar to an airline safety demonstration.
Wouldn't someone with mobility or sensory issues get a one on one explanation for their specific situation? I don't remember that all the 'exceptions' are discussed with the entire group.

Also an interesting question, if the chances of getting in a plane crash are so much higher than on a cruise ship, why does a cruise ship require a more intense drill?