Why does DCL have us congregate inside the theater instead of outside by the lifeboats?

[MakiraMarlena]

Titanic was an actual ship, but the dialogue in the movie is not actual.

it should be noted that as the Titanic was considered "unsinkable" 100 years ago, it didn't even have enough lifeboats for the entire complement of crew and passengers. I don't think they actually even had a lifeboat drill for passengers. Not going to happen today. They say that if Concordia had been in the middle of the ocean it would have sunk like Titanic did, but it had enough lifeboats. Not to mention that it would not have hit a rock in the middle of the ocean. Concordia's sinking was different from Titanic's because it was close to shore (obviously too close).

There's always going to be someone who thinks they should do the opposite of what they are being asked to do in an emergency. Good luck with that. In any emergency there is always a sense of randomness, as in something bad may happen to someone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that person could never have anticipated that they WERE in the wrong place at the wrong time. Can't prevent that stuff.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I can only repeat what I have said over the years and agree with flagTech, these muster drills are important and every passingers needs to follow directions to the letter.

The CM's asigned to your boat/muster station, even if they are entertainers have received considerable training both in classes at one of the finist Maritime Colleges and practical training in lifeboat seamanship.
The lifesaving plans for all modern vessels are designed for the individual vessel to provide maximum chances of saving as many lives as possible.

For any passinger to think that they know more or better is likely to endanger themselves and family and other.

Just the opinion of a old ex deep water sailor.

AKK

 

[fairytalelover]

Goodness, if everyone is so concerned about sinking ships, don't go on a cruise

.

Being prepared for a possible emergency is not being paranoid. It's being smart. When I go anywhere like the movie theater, mall, plane, where ever, I look around and make a quick mental note of where my closest exit would be in case of an emergency. That's all. I dont obsess over it. I just make sure that I am aware of my surroundings. In the day and age of terrorists I think it's ignorant to bury your head in the sand and sleep walk through life. So when i go on a ship, I also like to know in the 1% chance of an emergency, what are my options to save my family and myself. It's ignorant to say that if we are so afraid of sinking then we shouldnt go on cruises. "rolling eyes" We or at least, I am not "so afraid of sinking". I am just aware enough to want to be educated and prepared for an emergency. So when I was put into the theater i our drill, I questioned it. There is nothing wrong with questionning something and not blindly following just because that is what you're told. This doesnt mean that I plan on doing my own thing if we were to sink. I will probably go to my assigned muster station and do what I am told. But only after questionning it as I am doing here and researching the reasons behind it. Information is power. Many of you get upset when questions like these are posed and say that we shouldnt even ask such things. How dare we question Disney or any authority? Sorry but I disagree.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have been on lots of other cruise ships and Disney is the only one that actually had people line up by the boats. I've never gone t the theater on a Disney ship. On other ships we have gone to bars, restaurants and once the casino!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We have been on lots of other cruise ships and Disney is the only one that actually had people line up by the boats. I've never gone t the theater on a Disney ship. On other ships we have gone to bars, restaurants and once the casino!

Holland America you muster outside by the lifeboats. On Carnival some ships you muster indoors and are taken to your boat at part of the drill, others you muster at the boat. On Disney, we've mustered (most of the time) outside at the lifeboat. Once we were in Animator's Palate (Magic) and twice we've been in the WDT (Wonder & Dream).

 

[darkwing818]

We have been on lots of other cruise ships and Disney is the only one that actually had people line up by the boats. I've never gone t the theater on a Disney ship. On other ships we have gone to bars, restaurants and once the casino!

We were in the casino when we cruised with Celebrity, a few years back. Luckily for me the Slots & tables were closed.....

 

[bumbershoot]

We felt the same way, and as an added bonus, we had "Entertainers" as our muster leaders who did not take it serious at all. We decided not to go to the theater if there was an actual emergency and not let our safety be put in the hands of these young people who didn't really seem to care. In an actual emergency it would be total chaos. Human nature would render muster stations useless anyways on any cruise line...... Just sayin.

I agree with the Southwest comment made after your post. But hey, we weren't there. Maybe it was more than just keeping people entertained and focused. If so, I certainly do hope you went and spoke with the authorities onboard about your concerns.

It was an actual ship that sunk

No one is saying it wasn't real. But our "memories" based on it are from movies. Either really old ones or the one by Cameron. Neither one showed what it was really like because the filmakers weren't there, definitely weren't all over the ship to experience what each level of passenger went through, and they were just trying to make an exciting film.

That's why people bring up the facts of the titanic and the differences between now and then.

 

[tinkerone]

In fact, on the last cruise, a Dad sitting next to us in the theater turned to us and said that if there is a real emergency he is not bringing his family into the theater. He is going straight out to the deck. I tend to agree.

This doesnt mean that I plan on doing my own thing if we were to sink. I will probably go to my assigned muster station and do what I am told. But only after questionning it as I am doing here and researching the reasons behind it

it sounds like you would go your own way. you may want to really think about this. as i said in an earlier post it is certainly any ones choice not to go to their muster station however keep in mind you can't just walk up to the first boat you see and expect you will get on it. each boat holds a certain number of people and these people have been planed out ahead of time. their going to check your card or if you don't have your card they will ask your room number and if you are not in that boat they are going to send you to where you should be. you have just wasted valuable time in not going to your appointed meeting place. go ahead and run around but you are the one putting your family in danger. the inside meet up places are steps away from a door to the deck, its not going to take long for the cm to lead you to where your boat is.
and don't put others at danger because someone has to wait or look for you. they only wait so long before your rescue boat will be launched. again, putting you and others in un-needed danger.
jmo.

 

[ASchwa]

Being prepared for a possible emergency is not being paranoid. It's being smart. When I go anywhere like the movie theater, mall, plane, where ever, I look around and make a quick mental note of where my closest exit would be in case of an emergency. That's all. I dont obsess over it. I just make sure that I am aware of my surroundings. In the day and age of terrorists I think it's ignorant to bury your head in the sand and sleep walk through life. So when i go on a ship, I also like to know in the 1% chance of an emergency, what are my options to save my family and myself. It's ignorant to say that if we are so afraid of sinking then we shouldnt go on cruises. "rolling eyes" We or at least, I am not "so afraid of sinking". I am just aware enough to want to be educated and prepared for an emergency. So when I was put into the theater i our drill, I questioned it. There is nothing wrong with questionning something and not blindly following just because that is what you're told. This doesnt mean that I plan on doing my own thing if we were to sink. I will probably go to my assigned muster station and do what I am told. But only after questionning it as I am doing here and researching the reasons behind it. Information is power. Many of you get upset when questions like these are posed and say that we shouldnt even ask such things. How dare we question Disney or any authority? Sorry but I disagree.

Most were upset with the few who said that they would not go to their muster stations during an emergency, and some including me thought you were part of that because you wrote about 9/11. Bottom line is that if the ship was in danger everyone would be told to get off and they would try to do it as quickly and calmly as possible. That is the reason why we should go to the assigned muster station and get instructions there. 9/11 involved 4 planes and three buildings. An extraordinary event that had no precedent. The only cruise ship that has ever been hijacked was the Achilles Lauro, that was in the 1980s. It actually was a mistake, a crew member found guns in the stateroom and so the hijackers panicked. Their plan was to enter a port in Israel and shoot as many people as they could there. One of the ports that the ship was supposed to go was in Israel. Instead, they killed a man in a wheelchair and they then negotiated a way off the ship. By the way, Mahmoud Abbas helped finance that operation, he is the President of the PA. That is why we have to go through security before we step on to the ship. Does that answer some of your questions? Anyway, questions are ok but not to the point of endangering yourself and others.

 

[KappaSigHero]

So, I'm all for being prepared and feeling that my family will be safe in an emergency. Amber brought up some good points about managing chaos in an emergency.

But... For those who have stated or suggested that they wouldn't report to inside muster stations, but would instead go the the lifeboat area-

What do you do next? Do you jump into someone else's lifeboat? Ignore the CM's trying to manage an orderly evac? Take the space of a family who reported to their assigned station?

There's a big difference between being proactive and being dangerous.

 

[jdb in AZ]

On one of our Alaska cruises, the muster team pointed out that it's safer (as well as more comfortable) to wait inside until the captain gives the abandon ship order, because "baby, it's cold outside," especially if the emergency happens in the middle of a rainy night.

 

[FlagTechMgr]

There is a separate credential just for those with lifeboat duties so please realize they have received training and have expertise beyond that of simply "the bow is the pointy end".

Also please realize that if the ship is in fact going to sink it probably going to take a very long time. The Titanic took over two hours to sink and she had no where near the watertight and flooding protections that a modern ship does.

I will re-iterate what I said before ... The drills on board the Disney Cruise I took were more organized and went more smoothly than any drill I was a part of on the merchant ships I sailed on. There was a reason we referred to fire and boat drills as a "dog and pony show".

The more I think about it, I would rather be inside in an emergency than outside. Besides the obvious protections from any adverse weather, I say let those outside groups be the guinea pigs on actually loading all the passengers. I will then take a leisurely stroll out with probably half as many people still on board and plenty of deck space to maneuver and take my in my half-empty lifeboat because all the panicking crazies have already left.

Just the opinion of a not-as-old-as-TonkaSkipper ex deep water sailor.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Okay, I get the point that some people may want to know what the backup plan is, and perhaps even the backup backup plan. Regardless, how common do you think these opinions are? What percentage of the people on the ship do you expect have been trained to your level of vigilance? If everybody was as conscientious as yourself maybe this argument would make sense, but I'm betting that 99% of the passengers are not that conscientious. So the real question becomes, do you want 3,000 of those poorly trained individuals getting in your and the crew's way during an emergency? If so, please continue to encourage everyone and their brother that reads this board to ignore CM directives and DCL rules.

I'm sorry, perhaps you are an outlier and folks should not have "jumped down your throat". But being an outlier, you should recognize that the majority of people on the ship should just go to their muster stations to prevent further chaos.

 

[C6PT7]

I found the video "that started it all" off!

A little bit of trivia ... Disney had to get special permission from the Bahamas to paint the lifeboats that color of yellow.

Hmm, one of the Disney podcasts, I think the one with Len Testa, did a "history of the DCL" two part episode and they said they actually ran ocean tests for visbility with the alternate color. I could swear they said "coast guard" but maybe they meant the Bahamanian CG.

The imagineer who talks about them on the Destination America channel clearly says "Coast Guard".

Skip to 8:40 if you wish!
[GALLERY=]

"in fact, special permission had to be obtained from several maritime organizations including the coast guard, to change the traditional orange lifeboats bright Mickey yellow"

It's not quite as simple as "sure, whatever you like", Disney would have to demonstrate an "equivalent level of safety" to the authorities but Disney is probably going to get more leeway because its a nice brand to have associated with your flag. Bahamas does give everyone a good deal on port fees if they are registered with the Bahamas, that is how they have gotten such a large share of the cruise ship market.

The Bahamas as the flag state is the one who first and foremost has to accept the different color. The Bahamas would be completely within their right to say no, you must use international orange on your lifeboats. Disney however has a specific reason for wanting the color yellow because it is a part of their brand, so it is possible that saying no would have enticed them to register their ships in another country.

Because the yellow is such a departure from the norm it would have been in Disney's best interest to also get the US Coast Guard on board with it to avoid any problems when they pull in to US ports so to say it was "approved by the USCG" is probably not an altogether false statement. If you didn't get them on board beforehand, the Coast Guard could "detain" the vessel and force them to repaint all the lifeboats orange before allowing them to sail.

I agree that they needed agreement from the USCG, and yes it wasn't an altogether false statement, maybe an embellishment now that it was the coast guard that approved it for entertainment purposes. But they had to get permission from several maritime organizations, and no doubt the underwriters for this change. And the USCG would be on a back foot disagreeing with those maritime organizations and Disney

Just semantics, but I'm sure the Bahamian flag state protested very little!

 

[C6PT7]

It was an actual ship that sunk

Were you there on the Titanic?
How was that for you?
Did some handsome young man in steerage actually find a way out to meet the girl travelling in first class, he was in love with and hold her whilst he died so she could survive?
How realistic was the hollywood movie people have watched? And as I said watched then ask how safe a ship is?

ITS A MOVIE. NOT A REALISTIC DEPICTION OF WHAT HAPPENED!

 

[jlemieu1]

Look at this way. If we go for a 3 hour tour we could get stuck on an island with a Professor, 2 rich people, a movie star, farm girl, a funny deck hand and a good Disney captain. Maybe even a couple characters will make it too?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Look at this way. If we go for a 3 hour tour we could get stuck on an island with a Professor, 2 rich people, a movie star, farm girl, a funny deck hand and a good Disney captain. Maybe even a couple characters will make it too?

And even though it was a 3 hour tour, the movie star brought lots of clothes.

 

[E ticket rider]

And even though it was a 3 hour tour, the movie star brought lots of clothes.

And the rich folks brought piles of cash!!!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I loved that show, I still watch the TV land reruns now and then. Ever notice in the opening credits that they use 2 different SS Minnows?


AKK

 

[undertheradar]

Being prepared for a possible emergency is not being paranoid. It's being smart. When I go anywhere like the movie theater, mall, plane, where ever, I look around and make a quick mental note of where my closest exit would be in case of an emergency. That's all. I dont obsess over it. I just make sure that I am aware of my surroundings. In the day and age of terrorists I think it's ignorant to bury your head in the sand and sleep walk through life. So when i go on a ship, I also like to know in the 1% chance of an emergency, what are my options to save my family and myself. It's ignorant to say that if we are so afraid of sinking then we shouldnt go on cruises. "rolling eyes" We or at least, I am not "so afraid of sinking". I am just aware enough to want to be educated and prepared for an emergency. So when I was put into the theater i our drill, I questioned it. There is nothing wrong with questionning something and not blindly following just because that is what you're told. This doesnt mean that I plan on doing my own thing if we were to sink. I will probably go to my assigned muster station and do what I am told. But only after questionning it as I am doing here and researching the reasons behind it. Information is power. Many of you get upset when questions like these are posed and say that we shouldnt even ask such things. How dare we question Disney or any authority? Sorry but I disagree.

I seriously hope you reconsider cruising. It appears that your comfort level with regards to evac plans is way too extreme for passenger cruise lines.

I notice you are going to WDW as well, do you obsess the same about every possible evac scenario there?