Will the safety drill make kids anxious?

[MaleficentRN]

Show them a video on YouTube of the muster drill. There are several. That way they will know what to expect. And they give you a heads up that the alarm will sound so you can cover your ears.

 

[DLgal]

Since the trip is a surprise, tell them when you get the navigator at the terminal. Sit down and look at it together. The drill will be highlighted there. Point it out and say, "Oh, look, we will have to do a practice fire drill, just like at school. I bet there will be a loud alarm so we will know what to listen for. I heard that our room will have a map on the door that tells us where to go for the drill. Let's make sure to look at that first thing so we will be ready and know where to go."

 

[tigerchic89]

no. bored, yes

 

[Weedy]

It did when my son was young. He was a easy going kid. He was sooo stressed. I think I explained too much. Once it was over he was fine. Looking back I think if we just went and he didn't know it would have worked better for him.
Things like this never stressed him before and haven't since??

 

[Tozzie]

It is like an evacuation drill or a lockdown drill at school - so if those make them "anxious" then yes, this probably will. It is to prepare you for what to do IF needed.

Bottom line is, whether it "makes them anxious" or not, it is a requirement in order to cruise. Fail to attend and you will be escorted off the ship.

You will not be escorted off the ship you will meet the captain , that is for sure, yes I actually missed one and after 36 hours of no sleep i slept through it. the captain was stern but he let me stay then I explained to him why I SLEPT through it aim to go but have am explaination if you miss it>

 

[MUN]

We're excited to take our family's "maiden voyage" next week on the Fantasy. My girls are 7 and have the tendency to become anxious. At this time it has not crossed their mind that the ship could sink. I am wondering what is said at the safety meeting. Does it make kids fearful? The trip itself is a surprise so I won't have too much time to prep them beforehand. Thanks in advance. Jodi

DCL takes the drills very seriously. However, they don't talk about the ship sinking or anything like that. I'll be honest with you, the drill does make me a bit anxious. It's the only time on the cruise I think that something could go wrong. But, once the drill is over, its' vacation time and I feel fine again.

MUN

 

[Dug720]

You will not be escorted off the ship you will meet the captain , that is for sure, yes I actually missed one and after 36 hours of no sleep i slept through it. the captain was stern but he let me stay then I explained to him why I SLEPT through it aim to go but have am explaination if you miss it>

Ok, you CAN be escorted off the ship. It has happened before.

 

[Tozzie]

Ok, you CAN be escorted off the ship. It has happened before.

really when?

 

[Dug720]

really when?

I don't have exact dates, but I have read of it happening. It wasn't Disney, but it CAN happen. It is within the Captain's rights to put people who miss drill off the ship. Some will opt to have a meeting with the person, but they do not have to allow people who miss the drill - regardless of the reason - to sail.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My DD is extremely anxious about many things, but has always handled the muster drills without any anxiety. I was worried about how she'd do on our first cruise, but she was fine with it.

 

[ILoveMyKellen]

My 5 year old son is always anxious about something. Storms, bad guys, plane crashes, getting sick and dying, having to move out when he gets older. Why? I have no earthly idea. Strangely enough, when we got on the ship I was prepared to answer his million questions about the ship and everything that he thought could go wrong and I was very worried about the muster drill.

Not one single doom and gloom question came and the muster drill didn't bother him one single bit. He was so impatient about getting to the kids club that he didn't pay attention to what was happening during the drill.

 

[MunFam]

We got to the site early and packed our 4 year old noise canceling headphones and her ipad. She watched a movie. We got there early and once it got crowded, we held her. We were waiting and waiting...because ONE idiot family went missing...UGH! It took almost an hour to find the family who was on their balcony enjoying the view.

 

[Reese'smom]

My son has sensory processing disorder and the drill bothered him some, but not a lot. He put his hands over his ears because it is very loud. He asked a couple questions and then it was over and he was ready to go have fun. It honestly doesn't take that long. So mention what is going to happen but don't over-explain.

 

[TestingH2O]

DD just calls it a fire drill. So long as the computers and other passengers cooperate, it's over quickly. While they do give instructions, it's certainly not graphic or scary.

 

[bcwife76]

I'd say no. My kids were bored and antsy to be moving. They spent their time whining to me about when it was over and asking why they had to stand so close to other ppl.

Haha this is my girls exactly! Poking each other, too

 

[barbarossa_hoosier]

They're less scary than lockdown drills at school.

Unless you're with my kid, who will tell you gory facts about the TITANIC and the EDMUND FITZGERALD during drills. He's a good lad but...

(I've also had to tell him not to chirp survival facts about plane crashes in airports. He has an entire book about How to Survive Anything! and he has it memorized. At least he's reading and I suppose it's useful.)

Hey, breaking out in song wouldn't be so bad...

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called 'gitche gumee'
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy

 

[barbarossa_hoosier]

In all seriousness (and for those who aren't Gordon Lightfoot fans), the on-board video presentation looks like it would be good for setting anxious kids (or adults) at ease:

 

[tlprice]

My DD8 (at the time) was SO excited to go on a Disney cruise, but then when she visited her dad about a month before our cruise he let her watch Titanic. I couldn't understand when we got to the cruise ship why she wasn't excited and had an upset stomach. Then she told me she was terrified we were going to sink like the Titanic. She was very worried about the drill leading up to it. Once we did the drill, she was very reassured by all of the safety information and seeing the life boats up close (we were on deck 4) and was able to enjoy the rest of the cruise.

 

[Tulip2796]

From a professional perspective (I'm a psychologist), if your children tend to be anxious, a surprise cruise might be overwhelming for them. Parents always have good intentions when surprising their kids but are often not met with the reaction they hoped for; this is particularly true for children who have anxiety. In addition, kids can exhibit behavioral difficulties bc they are overwhelmed and anxious and have difficulty articulating their fears/worries. Big trips and new experiences tend to be more successful if children know what to expect and have the opportunity to process the information.

 

[DLgal]

From a professional perspective (I'm a psychologist), if your children tend to be anxious, a surprise cruise might be overwhelming for them. Parents always have good intentions when surprising their kids but are often not met with the reaction they hoped for; this is particularly true for children who have anxiety. In addition, kids can exhibit behavioral difficulties bc they are overwhelmed and anxious and have difficulty articulating their fears/worries. Big trips and new experiences tend to be more successful if children know what to expect and have the opportunity to process the information.

This is a really good point. I have a child with clinical anxiety and I could NEVER surprise him with something as major as a cruise. It would be terrible.