A ship is a floating hotel…the key word here being “floating.” While I have never stayed in a hotel that held a fire drill…the very first major activity after boarding the ship is MUSTER. It is in effect, a lifeboat drill. You are required to grab your life jacket from your stateroom and proceed to your muster station. It isn’t enough to carry your life jacket, you must put it on. This is not the most comfortable thing I have ever done since the part of the floatation device behind your neck which is designed to keep your head above water when you are floating, on land keeps your head pushed forward like you are some kind of odd bird. Fortunately, this drill is well organized and quite comforting because it answers the question of how you get in a lifeboat that is on the seventh story of your “hotel at sea.” Just a couple of things to make this mandatory exercise a little easier.
1. Get there early. Each muster station is defined into a colored block imprinted into the deck. This area will hold approximately 150 people. If you get there early, you will be on the edge rather than in the middle of the mass of humanity and you will benefit from the breeze.
2. Put on your own lifejacket. If one of the attendants helps you, they tighten the straps like you were about to climb in the boat for real. Good information to have…but since it is just a drill, you will breath easier if you do it yourself.
All in all, it is over very quickly and you can return your lovely orange accessory to your stateroom for safe storage and begin thoroughly enjoying your cruise. The answer to one other somewhat bothersome question that remained with me after the drill is this. “Yes, there are lifejackets located elsewhere on the ship, so if something did happen, you wouldn’t have to get all the way back to your stateroom to grab your lifejacket and then get to your muster station.” Just go directly to the muster station…do not pass go, do not collect $200.
1. Get there early. Each muster station is defined into a colored block imprinted into the deck. This area will hold approximately 150 people. If you get there early, you will be on the edge rather than in the middle of the mass of humanity and you will benefit from the breeze.
2. Put on your own lifejacket. If one of the attendants helps you, they tighten the straps like you were about to climb in the boat for real. Good information to have…but since it is just a drill, you will breath easier if you do it yourself.
All in all, it is over very quickly and you can return your lovely orange accessory to your stateroom for safe storage and begin thoroughly enjoying your cruise. The answer to one other somewhat bothersome question that remained with me after the drill is this. “Yes, there are lifejackets located elsewhere on the ship, so if something did happen, you wouldn’t have to get all the way back to your stateroom to grab your lifejacket and then get to your muster station.” Just go directly to the muster station…do not pass go, do not collect $200.
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