Okay, confession time. I don’t take the muster drill very seriously anymore, and I’m guessing you don’t either. We’ve done it a dozen times, the ship’s obviously not sinking, and we’d much rather be grabbing a drink than standing on a packed deck, life jacket in hand, listing to someone talking about how to put it on over a bullhorn.
But then something like Friday’s accident in New Orleans happens, and it makes you stop and think. In case you missed it, a tanker hit American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage while she was tied up at the dock, and the riverboat rolled onto her side. Everyone was accounted for, though 32 passengers went to the hospital with non-critical injuries. Video from the scene showed people in life jackets floating in the river, and the water was around 66 degrees. It all happened fast, and at a place where nobody was expecting trouble.
WDSU in New Orleans captured the moment of impact:
Video: WDSU / Barry Kern
And here’s some of the rescue effort that followed:
Credit: WDSU
Accidents are Rare, But Can Happen
Now, before anyone panics, this was a small river vessel getting hit by a much bigger ship. That’s not what your typical ocean cruise looks like, and serious accidents like this are rare. Nobody should be afraid to take a cruise all of a sudden.
But if something ever does go wrong, there’s no time to Google where your muster station is. You either know the plan or you don’t.
Remember the old days? Everybody grabbed a life jacket, shuffled to their assigned station, and stood there while the crew walked through what to do. Was it a little annoying? Sure. But you actually walked the route, saw where things were, and looked around at the people who’d be standing next to you if it ever came to that.
Most of the big lines have since switched to an electronic version, usually called eMuster. You watch a safety video on an app or your stateroom TV, then check in at your muster station. It’s faster, and nobody’s sweating in an orange life jacket, so I get why lines and passengers like it. But it also makes the whole thing feel like clicking “I agree” on a terms and conditions page. A lot of us never really learn where we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to do if something happens.
What You Should Know Before Sailaway
You don’t need to memorize a whole bunch of safety measures. But before the ship leaves the dock, you should be able to answer these without checking your phone:
- Where’s your muster station? It’s listed on your cruise card, in the app, and on the back of your stateroom door. Walk there at least once so you know which deck it’s on and which stairs get you there.
- Where are your life jackets? On a lot of ships they’re in your stateroom, usually in the closet or under a bed. On others they’re kept at the muster station. It depends on the line and the ship, so don’t assume.
- What does the alarm sound like? The general emergency signal is seven short blasts and one long one. You’ll hear it during the drill, so really listen to it.
- What’s your backup route? Know a second way to get to your station in case one stairwell is blocked.
- Does everyone in your group know where they’re going? If family or friends are in different cabins, make sure they all know their stations and where you’ll meet up afterward.
Nobody’s asking you to love the muster drill. Just watch the whole video, even if you’ve seen it a hundred times, and pay attention when you get to your station. If something doesn’t make sense, ask a crew member. And if you’ve got kids with you, do it together so they see you’re taking it seriously.
Chances are you’ll never need any of it. But if you do, you’ll be really glad you spent ten minutes on it instead of ten seconds.
