No, not “mustard.” Rally. If you’re under the impression that this cruise ship staple involves spices, listen up.
Mandatory rally drills — also known as cruise ship safety drills, safety briefings or lifeboat drills — are intended to give passengers all they need to know to stay safe. All on the yacht. They are the cruise ship equivalent of school fire drills.
True emergencies are rare at sea, but it is important for everyone on board to know what to do if the captain gives the order to “abandon ship”. That’s where a rally rally is useful.
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What is assembly drilling on a cruise ship?
The cruise rally drill is a mandatory safety briefing that all passengers must attend before the ship is allowed to set sail. This applies even if you have taken the train before.
The purpose of the cruise safety drill is to familiarize you with your assembly station where you will gather in the event of an emergency. Each passenger is assigned a station based on their cabin location, and each station has a corresponding lifeboat.
During drills, the crew will also tell you where to find life jackets and teach you how to wear them properly in case of need.
The captain also has the ability to give some notice to comply with the general safety rules for ships (do not throw anything into the sea, do not smoke except in designated areas, do not run on decks) wet pools, hold handrails in rough seas, etc.) and present an emergency signal — seven short whistles, followed by one long whistle on the ship’s alarm system, which can be jarring.
Related: Cruise ship do’s and don’ts
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How are the exercises conducted?
For many years, ships forced passengers to gather at the same designated time in large groups, either on deck in their lifeboats or in an indoor space, such as a theater or casino. or waiting room.
As the COVID-19 pandemic created the need for social distancing, most major cruise lines have grown virtual drillscan be viewed on in-cabin TV or via the carriers’ mobile apps within a certain time frame after boarding.
As the lines slowly restored their coronavirus protocols and brought ships back to full capacity, two major companies – Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line – have returned to full live maneuvers, for safety reasons. Other mainstreams say they will continue to provide e-muster and claims there is nothing unsafe about it; Norway has since reversed course and restore popular e-muster drills after complaint. Check with your carrier to see what type of drill is offered.
In the event that lines continue to conduct electronic drills, passengers must go to their designated meet up stations to check in with crew members waiting there. Some will conduct live life jacket demonstrations; others will verify that you have watched any required video tutorials. All will scan your keycard or record your name or cabin number to confirm that you’ve done your due diligence.
For fully live maneuvers, some lines conduct a version where everything is done in real time. Others gather people to watch videos in the same place at the same time.
Why do cruise ships have rally drills?
Cruise ships must conduct a rally drill for all passengers on board before they are allowed to set sail. The aim is to familiarize passengers with safety procedures and demonstrate what they must do in an emergency. Helping them familiarize themselves with the process first will remove unnecessary layers of chaos and panic in the unlikely event of an emergency.
In 1914, the Safety of Life at Sea regulations were enforced following the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Those familiar with the tragedy will know that many people died because there were not enough lifeboats on board. . The senselessness of those deaths made officials realize that change was needed.
SOLAS seeks to hold all ships to consistent safety standards to avoid further loss of life in a similar situation. As such, the SOLAS rules have been revised several times. Initially, they stated that the exercises had to take place within 24 hours of setting sail.
In 2013, after the sinking of the Costa Concordia in Italy, a new modification was made. It went into effect in 2015 and states that rally maneuvers must be completed before the ship leaves the dock or immediately after leaving the dock, rather than within 24 hours of departure.
Related: 21 tips and tricks that will make your first journey go smoothly
What if I skip the rally drill in my itinerary?
If you do not report to the designated meet up station ahead of time, your name and cabin number will be reported to the ship’s commanding officer, who will confuse you by summoning you through the address system public throughout the ship.
It is likely that there will be an additional drill conducted for those who miss the first time, but in extreme cases those passengers will not be allowed to sail and may be forced to disembark before the ship leaves the berth or departs at the next port of call.
For more cruise terms, see TPG’s glossary of common cruise terms.
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