What is protocol if a Cruise Ship begins to sink?

Question

We are planning a cruise this spring and I'm a bit terrified! What are the safety protocols if the ship is in distress (aside from the life boats), is there anything stating other vessels or cruise ships or Navy orNational Guard life flight, etc are around or anything?

Answer 1

One of the first things they have you once you board, is a safety drill.  They will tell you where to go, you have to have your life jacket on, and they give you all the necessary info in case of an emergency.  Life boats are all around the ship.

Answer 2

They have safety drill at the the beg of cruise.  Also you always have your cell phone if things really get out of hand.

Answer 3

The last I heard of a cruise ship sinking was some small ship in Italy and everyone survived just fine. You see now a days every ship is inspected regularly by the coast guard. Every ship has more then enough life boats. Every ship is required to do a safety drill at the beginning of your cruise. It is about the safest way to travel. Certainly is more save then travailing by car,  or plane. Just don't worry about that and have a great time.

Answer 4

CAN YOU SWIM?

Answer 5

Women and Children first.

Answer 6

If any emergency happens, first they will sound the general emergency signal, 7 short blasts followed by a long one on the ships horns and PA.

Then all passengers will be gathered at their muster stations.

(The emergency drill at the beginning of the cruise serves basically the purpose of letting people know where their muster stations are, cammon any moron can put on the life vest).

At the must station, you will wait for the Captains order. Only the captain can make the decision to abandon ship.

I've worked ships for 10 years and they drill us a lot and to be honest, in my experience, the older and more decrepit the ship, more safety mesures are taken.

At Carnival and Costa  I was a bit shocked at how little they teach the crew about safety.

On older ships I've worked, they are much more strick.

On Island Escape, which is the worsr ship I've ever worked, foodwise, service etc, they are VERY serious about it.

We had emergency drills for the crew once a week, when IMO regulations state that once a month is enough.

They also have very competent people as safety officers.

On the other hand, on Thomson Celebration we would often bump into the safety officer totaly drunk in the middle of the night at the officers bar. (but it was one guy, I think he was soon replaced.)

But check IMO.org for safety regulations.

Which ship are you going?

Answer 7

The first thing that will happen when you board the ship is that you will all be gathered together and told where your lifeboat is and what the procedure will be. The ship I was on divided people by the numbers on their tickets. Should something happen, an announcement will be made and you should proceed to where your assigned lifeboat is. The crew will assist you. The captain will have already notified the proper people that there is an emergency so help will be on the way. Relax and have fun, things of this nature are rare.