We are taking our second ever cruise and we are taking a Pacific Island trip with Cunard. Although we have no intention of leaving the ship, if I want to visit Fiji or Vanuatu we'll do that at a later date and stay a month or so.
We've read the pre-boarding instructions and talked to some people who cruise a lot and being an old bushwalker and mountaineer I've bought my wife and I some brightly coloured waterproof jackets as part of a "ditch-Kit" for want of a better word as the advice from Cunard is that if there is an emergency we are supposed to head to our cabins, don warm clothing and sensible shoes; take our life jackets in hand and proceed to our designated main assembly area .
I'm getting a bit of stick on one forum for "wasting money" on something we'll never get to wear; especially if we have to abandon ship.
Anybody here do much luxury cruising and actually read the instructions as I have and take aboard such a jacket ? An unlikely event I know but there are these things called rogue shipping containers that cause trouble and they are everywhere. Besides which the coats will stay in the cars afterwards in case I need tio change a tyre in the rain or for putting on snow chains
An experienced traveler we came across said they used to be crew on liners before retiring and they now cruise a lot and they say they always take a ditch kit on board and they advised adding a small torch and whistle to the jackets pocket. Interested in the thoughts of the hive mind here. Total cost of the emergency package for both of us $55- local as whistles and small waterproof torches are something every bushwalker and skier tends to have and carry and the jackets were clearance items, bright Flouro yellow Hi-Vis but ultra light and compact.
We've read the pre-boarding instructions and talked to some people who cruise a lot and being an old bushwalker and mountaineer I've bought my wife and I some brightly coloured waterproof jackets as part of a "ditch-Kit" for want of a better word as the advice from Cunard is that if there is an emergency we are supposed to head to our cabins, don warm clothing and sensible shoes; take our life jackets in hand and proceed to our designated main assembly area .
I'm getting a bit of stick on one forum for "wasting money" on something we'll never get to wear; especially if we have to abandon ship.
Anybody here do much luxury cruising and actually read the instructions as I have and take aboard such a jacket ? An unlikely event I know but there are these things called rogue shipping containers that cause trouble and they are everywhere. Besides which the coats will stay in the cars afterwards in case I need tio change a tyre in the rain or for putting on snow chains
An experienced traveler we came across said they used to be crew on liners before retiring and they now cruise a lot and they say they always take a ditch kit on board and they advised adding a small torch and whistle to the jackets pocket. Interested in the thoughts of the hive mind here. Total cost of the emergency package for both of us $55- local as whistles and small waterproof torches are something every bushwalker and skier tends to have and carry and the jackets were clearance items, bright Flouro yellow Hi-Vis but ultra light and compact.
As a lifelong boater I’ve been in enough emergency situations where it was glaringly obvious it was better to be prepared for the worst case scenario than not. Granted the odds of needing such items on a cruise ship are quite low but still possible. A small multi tool knife (one with pliers,etc.) would be a good addition to the pockets.
Most falls from cruise ships that make the news here are testosterone poisoned men climbing over the rail to show off. In an actual accident I would imagine passengers would end up in an enclosed life boat. No reason not to take a warm jacket and a flashlight in case of the more likely power failure.
I carry a warm jacket, a flashlight, and wear walking shoes on 30 mile trips on my bicycle. Also a cell phone in my pocket, in case I wake up in a ditch after being knocked off by a car. On a cruise it would have to be a satellite phone.
I carry a warm jacket, a flashlight, and wear walking shoes on 30 mile trips on my bicycle. Also a cell phone in my pocket, in case I wake up in a ditch after being knocked off by a car. On a cruise it would have to be a satellite phone.
It seems to me that if you can pay for the cruise in the first place, another 27 or so dollars each is chicken feed.
I've been on only one cruise, a transatlantic one. Uk to New York (six days I think) then a week there then the six days back. We sailed north of where the Titanic went down, no icebergs were seen! The oddest part was that on the outward trip the sea was as flat as a pond, no waves at all, a week and a half later we sailed into a storm with 40 foot waves! It was a bit unreal, being at dinner, when all the crockery cupboards opened and spilled their pristine, (the ship (P&O Oriana) was quite new) onto the floor with a crash that would have woken the dead. The next day it got worse, and the waves were so powerful that they broke some of the 5FT sq app windows (not portholes) on deck 5, a deck above our deck.
Alarms went off and we all had to go to our muster stations. It was a bit of a worrying time, as they had no children’s life jackets there, so leaving the boys with my wife, I went to go down to our cabin to get them, only to see water cascading down the stairs like a waterfall, from the deck above ours! The staff were great though, I was stopped, oddly enough by one of the dance troop, in her quite small dress and full makeup, I remember thinking "her legs go on forever"! Anyway, I digress, she explained that she knew where other children’s lifejackets were and we went off and fetched them.
Back at the muster station it was very sombre, sweets and toys and playing cards had been given out to keep people calm, we were told that the ship would be turned so that boards could be placed over the missing windows, this took an hour or so, but as the stabilisers were raised we were bobbing about like a cork. Some people were slightly hurt as their cabins had filled with water, the walls of which had then collapsed, and that end of deck 6 was under a few inches of water for a couple of hours.
A few other things happened but the worse was over, everybody was really happy with the way the crew had looked after us all. After a couple more days we were back in the U.K. The difference between the outward and return weather was amazing and quite thought provoking. None of that dampened the excitement of sailing past the Statue of Liberty ahead of a few other cruise ships as the sun arose and docking in New York next to the carrier Intrepid.
I've been on only one cruise, a transatlantic one. Uk to New York (six days I think) then a week there then the six days back. We sailed north of where the Titanic went down, no icebergs were seen! The oddest part was that on the outward trip the sea was as flat as a pond, no waves at all, a week and a half later we sailed into a storm with 40 foot waves! It was a bit unreal, being at dinner, when all the crockery cupboards opened and spilled their pristine, (the ship (P&O Oriana) was quite new) onto the floor with a crash that would have woken the dead. The next day it got worse, and the waves were so powerful that they broke some of the 5FT sq app windows (not portholes) on deck 5, a deck above our deck.
Alarms went off and we all had to go to our muster stations. It was a bit of a worrying time, as they had no children’s life jackets there, so leaving the boys with my wife, I went to go down to our cabin to get them, only to see water cascading down the stairs like a waterfall, from the deck above ours! The staff were great though, I was stopped, oddly enough by one of the dance troop, in her quite small dress and full makeup, I remember thinking "her legs go on forever"! Anyway, I digress, she explained that she knew where other children’s lifejackets were and we went off and fetched them.
Back at the muster station it was very sombre, sweets and toys and playing cards had been given out to keep people calm, we were told that the ship would be turned so that boards could be placed over the missing windows, this took an hour or so, but as the stabilisers were raised we were bobbing about like a cork. Some people were slightly hurt as their cabins had filled with water, the walls of which had then collapsed, and that end of deck 6 was under a few inches of water for a couple of hours.
A few other things happened but the worse was over, everybody was really happy with the way the crew had looked after us all. After a couple more days we were back in the U.K. The difference between the outward and return weather was amazing and quite thought provoking. None of that dampened the excitement of sailing past the Statue of Liberty ahead of a few other cruise ships as the sun arose and docking in New York next to the carrier Intrepid.
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Hi.
I think I would, though I am a bit concerned about the newer style of "Tower Block" (my words) ships with the hollow middle, to me they just do not look very stable. They are very different from the ocean liner types of old that were designed for all weathers. But what do I know!
Here is the report on the incident I mentioned and was onboard during.
https://www.steamshipmutual.com/sites/default/files/medialibrary/files/6.Oriana.pdf
I think I would, though I am a bit concerned about the newer style of "Tower Block" (my words) ships with the hollow middle, to me they just do not look very stable. They are very different from the ocean liner types of old that were designed for all weathers. But what do I know!
Here is the report on the incident I mentioned and was onboard during.
https://www.steamshipmutual.com/sites/default/files/medialibrary/files/6.Oriana.pdf
Makes an interesting read. Good to hear the crew coped well!
I have no sea legs at all, even in fairly calm seas I'd be ill. So I don't fancy a cruise at all!
Some folk we know were once stuck on the Shetland to Aberdeen ferry in the North Sea for two days (it's 12 hour journey), as the weather (storm force winds, huge waves...) meant the ship could not get into port. They are totally immune to sea sickness, and by the second day they were making their own breakfast in the ship's kitchen as the crew were all sick!
I have no sea legs at all, even in fairly calm seas I'd be ill. So I don't fancy a cruise at all!
Some folk we know were once stuck on the Shetland to Aberdeen ferry in the North Sea for two days (it's 12 hour journey), as the weather (storm force winds, huge waves...) meant the ship could not get into port. They are totally immune to sea sickness, and by the second day they were making their own breakfast in the ship's kitchen as the crew were all sick!